[host] And now, we will reveal the results from the mystery judging panel.
[suspenseful music playing]
The current score is
White Spoons, 34 votes, Black Spoons, 34 votes as well.
THE REMAINING 32 SELECTED THE SAME TEAM
-A difference of 30 votes. -Wow.
-Jeez, 32 votes. -That's such a lopsided score.
[host] The results of the first match are as follows.
[tense music playing]
[White Spoon chefs cheering]
[cheering]
-Nice. Nice. -Whoo!
[groaning]
We lost.
-Wow! -[both exclaim]
[host] The White Spoon Team has earned 66 points,
and the Black Spoon Team has earned 34 points.
[cheering]
As of now, the White Spoon Team is currently leading by 32 points.
Amazing job, guys!
-[Ho-young] Man, that was stressful. -[Son Jong-won] Thanks, guys!
[Seong-keun] I said it from the beginning.
If we make something everyone likes, we'll win for sure.
We need to make something that has mass appeal.
-Let's try something popular. -Yeah, something they're familiar with.
We went with our guts, and it ended up working in our favor.
-Man, you never know, do you? -Yeah. The public's scary.
-[exhales] -[Sung-jae laughs]
As I was eating, I thought,
"You know, I wonder if the White Spoons might win this."
Their dish was bold and flavorful,
and the sweet, tangy profile had a universal appeal to it.
It's very trendy, and I think it really gave them an edge.
I like the sweetness.
This one's more bold, and this one's more… organic?
But I stand by my vote.
I thought it was delicious, it was unique, and that it was perfectly balanced.
After all, even if I suspect how everyone else is voting,
I should still go with my gut, right?
[host] As of now, the White Spoon Team is currently leading by 32 points.
Thirty-two points?
[Knife Omakase] How did we lose by that much?
Honestly, I think our flavor was just too subtle.
-It's a huge gap. -It'll be hard to close.
I was so angry. I mean, we lost by such a ridiculous margin.
I was fired up for the next two rounds.
[host] Your second match will be a five-on-five
Black Spoon versus White Spoon Team Battle.
Additionally, for this round, the total number of judges has changed.
-[Seong-keun] Huh? -Huh?
Huh? What?
Oh?
What?
Whoa.
[dramatic music playing]
[host] For this match,
the number of judges will decrease from 100 to 50.
[intriguing music playing]
Is it random?
[host] To ensure a fair evaluation, 25 of the selected judges
voted for the Black Spoon Team in the first match,
and the other 25 voted for the White Spoon Team in the first match.
Whoa.
Very clever.
It's evenly split.
I think both judges were included in the total.
-That just decreases the score. -[Brewmaster Yun] Oh no.
[host] Though the total number of judges has decreased,
each vote is now worth two points each.
I see.
With two points per vote,
the total amount of points remains the same.
[Seoul Mother] That might work well in our favor.
If we wanna turn things around,
we need to get super bold with our flavors.
If we don't win this, we're going home.
All we have to do is maintain our lead.
It's much harder for them.
As long as we don't burn anything, we'll be okay.
[host] The White Spoon Team
has selected the following members for the second match.
[Hee-eun] I was confident going into the second match.
We had a great team.
[Sam] Our goal was to win all three matches, no matter what.
[Sung-jae] Going into match two, the White Team was like,
"All right, let's go."
And meanwhile, you could tell that
the Black Spoons were completely laser-focused.
They needed to turn things around, or else…
-Are you in? -For the second match.
If you have use for me, absolutely.
-I'm honestly fired up right now. -All right, great.
[Witch with a Wok] If we wanted to win this match, we needed fighters.
Not the toughest chefs but the most headstrong.
[host] For this match, the two key ingredients
will be selected by you.
Each team will get to select one ingredient from one wheel.
Oh, we get to choose? Oh, that's great.
-We should go first. If we're picking. -[Hee-eun] Which wheel?
[host] Because the White Spoon Team won the first match,
they get to pick the first ingredient.
From the Wheel of Land, the White Spoons selected chicken as the first ingredient.
We wanted something familiar, something with an… umami flavor.
We're going with pollock roe.
[host] The Black Spoons have selected pollock roe.
By itself, pollock roe has a lot of umami flavor.
It'll help punch up our dish.
[host] For this round, the key ingredients from the Wheels of Fate
are chicken and pollock roe.
It's very umami focused. Interesting.
-Sounds like a delicious combo. -Right.
There's a lot of ways to use them.
So I'm interested to see just how diverse these dishes might get.
-Let's start with the chicken. -Right.
-[Seong-keun] Chicken fricassee. -Fricassee?
[Sam] Fricassee is a traditional French chicken dish,
in which the chicken is roasted and served with a creamy sauce.
Our first dish had vinegar in it.
It was sweet and sour with very light acidity.
So let's change it up for the second round, right?
Let's go for rich.
A fricassee is really creamy and dense.
There's chicken and mushrooms, usually some mashed potatoes.
-So it's all very familiar. -It's simple.
But there's also the pollock roe.
So we have to combine these two savory ingredients.
It'd be good if we add it to the potatoes.
-I like that. -It increases the umami,
which'll make the potatoes more delicious.
-[Sam] By enhancing it? -That's it. Exactly.
Okay, who wants sauce? Do you want it?
Sure, I'll do that.
I can be on grill duty then.
-You can handle the vegetables, right? -Absolutely.
-[Ho-young] The roe-- -[Hyo-nam] We need to remove it.
Just remove it, right?
[Hyo-nam] Chicken fricassee and pollock roe mashed potatoes.
We won.
-Seriously. Can't beat that. -Right.
I think they're making a fricassee
with chicken and pollock roe.
-There's Sam Kim, Jong-won. Chef Park. -[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] Italian. French.
They're Western specialists.
[Culinary Monster] Fricassee's not only a classic dish.
It's also something that's easy to make a lot of.
But if we wanted to try and catch up a bit in the second match,
I thought we should take a different approach.
-Let's do kkanpunggi with pollock roe. -[Seoul Mother] And what else?
With cheese and served on a bed of béchamel sauce.
Nice.
-It's spicy and cheesy. -Okay.
-Sounds good. -Let's go.
[Culinary Monster] The issue with chicken fricassee
is that if you're not careful, it could easily become greasy.
So for our dish, we decided to make a spicy kkanpunggi.
-Cheese on bottom, then chicken. -[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] Top with onions.
Right, that's it.
Kkanpunggi has this very bold, strong flavor.
We need to pair it with something mild in order to balance out the flavors.
It's like how people love the flavor of tteokbokki,
but they'll often pair it with cheese when they eat it.
That's basically the combination we're going for.
-Make it delicious. I'll be praying. -Let's close the gap.
-Let's do it. It'll be good. -Let's pick stations.
That way, we stay organized.
I think Genius and I should take that station over there.
You two will prep the chicken, so you get the sink.
-And Chef Ok, you'll go here. -Okay.
He had to watch us run around the kitchen. [chuckles]
I'm sure it nearly killed him.
Watching the first match was frustrating. We just weren't efficient at all.
-[Brewmaster Yun] Three or four. -Why aren't they using all the space?
There's another cutting board over there.
It's just not organized.
[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] Let's use the edge.
[Culinary Monster] There's only five of us in this second match.
So I offered to take on the leadership role.
Don't keep ideas to yourselves.
-Right. -Just come and tell me.
If I think it works, we'll do it.
But if I end up nixing it, I need you to trust me.
It's nothing personal, so please don't feel bad.
-Okay. -Questions?
-No, I'm good. -I'm good.
All right then.
I didn't really go into this round actively trying to save our team.
I just thought, "This is a mess, and I'm going to fix it."
[host] Now then,
the second match of Round 3, Black vs White Spoon, All or Nothing,
will begin!
FIVE-ON-FIVE FACE-OFF TIME LIMIT IS 120 MINUTES
[Kang-rok] Let's go!
-Let's go, Black Spoons! Go! -Come on, Black Spoons!
-Let's go! -White Spoons!
You can do it!
I'll get set up.
-[Ven. Sunjae] Who wants to go with me? -I'll go.
-Okay. -Grab the chicken.
You get that, and I will help with veggies.
I'll finish prepping.
[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] We'd organized ourselves before the match.
Everyone had their assignment and their station.
[Rebellious Genius] One, two…
three.
Let's see…
When you're in charge of leading a team of people,
you need to give them roles that suit their individual strengths.
Chef, when we start, could you grab the oil?
-Let's fill two to be safe. -[both] Okay.
[Barbecue Lab Director] Honestly, I was fine
having Culinary Monster run the show for us.
I'll get what's in the pantry, and you can get butter…
-Okay. And cheese? -…cheese, and meat from there.
[Rebellious Genius] He'd give us a task then give us a timeframe.
Yeah, he was clear and organized.
-You two will… -I'll fry chicken.
Yeah, prepare the chicken.
-And you'll prep the vegetables. -Oh, okay.
Once I start stir-frying those, you'll scrape the pollock roe.
We were along for the ride. [chuckles]
On the Monster Bus. A premium, super-deluxe bus.
With him at the wheel.
Looking down from here, they're so organized.
[chuckling] We must've looked silly.
I think we kind of looked like the White Spoons over there.
Gloves, gloves, where are they?
-Under there. -Over there.
-I got 'em. The sanitary ones. -Great, thanks.
You need to boil the water.
[amusing music playing]
-Shoot, where'd the torch go? -Where's the thing?
-What? -For the potatoes.
-Peeler? Do we have one of those? -Yes, that. Potato peeler.
[clattering]
[Ven. Sunjae] Is there a peeler?
-Or no? -I don't…
They're all over the place. Uh-huh.
[Sam] Up until this point, I'd been cooking as an individual.
So, going into this match…
Obviously, we had a plan,
and then, once it started, we just completely blanked.
Wait! Here, here, here! I got it! Want a torch?
[upbeat music playing]
[Deok-juk] It's on.
[Son Jong-won] I've got your potato peeler! Here.
[Sam] All right, let's start.
-You don't need one? -No, I can just do this.
[upbeat music continues]
[Son Jong-won] I got butter for the potatoes.
-Okay, perfect. -I'll temper it.
Sounds good, Chef.
Chef Son's just running around like a commis.
-Uh-huh. -Isn't he?
[Son Jong-won] Got your seasoning.
-Did you grab the balsamic? -Yep, I've got it.
-Salt too. -Perfect, we can use that, then.
[Son Jong-won] The more I'm up and moving around, the more useful I am.
Our team did great on the first match, and I just couldn't let them down.
So if that meant running around doing whatever, I'd do whatever.
-All right, let me help you. -[Sam] All right.
-Could you debone this? -Sure.
Oh, geez, this takes quite a bit of effort.
-Much more than I thought. -This is the hardest part.
Yeah, it really is, huh?
It's just so slippery.
So you need patience.
[Sang-hyun] Yeah.
[Sam] I thought it'd take 20 minutes.
But it kind of took forever to prep all of that chicken.
[Son Jong-won] Chef Hee-eun! How are we on time?
[Hee-eun] It's been 20 minutes.
We're taking too long. We expected to finish in 20 minutes.
[Sam] Honestly, I wondered if choosing chicken was a big mistake.
[Deok-juk] Deboning can take a very long time.
[rock music playing]
[Seoul Mother] Our Witch with a Wok! Look at her go!
-[Brewmaster Yun] Look. -[Seoul Mother] So fast.
[Brewmaster Yun] Her knife work's incredible.
[Knife Omakase] And it's a big knife too. It almost looks kind of witchy.
[rock music continues]
[Witch with a Wok] I like chicken. I cook with it all the time.
You're really fast, Chef.
-Like, insanely fast. -What? Am I?
Today, I was ready for a real fight.
I even sharpened the blade of my knife, just in case.
[Paik Jong-won] Did you see Witch with a Wok?
Look at that. She's fast.
It's hard enough to debone with a regular knife.
But she uses a Chinese kitchen knife.
-[Culinary Monster] You guys good? -[both] Yeah.
[Witch with a Wok] And we're done, with time to spare. [chuckles]
Now that they're ready, it's time to brine them.
-[Sang-hyun sighs] -[laughs]
-Oh my god. -No sighing for us.
-It won't help. -Stay positive.
-I know, but my back hurts. -Remember, we're White Spoons.
Almost there. Just a little bit more.
-We've got the vegetables? The mirepoix? -Yep.
Almost.
I'll take a look.
-Venerable Sunjae. -Oh, hello.
[chuckles]
-This dish… -Yes?
-…uses meat, so what do you do? -Yes, it does.
Well, cooking isn't completely vegetarian, is it?
-That's true. -Exactly.
-So I'm helping out however I can here. -Right.
If you can find harmony with people you disagree with,
you can find harmony with food you don't cook with.
We're a team, right? We work together.
So achieving harmony's very important.
I never exempt myself because I'm ascetic and a vegetarian.
I'll always cook what I can cook. It's like I'm in an orchestra.
As long as I know my part and play it well, that's all I need.
I'm not a conductor. I don't control everyone.
All right, what should I do next? Mushrooms are done.
-Is this parsley? -It's celery.
-Celery. -I think we need some more.
-Oh, really? -Yes.
[Ven. Sunjae] Okay.
-[Hyo-nam] Do we need chicken? -[Sam] I think we're set.
I'm starting on the chicken, Chef.
[sizzling]
[rock music playing]
-Stir the onions once. -Yes.
[Seong-keun] Wow, look at how fast he is.
[Hyo-nam] First, we sear the chicken in the pan, just for a bit.
-[Son Jong-won] How's the color? -[Hyo-nam] The color? Okay.
[Son Jong-won] Garlic, rosemary, thyme. All right, into the oven.
-That looks great! -[Seong-keun] Looking good, Chef!
[Hyo-nam] And then we put the chicken in the oven.
But this is a fricassee. It's incomplete without a rich sauce.
To start, we take the leftover chicken cuts and use those to make the broth.
Then we sauté the celery and onions in some olive oil,
add the broth, and bring it to a boil.
[rock music continues]
[Seong-keun] Set it on fire!
[Son Jong-won] Our leader, Chef Hyo-nam, is a master of French cuisine.
[Sam] It's reassuring.
He's an expert when it comes to Western cuisine.
With him as our captain, our dish would be perfect.
[Kang-rok] I can smell it from here.
[Seong-keun] I'm sure it's delicious. He's a master.
[Seoul Mother] I just hope the kkanpunggi sauce turns out good.
[Brewmaster Yun] Me too.
[Seoul Mother] Glad there's spicy peppers. They work well with soy sauce-based sauce.
-All good here? -Mmm.
[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] I offered to make the kkanpunggi sauce.
-What should we use as the base? -For the kkanpunggi sauce? Soy sauce.
-Should I add balsamic? -Balsamic?
-Yes. -Sure, go ahead. Sounds good.
[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] I suggested adding balsamic.
It's a little savory and a little sweet.
[Brewmaster Yun] It's a good sweet and spicy mix.
[Seoul Mother] I'm sure it tastes great.
-Let's see… Where do you need me? -With Chef Ok.
Three each, six per bunch. Then slice them.
-Okay. -Do you have green onion?
Not yet. We need to cut them.
-[Culinary Monster] Need to finish in 20. -[Barbecue Lab Director] Sounds good.
Could you check the sweetness?
Thank you.
How is it? Is it good? Or too much?
-More? -It's salty.
-Salty? -Really salty.
It's salty. Really salty.
-Is it? -Yeah.
[tense music playing]
It's way too salty as is. And they want sweet. So make it sweet.
[laughs] Sounds good.
-At least in my opinion. It's too much. -No, sorry. I'll fix it.
Eat a whole spoonful to check. 'Cause when we reduce it, that's it.
-Right. Hmm. -That's what it's all gonna taste like.
[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] I wasn't sure how the sauce had come out salty,
but I needed to find a way to fix it, and fast.
[Culinary Monster] I was frustrated.
He'd promised to take care of the sauce and vegetable prep,
but he spent all of his time focused on the sauce.
Hey, Chef Ok, seems like the sauce is taking a bit.
It's almost done.
-You said you'd help with the vegetables. -Just finishing up.
But eventually, I managed to cut the saltiness and enhance the sweetness.
And that's what I needed.
[Rebellious Genius] Green onions, bell peppers, and garlic prepped.
-What's next? -Could you grab something for me?
-Sure, what? -Water.
-Water? How much? -Yeah. I'll tell you when to stop.
-Good? -Yep. More water…
[Knife Omakase] How's it going? Sample it.
After this.
-Pour it all. -One second.
[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] An hour's passed.
We need to start frying in the next two minutes.
-[Witch with a Wok] I'll do that next. -We're finishing up.
Don't say that, just tell me the time. How long?
-Three minutes. -Okay.
When I ask "how long," I need a time.
Don't say, "We're finishing up." That doesn't answer the question.
-We need to start. -[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] Next to that ladle.
We're five minutes behind.
As the team leader, I'm constantly managing the timeline.
-It's been 15. -[Witch with a Wok] Great, thanks.
We need to finish in 20.
You need to be proactive with everyone,
which means following up and making sure they're good.
I'm sorry, Chef.
-Let's do peanuts again. -What? What's wrong?
-They're just close to burning. -Oh. Okay. Just a little less?
-No, more even too. -Okay.
-Those look good. -You sure?
-You want me to stop-- -Stop, stop.
I want to try to set a good example and lead through demonstration.
We're done, so tell us what you need us to do.
I need a bowl of paste. Please.
-Just one? -Yep.
-What kind? -Here.
[Culinary Monster] That's the way I've always worked, so I tried to recreate it.
STARCH PASTE BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
-I'll finish the béchamel. -[Rebellious Genius] Okay.
-Chef Genius. Just add the pollock roe. -Then it's done?
-Then season it once it's added. -After? Okay.
POLLOCK ROE ADDED TO BÉCHAMEL SAUCE TO FINISH POLLOCK ROE CREAM SAUCE
[Hee-eun] They made pollock roe béchamel.
-Oh, okay. That's what it is. -That's a really good way to use it.
I hope our pollock roe mashed potatoes turn out.
[Son Jong-won] I think we should put it all in one big bowl.
[Sang-hyun] Mashed?
Like this. We should strain them.
-Here, could I-- -Sure.
I wanna see…
I think this-- Let's see. Yeah, strain like this.
-I'm just worried it'll take too long. -It's standard practice.
-Is it? -In French cuisine.
-[Ven. Sunjae] I see. -It gets all the clumps out.
How's it going? Are they straining all right?
Not really.
-No? -No.
[Sang-hyun] Let's use our hands.
Here, Venerable Sunjae, let me do a quick test run,
-just to make sure. -Okay.
Break the clumps?
-Yeah, I think that makes it easier. -Okay.
[Sung-woon] They just cooked those, so they're probably hot.
[Sang-hyun winces] Hot, hot, hot!
It's mashed potato hell.
[Ven. Sunjae] We're just making mashed potatoes.
-I thought this would be easy. -[Sam] Yeah. Me too. They're hot.
-Wanna switch? -Sorry?
That way, neither one of us gets too tired.
-Sorry, I've got some more here. -Okay.
This'll take a bit.
-It'll take longer than we thought. -[Son Jong-won] Need you three.
-Wait, Chef. Could you hand me that? -[Son Jong-won] What?
-This? -What you're holding?.
Like this, look. We can press down.
Like this, look. See?
They're still hot, so try it like this. See?
[Seong-keun] Very nice.
-Bravo! It seems to be working. -Way to go! Nice!
[Ven. Sunjae] Then it all goes on the pan.
Yes. It's faster too.
-What? Yeah, it's much faster. -Doing this, you can strain more.
I think that's enough. And look.
-[Hyo-nam] The chicken's done? -[Son Jong-won] Yep.
We just need to let them cook in the sauce a bit.
[Hyo-nam] Let's do that now.
I see. They're finishing the chicken by simmering them in the sauce.
Yeah, that's right.
[Hyo-nam] Thirteen.
Fourteen.
[upbeat music playing]
[Sam] Pollack roe can't be too hot. Otherwise, it won't taste right.
-Oh, man, my arm really hurts. -I can do it.
No, it's okay. I've got it.
[Hyo-nam] If it hurts…
[Sam] Still, I did it. And I took my time, even though I was sore.
The only thing that worries me is that the potatoes and chicken are cream-based.
[Culinary Monster] How we doing?
-[Witch with a Wok] Time to taste? -[Culinary Monster] Yes.
-Western versus Chinese cuisine. -Yeah.
We want ours to have a kick.
[Witch with a Wok] When you make the kkanpunggi, your main focus is the sauce.
So you want to make sure the chicken absorbs as much sauce as possible.
[Culinary Monster] The kkanpunggi will be served with béchamel sauce
made with pollock roe and Parmesan.
-About three spoonfuls? -[Rebellious Genius] That's perfect.
-Let's try it. -[Witch with a Wok] Should I prepare this?
-No, just hold and try it. -Here, this is the tester.
It's a team match, and while all of us have different specialties,
we need to present something cohesive.
Hold on, don't take one piece. We need to eat all of it together.
-Try it with the sauce. -Yeah, and the green onions too.
[Witch with a Wok] Is it bland?
It's good, but I think we need more sauce and more roe.
Does it need more seasoning?
-Should it be more acidic? -Yeah. More acidity.
Mmm-hmm. The spice tapers off at the end.
-Let's check the kkanpunggi sauce. -[Rebellious Genius] Roe is super creamy.
[Witch with a Wok] Needs acidity.
It felt, like, 2% off.
The flavor wasn't exactly bad. It just wasn't intense enough.
Chef Witch, this is your specialty.
So make it like you usually do.
And Chef Genius, please add
-more pollock roe. -All right.
Go with what you think is best.
-It'll work with the cream. -Right.
[tense music playing]
[Culinary Monster] We need to start plating in 15.
[Black Spoon chefs] Sounds good.
[Yu-gang] The thing about cream is that, if used correctly,
you get a lovely, rich flavor.
But if you're not careful, it tastes greasy.
[Annyeong Bonjour] A lot of cream.
-The mashed are creamy, chicken is too. -Mash, cream, cheese, it's too heavy.
-Too rich. -Too much.
It almost sounds greasy.
Fricassee is really creamy,
so I felt like we needed something to cut through the fattiness.
So, as of right now, we have mashed potatoes, then pollock roe,
and then you want to add cream sauce.
As is, I think the flavor, it's just too much.
-We need to add acidity as a kick. -Exactly. That'll cut it.
I think if you drizzle something, like a reduced balsamic,
and pour it around the mashed potatoes, then when they scoop it…
-[Son Jong-won] It'll add sweetness. -[Kang-rok] You want the acidity.
Then let's also add a lemon wedge.
-Maybe grill it? -[Sam] Or char it.
Sure, either way works.
You get this nice scent of freshly squeezed citrus.
But since it's been charred, it also tastes slightly baked
even though the flavor's fresh.
We asked Venerable Sunjae to torch them.
I've never done this before.
[Hee-eun] I like the lemon, it'll add a nice kick.
[Son Jong-won] Let's make a sample dish.
[Hyo-nam] All right, place it. Just like that.
[Sam] First, it's savory layers.
Mashed potatoes, cream sauce, then the chicken.
And then the kick. A little balsamic glaze and some charred lemon.
CHARRED LEMON JUICE
Creamy with a little bit of acidic sweetness.
Should we give them the lemon?
-If it's not acidic enough? -It's delicious.
-Taste is great and texture's great. -You remember the balsamic?
Balsamic?
Especially the texture.
I think we nailed the potatoes.
-The pollock roe-- -Yes, that's good too.
Well, it looks like it got his seal of approval.
[Hyo-nam] Okay, okay. Time to plate.
-You added more balsamic? -[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] Yeah.
-And regular vinegar? -No, I didn't.
[Witch with a Wok] In my head,
what I really wanted was to smack the tastebuds of the judges.
Just a little bit.
Should I add chili oil? You think?
-The spice is a bit weak. -Good call.
-Let's add chili oil. -[Barbecue Lab Director] Need some?
Yeah. You got it? Wait, no, I saw it. Where is it?
-The Lao Gan Ma. That one. There. -Right. This one? Here.
-Strain it. I just need the oil. -Okay.
-[Knife Omakase] We need it to be spicy. -[Seoul Mother] That's the key here.
-Here, Chef Witch. I got it. -Just oil?
Just oil.
-Here, just in that little area. -Here you go.
[rock music playing]
All right. One last taste, then we plate. Here we go.
Okay…
Mmm.
-[Witch with a Wok] Good? Better? -[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] Yeah.
-[Rebellious Genius] Think so? -We got it.
-[Rebellious Genius] Let's use it. -[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] It's perfect.
We all went, "Ah, okay."
All five of us just kind of went, "Oh! This is it."
[sizzling]
[Culinary Monster] Chef, keep putting in chicken.
[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] Got it.
[Culinary Monster] We plate in ten.
-I'm glad we have two woks. -[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] Yeah. Great call.
-[Son Jong-won] 40 minutes, let's plate. -[Hyo-nam] All right.
[Son Jong-won] One each. One scoop.
-Chicken. -Okay.
-[Son Jong-won] Sauce. -There.
-[Sang-hyun] What do we need? -[Hyo-nam] Place.
-[Son Jong-won] This? -[Hyo-nam] Okay.
-Chef, these are a bit pink. -Right.
-We should add more pollock roe. -Okay.
-[Sam] So it's even. -[Sang-hyun] On it.
[Culinary Monster] We should do the second fry now.
[Rebellious Genius] Second fry. Starting now.
[dramatic music playing]
-I think… -Yes?
I think just one spoonful is good.
-Just don't spill. -One for each.
From the left? Does it matter?
-No, it doesn't. We've already started. -Okay.
[sizzling]
[Witch with a Wok] I'm gonna toss some chicken.
[Barbecue Lab Director] You need this?
-[Culinary Monster] No, use it. -[Witch with a Wok] Okay.
[Sung-jae] You can smell the chicken more than the squid. The smell--
-It's mouthwatering. -Yeah.
[Paik Jong-won] Right now, there's no telling whose dish will be better.
The smoky flavor of that kkanpunggi will be hard to beat.
Looks like this match might be another flavor battle.
-But reversed. -Reversed?
[chuckles] Yeah.
I think… that's more to my taste.
The White Spoons'. Potatoes, chicken…
[Brewmaster Yun] And they're sprinkling a bit of cheese too.
-Like this? -Yes, it should be standing. Like this.
-Yeah, and in the same direction. -Exactly.
That way, they can grab and squeeze it.
-What if we add a bit of pollack roe? -As garnish?
-So they see it. -Sounds good.
[Son Jong-won] This way, they know it's there.
We decided to add it at the end.
But with this kind of dish, those tiny details can be so important.
Every bite should be delicious.
How's it going?
Okay, but got a bit to go.
[Culinary Monster] Move the clean plates over.
[Witch with a Wok] All right, I'm on it.
-[Seoul Mother] Here we go! -[Brewmaster Yun] Let's go!
Hang in there, guys!
[Son Jong-won] Let's try to speed it up a bit.
-These done? -[Hyo-nam] They're done.
[Sang-hyun] Those can go.
[Hyo-nam] Double check the lemon. Great.
[Deok-juk] The flavors couldn't be more different.
[Yu-gang] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[Hee-eun] I like how they reflect each team's personality.
Great job.
[Brewmaster Yun] Great job, you guys!
-Nice work, everyone. -Congratulations!
-Well done. -Thanks, you too.
-[Yu-gang] White Spoons! -The final two!
[whooping]
-[host] The second dish is complete. -[chefs cheering]
5-ON-5 FACE-OFF END OF COOKING
-Great work. -You too.
-You did great. Nice job. -[both] Thanks.
-[Hyo-nam] Good job, everyone. -It's all over.
-Well done. -You too.
Well done.
[dramatic orchestral music playing]
-[Seoul Mother] That took a lot of effort. -[Witch with a Wok] Our flavor's bolder.
[Sam] It was really interesting.
I think the first match really influenced how they approached the second match.
You could tell they were really focused on flavor.
I have to say, I think their plates were more full than ours were.
And they seemed to have some depth.
[Barbecue Lab Director] We've got a good shot this time.
Hello. Thank you.
[dramatic orchestral music continues]
For this match, we wanted to prepare a dish
that we thought would be just as bold as it was delicious.
TEAM BLACK SPOON KKANPUNGGI WITH ROE SAUCE
Served on a bed of savory pollock roe cream sauce
is our sweet and spicy crispy kkanpunggi topped with green onion.
[Culinary Monster] In my opinion, Chinese cuisine is the most delicious
in the world.
So I had high hopes for us.
For this match, we've prepared a dish that we call
"Cock-a-doodle-doo Embracing Pollock Roe."
TEAM WHITE SPOON COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO EMBRACING POLLOCK ROE
It's a new take on a French classic, chicken fricassee,
nestled in a potato puree with pollock roe
and served with a charred lemon wedge,
which if you squeeze a bit will give the dish an even better flavor.
[dramatic music playing]
[chuckling] I'm so nervous.
Come on, guys. We got this. Please.
[intriguing music playing]
[Sam] I think ours is better.
-[Hyo-nam] It's very savory. -[Sang-hyun] Yes.
[Witch with a Wok] You think it was too mild?
[intriguing music continues]
-[sighs nervously] -[chuckling]
Please!
The pollock roe's in both sauces.
POLLOCK ROE MASHED POTATOES POLLOCK ROE CREAM SAUCE
-I don't think they used a lot of it. -No. Just a bit.
Yeah, it's very mild.
-So is the kkanpunggi sauce. -Right.
But if it were stronger, you wouldn't taste the pollock roe at all.
Hmm. I'm torn.
The Black Spoons changed their strategy and went bolder. But the White Spoons…
-One sec. -Yeah?
I'm cleaning my knife.
[smacks lips, chuckles]
Guess you like it. [laughs]
[slurps]
[inaudible]
[intriguing music continues]
-[host] The tasting has officially ended. -No, wait, I'm not done.
And now, we will proceed
-with voting for the second match… -Hold on.
…of the All or Nothing round.
[dramatic music playing]
Hmm.
[host] The voting has officially ended.
END OF VOTING
At this time, we will reveal the voting results
of the returning judges.
First, Judge Ahn Sung-jae, please reveal your vote.
-[dramatic music playing] -[chefs exclaim]
JUDGE ANH SUNG-JAE VOTED FOR TEAM WHITE SPOON
Next, Judge Paik Jong-won, please reveal your vote.
-White Spoon. -Please.
JUDGE PAIK JONG-WON VOTED FOR TEAM BLACK SPOON
[cheering]
-Wow. -I'm shaking.
I've eaten a lot of kkanpunggi, but it's never been this delicious.
Even with the pollock roe, it feels very luxurious.
I'd love to eat it again.
At the start of the tasting,
you said you wanted to prepare a dish that was "as bold as it was delicious."
But that wasn't the impression I got.
To me, the flavor seemed more delicate than bold.
And ultimately, that's what kept me from really enjoying it.
On the other hand,
Cock-a-doodle-doo Embracing Pollock Roe was flavorful and delicious.
It's very classic, but there's a lot of depth and wit here.
And the lemon?
When I took it and added a few drops as per Chef Son's suggestion,
it really came together for me.
And even though it was the tiniest amount,
the extra pollock roe you added was subtle but really made a difference.
And those tiny details really added to the dish.
[Son Jong-won] I think we did all that we could.
And when you work hard and do everything right, you can't lose.
They did good. I think the White Spoon Team really delivered.
So they're 50-50. With everyone else, I hope it comes out to 60-40.
[host] The results of the first match are as follows.
White Spoons, 66 points. Black Spoons, 34 points.
Currently, the White Spoon Team is leading by 32 points.
And now, we will reveal the results
of the second match.
The final results are as follows.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Hyo-nam] I wanted to win.
[Sam] I knew we were just as good if not better than them.
[Rebellious Genius] I was confident in our food. We could win on taste alone.
TEAM WHITE SPOON, 48 TEAM BLACK SPOON, 48
TEAM WHITE SPOON WINS
[cheering]
[sighs]
Oh no. We were so close.
-I might cry, man. -[Sam] Aw.
[host] White spoons, 52 points. Black Spoons, 48 points.
The White Spoon Team wins.
36-POINT DIFFERENCE AFTER SECOND BATTLE
-[Son Jong-won] Wow. -[Hee-eun] All right!
-[Son Jong-won] Great job, everyone. -[Hee-eun] Well done.
[Culinary Monster] Our dish just wasn't as good, was it?
It'll be difficult, but we need to keep fighting.
I just did my best.
'Cause, you know, ultimately, that's it.
It's done now. We did what we could.
BLACK AND WHITE SPOONS' TEAM BATTLE ALL OR NOTHING
WHITE SPOONS WIN FIRST 2 BATTLES TOTAL, 118 TO 82, 36-POINT DIFFERENCE
[dramatic music playing]
-[Rebellious Genius] They're all dark now. -[Knife Omakase] Come on, I'm anxious.
[host] Round 3, Black versus White Spoon, All or Nothing.
In this third and final match, the fate of your team will be decided
in a three-on-three battle of the aces.
For this final match, your judging panel…
has been reduced to ten.
-…reduced to ten. -[both] Oh!
-That means-- -So ten points? Okay.
[host] This means that each vote is now worth a total of ten points.
-Okay, that's a lot of points. -Ten each, huh?
This just got way more intense.
[host] The total number of points from this round
will be added to the existing scores,
and your fate will be decided
based on the total number of points accumulated in all three rounds.
-So what do we need? -Seven to three.
We need at least seven votes to survive this round.
Yeah. That many.
We need to get at least four.
We could make a comeback here.
Who knows? If we make something good enough, we could pull this off.
We just need four votes. So let's aim for half.
I think we can easily win over five of our judges.
[host] In a moment, we will introduce the rest of the judges.
Tell us.
-I know. -I'm so curious.
[host] Because this is a three-on-three battle of the aces,
a special judging panel has been selected for this match.
-What? -Who are they?
You don't think…
-Who? -[Hyo-nam] Special?
[host] Without further ado, it's time to reveal your guest judges.
Oh!
[dramatic music playing]
[Black Spoon chefs exclaim]
[laughing]
They brought out the big guns.
3-ON-3 BATTLE OF THE BEST THE SPECIAL PANEL'S EIGHT JUDGES
They brought out the big guns.
-Whoa! -[Seong-keun] It's our Season 1 seniors.
[chefs exclaiming]
[host] In this match, your dishes will be evaluated
by eight chefs who made the previous season of Culinary Class Wars shine.
Hello, everyone.
I'm sure you feel the pressure, but don't you dare give up now.
[laughs]
Keep on fighting until the very end.
Good luck this match. I'm rooting for you.
It's been a year since I last stepped foot in this room.
It's very nostalgic. I feel honored to be back here again.
Especially because I get to sit up here
instead of having to face up against a respected colleague.
I'm Jung Ji-sun, Chinese cuisine chef.
I'm Cooking Maniac.
Auntie Omakase, Kim Mi-ryeong.
Jang Ho-joon, son of Tongyeong.
I'm Lu Chinglai, Chinese cuisine chef.
I'm so happy to see many of my seniors.
This show is an incredible experience,
so I just want to take a moment to wish all of you the best of luck.
That's right, guys.
[host] Because this match has a specialized judging panel,
each of their votes holds significant weight.
A single vote could change the outcome of the Team Battle.
Well, all of them are chefs, so they really know their stuff.
They've all been in this position before.
I figured they'd be very insightful critics.
[Sung-woon] It's an all-chef panel.
They're more sensitive to taste than the average person.
So, yeah, there's a lot of pressure going into this match.
[host] Each team will now select three aces,
who will be responsible for the fate of their team.
We will now reveal the six chefs
who have been selected to compete in the battle of the aces.
White Spoon Team, Son Jong-won.
[White Spoon chefs whooping]
[Son Jong-won] We can't let our guard down.
I wanna win.
[host] Jung Ho-young.
Sam Kim.
I think the White Spoons are pretty stacked.
But we're more unique, so there. [laughs]
[host] Black Spoon Team, Culinary Monster.
-[whooping] -[Rebellious Genius] What an ace!
[Culinary Monster] I said I'd do it, so I'm back for match three.
We have to win this round.
[host] Barbecue Lab Director.
Knife Omakase.
To be honest, I didn't--
I knew the Black Spoon Team was going to be good,
but, I just wanted to focus on what our team was doing.
I wasn't too worried. I just had to do a good job. That's it.
[host] For this three-on-three battle of the aces,
the judges have selected
a hidden ingredient to be utilized.
[all exclaiming]
…a hidden ingredient to be utilized.
-Ah! -What?
I guess that was a pointless meeting.
Don't worry, we've talked this over a hundred times.
Oh no, this isn't good.
I swear I could feel the heat rising.
We saw what was left.
I swear, we went over every combination,
every recipe, every single possibility,
and then…
"Surprise! Hidden ingredient!" I mean, it really pissed me off!
Hidden ingredients, hidden judges… [chuckles]
Hidden White Spoons… [chuckles]
-It just never ends. -[Seong-keun] Why do they keep doing this?
Why?
[host] Once the hidden ingredient is revealed,
each team will select one of the remaining ingredients
that they believe will pair best with the judge's selection.
You must then find a way to utilize both of the key ingredients,
to create an incredible dish which you will present to the final judging panel.
What is it?
-Huh? -Let's see.
[dramatic music playing]
[host] Before we begin, the judges will reveal
-the hidden ingredient they have chosen. -[chuckling]
-Look at those. -They're shiny.
[Witch with a Wok] What's inside, though?
[dramatic music continues]
[judges exclaiming, laughing]
[exclaims, laughs]
[host] Please reveal the hidden ingredient.
[judges exclaiming, laughing]
-[Hee-eun] Tofu. -Tofu?
-Why? -Oh god.
-[Seoul Mother] It's back! -Tofu.
-Oh, what? -Tofu, tofu.
[both] Tofu.
Is this going to be a running joke in every season?
[judges exclaiming, laughing]
-Oh man. -[Hee-eun] This is fun.
THE HIDDEN INGREDIENT, TOFU
You'd think after last season, they'd pick different key ingredients.
And of all the things to repeat, why tofu?
I'm sure you weren't expecting this.
-Nope. -[Brewmaster Yun] I'm shocked.
[Paik Jong-won] Don't let your guard down. Make something delicious.
Last season, I think I ate about maybe 27 tofu dishes?
-And even now, I'm keeping my distance. -[chuckling]
However, as this is a battle of aces, my expectations are high.
Oof.
Seeing that tofu makes me want to cook it again.
[judges laugh]
Just do your best. [laughs]
[host] Finally, in order to ensure a fair evaluation,
the eight additional judges will not be allowed to watch your cooking process.
They will not know which team made which dish.
-Wow, okay. -Which means,
the outcome will be determined by taste.
That's fair.
Yeah.
[host] Please lower the blinds for the special judging panel.
[whoops]
Let's go!
You've got this! Do your best!
[host] The eight special judges must now exit the room.
-[Paik Jong-won] Oh man. -[Hyun-seok] Here we go.
[Napoli Matfia] Good luck to 'em.
[host] Now then, each team will be able to meet
in order to decide what ingredient they would like to select
to pair with the hidden ingredient.
Eight ingredients remain.
You are allowed to pick any ingredient, even two from the same Wheel of Fate.
However, since the White Spoon Team won the second match,
they will be able to pick their ingredient first.
The time limit for the three-on-three battle of the aces
is 60 minutes.
It all comes down to what they pick. It's gonna get interesting.
[Knife Omakase] Let's stick to the plan. As best we can.
There's a dish where you have these lime slices served on top of somyeon noodles.
The broth is acidic, so it has a tangy, sour taste.
Whatever they give us, we can use it here.
But we weren't in a great place, so I had to convince my teammates,
like, "Trust me."
Anyone who displays that kind of determination,
I felt like I should trust them to a certain extent.
So we've got tofu. What else?
-[all exclaiming] -[Culinary Monster] Tofu?
[host] The judges will reveal the hidden ingredient…
-Tofu and tsuyu. -Oh, yeah.
-Like kongguksu. -That's good.
-But it can't be thick, should be clear. -Okay, got it.
If you blend it right, it should resemble kongguksu broth.
I think making a tofu-based broth is great.
-Me too. It's better in the broth. -I'm worried it'll be similar to theirs.
[Witch with a Wok] I don't think it matters.
-I guess if ours tastes better… -[Witch with a Wok] Exactly.
[exhales deeply]
-[Sam] This is hard. Ugh. -[Hyo-nam] It is.
Tofu, tofu…
I just… Man, it just had to be tofu. [laughs]
It's weirdly inflexible.
Like, it's so perfect, you can't play around with it.
How do you make it better than it is?
-Just pick something you're confident in. -[Seong-keun] Exactly.
[Ho-young] That's when that huge wave of pressure hit.
This was it.
From that point on, the fate of our team was in our hands.
The only way to survive was to create the best dish.
You had to. So the three of us set out to make something really flavorful,
Something with a lot of depth that enhances the key ingredients.
That was the key.
[host] The White Spoon Team has selected rockfish.
[White Spoon chefs whoop, applaud]
Rockfish.
It took us a bit to decide
whether to choose the veal loin or the rockfish.
And ultimately, we chose the latter.
-Right. -Veal's got completely different flavor.
-Plus, it's really dry. -[Ho-young] There's no fat, right?
-None at all. -[Ho-young] It's young calf.
I think tofu pairs well with rockfish.
-Huh. -What do you think?
-I like that. -[Kang-rok] Huh?
Do you have an idea?
I was thinking…
we'll put the tofu here and slice up some vegetables.
Like, as a fish cake and then we top with grilled rockfish.
And then, we'll serve with a thick sauce made of Japanese dashi stock.
There's a Japanese dish called kenchin-mushi.
You take tofu and you strain it until it becomes fine,
then you add what you want and steam it.
Lay a bit of rockfish over the top of that,
and then you get this lovely dish
that combines delicious rockfish, soft tofu, and rich sauce.
Tofu tends to absorb the flavors of what it's paired with,
so we thought seafood would be better.
What else should we use?
-What do you think about the loin? -The loin?
I think it's a fairly safe option.
Chill it, slice it, serve on top.
-But we have an hour. You can do that? -[Barbecue Lab Director] Yes.
In under an hour?
I can have it ready with five, ten minutes to spare.
-From the end? -It's too risky.
-It's way too tight. -Maybe 20 minutes then?
It might be close, but I'm confident I'll be able to pull it off in time.
If you can do it, do it.
-I know it's possible. Yes. -Let's do that.
[host] The Black Spoon Team has chosen the bone-in veal loin.
[chefs applauding]
Why? [laughs]
Why'd they do that? You only have an hour to cook that.
[Knife Omakase] Of the contestants here,
when it comes to meat, he knows more than anyone.
As a team, we should play to our strengths.
And if this is his, let's use it to our advantage.
For garnish, I think just a bit of fried tofu, the veal,
and under that, fresh slices of lime.
It's a cold and refreshing noodle dish.
It's basically naengmyeon, but in a tofu broth and served with meat.
COLD TOFU SOBA WITH SLICED VEAL SIRLOIN
Traditionally, lime is paired with seafood.
So when you pair it with meat, it's different.
And these guys are chefs, so they're flavor experts.
Let's excite them.
-We can get enough points to win. -Right.
-So let's do this. -And remember, have fun.
-Exactly, remember to enjoy it. -It's all up from here.
-You'll do great. -[all] One, two, three. Let's go!
[all] Let's go, White Spoons!
[Sung-woon] Yeah!
[Seoul Mother] I hope we make it through.
It's all up to fate now.
It's like-- It's just like those things. The Wheels of Fate.
-[Rebellious Genius] Metaphor. -[Seoul Mother] We're riding it together.
[host] Round 3, Black versus White Spoon, All or Nothing.
Your third match, the three-on-three battle of the aces,
will now begin!
-[chefs whooping] -[Yu-gang] Let's go!
-[Seong-keun] Go, White Spoons! -[Yu-gang] Let's do this!
-Time for a comeback! -[all] Let's go!
-No comebacks today! -[laughs]
I knew we only needed four points to win,
but I never thought, "Oh, this'll be easy. We'll just coast our way to victory,"
because you never know with this show.
We could win this challenge.
But getting seven votes? That was gonna be hard.
Wow, these are super fresh.
[Seong-keun] Those are big.
Looks like Chef Sam's in charge of the rockfish.
[Yu-gang] Naturally, that's probably who I'd pick.
You want a Western cuisine chef to fillet it.
[dramatic music playing]
This is Chef Jung's area of expertise.
He knows the recipe, so I'm better off assisting him.
-I'll prep the fish. The fish is easy… -[host] Your time is almost up.
…so I'll take care of it.
-The sauce is the most important thing. -Yeah.
So I think you should take that.
[Ho-young] So we'll julienne these, blanch with the tofu…
[Kang-rok] And then?
I figured that
no matter what we decided on, I'd keep on supporting.
All right, Chef, if you need me to boil water or anything--
Yes, we need some for the tofu.
Grabbed some grill tools.
[grunts softly]
[Sam] The setup really sets the tone for the match.
After finishing the second match,
I was determined to start off on a much calmer note.
I wanted to set us up for success.
[thrilling music playing]
[Knife Omakase] I trusted Barbecue Lab Director to take care of the meat.
Honestly, I wasn't surprised to see him push for the veal.
[Barbecue Lab Director] Veal is calf meat, so it's different than normal beef.
It's not super fatty,
and even if your cuts have fat, the flavor just isn't as rich.
So then, with prep, it's easier to treat it like it's a regular pork loin.
[Sung-jae] That cut's probably much different than what he's used to cooking.
-The bone-in? -Yeah. No marbling…
-No. -…little fat.
Actually, it's not a super meaty cut, is it?
-Nope. Not at all. -Right, that's interesting.
Let's see what he does.
[sizzling]
[Barbecue Lab Director] If you cook this kind of cut to complete doneness,
you'll probably end up drying out your meat and losing all the flavor.
So I lit the grill, took the meat, cooked it just a bit…
and then, as quick as I could, I tossed it into the pressure cooker to tenderize.
I wanted it medium to medium-rare before slicing.
I felt very confident.
I knew I could prep, cook, and slice it in under an hour,
so I really wasn't really that stressed.
[Knife Omakase] As for the garnish, I suggested the fried tofu.
I thought it'd be nice with the noodles.
They had to cook longer at a lower temp, so I asked Culinary Monster to watch 'em.
What's next, Hyun-do?
What's next? One second.
[Culinary Monster] Where's the fresh tofu?
Right there. It's balanced, so you can just squeeze it.
SQUEEZE WATER OUT OF THE TOFU THAT WILL BE USED FOR THE COLD SOUP
[tense music playing]
-[Culinary Monster] Just these three. -[Knife Omakase] Great.
-What's next, Hyun-do? -Actually, could you strain this?
Okay.
-[Barbecue Lab Director] Great. -What else?
Let's see… Not that I can think of right now.
How's it looking? The tofu?
It's still frying. I know you're busy, but we're out of tasks.
-Yeah. -Really?
What's next?
Squeeze some lime juice?
We need that.
-All right, and for me? -I'll just squeeze it in here.
[Knife Omakase] Yes. Do that and…
The tofu too.
What should I do?
Hold on.
Those two have very different personalities.
Look, I think we picked a good team, but I definitely had some concerns.
You'll be doing everything, the broth, the noodles, all of it?
Well, I have you guys.
-I'll make the cuts-- -No, no. We need to divide the tasks.
-We only have 60 minutes. -Of course. So let's do that.
There's no time for, "If you need help, I'll back you up."
We have to stick to what we decide.
I'll still back you up.
-[chuckles] -[sighs]
[Seoul Mother laughs]
-[Knife Omakase] It'll be fine. -[Culinary Monster] We should pre-assign.
As chefs, I think those two just function very differently.
On the one hand, you have Knife Omakase,
who delegates tasks based on what's needed in the moment,
and on the other hand, you have Culinary Monster,
who prefers to have a set outline.
Neither approach is bad, but they are conflicting.
Should I cut those?
-How about… -For garnish?
The seaweed. Could you julienne some seaweed?
-Like kizami nori? -Yes, exactly.
Okay.
If there's time.
[Ho-young] When it comes to this dish, the tofu is key.
It should be much softer than it usually is.
After the tofu's been blanched once,
remove as much moisture as you can,
then add some starch
and your vegetables, which should all be julienned.
There we go. Add that.
By cooking the tofu, eggs, and vegetables together,
you get this delightfully soft mixture.
And once that's done, we use plastic wrap to shape it.
-[Son Jong-won] Like this? -[Ho-young] Yes.
All right, Chef. All prepped. What should I do next?
[Ho-young] Get the fish ready for grilling.
[Sung-woon] Those three work well together.
Not only that, they're working together
while still focusing on their individual skills.
-Yeah, it's nice to see. -It's very reassuring.
[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] Tofu's fried.
-Let's see. We just need texture. -[crunches]
-Mmm. -Crispy?
Mmm.
Very nice. And it crisps while it cools.
Tofu done, seaweed done.
[Knife Omakase] We're almost done. It's just about timing.
[Culinary Monster] Let me know if you need me.
Yep.
THE PRESSURE COOKER WITH VEAL INSIDE
It's been five minutes.
Is that gonna be too short?
-No, five exactly. -I think it's fine to take out now.
-More medium-rare. -[Barbecue Lab Director] Okay.
What's the time on the veal?
[Barbecue Lab Director] Right now, 15 minutes.
I'll cool it in cold water and chill it.
If we want to slice it within the hour, it can't just be cooked.
It also has to be cooled.
I wanted it to be medium to medium-rare.
At least medium-rare.
[ice cubes clattering]
Uh-huh.
-It's still too rare inside. -[tense music plays]
When I took it out, I wasn't expecting it to be that red.
It was bright red.
[Dweji-Gomtang in NY] It's not cooked?
[Rebellious Genius] What part?
Probably the center 'cause it was attached.
-Attached? Like, to the bone? -Yeah.
Should I pan-sear the surface?
Oh, that's really rare.
[Barbecue Lab Director] It was attached to the bone.
When it comes to meat and barbecue, he's the expert,
that's what he's known for, so I just assumed it'd come out perfect.
Yeah, this won't work. It's too…
Then I'll cook it longer in the pressure cooker.
Here, it hasn't cooled yet.
It's still raw.
[tense music continues]
We need to nail this, okay? It's important.
I'll make up the time.
[Son Jong-won] Let's fry the onions.
FRIED GREEN ONIONS FOR THE GARNISH
Let's put the oil on and fry 'em up.
Coating them in flour will make it much cleaner.
Oh, and remember!
-Sift them through a strainer! -[Sam] Right.
-Don't fry now or they'll get too dark. -[Sam] Okay.
[Son Jong-won] We still have time.
[Kang-rok] We're one team.
Whatever happens down there impacts us up here.
In that sense, we're all sort of participating.
Even as observers.
I knew that if I didn't speak up, I'd regret it later.
It looks like the oil temp's a bit too high, so you might wanna lower it.
-[Son Jong-won] Got it. -How about the starch water?
-I'm preparing it right now. -All right.
Don't forget about the smoked paprika over there!
Say something now, while you still can.
[Son Jong-won] I'll start grilling the fish.
Keep it simple, okay? Just some salt and pepper, like in Western cuisine.
-[sizzling] -[rock music playing]
[Son Jong-won] Well, the fish got stiff. Probably because it's super fresh.
When dealing with rockfish, you can't let it dry out,
so how you grill is crucial.
[rock music continues]
You want the skin side to be crispy,
and you want to keep the meat itself moist.
Chef Son grilled it, and I think he did really well.
[Son Jong-won] They're almost done.
[sizzling]
How's the veal?
It should be done in time. I'm just cooking it a bit more here.
-You should cook it completely. -Then I'll chill-- What?
-Cook it in the broth. -Right. I'll make sure.
No, it's still too rare. Even now.
It's too rare.
[tense music playing]
Could you check it? Please? It needs to cook faster.
-He's cooking it now. -Huh?
It's on the grill.
[Knife Omakase] I thought it'd cook faster in the broth.
I think we'll be fine.
[Barbecue Lab Director] If I give it three more minutes, it should come out perfect.
-Are the limes sliced? -Yes, just about.
-You need to give me a task. -Huh?
You need to be on standby to slice meat.
But it's not cooked yet, and I can't slice it till it's cooled.
In fine dining, the process is so important.
You really need to stay organized, and we just weren't.
I was the team leader, so he kept asking me for things.
"What's next? Tell me, what should I do?"
I don't know, find something to do.
And if there's nothing to do, sit down or go home.
[chuckles] I almost told him that. I wanted to.
But if I had, we would've argued and… Yeah.
So I just endured it.
But it's not cooked yet, and I can't slice it till it's cooled.
-[amusing music plays] -[Knife Omakase] Okay, here.
I just tried to focus on the loin, just the loin.
Thankfully, once the grill was out again, I felt more confident.
Even if I could only do one cut, it would be perfect.
So I lit the gas flame and just kind of zoned out.
[dramatic music playing]
The grill was crucial.
I had to cook it at a high enough temperature
so it could be cooled and cut in time.
-I'll help you slice it when it's ready. -Okay.
[dramatic music continues]
ONCE IT FINALLY CHILLS IN THE ICE, IT'S READY
[Knife Omakase] And now, the broth.
For the base of our dish,
I created a delicious broth with dried bonito flakes,
to which I added our blanched tofu and then blended it.
I've never blended tofu with soy sauce before.
And it looks like he's slowly adding that mix into the tsuyu to make the broth.
MIXING TSUYU BROTH WITH BLENDED TOFU BROTH UNTIL THEY GET THE RIGHT RATIO
[Knife Omakase] To finish it off,
I add some lime juice and a little bit of lime zest
to give our savory broth a nice tangy finish.
Hmm. Okay.
The broth is done, the toppings are set, all we need's the meat.
[Barbecue Lab Director] Okay.
How is it?
-Still rare? -I think it's ready to slice.
At this point, it won't get much cooler, so let's try it.
Right. Okay.
-[Knife Omakase] How is it? -[tense music playing]
[inhales nervously, sighs]
Please be done, please.
How is it?
[tense music swells, stops]
If you cook this kind of cut to complete doneness,
you'll probably end up drying out your meat and losing all the flavor.
For this dish, we wanted thin slices,
so I wanted it medium to medium-rare before slicing.
[Knife Omakase] Okay, it's…
-After here. -[Knife Omakase] It's perfect.
-Looks fine, the front part. -Hopefully it cooked through.
But the back part…
-[Knife Omakase] Go thinner. -Okay.
[Knife Omakase] Twenty cuts.
Good. Nice.
Okay.
[tense music playing]
The shape…
-I can do it. -Sure, okay. Grab a sharp knife.
[tense music continues]
[Culinary Monster] How's it look?
Wow, he did a great job.
[upbeat music playing]
[Knife Omakase] Yeah, oh, it's really nice.
It looks good.
Yeah, I'm sorry. About earlier.
-Should've played it safer. -[Culinary Monster] No, no.
Seriously, you can perfectly cook veal? [chuckles]
In an hour?
And that's ten sets.
[Ho-young winces] Shoot, it's hot.
Okay. That's ten pieces done.
Just two more.
-Here, I'm good at shaping. -[Ho-young] Something like this. Yes.
-So we place it like this… -Okay.
[Ho-young] There.
-But that looks nice too. -[Son Jong-won] I see. How about this?
[Ho-young] Great. All right, now that's set, let's taste it.
Sauce should be done. Chef, could you check?
We need to make a call on the ginger.
-[Sam] I'll try it first. -[Ho-young] Okay.
-Yeah. This definitely needs ginger. -It's sweet.
It's just a little too sweet.
Is it really?
-[Sam] Just a bit. -[Son Jong-won] It's close though.
[Ho-young] The base of the sauce is this dried bonito flake broth,
and it should be thick and sweet.
But it came out sweeter than I expected, and I wasn't sure how to fix that.
-Maybe we should add soy sauce. -I think it needs acidity.
-Sorry? -Acidity.
Okay. How about some citrus zest?
[Son Jong-won] Great.
[Sam] Lime… Where's the ginger?
-We should add some. -[Ho-young] It's here.
-I had added some. -I think we need more.
-Here. -The lime's good.
-Yep. -Right?
[Son Jong-won] I think we'll be set with the ginger and lime.
[Sam] I'll grate them on the microplane. No floating ginger.
[Son Jong-won] Try this with the lime.
-Much better. -Mmm. Yes.
-Lime's good. -Okay.
Grate the ginger with the lime.
-I'll clear the plate, okay? -[both] Okay.
We had to add something to balance the sweetness.
So we add a bit of acid, and the sauce was done.
[Knife Omakase] Let's start plating.
-[Culinary Monster] Broth first? -[Knife Omakase] Exactly.
-[Culinary Monster] How's this? One ladle? -[Knife Omakase] Perfect.
And on top, the fried tofu…
-That turned out great. -[Culinary Monster] It was a good call.
[Knife Omakase] It's super crispy.
[Son Jong-won] If you shape the tofu, I can plate.
[dramatic music playing]
Double check for fish bones!
-Bone check! -[Kang-rok] Check the head!
[Ho-young] Just do this.
-You did great on these. -[Son Jong-won] Thanks.
-[Sam] How's this? -[Ho-young] Perfect.
Green onions…
-[Culinary Monster] All done? -[Knife Omakase] Yes.
-[Seoul Mother] They plated fast. -[Brewmaster Yun] Great job!
-[Culinary Monster] Good work. -[Knife Omakase] You too.
-Great job. Sorry again. -[Seoul Mother] Congrats, you three!
[Black Spoon chefs cheer]
It's all done. You did good.
[Deok-juk] They need to serve now.
Hey, Chef, how about we add a touch of lime?
-[Ho-young] To top it? Yeah, I like that. -[Son Jong-won] Few drops of lime juice.
-[Ho-young] And then let's move. -[Sam] Okay.
-[Seong-keun] Great job. -[White Spoon chefs applauding]
[dramatic music continues]
-[White Spoon chefs applauding] -[Hee-eun whoops]
3-ON-3 BATTLE OF THE BEST END OF COOKING
-That's it. [exhales] -We did it.
-[Ho-young] It's done. -Great job!
Amazing.
-You guys looked so cool! -[Ho-young] Oh man.
-I think they used ground tofu. -Oh.
[Sam] Or blended it, I think.
Do you think meat and tofu go well together?
-It can be kind of tricky. -Yeah.
They looked too complacent.
[laughs] Who knows? They might win.
I just didn't understand it.
It just seemed… too simple?
In general, it's easier to make a cold dish than a hot one.
And even then, they could've done a lot more than what they did.
I assumed we had it.
[Knife Omakase] Looking over and seeing their quality of execution,
I'll admit, it made me a little anxious.
[host] Now then,
the special panel of eight judges may now return to their seats.
[dramatic violin music playing]
[grunts softly]
[exhales deeply]
I'm nervous.
-[Ho-joon] Me too. -[Ji-sun] Why is that?
[Ho-joon] I think it's because we're the ones with the power here.
[host] The judges are seated.
You may now raise the blinds once more.
[dramatic violin music continues]
As mentioned earlier, the special panel of eight judges
will be judging without knowing which team made which dish.
They're not kidding, it's all covered.
Even the stations have large, black tarps over them.
[Edward] Wow.
Wow.
The execution is crazy.
Wow.
-Oh man. They're polar opposites. -[Napoli Matfia] Let's see.
[Cooking Maniac] Right down to the style and execution.
Oh.
-There's a citrus scent. -I think they're both Japanese.
And this one's more nutty, I think.
-I think this is rockfish. -[Cooking Maniac] Right.
Rockfish, huh? That's tricky.
[Ho-young] Our grilled rockfish is both crispy and super moist.
And it's been served on a bed of tender steamed tofu.
Top it all off with a spoonful of our sweet sauce,
and you get a delicious rockfish dish.
As for its name, I wanted it to be symbolic.
After all, with any luck, we'd end up wining.
[intriguing music playing]
Mmm.
Wow.
I think the sauce is quite savory.
[intriguing music continues]
-I like the green onions and fish. -[Cooking Maniac] Yeah.
Especially the green onions.
They really tie everything together super nicely.
-[Auntie Omakase #1] Very important. -[Cooking Maniac] Just pulls it together.
FRIED LARGE GREEN ONIONS
You could tell the White Spoons' dish was great just by looking at it.
The sweet sauce, the warm look, the softness of the tofu,
they'd done really well.
I think they're noodles. Mul myeon, right?
Wow.
Kongguksu.
This feels like the type of naengmyeon
that most Koreans would eat towards the end of a meal.
-We ground the tofu to make a broth. -[whirring]
Something refreshing that was nutty and acidic.
Served with thinly sliced veal loin, to be eaten together.
That's our dish.
TEAM BLACK SPOON THE FINALE NOODLES
[intriguing music playing]
[Paik Jong-won] Does this bring back memories?
[Auntie Omakase #1] Yeah.
[Hyun-seok gasps]
FRIED TOFU
It's really crispy.
[slurping]
The noodles taste different.
-Do they? -Mmm.
[slurps]
[intriguing music continues]
-[giggles] -You like it?
Wow, it's really good.
-Usually, tofu can be pretty bland. -[Napoli Matfia] Right.
So the refreshing, tangy flavor here is really special.
-I love the idea. I really did. -Me too, it's excellent.
So, during the tasting, you could kind of tell which dish they had.
And from what I saw, they loved the Black Spoons' dish.
All I saw was noodles.
Everyone was just slurping them up.
ALL EATING NOODLES
What is it about their dish that's got everyone hooked?
[Rebellious Genius] When I saw Cooking Maniac,
he was devouring the noodles.
So I thought, "Oh, I guess ours is super tasty!"
But then he went back to the White Spoons' dish.
[Napoli Matfia] Man, this is tough.
[chuckles]
I guess he was just hungry.
I mean, there's no doubt.
[chuckles] It's the battle of the aces.
It's hard. They're just very different dishes.
-Right. -So they're strong for different reasons.
-[Auntie Omakase #1] Good point. -[Napoli Matfia] I can't choose.
[Auntie Omakase #1] Each has their own charm and distinct appeal.
-Both good. -It's difficult. Yeah.
It's very different.
-I like this sauce better. This one. -Yeah, yeah.
-But the meat is better in this one. -Yeah, agree.
[sighs]
-Very difficult. -Very difficult.
[Paik Jong-won] The truth is both dishes are excellent.
[host] We will proceed with voting for the third match.
If you preferred the dish on the left, please press 1.
Please, please. [sighs]
[host] If you preferred the dish on the right, please press 2.
Judges, you may now vote.
[chuckles]
[dramatic violin music playing]
-Please avenge Chef Choi Kang-rok. -[Sung-woon laughs]
-Let him advance. -I don't care if I loose the next round.
-I just care about this. Please. -[Yu-gang sighs]
[host] And with that, all ten judges have cast their vote.
Uh…
Thank you, chefs, for two great dishes.
To start, I think dish number one had a certain finesse,
and the overall flavor was very classic and very comforting.
And as for dish number two, on the right,
I thought it was very innovative, and it felt fresh and daring.
That said, my main point of criteria
was how well the ingredients were used together.
Um, first off, uh, the noodles.
When I took a bite of this dish,
I thought it tasted lovely, and I really wanted to keep eating the broth.
But this fishie here, um…
[chuckles] "Fishie."
[Edward] …I really, really loved.
It was crunchy but also tender.
It was delicious.
To start with the first dish,
I thought the sweet and savory flavor was pleasantly familiar,
and it had this richness that felt very luxurious overall.
I thought so too.
[Paik Jong-won] Now, as for the Ending Noodles dish,
I assume your intention was to make kongguksu with tofu broth.
That's what I expected, but when I took a bite,
it didn't taste like kongguksu.
And yet, despite the difference,
the flavor kept pulling me back in and making my mouth water.
It was a very unique discovery.
[Sung-jae] So far, everyone's been very nice.
But I wanted to take a second to give some constructive criticism.
[intriguing music playing]
Starting with the rockfish dish.
I felt the seasoning was a bit too much.
In particular, the sweetness was very overwhelming.
Honestly, I couldn't really taste much of the rockfish flavor.
As for the noodles… How do I put this?
It should've easily harmonized with the tofu,
but the meat flavor was kind of lost here.
And I can't help but wonder if maybe…
you could've found a better use for it.
That said, I think both of you did a good job overall, so thank you.
I was really anxious.
I wanted it to fly by as fast as possible.
[Knife Omakase] Honestly, I could hardly look at anyone.
[inhales deeply, sighs] It's gonna be close.
-It's hard to cut an entire team. -[Brewmaster Yun] Great work.
-[Rebellious Genius] Nice work. -Good job. You too.
-You did good! -Absolutely.
Well done, you three. Come here.
-Great work. -Thank you.
-[Napoli Matfia] Who will it be? -[indistinct chatter]
[host] Round 3, Black versus White Spoon,
Team Battle, All or Nothing.
[dramatic music playing]
First Match.
-Black Spoon Team, 34 points. -[White Spoon chefs cheering]
White Spoon Team, 66 points.
Second match…
FIVE-ON-FIVE FACE-OFF
…Black Spoon Team, 48 points.
-White Spoon Team, 52 points. -[White Spoon chefs cheering]
The current totals are as follows.
Black Spoons, 82 points.
White Spoons, 118 points.
Right now, the White Spoon Team is leading by 36 points.
[dramatic music continues]
Wow. They're really ahead.
The White Spoon Team dominated, huh?
[host] In order to survive, the Black Spoon Team
must score at least 37 more points than the White Spoon Team.
[Knife Omakase] We did the math at the start of the match.
The total number of votes we needed was seven.
[Ho-young] Even though the White Spoon Team had managed to win
the first two matches,
there was still a chance that everything would be overturned.
There were no guarantees.
[host] Before we announce the final results,
we will now reveal to the special judging panel
which team prepared each dish.
Oh.
Let's see.
[host] Dish number one on the left is the White Spoons'.
And dish number two on the right is the Black Spoons'.
[Ji-sun] Wow.
[host] And now, we will reveal the final results.
[judges exclaim]
[host] To start, we will begin on the left, with Mr. Jang Ho-joon.
[laughing]
-Isn't it supposed to be secret? -[Paik Jong-won] No.
[laughs]
I think this is the most nervous I've felt all day today.
[host] To start, we will begin on the left, with Mr. Jang Ho-joon.
[Seoul Mother] Please, please, please.
[chefs whoop]
[host] Mr. Jang Ho-joon voted for the Black Spoon Team.
-Ooh! -[Brewmaster Yun cheers]
Really?
[host] The current score is Black Spoons, 92,
White Spoons, 118.
Next, please reveal Ms. Jung Ji-sun's vote.
[dramatic music playing]
[Black Spoon chefs cheering]
Oh!
[both laughing]
Did she really?
Oh wow.
[Seong-keun exclaims] That's crazy.
[host] The current score is Black Spoons, 102,
White Spoons, 118.
-We're 16 off, so two more. -Two more and we'll pull ahead.
[host] Please reveal Mr. Lu Chinglai's vote.
Mr. Lu Chinglai voted for the White Spoon Team.
Black Spoons, 102.
-White Spoons, 128. -It feels like we're racing now. [laughs]
[host] Next, please reveal Mr. Choi Hyun-seok's vote.
[Black Spoon chefs cheer]
[host] Mr. Choi Hyun-seok voted for the Black Spoon Team.
They're just dragging it out.
Of course they are, but we're doing good!
-But still… -Almost there.
[host] Black Spoons, 112. White Spoons, 128.
Please reveal Judge Anh Sung-jae's vote.
[Black Spoon chefs gasp, cheer]
[host] Mr. Anh Sung-jae voted for the Black Spoon Team.
[Seoul Mother] Oh my god!
-[Barbecue Lab Director] Oh! -Whoa.
-[Napoli Matfia] Wow. -Really?
[host] With this, the Black Spoon Team is now at 122 points,
and the White Spoon Team at 128 points.
-Just six more points. Come on, come on! -Wow, that's crazy.
You're really amazing.
[host] Now then, please reveal Judge Paik Jong-won's vote.
[dramatic music playing]
[Brewmaster Yun whoops]
[host] Mr. Paik Jong-won voted for the Black Spoon Team.
Seriously?
[gasps]
We just need two more votes.
[judges exclaiming]
Really?
[host] The current score is…
Black Spoons, 132.
White Spoons, 128.
With this, the Black Spoon Team has taken the lead.
[Seoul Mother laughs] We're in the lead! We did it!
[Knife Omakase] The moment we took the lead, I was in shock.
Like, "Huh? We're winning?" [chuckles] That's how it felt.
Because each vote was ten points, we could pull ahead more easily.
We could pull this off.
Oh man, we're in trouble now.
It's really close.
[Yu-gang] At first, it was fun to watch.
And then, I realized, "Oh, shoot. We might actually lose."
[Son Jong-won] I felt so incredibly guilty.
Especially because almost everyone had picked the Black Spoons.
And as I looked at those final four,
I was terrified.
[host] Next, please reveal Mr. Edward Lee's vote.
[tense music playing]
Mr. Edward Lee voted for the White Spoon Team.
-[Ho-young] Wow. -Thank you. Thank you.
[host] The current score is Black Spoons, 132,
White Spoons, 138.
With this, the White Spoon Team has reclaimed the lead.
Next, please reveal Mr. Napoli Matfia's vote.
[tense music swells]
Mr. Napoli Mafia voted for the White Spoon Team.
-[White Spoon chefs exclaim] -Whoo!
[host] The current score is Black Spoons, 132,
White Spoons, 148.
We just need one more to win.
-We need both. -Both votes?
Yeah, so if one of those turns white, we lose.
[host] Please reveal Mr. Cooking Maniac's vote.
[rapidly] White, White, White…
[groans anxiously]
-…Cooking Maniac's vote. -[Knife Omakase] Come on.
-Oh! -[exhales deeply]
It's actually possible. Auntie, please!
-[both] Aw. -One.
[Sang-hyun laughing]
[Hee-eun] Please, Auntie! Save us!
-Whoa! -[Napoli Matfia] No way!
-Wow! -Whoa!
-Wow! You too? -What?
-[Rebellious Genius] There's no way. -It's actually possible.
Auntie, please!
-We don't know. -Auntie! Come on!
[Brewmaster Yun] Please, please, please!
What is this? Did we actually win?
She voted for us. We got it.
[Knife Omakase] I felt a rush, yeah. Of dopamine.
Did we actually do it?
I mean, is this actually happening?
I've never been this nervous during a competition.
[host] With this, the Black Spoon Team is currently at 142 points,
and the White Spoon Team is at 148 points.
It comes down to this. How did this happen?
Auntie!
[host] The current difference is six points.
The total points that remain is ten.
Oh no, oh dear. Oh my goodness.
[host] Now, without further ado,
please reveal Auntie Omakase #1's…
-I can't watch. -…deciding vote.
I can't watch it either.
[Knife Omakase] I can't look.
Please. Please…
I go to your restaurant all the time, Auntie.
So please, please hit our button.
Is this it? Or do we actually get to stay?
Come on, Auntie! Please!
[White Spoon chefs chuckling]
-I'm begging you! -[Auntie Omakase #1] Oh dear.
[Hee-eun] Please!
All of our fates are in her hands now.
I just hope she voted for our team.
Oh, please.
[dramatic music playing]
[host] Please reveal Auntie Omakase #1's
deciding vote.
[dramatic music swells, ends]
[upbeat music playing]