“My Kitchen Rules” WA workmates Eva and Debra failed to deliver fireworks with their Asian-themed Instant Restaurant “Spice Market” on Thursday night. The bubbly pair had the right ingredients and were on the right track, but in the end, they weren’t able to take judges Pete Evans and Manu Feildel to Asia with their dishes.

Entrée: Pork and Spinach Wontons in Ginger Broth

Before serving the dish, the girls tasted the wontons themselves, declaring them fit to serve. They also had high hopes for their ginger broth. Their excitement over serving the dish was visibly in their faces as they waited for Pete and Manu to hand out their critique. However, the renowned chefs had a different take on their entrée.

“I didn’t like this at all,” Pete told Eva and Debra, explaining that the wonton was undercooked while the broth lacked fatty flavours. Manu thought the wontons were fine, though they needed improvement. The French chef added, though, that he was disappointed with the broth, which had the kick of ginger but left a bitter aftertaste. Nevertheless, he was still happy with the dish.

Debra was heartbroken with the chefs’ reviews of the soup. Earlier in the kitchen, she couldn’t help but weep as she remembered her recently deceased grandma. And with the unfavourable critique of her rendition of the wonton soup, she felt she had let her grandma down.

The guests were divided on their take on the entrée. It was a general consensus that the broth was overpoweringly ginger, but some of the liked it that way while the others didn’t. SA mum and daughter team Vicky and Celine thought the dish was great, while Sheri, who served the first Instant Restaurant of the group with her mate Emilie, thought the broth showed a lot of technique.

Main: Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken

With every element on the plate a critical factor, the Nasi Lemak must be prepared to perfection. Unfortunately, some of the ingredients didn’t come out right. The kangkong was questionable, but at that point, the girls decided to still include it in the dish.

The rice was 10/10 and the anchovies were perfect for Manu, but the kangkong was boring and the chicken was flavourless. Needless to say, the French chef was disappointed.

Pete enjoyed the main better than the entrée. He complimented every element on the plate, though he was reserved about the fried chicken, which he said wasn’t great but not bad either. The kangkong, which the girls were previously debating on whether to put on the plate or leave out, got the worst review.

Dessert: Pandan Crème Brûlée

Pressed for time, the pair put the crème brûlée in the freezer instead of the fridge, hoping that the colder temperature would set it faster. Big mistake. The crème brûlée had set with an icy texture rather than the wobbly, gelatine-like finish it should have. Eva even at one time asked if they should put it in the oven to bring it back to normal. As if that wasn’t enough problem, the girls only bought 12 ramekins, just enough for the judges and the guests. They couldn’t spare one to taste and test, and therefore they had brought the set to the table without knowing for sure if it was good enough.

Scrapping their original plan of raspberry sauce, they accompanied the crème brûlée with lychee they took from a can. Although they achieved giving it a hard caramel top, the consistency of the crème brûlée itself was runny. Manu’s only compliment about the dessert was the flavour of the pandan. Pete said the texture resembled a scrambled egg.

As if to soften the blow of his harsh criticisms, Pete added that the concept for their Instant Restaurant was exciting. Manu wished for them to last longer in the competition. However, with the score that they were about to get, their chances of surviving the elimination appears slim.

Scores

The WA workmates only scored 46 out of 110. They got 21 over 50 from their fellow contestants, while Pete and Manu’s combined score was just 25. Pete scored their entrée, menu and dessert a 3, 6 and 3 respectively, while Manu gave them 6, 5 and 2.

Their low score put them behind Sheri and Emilie, who scored 63. As most contestants who have scored low in the show claimed, the pair reasoned out that they were good cooks, it’s just that the stress had got to them.

The scores given by the other teams:

Vicky & Celine: 5
Rose & Josh: 4
Sheri & Emilie: 4
Carol & Adam: 4
Matt & Rob: 4

UPDATE: Video added

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