Tonight on MKR, Hannah and Lawrence’s love bubble burst when their Instant Restaurant scored 53 out of 110, leaving the couple at the bottom of the leaderboard and at risk of elimination.
The reception was frosty, with Janey refusing to hug Lawrence hello as the couple welcomed guests to their Instant Restaurant, Missing Piece.
The entrée of Chargrilled Octopus with Roasted Capsicum and Chilli sauce was “missing a little bit of je ne sais quoi” according to Manu. Colin agreed “the sauce overtook the octopus.”
Trying to keep their hopes alive, Hannah and Lawrence worked hard on their main of Crispy Pork Belly, Mashed Cauliflower, Vermouth Jus and Apple Sauce. Lawrence sweated it out, attempting to balance perfectly cooked, moist pork with dry, crisp crackling. As his stress rose, the love slowly drained from the kitchen. The pork belly cooked unevenly and did not crisp up.
In a valiant effort to crisp the pork skin, Lawrence placed some pieces in a pan, which burnt the meat. Lawrence ditched the skillet, and with enough pieces to spare, recovered successfully to serve a crispy and tender pork. Both judges praised the meat, with Manu awarding a seven for the dish, but Colin observed Hannah and Lawrence “overcomplicated things” with the jus and mash letting the dish down.
Janey and Maddie were critical of every dish, as Janey admitted it’s not easy to keep emotions out of their scoring. Lawrence said: “I can’t trust Janey and Maddie will be as fair as I was.”
Lawrence, who was born in Belgium, declared waffles a childhood favourite with strong memories of his grandmother. Unfortunately, nobody had anything sweet to say about the dessert of Gaufre de Bruxelles (Belgium waffles) with Strawberry Lime sauce and Dark Chocolate.
Manu called the dish “childish” Colin agreed waffles for dessert are not at the level they should be for this stage of MKR. It was a disastrous end to the night for Hannah and Lawrence and their hopes of beating rivals Janey and Maddie.
