Last night on MKR, Maria and Bailey returned to the kitchen seeking redemption, but their second Instant Restaurant overpromised and underdelivered.
The boss friends from Adelaide ended the night with a disappointing score of 62 out of 110, six points lower than their first cook.
Determined to wow the table, Maria and Bailey presented a technically ambitious menu: Modern Moussaka for entree, Sous Vide Chicken Skewer with Celeriac Purée and Salsa Verde for main and a Dulce de Leche Chocolate Whisky and Pear Tart for dessert.
Maria, proud of her Greek heritage, infused the entrée with a modern twist, substituting the traditional base with a potato rosti. Colin scored the dish a seven and noted the textures were promising, but the flavours fell short. Manu called it a “bland ragu” and scored the dish a five.
Tensions simmered around the table as Michael and Rielli backed their OG teammates while Amy and Lara stirred the pot, questioning whether the OGs had strategically lowballed the Gatecrashers at Danielle and Marko’s Instant Restaurant.
Gatecrashers Mark and Tan weren’t intimidated, cheekily dismissing the OGs’ culinary prowess, but as the table banter escalated, Lara openly hoped the OGs would “fall flat on their face.” Michael confidently declared he’d be thrilled to see Amy and Lara, or Mark and Tan, go home.
Back in the kitchen, Maria stepped in to rescue the chicken marinade with extra seasoning, and they were hopeful the sous vide method would deliver moist, elegant skewers.
While Michael and Rielli praised the dish, others found the chicken dry and uninspiring. Both judges questioned the cooking method used for the skewers. Manu scored the main a seven and praised the purée and salsa verde, but admitted the chicken was missing a charred flavour. Colin scored a five, suggesting grilling the chicken would’ve been a better method.
By dessert, cracks were forming. Literally. The tart’s base broke during plating, forcing a last-minute change to a more abstract presentation. Manu and Colin both scored dessert a five: while they acknowledged the ambition, the flavours were muddled, and the technique overreached.
Colin summed it up: “Sadly, that is not redemption for you.” Bailey admitted, “It’s really heartbreaking that we’re not as good as we said we were.”
