Please reveal the votes of the mystery judges.
The current score is
Team White Spoon with 34 and Team Black Spoon with 34.
THE REMAINING 32 SELECTED THE SAME TEAM
It's a 32-vote difference.
It's 32 votes…
It's a 32-vote difference?
Now, we will reveal the results.
The result of the first battle is…
We lost?
Team Black Spoon, 34 points.
Team White Spoon, 66 points.
Team White Spoon wins.
Currently, Team White Spoon
is leading by 32 points.
You're the best.
I almost had a heart attack.
Thank you!
When we had our initial discussion,
I insisted that we had to go with a mainstream dish.
We need to go with mainstream food.
-Let's go mainstream. -Exactly.
-Something they've had before. -Yes.
We decided on a straightforward flavor,
and I think that strategy worked perfectly.
-You really don't know until you know. -Right?
Mainstream tastes are powerful.
As I tasted the dishes,
I thought one side might win by a landslide.
This dish had strong flavors
and a crowd-pleasing flavor profile, which worked in their favor.
It was sweet, tangy, and had a bit of a bold punch.
It's tangy and sweet.
It has strong flavors.
Whereas this feels healthier.
I picked it because I preferred it.
It was a unique combination, and it was very easy on the palate.
I knew what the other judges were going to vote for,
but I thought I should go with my gut.
Currently, Team White Spoon
is leading by 32 points.
By 32 points?
We lost by that much?
Maybe the flavor we went for was too subtle.
Wow, the gap is…
This will be hard to close.
I was so angry.
We lost by an absurdly wide margin.
I said I'd do both the second and third rounds.
The second battle will be the five-on-five Black and White Spoons' Team Battle.
For this battle,
there will not be 100 judges.
What?
What's going on?
In this battle,
there will be 50 mystery judges tasting your dishes.
What is that based on though?
To ensure fairness,
the judges have been reselected
from 25 people who voted for Team Black Spoon
and 25 people who voted for Team White Spoon in the first battle.
How very meticulous.
So it's split evenly.
They included Judges Paik and Anh in the 25 Team Black Spoon votes.
That reduces how many points we can get too.
For the second battle, each judge's vote
will now be worth two points.
Right, I see.
Two points per person, bringing the total to 100 points.
That's a lot of points then.
We have to go with something bold
and turn the tables in the second round.
We have to win. Otherwise, we're going home.
I don't think we'll be overtaken that easily.
As long as we don't suddenly burn something
or fail to complete the dish, I think we'll be fine.
These are the Team White Spoon chefs competing in the second battle.
They were such strong team members,
so I had faith in them.
We need to win everything. That's what everyone kept saying.
We have to win them all.
The White Spoons came out ready to put an end to things.
The Black Spoons thought it could get really bad
if they don't make a comeback here.
And they seemed determined to turn things around.
-Are you going to join? -In Round 2.
Sure, if you have use for me.
-I'm all fired up right now. -Okay.
We decided to send out people with more firepower.
Being tired isn't the issue. It's about winning.
For the main ingredients of this battle,
Team Black Spoon and Team White Spoon
will each select one ingredient.
We get to choose ourselves.
Okay, we pick first.
-What would be best? -We pick first.
As winners of the first battle,
Team White Spoon will choose first.
From the Wheel of Land, Team White Spoon has chosen
chicken.
We decided on a familiar ingredient
and one with more savory taste.
We'll go with pollock roe.
Team Black Spoon has chosen pollock roe.
Pollock roe is an ingredient that's naturally savory and rich in taste,
so we can make more straightforward flavors.
The second battle ingredients from the Wheel of Fate
are chicken and pollock roe.
They picked two very savory ingredients.
If done well, they'll be tasty.
-Right. -I wonder how different they'll be.
These ingredients can turn out very different
depending on the cooking style.
What about for the chicken?
Fricassée for the chicken.
Fricassée?
Fricassée is a French dish made with chicken.
The chicken is sauteed and served with a creamy sauce.
In the first dish, everything contained vinegar.
It was a sweet and tangy dish with a bit of acidity.
So for the second dish, we decided to go for something heavy.
Something really rich.
A really creamy fricassée,
with chicken, mushrooms, and mashed potatoes underneath.
-It'll be very familiar kind of flavor. -A simple dish.
But we have to add pollock roe.
It has to be savory while pairing well with the chicken.
-We can add the roe to potatoes. -Yeah. That's the best.
That will make it incredibly savory.
-The roe makes the mashed potatoes more… -More delicious?
-It sounds good. -It brings that savoriness.
Then, who will make the sauce?
-Are you going to? -I'll make the sauce.
Then, I'll handle the grilling.
-Then, please take the vegetables. -Okay.
Please take the roe out of the sacs.
You just want the roe taken out?
Chicken fricassée with pollock roe mashed potatoes.
We've won already.
-Right? Doesn't it sound delicious? -Yes.
I think they'll do something like this.
A fricassée with chicken and pollock roe.
-Chef Sam Kim. -He's Italian cuisine.
-Jong-won. -Yeah.
Chef Park Hyo-nam.
They're all Western cuisine.
Chicken fricassée is a classic dish.
It's also easier to prepare for 50 people.
I thought we really needed to catch up to them in the second round,
so I felt we should take a different approach.
We should make kkanpunggi
and make a béchamel with pollock roe and cheese
-that we'll spread on the bottom. -Good.
-It'll have spice and cheese. -Okay.
-Sounds good. -Good. Okay.
Team White Spoon's chicken fricassée
is a dish that can easily become a bit too heavy and greasy.
So, we decided on kkanpunggi, or spicy garlic fried chicken.
-Lay the cheese sauce down. -Okay.
-Add the chicken and shredded green onion. -Yes. Right.
Kkanpunggi has a bold flavor with a spicy kick.
I think it needs a gentle flavor to balance it out.
People like the intense flavor of tteokbokki,
but they also enjoy eating it with cheese.
This will be a combination quite similar to that.
I'll be upstairs praying that it tastes good.
So we can win.
Let's talk about our stations, so our workflow doesn't get messy.
Rebellious Genius and I will work over there.
You two need to prep the chicken,
so please do it by the sink, and Chef Ok will work here.
He was watching us running around earlier.
He wasn't pleased at all.
I was quite frustrated with their work process in Round 1
when I was watching from above.
There's enough space on the other side to work.
We have cutting boards. Why are they sharing one?
They're not splitting up the tasks.
I think I need to do this here.
For the second round with five people,
I said I'd take the lead.
If you have ideas, don't talk among yourselves.
-Right. -If you tell me,
I'll think it through and share it
or turn it down.
Just trust me and follow my lead.
Please don't be offended if I turn you down.
-Any questions? -No.
-Very nice.
I didn't take the lead out of a sense of duty to save our team.
I was thinking, "They're so frustrating. I should do it myself."
Now,
The Black and White Spoons' Team Battle, All or Nothing.
The second culinary battle begins now.
FIVE-ON-FIVE FACE-OFF TIME LIMIT IS 120 MINUTES
-Good luck! -You can do it!
-Go, Black Spoons! -Good luck!
-You can do it!
-I'll set everything up. -Who do I get vegetables with?
-Come with me. -Okay.
-Prep the chicken. -Yes, Chef.
Let's go get the vegetables.
I'll finish setting things up.
Before we began,
we made sure to designate stations and workflows for everyone.
One, two, and three.
In order to lead your team effectively,
you need to assign the right jobs to the right people.
As soon as we start, please fill these with oil first.
Just to be safe, fill up everything.
We decided the management of our process
should be left to Culinary Monster.
I'll get the ingredients from the pantry.
-You get the butter and… -I'll set up.
-Cheese. -Two types of cheese from the fridge.
He assigned all the tasks by time.
His orders are so well-organized.
-You two prep the chicken. -I can fry the chicken.
-Prep the vegetables for the kkanpunggi. -Okay.
When I start stir-frying the vegetables,
you scrape out the pollock roe.
It's like we're going along for the ride.
On the Monster Bus.
We're getting a premium ride.
And he's our driver.
From here, I see he is really good at organizing.
We must've looked so ridiculous earlier.
Earlier, we were a lot like them over there.
Where are the gloves?
-Under there. -The gloves are there.
-They're here. -I need to use these.
Boil some water first.
Where's the stove lighter?
-Where is it? -What?
That thing.
-The peeler? -Do I peel with that?
-Yes. -The peeler is…
The potato peeler.
-It's not there? -No.
They're all over the place right now.
I've only competed alone until now, so this was my first team battle.
It was so different.
Even though we had decided on what we should be doing,
once the battle started, we were all over the place.
Hold on! Here.
I brought them. Here's the lighter.
He lit the stove.
The peeler's right here, Venerable.
Here.
I've put it on.
-You don't need a peeler? -No, I'm fine.
Chef, I brought the butter for the mashed potatoes.
-Okay. -I'll let it temper.
Chef Son is working like a commis chef.
He's working hard.
Chef, I brought most of the seasonings.
-And the balsamic vinegar? -Yes, all of them.
-Here's the salt too. -We can use those then.
The more I run around,
the more help I can be to the team.
They won the first match by such a big margin,
so I'd feel bad if we lost the second match.
All I could think about was moving quickly
to do absolutely everything I can.
-I'll help with the chicken now. -Okay.
-Please debone this. -Okay.
This…
This takes a lot of work.
This is a lot more work than I thought.
-This is the hard bit. -Yeah, it's a lot of work.
This is really slippery. Damn.
This wasn't the easy task.
Prepping the chicken
took a lot longer than we thought.
We expected around 20 minutes.
Chef Hee-eun, how long has it been?
-It's been 20 minutes. -99 minutes left!
We should've been done by now.
We aimed to prep the chicken in 20 minutes.
I even thought, "Maybe we shouldn't have picked chicken."
It's taking a while to debone the chicken.
Gosh, look at our Witch with a Wok!
-Look at that. -She's amazing.
See that knife?
Even her knife is very witch-like.
Chicken is an ingredient I always use.
Wow, you're so fast.
-What? -You're so fast.
Really?
I came determined to duel it out today,
so I sharpened my knife to a fine edge beforehand.
Gosh, Chef Witch with a Wok
is really fast.
Deboning is actually a delicate job,
but she just cuts through with her cleaver.
-Everything okay? -All good.
We have plenty of time. We're all done.
I'm going to brine it now.
-Why are you sighing? -You can't sigh.
-No sighing allowed. -No sighing.
-My back hurts.
No sighing, Team White Spoon.
We're almost done. Just a little more.
Is someone doing the vegetables? The mirepoix?
-Hello, Venerable. -Hello.
-The ingredients are… -Yes?
-They're seafood and chicken, so how… -Right.
With cooking, not everyone has to be a vegetarian.
-True. -Yes, so in that case,
-I do what I can for them. -Right.
Just as you try to balance people who do and don't get along,
I believe you should do the same with food.
When you're on a team,
it's important to work in harmony.
"I'm a practitioner, so I only do vegetarian food." It's not that.
I can just cook what I'm able to cook.
If you think about an orchestra,
I just need to play my piece and do my part well.
I'm not the conductor who handles everything.
What should I do next?
The button mushrooms are done. And this parsley.
-I think we'll need one more celery. -Celery?
-Is that so? -Yes.
-Do we need more chicken? -No, this seems enough.
Could you check this? I'll sear them.
-Please toss the onions too. -Yes, Chef.
Wow, look how quick Chef Son is.
We'll sear the chicken in the pan first.
The color's okay, right?
The color? Yes.
We added garlic, rosemary, and thyme. The chicken's going in.
-Wow, that looks delicious. -That looks good!
We'll give it a sear and then cook it in the oven.
The key point of this dish is making a rich sauce.
We use chicken to give the broth some real flavor.
We sauté the celery and onion in olive oil.
Then, we add that rich chicken broth and let it cook.
Light it up!
Our team leader is Chef Park Hyo-nam, and he's a master of French cuisine.
It felt reassuring to have him.
He's a master of Western cuisine,
so I knew this chicken dish would be perfect.
It smells like Western cuisine now.
It's bound to be good. The god of Western cuisine made it.
I just hope the sauce is good.
-The kkanpunggi sauce. -I know.
Using spicy chili peppers with soy sauce tastes the best.
Is it going well?
I said I'd make the kkanpunggi sauce.
-What will you make for the sauce? -Kkanpunggi sauce is soy sauce-based.
-Want to add balsamic vinegar? -Balsamic?
-Yes, it'll taste good. -I don't mind.
I suggested that we use balsamic vinegar.
It'll have a savory and sweet flavor.
Spicy and sweet.
Yeah, that's the best flavor.
Is there anything else I can help with?
Chef Ok.
Three each, so six in total.
-They need to be diced. -Okay.
-Did you shred the green onions? -No. They need to be shredded.
-Prep has to be done in 20 minutes. -Yes, Chef.
Witch with a Wok, could you check the sweetness?
15, 25.
Have a taste. I added cooking syrup as well.
-Add more? -It's too salty.
-Too salty? -It's really salty.
-It's too salty. -Too salty?
It's really salty.
-It's salty? -Yeah.
It'll be really salty if we let it reduce.
Make it sweet and not salty.
-Okay. -I think it's really salty.
-Okay, sorry. -For my taste.
Make it mild enough to just eat it like this.
That way, we can reduce it in the pan and toss the chicken in it.
It strangely came out salty, and I was struggling to figure out
the fix to that problem at the time.
I was frustrated.
He said he'd handle the sauce and the vegetable prep,
but he hadn't even prepped the vegetables yet.
Chef Ok, I think the sauce is taking too long.
No, I'm almost done.
-We said we'd prep the vegetables. -Yes, I'm almost done.
But I was able to tone down the saltiness and draw out more sweetness
to fix the flavor.
I chopped the green onions, bell peppers, and garlic.
-What should I do? -Come here.
-Pour this for me. -Do what?
-Water. -Water? How much?
-Just pour it. -I'll pour all of it.
-Say when. -Okay.
How's it going? We should make one and taste it.
-We just need to make the batter. -Pour it all in.
It's been an hour now.
We need to start frying.
-We have two minutes left. -Almost done.
Please tell me an actual time instead.
-For this? -Three minutes.
Three minutes?
When I ask how long something will take,
saying "almost done"
doesn't answer my question.
-We need to start. -Yes, we're ready to fry.
We're five minutes behind.
As the one leading the team, I had to keep track of the time.
It's been 15 minutes.
Prep has to be done in 20 minutes.
The team leader needs to be more proactive and keep following up
to check if things are going well.
Sorry, Chef.
Let's redo the peanuts.
Redo them? How?
-These are too burnt. -Okay, so less cooked than this?
-They must be evenly cooked. -Okay.
-I think they're good now. -Like this?
-Stop here or keep going? -Stop.
I need to set a good example first and demonstrate how it's done.
We're done. Please tell me what's left to do.
Make me some starch paste.
-Paste? What kind? -Yes, using this.
That's how I've always worked, so I tried hard to do it that way.
STARCH PASTE BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
-I'll finish off the béchamel. -Okay.
Rebellious Genius.
-If we add the roe, we're done. -Got it.
-Could you add it and season it? -Season it? Okay.
POLLOCK ROE ADDED TO BÉCHAMEL SAUCE TO FINISH POLLOCK ROE CREAM SAUCE
They're making a pollock roe béchamel.
-It's a pollock roe béchamel. -So that's what it was.
I hope our pollock roe mashed potatoes come out well.
We need to do this and then transfer the mashed potatoes to a big bowl.
We need to press them through.
-Could I have a look, Venerable? -Sure.
We need to push them through. Is it working? Yes, like this.
-It'll take a while though. -But this is how it's done.
-Really? -Even in French cuisine,
it's important to put in the effort and do this.
Are the potatoes coming out? Is it working well?
-Not really. -Not really?
We need to do this first.
Put these through, Venerable.
I'll do this first for you.
-Break them down? -If we break them down, it'll be easier.
Gosh, the mashed potatoes must be so hot to handle.
It's so hot.
Geez, it's mashed potato hell.
Who knew the potatoes would be this much trouble?
Right?
It's so hot.
-How about we switch? -Sorry?
We'll take turns doing it.
-We have to save our strength. -Okay.
Right?
The potatoes will take a while.
Yeah, this will take longer than expected.
Could you pass me that?
-Please give me that. -What?
Please give me that.
Like this.
Push them through this.
Like this.
It's hot, so do it like this with the rack.
There we go.
Bravo!
-They're going through well. -You're the best!
I think pushing them through like this should do it.
It's working.
-Yes, they'll quickly pass through. -They're all passing through.
I think this should be enough.
Have a look.
The chicken's done, right?
-It's all done. -All done?
-But we do need to cook it in here. -Yeah, so let's do that now.
After taking the chicken out of the oven, they're cooking it in the sauce.
Yes.
Thirteen.
Fourteen.
If the pollock roe gets too hot,
it might taste a bit fishy.
-This really wears out your arm. -Shall I do it?
No, it's fine. I'll do it.
-If your arm hurts… -Even though my arm hurt,
I mixed it at a low temperature for a long time.
I'm a little worried right now,
because the mashed potatoes and the chicken are both cream-based.
-I'm making the tasting sample. -Okay.
-It's Chinese versus Western cuisine. -Right.
I hope ours is a little spicy.
The way you make kkanpunggi is
you toss the fried chicken in the sauce and let it really soak in.
On the bottom, there is a béchamel sauce made with pollock roe and Parmesan cheese.
That's about three spoonfuls.
Okay, three spoonfuls.
-Have a taste. -Should I make this and…
-Pause for a moment and have a taste. -Okay.
Let's taste this together.
This is a team battle,
and everyone specializes in different cuisines,
but we had to create one single dish.
Could someone taste all of it at once?
-All of it. -Taste it with the sauce.
Yes, with the sauce and green onions.
Is it too mild?
I think we should add more sauce and also add more pollock roe.
-Season the sauce more? -The sauce could use more acidity.
-Yes. -More acidity?
The heat kicks in at the end.
-Let's recheck the sauce. -The roe sauce is only creamy.
The roe doesn't stand out.
It wasn't quite there.
By my standards,
the flavor wasn't that bold.
Since you make this all the time, please do it your way.
Rebellious Genius, please add more roe.
Just make your best kkanpunggi.
-The cream's pretty strong. -Okay.
We need to start plating in 15 minutes.
-Okay. -Okay.
Our dish has a refined flavor, but it contains cream and butter,
so if they find it greasy, they won't like it.
-There's a lot of cream. -Yes.
-The potatoes and top layer are creamy. -The potatoes, cream, cheese. Too heavy.
Right, it's too heavy. It'll be too greasy.
Fricassées can taste a little greasy.
So I thought the dish needed a clear highlight.
Right now, the mashed potatoes are in the middle with the pollock roe,
and the cream sauce goes on top.
We're missing that special flavor in the dish.
-I think adding some acidity will help. -Yes, acidity.
If we reduce something like balsamic vinegar
and drizzle it over the mashed potatoes,
-when they take a spoonful… -It'll add a sweet note.
Yes, and it'll be tangy too.
And we can take a lemon wedge
and char it.
Either char or grill it.
That freshly squeezed citrus aroma is really nice.
You get a hint of charred lemon juice,
which is quite a unique flavor.
The Venerable torched it with such care.
I've never done this before.
The lemon will add that special flavor.
Let's make a sample dish.
We'll put this here like so.
When layering the dish
with the mashed potatoes, the cream sauce, and the chicken,
the balsamic vinegar and lemon will add that special something.
CHARRED LEMON JUICE
It's braised in the sauce and has acidity and sweetness.
Shouldn't we place it on top to be squeezed?
-It needs a bit more acidity. -It's good.
-It's good. The texture's good. -Did you add balsamic vinegar?
-Yeah. -You did?
The texture's great.
-I think the potatoes are good like this. -Yeah, the texture's good.
Chef Park said the texture's good.
Okay. Let's start plating.
-Did you add more balsamic vinegar? -Yes, I did.
-And vinegar? -No.
I wanted the flavor
to really hit the palate of those tasting.
Should we add some chili oil to the sauce?
-It lacks heat. -Yes, a little more…
Let's add chili oil and try it again.
-Do we have chili oil? -Yeah. The chili oil. Where was it?
-The Lao Gan Ma. -Yeah.
-That bottle. -This one?
-Strain it and just give me the oil. -Okay.
It needs to be spicy.
There we go.
Witch with a Wok, the chili oil.
-Is this enough? Where? -Chili oil?
-Put it there. -I'll put it here.
Let's taste this again.
Let's go.
It's okay.
Is it good?
-Is it okay? -We got it.
-Let's go with this. -It's good.
-That's good. -It's perfect.
When I tried it, it was great.
We were all happy with it. All five of us. It was so good.
-We need to keep frying the chicken. -Okay.
-Ten minutes until plating. -Okay.
-It's good we set up two frying stations. -Yeah, we did it just in case.
-Forty minutes left. We'll start plating. -Okay.
A spoonful of potatoes for each.
-I'll plate them. -Okay.
-Please pour it. -Okay.
-And then, like this? -Okay.
-This needs to be a little pink. -Okay.
It needs to have the pollock roe.
-Mix it so it evenly distributes. -Okay.
We really need to fry them now.
-We have to go. -Here's the second fry.
I'm doing the second fry now.
Just take one big spoonful like this.
-Be careful not to spill. -One big spoonful. Okay.
From the left? Or doesn't matter?
-Doesn't matter. -Okay.
We've started plating.
Mine are slowly going to come out now.
Here.
Unlike with the squid, the smell of the cooking is…
It gets your mouth watering.
That kkanpunggi makes this a toss-up now.
With that smoky flavor, it'll be hard to beat kkanpunggi.
I think it'll be a repeat of the first round
but reversed.
-Reversed? -Yeah.
But over there,
I think the White Spoons went for mainstream too.
Potatoes and chicken.
They're adding more cheese on top.
-Like this. -Yes, stand it up like this at the edge.
-All in the same direction? -Yes.
So they can grab and squeeze it.
-Can we add a tiny bit of roe on top? -Pollock roe?
-I think it needs more impact. -Okay.
This should make it perfectly balanced.
We added a bit of pollock roe right at the end.
Because ultimately, it all comes down to the details.
I wanted to really make it taste great.
How many have we done?
There's still a bit to go.
-We need to move the dishes we've wiped. -Move the dishes?
-They're placing the plates now. -Good luck!
You can do it!
Let's pick up the pace a little.
-These are all done, right? -Yes.
You can take these.
The lemon is at the top.
-The two have completely opposite flavors. -Yes.
I think the dishes reflect the personality of that team.
Well done.
-Great job! -Well done!
Great job!
-Good job. -Thank you. You too.
-Great job. -The last one.
Let's go! Good job!
That looks good.
The second battle is over.
5-ON-5 FACE-OFF END OF COOKING
-Great job. -Good job, everyone!
You worked so hard.
-Great job. -Good job.
-Great job. -It's all over.
-Great job. -You too, Chef.
They went all out.
-But ours is bolder in flavor. -Exactly.
Gosh, it was really…
It felt like they had come out
with a perfect plan after going through the first battle.
Like, "We're all about the flavor." Something bold.
The White Spoons' dish looked fuller.
There was some depth to the dish.
This time, we had a real chance.
Yes, thank you.
The dish we prepared for this battle
is a dish that tastes delicious in a straightforward way.
TEAM BLACK SPOON KKANPUNGGI WITH ROE SAUCE
We added pollock roe to a smooth cream base
to make a savory sauce.
On top of that is kkanpunggi.
I personally think
the most delicious cuisine is Chinese cuisine,
so I believed we could win.
The dish we prepared is called
"Cock-a-Doodle-Doo Embracing Pollock Roe."
TEAM WHITE SPOON COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO EMBRACING POLLOCK ROE
We based it on the very classic dish, chicken fricassée.
We mixed the pollock roe and potato purée so they can blend together.
There's a lemon wedge charred on one side.
If you add just a drop of juice from that, the dish will taste even better.
I'm so nervous.
Let's win this time.
Please.
I think ours will taste better.
It'll be savory.
Should we have made it spicier?
Please.
They both used pollock roe as a sauce.
POLLOCK ROE MASHED POTATOES POLLOCK ROE CREAM SAUCE
Neither used a lot of it.
-The pollock roe… -It's very mild.
Yes, they made it very mild.
The kkanpunggi sauce isn't too strong either.
If it were,
we wouldn't taste the pollock roe at all.
This is a tough one.
Team Black Spoon changed their strategy and went for a straightforward taste.
-Team White Spoon also did really well. -I'm licking my knife right now.
Well…
-You must be enjoying it. -Yeah.
The tasting is complete.
No, I'm not done.
Now,
-it's time to begin voting… -No, wait.
-for the second battle. -Wait.
The voting is complete.
END OF VOTING
First, we will reveal the results of the two judges' votes.
Please reveal the vote…
of Judge Anh Sung-jae.
JUDGE ANH SUNG-JAE VOTED FOR TEAM WHITE SPOON
Please reveal the vote of Judge Paik Jong-won.
-Please. -Please.
JUDGE PAIK JONG-WON VOTED FOR TEAM BLACK SPOON
This is nerve-racking.
I've had a lot of kkanpunggi in my time, but this is the best I've ever had.
I didn't know adding pollock roe could make it taste so refined.
I honestly want to eat it again.
Before starting,
Team Black Spoon said they'd compete with direct, straightforward flavors.
But it didn't come across as that straightforward for me.
This dish maintains a sense of delicacy while trying to be direct,
so it wasn't as pleasurable to me.
In contrast, "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo Embracing Pollock Roe"
seems to possess two qualities.
It has that classic feel but also a touch of wit.
The charred lemon…
When I squeezed in a few drops of it while eating,
just as Chef Son Jong-won said earlier,
it was the exact highlight of the dish.
And that really tiny bit of pollock roe on top
may seem like it'd make a minor difference,
but even that helped to make the overall dish really shine.
I felt we did everything we could.
We worked hard to create the our intended dish.
So we can't lose.
The White Spoons did well too. Theirs was put together well.
Then, it's fifty-fifty.
I was thinking we needed to at least win 60 to 40.
The results of the first battle were…
Team White Spoon with 66 points
and Team Black Spoon with 34 points.
Currently, Team White Spoon is ahead by 32 points.
Now, it is time to announce
the voting results.
Please reveal the final results.
Let's just win.
I was confident our flavors would measure up.
I had faith in our dish, and I believe it suited their tastes more.
TEAM WHITE SPOON, 48 TEAM BLACK SPOON, 48
TEAM WHITE SPOON WINS
Gosh, I'm going to lose my mind.
I think I might cry.
Team Black Spoon, 48 points.
Team White Spoon, 52 points.
Team White Spoon wins.
36-POINT DIFFERENCE AFTER SECOND BATTLE
You're so awesome.
-Nice job. -They were awesome.
I suppose our dish didn't taste as good.
It won't be easy, but…
we have to survive somehow.
I'll just try really hard.
I'll do everything I can, using all the strength I have.
BLACK AND WHITE SPOONS' TEAM BATTLE ALL OR NOTHING
WHITE SPOONS WIN FIRST 2 BATTLES
TOTAL, 118 TO 82 36-POINT DIFFERENCE
They're all closed.
Why are they gone? It's making me nervous.
The third Black and White Spoons' Team Battle, All or Nothing.
The survival of one team
and elimination of the other is on the line.
The third battle will be
between the best three chefs from each team.
In this final battle, the number of judges will be…
only ten.
…only ten.
Ten points per judge? Okay.
Each judge's vote will now be worth ten points.
-That's a lot of points. -Ten points.
Gosh, this is really bad.
According to the votes of the ten judges, including Judges Paik and Ahn,
the total scores will be added up
to decide the fate of the two teams.
-What does that mean? -It's 70 to 30.
If we earn 70 points, we win. If we get only 60, we lose.
If they get 70 points, we lose.
We have a chance to make a comeback.
There's even a chance we could win 100 to zero.
We just need 40 points to win.
Out of the ten judges, let's aim for half. So it'll be 50 points for each.
Now, we will reveal the other judges.
-I'm curious. I can't wait to see. -I'm curious too.
As this is a battle between each team's best three chefs,
we've assembled a special panel of judges.
A special panel?
-A special panel? -Special?
-Introducing…
the special judges for this battle.
Gosh, it's our predecessors!
3-ON-3 BATTLE OF THE BEST THE SPECIAL PANEL'S EIGHT JUDGES
Gosh, it's our predecessors!
Our predecessors from Season 1!
Your judges of the special panel
are the eight chefs who helped the show shine last season.
Hello, everyone.
It's very challenging, but don't think about giving up.
You must fight hard until the end.
I hope everyone does well. I'll be cheering you on.
It brings back memories to be here again after a year.
The chef I truly respect and I
can face the same direction instead of each other
as we shoot this show together,
so I am truly honored.
Hello, I'm Chinese cuisine chef Jung Ji-sun.
I'm Cooking Maniac.
I'm Auntie Omakase #1, Kim Mi-ryeong.
I'm Jang Ho-joon from Tongyeong.
Hello, I'm Chinese cuisine chef Lu Chinglai.
My seniors are all here, and it's certainly a valuable experience.
I wish all of you the best of luck. You can do it!
We do it!
In this battle, as we have a special panel of judges,
the decision of each and every judge
will have a major impact on the results.
They're all chefs. They know about cooking.
They've been on the receiving end of this before,
so I expect they'll give very sharp criticism.
They'll have a keener palate than ordinary people.
So, this won't be easy. We should really brace ourselves.
Please select your three best chefs
who will bear the team's fate on their shoulders.
It is time to announce
the three best chefs from each team.
From Team White Spoon, Son Jong-won.
I told myself not to get complacent.
I want to win big.
Jung Ho-young.
Sam Kim.
Their team seemed pretty tough too.
Our lineup is more original.
From Team Black Spoon, Culinary Monster.
-You got this! -Our best chef.
Well, I insisted that I had to do it.
We have to win no matter what.
Barbecue Lab Director.
Knife Omakase.
I wasn't really…
I mean, of course, their best stepped forward.
But rather than worry about their dish, I was focused on ours.
I wasn't bothered at all. I'm the one who has to do well anyways.
In this three-on-three Battle of the Best,
Judges Paik and Anh have selected
a hidden ingredient.
-What? -Things have changed.
…a hidden ingredient.
-What? -Not those?
The discussion for our dish was for nothing.
We talked it over a hundred times though.
Man, they can't do this.
I got really angry.
We saw the remaining ingredients,
so we thought of tens of thousands of recipes.
We kept thinking about all the possibilities.
But then, the hidden ingredient came up, and I got really angry.
I don't know why you keep things hidden.
I was hidden too.
Why do they keep hiding stuff?
Once the hidden ingredient is revealed,
each team must pick one ingredient from the Wheel of Fate that will pair well
with the hidden ingredient.
Combining the hidden ingredient with their selected ingredient,
each team must create their best dish for this final battle.
What will it be?
What is it?
We will first reveal
the hidden ingredient selected by the judges.
-It must be in there. -It's shiny.
What's under the shiny cover?
We will first reveal the hidden ingredient.
It's tofu.
-Tofu? -What? Tofu?
-It's tofu. -Tofu!
-What is it? -Tofu.
-What is it? -It's tofu.
-Tofu. -Tofu.
-That long-term storytelling is wicked! -Tofu!
-Goodness. -That's funny.
THE HIDDEN INGREDIENT, TOFU
If you go take any exam,
you never get a question from the previous exam.
Tofu? In a mission this important?
You didn't expect to see tofu again, did you?
-No. -I was so shocked.
You can't let your guard down. Please make us a delicious dish.
Last season, after eating 27 dishes of tofu…
I've also been steering clear of tofu.
That's why today,
I'm expecting great things from our best chefs.
Seeing this tofu makes me want to cook again.
However, the eight special judges
will not be observing your cooking process to ensure fair judging.
They will not know which team made which dish.
Only taste will decide the outcome.
-That's fair. -It is.
Please lower the blinds for the special judges.
-Good luck! -Good luck!
-You can do it! -Hang in there!
-Good luck! -Good luck!
The eight special judges, please make your way out.
-Gosh. -Good luck with observing.
All the best.
Now, each team will discuss amongst yourselves
and choose one main ingredient that pairs well with tofu
from the Wheel of Fate.
Out of the eight remaining ingredients, you can select any ingredient,
whether it's from the land or the sea.
However, as Team White Spoon won the second battle,
they have the right to pick first.
The cooking time for this three-on-three Battle of the Best is 60 minutes.
It'll depend on which ingredient they pick.
It will completely change the game.
We can go with our original plan.
Let's do as we planned.
There's a dish with a bunch of lime laid out over somyeon noodles.
It's a dish with a very tangy, sour broth.
We decided to fit whatever we got into this dish.
Since we were losing,
I told my team members in the third battle…
If he can demonstrate that level of determination,
I thought we should put our trust in him.
We ended up getting tofu. Okay, then…
Tofu?
The hidden ingredient selected by the two judges…
-We'll blend the tofu with tsuyu. -Yeah.
-Like kong-guksu. -That's a nice idea.
Don't make the soybean soup too thick. Keep it clean.
We'll blend the tofu and make it like a refreshing kong-guksu.
Making the cold soup with tofu sounds really good.
I agree.
We might overlap again with the other team though.
-Then, we'll win with flavor. -Ours can just be tastier.
-Right. -It can't be helped.
-This is pretty hard. -It is.
Tofu.
"Why did it have to be tofu?" That's what I thought.
Tofu isn't an easy ingredient.
It's already a perfect ingredient, so to do something to it…
What can make tofu shine?
The important thing is that you three cook something you're confident in.
Suddenly, the pressure really hit me.
Depending on whether we win or lose,
we all survive or we all get eliminated.
To make sure all the White Spoon chefs advance,
we need to make a truly outstanding dish.
We can only win
by letting the ingredient shine while adding a depth of flavor.
Team White Spoon has chosen rockfish.
Rockfish?
Up until the end, we couldn't decide between that and veal bone-in sirloin.
But in the end, we went with rockfish.
But veal tastes completely different.
The meat is tough and dry.
-Because there's no fat? -There's none.
Because it's a young calf.
Tofu and rockfish taste good together, don't they?
Tofu and rockfish.
-Tofu and rockfish. -What?
How will you cook those two?
What I had in mind was
mixing the tofu with some thinly sliced vegetables.
It's a bit like a fish cake. We grill the rockfish and put it on top.
We make a Japanese dashi broth for a thick sauce to pour over it.
There's a Japanese dish called kenchin-mushi.
It's made by finely straining tofu, mixing in ingredients, and steaming it.
With the rockfish on top and the tofu underneath,
you can enjoy the delicious rockfish, the soft tofu,
and the rich flavor of the sauce.
Ultimately, tofu is an ingredient that's good at absorbing flavors.
So I think seafood will pair better with it.
We need to pick the second ingredient.
-I think the sirloin will be good. -Sirloin?
I think sirloin wouldn't be a bad idea. We can serve it cold and thinly sliced.
But we only have an hour.
Can we cook, chill, and slice it to serve cold?
I think we could slice it at the 50 to 55-minute mark.
-That's too tight. -I think 20 minutes would be enough.
Is it too risky? Because I'm confident I can do it in time.
If you're confident, do it.
-Yeah, I can do it. -Let's do sirloin.
Team Black Spoon
has chosen veal bone-in sirloin.
Why? Why did they choose bone-in sirloin?
It's not easy to cook in a short time.
To be honest, when it comes to meat, he's probably the best
among all the contestants.
Doing what he does best
will help the team.
The garnish will be thin strips of fried tofu and the veal,
and they'll eat that with the lime slices.
It's a cold noodle dish,
so it's like eating naengmyeon with slices of meat.
COLD TOFU SOBA WITH SLICED VEAL SIRLOIN
Lime is often paired with seafood,
so it'll give a whole new taste when eaten with meat.
They're all food connoisseurs.
I'm going to win over their taste buds.
The votes are worth more, so we can win.
-Let's make a comeback. -Just have fun.
Yeah, have fun. Enjoy it.
-Hands up on three. -One, two, three.
Let's go!
Go, White Spoons!
Let's do this!
I hope we advance.
But our fate lies with… Is that why they did this?
-The Wheel of Fate? -The Wheel of Fate.
We're all riding this together.
And now,
the Black and White Spoons' Team Battle, All or Nothing.
The three-on-three Battle of the Best.
The third culinary battle begins now.
Let's go!
-A comeback win! -Let's go!
Not a chance!
We just have to avoid losing 70 to 30 in score.
We have the advantage,
but I never thought, "We can take it easy and still win."
Because you never know with this.
I was confident we could win, but we had to win by a lot.
And that's another matter altogether.
Gosh, this is really fresh.
They're huge.
It seems Sam Kim is prepping the rockfish.
You're right. That's actually good.
A Western cuisine chef should handle the filleting.
This is a recipe only Chef Jung Ho-young knows.
I thought I should help him in every way I could.
I'll prep the fish.
You should focus on other parts as the main chef.
I think you should focus on the main sauce.
-These need to be julienned. -I'll do that.
Blanch the tofu and mix them.
I was determined to support him in any way I could to make this a success.
Chef Jung, please tell me if you need to boil water.
I need boiling water to blanch the tofu.
Here's one for grilling too.
From my experience, the start was really important.
So in the third battle, I was really focused
on getting off to a steady start and dealing with the rest as we went.
I had faith that Barbecue Lab Director would take care of the veal,
so I thought the sirloin was the best choice.
Veal isn't like beef, which is marbled with fat.
It doesn't have that rich, fatty flavor that beef has.
It's actually more like pork loin. It's just a lump of lean meat.
It'll be different from the cuts Barbecue Lab Director is used to.
-Exactly. -Yes.
-There's no marbling. -Right.
There's not much meaty aroma either.
-Yes, you're right. -Yes, so…
I'm curious to see what he will do.
Cooking the meat all the way through
will probably make it really dry and not very tasty.
So I seared it quickly over the gas flame.
Then, I planned to cook it quickly in a pressure cooker.
I want to slice it when it's medium to medium-rare.
I was confident I could cook the meat as we discussed within that time,
so I wasn't worried about time at all.
We planned to fry the tofu at a low temperature for a long time
to use as a garnish on top of the dish.
I tasked Culinary Monster with it.
-Tell me what to do next. -The next thing?
One second, please.
Should I press the tofu?
I blanched it, so you can just squeeze it.
SQUEEZE WATER OUT OF THE TOFU THAT WILL BE USED FOR THE COLD SOUP
-I'll squeeze three cubes. -Okay.
-Tell me what to do next. -Okay. Can you strain this?
Anything else?
Anything else…
Not really at the moment.
How's the tofu?
It's being fried.
Give us instructions. We have nothing to do.
-You have nothing to do? -Order away.
Should we squeeze some limes?
The lime juice.
-That's for one person. What about me? -I'll use this. Should I squeeze them?
Yes. Do that and…
The tofu and…
What about me?
One second.
Those two are just really different in styles.
Right from the start, I think I was a little worried.
But you have to do everything. The broth and the noodles.
We have to do it together.
-I'll do the scoring. -No, no.
We need to clearly divide the work.
-We only have 60 minutes. -Of course, we will.
"If you need help, I'll back you up." We can't do that.
With only 60 minutes, we have to stick to our jobs.
I can back you up.
-I'll do it. -No, let's decide now.
Their cooking styles are completely different too.
Knife Omakase wanted to divide up the needed tasks as things happened,
whereas Culinary Monster wanted to decide everything first.
Since their styles are so different, I wondered if this would work.
Should I cut the green onions?
-Rather than green onions… -The garnish?
Let's slice some gim to place on top.
-Like kizami nori? -Like kizami nori.
Do it If you have time.
The key point is
that the tofu is a lot softer than the tofu people are used to.
We blanch the tofu in boiling water,
remove as much moisture as possible,
add a bit of starch,
and add some thinly sliced vegetables.
-Here. -Okay. Put that in.
Since the tofu is cooked with eggs and vegetables,
it has a soft and delicate texture.
The tofu is wrapped in plastic wrap and shaped into a ball.
-Like this? -Yes.
Chef Jung, the fish is ready.
What should I do next?
Next, please prepare those for searing.
They're working well together.
They're all perfectly executing what they're good at.
-Right. -That's so reassuring to see.
The tofu's all fried.
Is it crispy?
All we need is the texture.
-Is it crispy? -Yes.
It's nice. It'll be crispier when it cools down.
The tofu and the gim are done.
We're almost done. We just need to focus on the timing.
-Tell me if you need me to do anything. -Okay.
THE PRESSURE COOKER WITH VEAL INSIDE
It's been five minutes. Turn it off.
Isn't it too short? A bit more…
-No, just five minutes. -I think it'll be fine.
-It's better if it's pink. -Okay.
How long until the veal is ready?
The veal? When there's 15 minutes left.
It's going in cold water now to chill.
To cut the veal within an hour, I need to cook it
and also make sure to cool it down.
I was aiming for medium to medium-rare. At least medium-rare.
It's really rare inside.
I was really thrown off when I took out the veal. It was…
bright red.
Did it not cook?
Which part is undercooked?
-The inner part. -Right.
-Because it was attached. -Is it the part near the bone?
Should I pan sear the surface a bit more?
-It's way too rare. -This part was attached here.
Obviously, he's the best when it comes to barbecue in Korea.
I expected him to cook the meat perfectly.
I don't think this will work. This…
I'll cook it again in the pressure cooker. What do you think?
I'll cook it here. It's still hot.
It's not cooked at all.
The veal's the most pressing thing.
It's the most urgent issue.
I'll try to get it done in time.
We need to fry the green onions now.
FRIED GREEN ONIONS FOR THE GARNISH
We need to heat some oil and fry the green onions.
It's much cleaner if you coat it in flour before frying.
The large green onions!
-Use a strainer first. -Okay.
The color is too strong. Don't fry them now!
Okay, we still have time.
Ultimately, everyone watching from above is connected too.
I figured I should just think of myself as playing in the game too.
If I don't shout out now, I'll regret it later.
I think the temperature of the oil is too hot right now.
-So just turn it down. -Okay.
Are you going to make the starch slurry later?
-I'll get it ready now. -Okay.
There's smoked paprika over there too!
Shout it out now
when you still have the chance.
I'll start cooking the fish.
Just cook it with salt and pepper,
like you do in Western cuisine.
The fish firmed up because the flesh was really fresh.
With rockfish,
you can't let it dry out, so how you grill it is important.
The skin should be crispy,
while the flesh is tender and juicy.
Chef Son Jong-won cooked it perfectly in the style of Western cuisine.
I think it's almost ready.
How's the veal?
I think it'll be ready in time. I'll just cook it here for a bit.
-It should be fully cooked. -Then, chill for two minutes. What?
-Have it fully cooked. -Okay. I'll cook it more.
It's still too rare.
Much too rare.
Please check. We need to cook it a bit faster.
-He is cooking it. -What?
-He's cooking it right now. -I think it'd cook quicker in the broth.
I think it'll be fine.
If I keep turning it for another three minutes,
I should be able to make time.
-Is the lime all sliced? -Almost.
-You need to tell me what to do. -What?
We have to cut the veal. We're waiting on the veal.
How can we cut it? It's not even cooked. It needs to be chilled.
I've always worked in fine dining,
so I believe the process is important, but this was so disorganized.
I'm the team leader, so he kept demanding things from me.
"What should I do? Give me something to do."
He can find something to do,
or if there's nothing to do, he can just sit or go home.
I wanted to tell him, "You go find something to do!"
But that would only lead to arguing.
So I just… It was tough just holding it in.
How can we cut it? It's not even cooked. It needs to be chilled.
Could you taste this?
My eyes were fixed on the sirloin.
Anyway, I was confident.
With this piece of meat,
I believed that I could make it work.
I kept turning it on the gas stove as I grilled it.
I needed it at the right temperature,
and I worked to cook and chill it within the given time.
-When it's ready, let's cut it together. -Okay.
ONCE IT FINALLY CHILLS IN THE ICE, IT'S READY
And then,
the broth.
I make a delicious broth with katsuobushi
and blend it with tofu
to make a nice soup with the nutty aroma of tofu.
I've never blended tofu in soy sauce before.
I wonder what it's like.
He's mixing the blended tofu into tsuyu to make the broth for the noodles.
MIXING TSUYU BROTH WITH BLENDED TOFU BROTH UNTIL THEY GET THE RIGHT RATIO
Then, I add lime juice for that lime aroma.
That gives us a nutty and tangy broth.
The broth is done.
The garnish is done too.
-We just need the veal now. -Okay.
How is it?
-Still too rare? -I should be able to slice it.
It won't be getting any more heat anyway.
-Right. Okay. -Let's try slicing it.
Please.
How is it?
Cooking the meat all the way through
will probably make it really dry and not very tasty.
So it'll be served cold and sliced, but I want it medium.
I want to slice it when it's medium to medium-rare.
It's too…
No, it'll be perfect here.
It looks okay. The outside will always be cooked.
The problem is the inside.
-It needs to be thinner. -Okay.
We need 20 pieces.
Very good.
It looks okay.
The shape is a little…
-Shall I slice it? -Sure.
With a sharp knife.
The veal looks okay.
Great job.
Yes, it's really nice.
-The veal's good. -Sorry about earlier.
-I should've played it a bit safer. -No, no.
You can cook veal this perfectly?
In just an hour?
That's ten sets.
Man, this is hot.
We have ten fillets done now.
I'm making two more.
-I'll open these. I'm good at it. -Kind of like this.
-If we place it on top like this… -Right.
-I think this looks okay too. -It's good.
-It looks good. -Like this?
Let's try tasting a finished one.
The sauce is ready. Let's drizzle it on.
I'm not sure if we should add ginger or not.
-I'll have a taste first. -Okay.
-It definitely needs ginger. -It's sweet.
It's a little too sweet right now.
Too sweet?
-It's a bit sweet. -It's a bit sweet.
After making the katsuobushi broth, it's reduced to a sweet, thick sauce.
But it came out sweeter than expected, so we had to figure out what to do.
-What should we do? Add soy sauce? -Add acidity.
-Okay? Acidity. -Acidity?
How about using lime zest for that?
Exactly.
And where's the ginger?
-We should try it with the ginger. -Here.
That already has ginger.
It needs more.
The lime's good, right?
If we grate some ginger and lime,
-it should be perfect. -Okay.
Then, I'll grate both with a Microplane.
Taste that one with the lime added in.
It's much better.
With the lime is good.
Ginger and lime.
-I'll clean out this plate. -Okay.
To balance the flavors, I thought we needed some acidity.
It's about making improvements.
I'll start plating.
-Broth first? -Yes, broth first.
-This much? One ladle? -Yes, perfect.
On top,
fried tofu.
The fried tofu looks good.
-It was a good idea. -It's super crispy.
If you do the tofu, I'll start plating.
Check the rockfish for bones again!
-Rockfish bones. -Near the head.
Do it like this.
-The fish is cooked perfectly. -Thank you.
-This is enough, right? -Yes.
Add the green onions.
-All done, right? -Yes.
They finished quickly.
-Well done. -Great job.
-Great job. Sorry, I panicked. -Well done!
-Great job! -Great job!
You did it.
You did a great job.
They need to serve the dishes now.
Should we add just two drops of lime juice at the end?
Yes, I think a bit of lime would be good.
-I'll take them after you add the juice. -Okay.
Okay.
Great job.
3-ON-3 BATTLE OF THE BEST END OF COOKING
-Well, we're done. -We did it.
-Well done! -They did great.
-You were amazing. -Gosh, that was…
Their team…
I think they blended the tofu.
They blended the tofu.
But will the meat and tofu
-pair well like that? -I think it'll be a bit off.
I think they were a bit careless, but who knows?
To be honest, I was a bit puzzled.
Why is it so simple?
Because a cold dish is always easier to put together.
They could've done more, so why did they only do that much?
We'll probably win again.
I saw their dish.
It was pretty well put together.
That made me a bit nervous.
Now, the eight special judges,
please re-enter.
I'm nervous.
Of course, you are.
The result hinges on us.
Now, please open the blinds.
As mentioned before,
the eight special judges
will taste the dishes without knowing which team has made them.
Gosh, they covered everything up. Damn.
They covered things, so we can't see or guess what they've done.
Damn.
I can't believe how complete these dishes are.
They're different.
The two are polar opposites. Their styles are completely different.
I smell a citrus aroma.
This one has a nutty aroma.
Is this rockfish?
Rockfish is a tough one.
It's a grilled rockfish that's crispy yet tender
with soft steamed tofu underneath.
When they take a big spoonful of the sweet sauce
and eat it with the rockfish and tofu,
this will bring us luck and lead us to victory,
so we named it "Lucky Bonbon Rockfish."
The sauce is nice and salty.
It's nice with the fried green onions.
-The green onion is the key here. -Yeah.
It connects everything together.
-It ties everything together. -It pulls everything in.
FRIED LARGE GREEN ONIONS
When I saw the White Spoon chefs' dish, I could imagine the flavor.
A sweet sauce,
warm temperature, and the softness of tofu.
They seemed to have done well.
What's underneath? Noodles?
-Noodles, right? -Noodles.
Is it kong-guksu?
It's kind of like the naengmyeon we eat at the end of a meal in Korea.
We blended the hidden ingredient, tofu,
made a nutty and tangy broth,
and lastly, added thinly sliced veal,
so they can all be enjoyed together.
TEAM BLACK SPOON THE FINALE NOODLES
Doesn't this bring back memories?
FRIED TOFU
It's really crispy.
The noodles taste different from what I expected.
-That one? -Yeah.
Is it good?
This is really good.
Tofu itself is quite bland.
But they elevated it with a tangy, refreshing flavor.
-That idea. -Yes, it's so good.
When they were tasting the dishes,
you could kind of see which ones they're eating.
But they were really enjoying Team Black Spoon's dish.
All I could see were noodles.
But from the way they were eating those noodles…
ALL EATING NOODLES
It made me wonder how it tasted for them to enjoy it so much.
I watched Cooking Maniac,
and he kept eating the noodles.
So I thought maybe our dish was really delicious.
But then, he went and ate Team White Spoon's dish again.
This is too difficult.
So I figured he was just hungry.
This is for sure
a battle of the best.
These two are completely different in character,
but they both have their own strengths.
-That's so true. -I really can't decide.
This one has its own charm, and so does this one.
But it's clear they're both delicious.
It's time to begin voting for the third battle.
If you preferred the dish on the left, press button number 1.
Please.
If you preferred the dish on the right, press button number 2.
Please vote now.
Please let Chef Choi Kang-rok avenge his loss!
Please let him advance.
I don't mind losing the next round if I win this one.
-Gosh. -Seriously.
The ten judges have all cast their votes.
Thank you for making such delicious dishes.
To start, the first dish
had a classic, steady feel to the flavor, as if it came from experience.
The second dish on the right
felt quite daring with a unique approach behind it.
But I focused more on how the ingredients came together,
and that's where I gave extra points in making my decision.
First, the noodles.
I really enjoyed how it all came together in one bite.
And this broth… I want to keep eating it.
But this sea creature…
"Sea creature."
It has that nice crunch,
and it's so tender and delicious.
The first dish has that familiar sweetness.
But it also has a savory, rich taste,
-making it very elegant in flavor. -Yeah, the flavor itself.
As for The Finale Noodles,
I assumed you had used tofu to imitate kong-guksu
and expected a pretty familiar taste.
But it was really unfamiliar.
It felt foreign,
but it also left me salivating and wanting more.
It was quite a unique discovery.
Everyone gave positive feedback,
but I'd like to point out the negatives.
The first dish used rockfish,
but the seasoning on the ankake sauce was too strong.
So the sweetness was too overpowering for me,
and I couldn't really taste
the flavor of the rockfish much.
As for the second dish,
it should've paired well with the tofu,
but I couldn't really taste the veal.
If you had added a little more in some other way,
you might've gotten more use out of this ingredient.
I just wanted to point these out before moving on.
Thank you for the dishes.
I was so nervous.
I just wanted the moment to pass quickly.
I was just…
I couldn't even look.
This will make or break them right here.
It's so harsh to eliminate all of them in one go.
-Well done, Chef. -Great job.
Good work.
Well done. Good job.
Well done.
-I wonder who will win. -You did great.
The third Black and White Spoons' Team Battle, All or Nothing.
In the first battle…
Team Black Spoon earned 34 points.
Team White Spoon earned 66 points.
In the second battle…
FIVE-ON-FIVE FACE-OFF
Team Black Spoon earned 48 points.
Team White Spoon earned 52 points.
Currently, the total scores are…
Team Black Spoon, 82 points.
Team White Spoon, 118 points.
Team White Spoon is leading by 36 points.
So the White Spoons won everything.
The White Spoons have been dominant.
In this round, the currently trailing Team Black Spoon
must score over 37 points to win from behind.
When we calculated the points,
seven judges had to pick us
out of ten.
We won the first two battles,
but if we lose by a big margin in the third battle,
they could take the round from us.
Before the results are announced,
we will reveal to the special judges
which team made which dish.
I'm dying to know.
The first dish on the left was made by Team White Spoon.
The second dish on the right was made by Team Black Spoon.
Now, we will reveal the voting results.
First,
please reveal the vote of Jang Ho-joon.
Wasn't this an anonymous vote?
Nope.
This is the most nerve-racking moment of this entire day.
Please reveal the vote of Jang Ho-joon.
Jang Ho-joon has chosen Team Black Spoon.
Really?
And so, currently,
Team White Spoon, 118 points.
Team Black Spoon, 92 points.
Next, please reveal the vote of Jung Ji-sun.
It was Team Black Spoon?
No way.
And so, currently,
Team Black Spoon, 102 points.
Team White Spoon, 118 points.
We're 16 points behind. We just need two more votes.
Please reveal the vote of Lu Chinglai.
Lu Chinglai has chosen Team White Spoon.
Team Black Spoon, 102 points.
-Team White Spoon, 128 points. -We're under so much pressure.
Next, please reveal the vote of Choi Hyun-seok.
Choi Hyun-seok has chosen Team Black Spoon.
-This suspense is killing me. -I thought he would.
Gosh, what do we do?
-Seriously. -Hold on.
Team Black Spoon, 112 points.
Team White Spoon, 128 points.
Please reveal the vote of Judge Anh Sung-jae.
Judge Anh Sung-jae has chosen Team Black Spoon.
And so, currently,
Team Black Spoon, 122 points.
Team White Spoon, 128 points.
We've caught up. Six points behind.
Just six points.
-Hey, we might win. -It must've been really delicious.
Please reveal the vote of Judge Paik Jong-won.
Judge Paik Jong-won has chosen Team Black Spoon.
Really?
Just two more.
Seriously?
And so, currently,
Team Black Spoon, 132 points.
Team White Spoon, 128 points.
Now, Team Black Spoon has taken the lead.
We're in the lead now!
We're winning.
As soon as we overtook them, I was so shocked.
I was like, "What? Are we going to win? We won!"
Since the points were going up by ten, we closed the gap quickly.
We might actually have a chance to win.
We're in big trouble.
This is really bad.
I was having fun watching,
and then, I suddenly realized we could lose.
I felt like it was all my fault.
Rather than being scattered, all the votes came from one side.
So when I thought about the other side,
I got a bit scared.
Next,
please reveal the vote of Edward Lee.
Edward Lee has chosen Team White Spoon.
Thank you.
And so, currently,
Team Black Spoon, 132 points.
Team White Spoon, 138 points.
Team White Spoon has retaken the lead.
Next,
please reveal the vote of Napoli Matfia.
Napoli Matfia has chosen Team White Spoon.
And so, currently,
Team Black Spoon, 132 points.
Team White Spoon, 148 points.
If we get one more vote, we win.
-Both votes need to be for us. -Then, we win?
Yes, but if even one isn't for us, we lose.
Please reveal the vote of Cooking Maniac.
White Spoon.
-Please reveal the vote. -Make it 158.
We have a chance!
Auntie!
I can't believe it's down to one.
What?
It was Black Spoon?
We have a chance!
Auntie!
We don't know yet.
-Is this for real? -Auntie!
Please.
Hey, we might actually pull it off. Hold on, what's happening?
She's on our side. It's us.
I felt an adrenaline rush and a surge of dopamine.
I thought, "Are we actually going to win?"
Is this really possible?
I've never been this nervous in any cooking competition before.
And so, currently,
Team Black Spoon, 142 points.
Team White Spoon, 148 points.
She's going to decide it.
-How did it turn out like this? -Why am I last?
Auntie Omakase #1!
The current difference in score is six points.
The remaining points to be awarded is 10 points.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my goodness.
Now, lastly,
please reveal the vote…
-I can't look. -…of Auntie Omakase #1!
I can't look.
I don't think I can look.
Please.
I go to Auntie Omakase #1's restaurant a lot.
Please vote for us.
Are we going home?
Or are we going to stay here?
Auntie, please! Just once!
Please!
-Gosh, don't cry! -Auntie!
Our fate was in her hands.
I was hoping she had voted for us.
Please.
Please reveal the vote…
of Auntie Omakase #1!
Subtitle translation by: Hyesoo Lee