Tonight on MKR, Melbourne couple Tiffany and Giancarlo served treasured Italian family recipes at their Instant Restaurant, Ciao Bella Ciao, earning the competition’s first 10 and surging to the top of the leaderboard with 86 points.
The pair’s menu featured Parmigiana di Melanzane for entrée, Agnolotti di Coniglio – rabbit-filled pasta – for main, and Sfincia di San Giuseppe al Limone for dessert.
Before the food arrived, Alisha and Deanne demanded answers over “Plate Gate.” Jane maintained she had considered the physical plate when scoring their Instant Restaurant, prompting a furious Alisha to retort: “You’re not eating the plate, are you? The plate has no flavour to add to the dish.”
Shane insisted their score had simply reflected the food, while Jane refused to back down. “I’m not apologising for anything,” she said. “It was a really fair score that Alisha and Deanne received. The food spoke for itself.”
The table was divided again during a conversation about the $100,000 prize. Lucy said the money would change her life as a micro-baker, while Jane and Shane said it would not be life-changing for them at their stage of life.
Jane added: “If we are at our stage of life and $100,000 was life-changing, I think we’ve done it wrong.”
Tiffany and Giancarlo silenced the table with their Parmigiana di Melanzane. Judge Manu Feildel praised the perfectly cooked eggplant and layers of flavour, while fellow judge Colin Fassnidge loved the caramelised cheese and zingy tomato. Manu awarded the dish a nine and Colin delivered the first 10 of the competition.
The pair’s Rabbit Agnolotti also impressed, with Colin calling it “a plate of love” while Manu praised the buttery, cheesy filling and perfect pasta. Both judges scored the main nine.
But the dish contained one huge surprise. Deanne pulled an enormous rabbit bone from her pasta, and Angus described it as a choking hazard. “That’s a whole leg there,” Deanne declared. “That’s a big bone for a little rabbit.”
Although Deanne said the discovery completely turned her off the dish and would cost the team points, the remaining guests and judges praised the delicate rabbit, rich sauce and beautifully cooked pasta.
The Italian lovebirds’ near-perfect run faltered at dessert. Their Sicilian doughnuts were heavy, doughy and too dark, while the lemon custard lacked the promised citrus punch. Manu and Colin each awarded the dessert a five.
Despite the disappointing finish, the guest teams awarded Tiffany and Giancarlo 39 out of 50. Combined with the judges’ score of 47 out of 60, the couple finished on 86 points and moved to the top of the leaderboard.
An overwhelmed Tiffany said: “It’s just the best feeling knowing that you put your heart and soul into it and then it makes other people feel that.”
