Tonight on My Kitchen Rules, South Australian best mates Angus and Simon overpromised and underdelivered, finishing their Instant Restaurant with 55 points – just one point above Alisha and Deanne.
After stirring up their rivals around the table, the pair returned to Last Orders determined to improve on their first-round score of 70 and prove their bold talk was backed by equally bold flavours.
Angus and Simon’s menu featured Duck and Shiitake Dumplings with Orange and Anise Sauce for entrée, Lamb Cutlets with Nam Jim Jaew and a Pickled Salad for main, and Bread and Butter Pudding with Black Sesame Ice Cream for dessert.
The dumplings provided a promising start. Although some were heavily charred and the filling needed refinement, judges Colin Fassnidge and Manu Feildel praised the flavour, with Manu particularly impressed by the sauce.
“I loved the sauce; I think it was well balanced. It had a good amount of acidity,” he said. Both judges awarded the entrée seven.
But as the pair prepared their main, an unexpected kitchen visitor added fuel to the fire.
Encouraged by Alisha and Deanne, Zoe went into the kitchen to confront the boys over their comments at the previous Instant Restaurant.
“Hello. It’s your favourite guest of all, your weakest link, allegedly,” she announced, adding she was ready to accept an apology.
A flustered Simon agreed to revisit the matter after dessert and sealed the promise with a handshake.
At the table, the lamb was beautifully cooked, but its accompaniments confused both guests and judges. Manu praised the balance of the Nam Jim Jaew but questioned its place on the dish, while Colin said the pickled salad and pineapple were “a little bit of a mess.” Both scored the main five.
While the lamb was a success, the pair hit a hurdle with dessert: their homemade bread was too heavy to absorb the custard, leaving individual puddings dry, dense, and lacking the texture the judges expected.
Despite Colin enjoying the Black Sesame Ice Cream, he gave the pudding just four, and Manu gave it three.
The guest teams scored 24 out of 50, including a three from Alisha and Deanne. Together with the judges’ score of 31 out of 60, Angus and Simon finished on 55 points, narrowly avoiding last place on the leaderboard.
“Very rare for me to not have words at the moment,” Simon said.
Manu delivered a blunt assessment: “You over-promised and under-delivered, gentlemen; you’re very lucky to still be in a competition right now.”
Alisha and Deanne remain at the bottom on 54, with only Zoe and Zac left to cook before one team is eliminated.
