Lin Likes

The ability to kill several birds with one stone at the Chinese Theatre was great. Directly outside the impressive building is the Walk of Fame as well as the cement hand prints and autographs of several stars. Across the road is the landmark Roosevelt Hotel, setting for many films and TV shows like Entourage. Next to the Chinese Theatre is the Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards.

As we continued on, the rain increased. Driving up to the Hollywood sign proved to be a mission as we were met with torrents of water flooding down the streets. We eventually made it up to a point to try view the sign but a couple of minor mudslides and the poor visibility made it an unsound venture. As we continued on, the rain increased. Driving up to the Hollywood sign, we were met with torrents of water flooding down the streets. We eventually made it up to a point to try view the sign but a couple of minor mudslides and the poor visibility made it an unsound venture. So instead, we headed to Beverly Hills and Bel-Air whilst singing The Fresh Prince theme.

Having had my fill of failed celebrity stalking, Dave and I headed to Nordstrom Rack for some outlet shopping and shelter from the rain. There I was able to pick up a Calvin Klein suit for a mere $300! It really is true what they say about American shopping. You can get designer brands very cheaply here and everything else, cheaper still.

  The next day, I was on my own. I had intended to get some more outlet shopping done and hit the beach but LA isn’t an easy place to travel around without a car. Public transport would take far too long to reach the outlet I had in mind and I was on day two of my two days in LA. Since the weather had cleared up to a very sunny day, I just headed to the beach.

"Hey bro, smoke weed?"

  Those were the words uttered to me by an enterprising African American (not a medical marijuana dude), as I strolled Venice Beach in broad daylight. And it pretty much sums up what Venice is all about. A decidedly Bohemian mix of intricate murals, Rastafarians openly smoking pot, street artisans peddling their wares, homeless seeking refuge under palm trees and ironically exuberant medical marijuana hawkers. 

  All this openness is quite refreshing given my impression of America as eternally conservative. It really says something when, given what would otherwise be threatening elements elsewhere, make for a harmonious but interesting experience.

  Shops purvey items ranging from marijuana paraphernalia, quirky tee shirts and custom surf boards. A lingering scent of pot hangs in the air. Skateboarders roll along the promenade. Big men flex their guns at Muscle Beach outdoor gym. Shirts vs. Skins games are played on the open air basketball courts. It really is just like in the TV shows and movies like Californication and American History X. Well, without the Neo-Nazis, which is a good thing.

  Vastly opposite to it is its family-friendly twin sister, Santa Monica, right next door. If Venice is the stoner brother, representing California’s hippie roots and Bohemian sub-culture. Santa Monica is the California Blonde embracing surf culture and fun in the sun. The iconic lifeguard towers, yellow pick-up trucks and red floatation devices or “cans” instantly transport you to the days of Baywatch. 

Its epicentre, the Santa Monica Pier has also featured in countless movies and TV shows, making it an instantly recognisable landmark. Tourist shops, restaurants (there’s a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in homage to a Forrest Gump scene at the pier) and the Pacific Park theme park reside on its weathered boards. Walking to the end of the pier offers a glorious view of the Pacific Ocean, Venice to the left and the scenic coastline and cliffs leading to Malibu on the right.

Walking a few hundred metres inland, I find myself at Santa Monica Place, an open air shopping centre with the likes of Tiffany & Co. and Bloomingdales tenanting. It’s a fairly standard looking shopping centre and not a lot to get excited about. The adjacent malls between, 2nd and 6th Street offer even more retail therapy and much to my surprise, even a Cotton On! I knew the Australian clothing chain was doing well and had shops in Singapore but all the way in LA? Impressive. They even had an Aussie girl working there to boot. But Aussies are a dime a dozen in America as I came to find. Hearing the accent everywhere. Thank you, exchange rate.

The tourist hub of the Old Quarter perfectly encapsulates what Hanoi is all about. Beautiful French architecture from days gone by house shop after shop of everything you can imagine. Each street specialises in something different, from clothing, Buddhist shrines, right down to spare parts for your busted electric fan. The Capitalist spirit is truly alive and well here.

The interweaving web of laneways filled with bars and coffee houses lend a bit of a European feel to the city. Come nighttime, they spring to life with foreigners soaking it all up with several cheap alcoholic beverages.

One of the tastiest new Vietnamese dishes I discovered was Bun Cha, a delicious noodle and char-grilled pork street food. You'll find stalls all over the city that sell this Hanoi specialty. Like any respectable street food outlet, it's the only thing they sell and you have the usual procedure where they make you squat on tiny stools, banging your knees on equally tiny tables.

Venturing south of the Old Quarter lands you right in the Financial District complete with its own stock exchange bull but in sleek marble rather than metal.

Walking the tree-lined boulevards in the area, the first thing you notice is the lack of tourists and how much cleaner it is than other parts of the city, and especially Saigon. In fact, coupled with the luxury boutiques it kind of feels like Singapore, it’s that clean.

It’s lunchtime and my tummy tells me to stop by a banh mi stall. The friendly auntie sells me a Northern style banh mi. This version includes a yummy fried Vietnamese pork sausage (it’s sweet like a Chinese sausage but the texture isn't glazed, it's meatier, like a Chorizo), pâté and ham, and a very tasty pickled cucumber. It hits the spot.

After much more wandering and map unfolding, I find Thong Nhat Park; a peaceful inner city sanctuary which surrounds Bay Mau Lake. It’s not free but costs a meager sum of 4000d (about $0.20; Capitalism strikes again!). Surprisingly I see very few tourists as I circle the central lake. The walk is quite serene and is home to many interesting Communist propaganda statues. It’s a nice escape from the intense Hanoi noise and moped traffic.

The Ho Chi Minh Museum and Mausoleum are the next stops. Within the Ho Chi Minh grounds, no car is allowed offering eerily spacious roads to walk on. It's almost like being on the set of an post-apocalypse film. I didn't enter the mausoleum, as I had no interest in viewing a corpse.

Inside the HCM Museum you find more propaganda pieces offering the usual opulent reverence of a Communist leader. The grand centerpiece being a 4 metre tall bronze statue of the beloved Ho Chi Minh (not pictured below).

The historic One Pillar Pagoda resides on the grounds near the museum. It's an ancient structure which had to be rebuilt after the First Indochina War in 1954. Offering a quiet spot to pay respects and contemplate, it’s a place where tourists and Vietnamese worshipers come together. It offers yet another sanctuary to rest a weary body in an otherwise charmingly chaotic city.

Tourist attractions unsurprisingly lean toward the Vietnam War, or American War as it's called here. The backpacker district of Pham Ngu Lao is littered with travel agents hocking Cu Chi Tunnel tours and day trips around the city visiting the war museums and Reunification Palace. The more interesting tours involve the Mekong Delta and floating markets but they involve at least a couple of days and there wasn't enough time. The War really isn't my thing, so I opted to make my own way and hoof it on foot around town.

My first stop is Benh Thanh Market, where you can get designer labels at rock bottom prices. Just don't expect the label to stay on too long. The foodie in me ventured to the back where the  wet market resides. Here you see some confronting stuff that would have the RSPCA raiding the place.

Dozens of fish crammed into tiny tubs, gasping their last breaths and live crabs with their pincers tied off. But this is the kind of thing you'd see at your local Chinese. The shit gets real when you see decapitated skinned frogs still flailing about and the chill-inducing sight of cobra & scorpion whiskey.

Street food is a big deal here, as it is in any self respecting Southeast Asian nation. It's also the part I was most looking forward to. Just don't expect me to be eating frog any time soon. I stumbled across a busy road side stall on Hai Ba Trung which looked popular with the locals.

It was a com (broken rice) stall, serving varieties of pork, stir fried beef and greens, fried chicken and plenty of other treats. It all looked good. So there I was, feeling like a giant (I'm just under 5'9") sitting on a tiny stool next to construction workers and cabbies, eating my plate of broken rice piled with pork chop, braised pork belly, beef, fried egg with a side of veggie broth. They charged me 50,000 Dong, about $2.50, which is pricey for Vietnamese street food. It was probably foreigner pricing and the fact I put twice as much on my plate as the locals, but I didn't care. It was good and still great value! Aside from the hair I found in my rice halfway through. Just eat around it. All part of the experience, right?

Vietnam is, of course, a developing country. Ravaged by wars and political isolation, there are stark contrasts scattered around the city. A massive divide exists between the working and middle classes. It's very un-Communist in appearance. In fact, Vietnam appears to only be a Socialist state on paper. Akin to countries like India, commercial skyscrapers of the financial district cast their Capitalist shadow on humble street hawkers peddling their wares.

Vincom Center is one such building. A recent addition to the city's skyline, it houses upmarket boutiques like Jimmy Choo and Emporio Armani, it also has a local ice cream chain called Fanny. Yes, I came for the name but stayed for the Young Rice flavour single waffle cone. Bearing a name alluding to an Asian paedophile site, the ice cream is a delicious exotic change from the now ubiquitous cookies and cream. It tastes like a toned down rice pudding and isn't sickeningly sweet, unlike most Asian desserts.

I did do one War-related activity. I headed to the Reunification Palace, one of the Saigon landmarks. It was the home and workplace for the President of South Vietnam before the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Aside from the military vehicles outside (two tanks, a jet and a helicopter on the roof), the site is fairly uninteresting. It does give some insight into the workings of the South Vietnamese during the War but nothing that warrants a must-visit, unless you dig Mad Men era decor, that is.

In the evening, Pham Ngu Lau lights up with colourful neon signs. The drinking establishments quickly fill up with foreigners people watching and stretching their Dong on alcohol. The money kind not the other kind. Although there are places for the latter, also. Numerous pretty girls will try sell you "massages" as you walk the street.

One of the more interesting street food carts was selling little grilled birds. Like many things in Vietnam, they're cooked on a charcoal grill. I didn't quite learn what they were. With their heads still attached, I have to admit, I wasn't game enough to try them.

They will have three hours of mise en plus and thirty minutes for service. To help them plate up during service, they get to pick two eliminated contestants. Cupcake Barbie makes a couple of solid choices in Mindy and Kylie. Audra picks Amina and TK, a weak plating team, given Amina's poor presentation skills and TK's early exit. She's obviously gone with her friends. Andy picks his friends as well, Ben and Beau, but he's an excellent leader and at least they can plate, especially Beau. He says he would've chosen Emma but the smart player in him says she'd be an emotional mess.

The judges will score their dishes and the lowest score is out of the first round and out of contention for the title. Matt Moran will be keeping an eye on things.

Andy's cooking seared tuna, confit fennel and squid ink & cauliflower purée. Moran likes his concept but the squid ink purée is iffy. The flavours may not gel.

Audra's entree is a Thai egg net ma hor salad and sambal prawns. Ma hor is a minced pork and peanut salad.

CB is cooking beef with parsley purée, horseradish cream and sweet potato crisps. The judges say it sounds like a main course. She's adamant that it'll be presented as an entrée.

Audra struggles to produce egg nets that hold their shape. When they come out the pan they break apart. She eventually manages to have enough prepped.

The guests arrive. There's over one hundred of them, so it's a never ending procession that drift past the finalists as they're still cooking. 

Service starts. 

CB's biggest concern is her beef being overcooked. When she slices into it, it's perfectly pink.

Audra's plating her complex starter and the only hot element is her prawns. As predicted in my last post, Audra's cracking under the pressure. Amina and TK fumble their way through the plating.

The judges taste CB's starter. They're wowed by its appearance. Their initial worries about it being a main disappear. The beef is juicy and pink and the other elements work great with it. The only thing missing is a bit more seasoning.

Next is Andy's. Again, he's nailed presentation. The issue with it is there's a very big slab of tuna on the plate which throws off the balance of the other smaller elements. The squid ink & cauliflower purée is a hit.

Audra's egg net with ma hor and prawns arrive. It's fresh and smells great. Preston immediately questions whether it's a hot entrée or not. It does, however, taste fantastic.

Time for results.

Audra's dish gets loads of praise for it's complexity of flavours. However it wasn't a hot entrée like the brief. Her score is 22 points. Her shoulders slump in disappointment.

Cupcake Barbie earns a 7 from Gary and couple of 9s from George and Matt, with a total of 25.

Andy gets a 7 from Gary and two 8s, giving him 23 points. Andy and CB are the 2012 finalists!

Audra's the first to congratulate him. Bowing out, Gary says what a great cook she is and how consistent she's been throughout the competition. She gushes loads of love and gratitude, ending with a leaping hug into the arms of Preston, with legs wrapped around him.

Round 2 will see them cooking mains in an Invention Test. Their brief is to cook Australia's national dish with a strong story backing it. Their ninety minutes kick off.

Andy's cooking a modern seafood basket while CB is making roast rack of lamb with lemon myrtle fondant potatoes and grilled vegetables.

Smoking meat for the first time, CB says she doesn't belong there if she doesn't even try. Kylie says that Ben's more stressed than Andy. He wants so badly to leap over and help his bromantic partner.

Gary tells CB that she should've rendered the fat off her lamb before encrusting it in macadamias. She'll have to live with it. She takes her lamb from the oven with ten minutes left to rest it but it's still undercooked, so it goes back in. 

With five minutes left, plating starts. CB's lamb is out resting. Andy is second guessing his plating.

Time to taste.

CB brings her lamb to the table. Her story is about growing up on her mum's property surrounded by lemon myrtle and other native plants, eating meat and three veg. They notice the lamb is undercooked and the fat hasn't rendered down. Her potatoes are excellent but it's not an inventive dish.

Andy's story is about his fishing with his dad as a child. He also acknowledges that his plating isn't up to his standard. All the elements are delicious and perfectly cooked. The crumbed abalone and oyster emulsion is the stand-out.

At the end of Round 2, CB scores 21 points. Andy gets two 9s and a perfect 10 from Gary, earning 28. He keeps Gary's scorecard as a souvenir. That gives CB a total of 46 points and Andy 51.

Since they cooked entrée and main already, Andy jokingly yearns for a cheese platter to finish off. But of course it's not that simple. Round 3 will be a dessert. And they're told it's on par with the Snow Egg. 

It's a Pressure Test set by Christine Manfield. The cloche comes off and it's a Gaytime Goes Nuts. It's two layers of ice cream, served on a crumbed biscuit bed, surrounded by a delicate tuille and topped with caramelised nuts and hazelnut mousse.

They get three hours to prepare the elements. After the clock stops, they get additional time to plate up. 

Andy's got the disadvantage against the Dessert Queen. He's never made ice cream, honeycomb or caramel before. He says he'll have to follow the recipe to the tee.

Andy realises that he left gelatine out of his hazelnut mousse and has to redo it. CB's mousse is lumpy so she needs to redo hers also.

Now onto the most difficult part, the tuille. It's very technical and involved. He nails his first one as Gary stands by, observing. He gets the hang of it and pumps out more perfect shells.

CB nails her first one. She struggles with the remaining ones, not maintaining the perfect temperature, so they crack. 

With five minutes left, Andy finds his caramel has split. He quickly fixes it using Ben's advice by adding some water to re-emulsify it.

Time's up. The two MasterChef titans embrace. They don't have to cook any more. 

CB addresses the judges. She acknowledges that only two of her four tuilles worked out. When they taste, they note that the ice cream is smooth and light but the caramel isn't as good as Christine's.

Andy enters with a confident swagger. Gary asks what he'll do now the competition is over. He says he has a long way to go still but can't wait to continue his learning. He also says in his video diary that not having a background in desserts has been an advantage. He's distanced from it and just followed the recipe instead of second guessing his instincts.

When the dessert arrives, the judges love the consistency. All are perfectly presented. It looks just like Christine's. They taste. The caramel ice cream is delicious and the tuille is perfect. The mousse is slightly dense, though, and the caramel on the nuts isn't quite right.

Final results! Before they crown the winner, Gary welcomes the chefs and past MasterChef winners that have inspired and mentored them throughout the season. Then, their families enter, led by Julia's sweet little sister, Katie.

Andy's mum is back and cute as ever. She's full of pride and joy. We also get to see his dad and, I'm assuming, his sister.

Julia's joined by her husband, mum and sister. She tells a story of how excited her little sister has been about coming for the final. Katie was looking forward to meeting Gary, George, Matt and Matt "Meringue". The crowd burst into laughter, including Moran himself. George says they've wanted to call him that since forever.

We get to see how much Julia loves her sister and how protective she is. She then genuinely wishes Andy luck and gives him another hug. Why did the producers wait until this long for her to reveal this side of her? I'm sure she would've been way more popular had we seen other moments of the "nice" Julia.

Now it's time to finally reveal. Julia scores 22 points for the dessert. Her grand total is 68/90. Andy needs only 18 points to win. He earns a 9 from Matt. George stretches out the tension and says he needs 9 to win and gives him an 8. Gary immediately reveals he gave an 8 also. That's 76/90. He's won it! Andy Allen is the MasterChef for 2012!

He has won $100,000, a book deal and work experience at some of Australia's top restaurants.

He's speechless for a few moments but goes on to thank the judges, chefs and the contestants, he then takes it back. They're not contestants, they're friends. Aw, shucks.

Preston says that Julia has always excelled in the commercial kitchens and proven herself as one of the most generous team players ever on the show. Again, aside from sharing her sauce with Wade, the producers didn't show much of her generous side during the show. Matt continues, saying she's won $15,000. She's shocked. Then Adriano Zumbo has a little something to add. The crowd hush, excited for the inevitable. Our favourite introverted pastry maestro offers her a paid apprenticeship at a Zumbo kitchen. Luckily, there's one in Brisbane. 

The love continues. Audra wins $5,000. 

With one final drop of confetti, MasterChef 2012 comes to a close. Christine's parting words to Andy, "Any time you're free, come and make some Gaytime." I couldn't have thought for a more fitting ending.

Andy gets former sparky, Mark Best. Mindy gets Jacques Ramond. Audra's paired with Peter Doyle. Cupcake Barbie gets Shannon Bennett.

They have ninety minutes to cook. They get five minutes at the start of the challenge with their mentor. During the challenge, they will get fifteen minutes with their mentors and they can choose when to use them.

Andy will cook a confit trout with yabbies, pea mousse and fennel. 

Mindy's cooking crispy skinned barramundi. Gary and George note that broth isn't a very Mindy thing to do. She wants to "take it to the next level.". 'Nuff said.

Cupcake Barbie chooses to make a mille feuille. It's a very challenging dish to make in the time given but she wants to really push herself.

Audra's making a sashimi trio. The judges think the dressings may be a bit too simple. She's not doing any actual cooking. They suggest she focuses on the details to jazz up the dish. She looks like she's in the most trouble right now.

Gary and George notice Andy's yabbies don't look so great. Mark joins Andy to fix them up. He's the first one to use their mentor.

Shannon is looking down at Cupcake Barbie and worried about her getting everything done in time. Jacques Ramond is impressed she's making the puff pastry from scratch. There's a load of elements that need to get done still.

With twenty minutes left on the clock, Mindy gets Jacques's help. She's trying a new technique. The barramundi skin will be caramelised with palm sugar.

With fifteen minutes left, Shannon and Peter join CB and Audra. CB doesn't know how she'll plate her dish. Several of her puff pastry pieces look a bit dark.

With two minutes left, Mindy's barramundi are still in the oven and not cooked. She takes them out and has to pan fry them. 

Time's up and CB's dish didn't turn out how she envisioned. Audra's also run out of time. She didn't put the final touch of dressing on her fish. Mindy's worried how her barramundi are cooked.

Audra's first to the judges' table. They give her a bollocking over dressing the fish at the table using her mixing bowls. It's supposed to be a three-hat dish and that's not very three-hat. She should have used some nice small bowls or jugs. The judges are very disappointed with how it looks. She had ninety minutes and didn't appear to do very much. When they taste, it's very ho-hum. NOOO!

Andy's next. Gary loves the look of his confit trout. He's plated another stellar dish. The trout is cooked perfectly. You can tell he's nailed it just by the way it all looks. The judges love that it's understated and clean. 

Cupcake Barbie's deconstructed mille feuille salad arrives. Preston gives her a bollocking also for bringing unattractive serving ware to the table for the finishing touches. They say she's bit off more than she can chew but it's delicious. They're very impressed she made the puff pastry herself also.

Mindy's caramelised barramundi with dashi broth and prawn tartare is up. She's upfront that her fish may be raw inside. George is drawn to the stunning caramelisation and can't wait to cut into it. When Gary slices into it, it's raw. The other elements are all excellent, which is what makes it so disappointing.

Results time. Three people ran out of time today, which makes Andy the first one safe and earning this third straight dish of the day. Mark says Andy's someone he'd happily mentor again.

They address the shortcomings of each of the remaining contestants. Cupcake Barbie is the second one safe, based on her great flavours.

The Asian queens are left. Matt says that not doing enough with her time is enough to send Audra home. But Mindy's raw fish was a big no-no, so it's her that is going home!

Mindy's welcome home party consists of a number of women with short haircuts and men's clothing. Am I the last person in Australia to find out that Mindy is gay? She plans to open an Asian wine bar after the competition, serving beautiful food.

Mindy and Andy are first up, together. The judges placing a clear wedge between Bandy. Andy's sauce is gorgeous, while Mindy's is good but a bit too creamy. Ben's red wine sauce hasn't reduced enough to imbue rich flavour. Cupcake Barbie's sauce is a disaster; the worst of the day. Audra gives a brilliant sauce, full of depth and character.

The sauces are judged from worst to best. CB is fifth, Ben, fourth, Mindy, third. The top two sauces belong to Audra and Andy. Audra wins the top spot.

They are then led to the pantry where they find a steer and John Torode from MasterChef UK waiting for them. Andy comments that the cow's horns are bigger than his muscular arms. Ben gives them a feel just to be sure.

They won't be cooking the bovine before them but will each be cooking different cuts of beef.

They get two a whole hours to cook, so choosing the right cut is crucial. Cupcake Barbie wants a cut that works well in a slow cook situation. 

Winning the first round, Audra gets first pick. She selects the short ribs. Andy takes the shins. Mindy takes chuck. Ben takes rib eye. Cupcake Barbie is left with rump. That was the last piece she wanted but has to make do.

John says to Audra that he knows nothing about her but has a sense she's doing something Southeast Asian. Racist much? Fair enough though, since she's braising her ribs in a master stock.

Andy's braising his shins in a red wine with fondant potatoes.

Cupcake Barbie is unsure how to cook the rump. She wanted something sophisticated but the judges disuade her from trying a technique she hasn't attempted before. She settles on grilling the steak.

Mindy's making black pepper and szechuan braised beef.

Ben's butchered his rib eye. Gary's not too impressed with the onion component of his dish. He needs to reassess the additional elements that he'll add. With no direction, he's decided to cook a variety of elements and pick and choose which ones he'll use when plating.

Time to taste.

Andy's first up with a gorgeous looking dish. His plating is truly restaurant quality, yet again. It also has wonderful flavours.

CB is next. Matt comments that her shoulders tell the story. Sometimes they're up and proud but today they're slumped. He asks what's wrong. She tears up. She's homesick and has mixed emotions because this means so much to her. It's a real revelation when we learn she has a younger sister with Down's Syndrome. Kudos to the producers for not revealing this before to make her the sympathetic poster child. I kinda feel bad now for all the flack she's copped. Her rump steak is cooked beautifully but the onion tarte tatin is a letdown.

Ben's generous rib eye steak is cooked nicely. The problem is the dish on the whole has no direction. He returns to his bench, dejected and in a slump on the floor.

Audra's ribs glisten. The sauce is rich, meat tender and the accompaniments are perfect compliments.

Mindy's braised beef is a bit of a song and dance. She creates a kind of san choy bao with the beef wrapped in cos lettuce with rice and pickles. John doesn't feel she showcased the beef but the regular judges disagree and love it. John's only worked on more seasons of MasterChef than the others, what does he know?

Andy wins dish of the day for the second straight time. Matt tells him that his momentum is crucial at this stage of the competition.

The bottom two belong to CB and Ben, of course. Between the two, it's Ben that says goodbye. Bandy are no longer! Let's see if this affects the ratings.

Ben cries. Andy is on the verge. Ben, holds back the tears as Andy places a hand on his shoulder. He says, "I'm not actually normally a crier. It's a fair indication of how emotionally involved you get in what this is. You have to leave behind everything that you love. Along the way you meet people and you through experiences.". 

A montage of classic Bandy moments play to Unchained Melody. 

Andy closes by saying, "I can't wait for the next bit of our lives to start.". With one final embrace, Ben leaves quietly into the rainy Sydney night.

They will need to cook for sixty, mostly French, guests. They'll be judged on their performance in the kitchen, guest feedback and critiqued by the judges. They will each have one dish to cook. Guillaume will be running the pass and plating. If the dishes aren't good enough, they go back.

The six dishes are king brown mushrooms with gnocchi, scallops, steamed snapper with clams and mussels; wagyu beef with Paris mash, peanut caramel nougatine and a raspberry sorbet with pistachio gateaux.

There's a knife pick to assign the order in which they can pick their dishes. Kylie is first, Mindy, second, Audra, third, Cupcake Barbie, fourth, Ben, fifth and Andy, sixth.

Kylie chooses the peanut caramel nougatine. Mindy will cook the king brown mushrooms. Audra throws a spanner in Cupcake Barbie's works and chooses the raspberry sorbet. Gary asks CB, "Have you got a strategy?". She replies that her strategy was to pick a dessert. Now the one-trick pony is completely lost. She chooses the scallops, since the potato galette technique is similar to pastry. Ben opts for the beef, since Andy wanted to cook the fish. Everyone goes all gooey over the expression of guy-love.

They'll get three hours of mise en plus before service kicks off at 1pm. 

After seeing how the contestants have been going during mise en plus, Gary sees Kylie and Mindy as being in the best positions. Audra is taking far too long getting her prep done. She fumbled her way through the creme brulee element, which was extremely time consuming. Andy is also under the pump, having not completed key parts of his prep.

Fifteen minutes till service and Guillaume tells Audra that there's no pistachio nuts in her gateaux. She's in some trouble and needs to redo it.

Service kicks off. Timing is crucial. Working on entrees, Mindy and CB need to get their dishes out at the same time. CB has to recook her scallops because they're not up to scratch.

CB's scallops arrive to the judges. She's nailed the scallops but the watercress puree is slightly under-seasoned. On the whole, it's brilliant, though.

They try Mindy's mushrooms with gnocchi. The gnocchi is wonderfully springy but the mushrooms are a bit undercooked.

Time for mains. Bandy are both struggling. They need to redo several dishes. Ben drops his super expensive wagyu beef and has to redo another couple. 

Mains finally arrive at the judges' table. Andy's snapper flakes wonderfully. All the elements are done to perfection.

Ben's wagyu beef has great colour on a beautiful crust. The dish lacks some seasoning, though. 

Desserts are being served. This time, the contestants are plating. Audra's caught up and ready to go. The judges taste. The raspberry sorbet is delicious. All the components look and taste great, including her troubled pistachio.

Kylie's peanut caramel nougatine goes out. Her ice cream's packed with flavour. In the kitchen Guillaume tastes Kylie's nougatine and says it's too sweet. She's adamant she was precise with her measurements. The judges also notice her mistake. It's split. The cream and egg whites were overwhipped. Guillaume gives Kylie constructive criticism. She sees her desserts come back, going straight in the bin.

Service ends. The contestants all gather round Guillaume, except an upset Kylie, who's cleaning out back. He calls her over, placing a reassuring arm around her. She wasn't happy with the dish either.

Results time. Preston reiterates the complex nature of today's judging. The combination of kitchen performance, customer feedback and the judges' scrutiny all form the basis for the results.

Bandy and Cupcake Barbie are safe. Andy's snapper is dish of the day. Preston tells Ben his wagyu and Paris mash were cooked perfectly. He then praises CB's scallops, saying she's proven herself as an all-round cook.

Mindy, Audra and Kylie get called forward. Mindy worked great in the kitchen but her mushroom was undercooked. Audra struggled in the kitchen but the end result was  immaculate. Kylie worked well in the kitchen but her nougatine curdled and is immediately told she's out. NO! How did this happen? Never would I have thought that Cupcake Barbie would excel at a savoury dish while Kylie gets booted for a dessert. Kylie's proven herself as a strong savoury cook and leader, so it's especially sad.

Gracious in defeat, she says she knew she was going. Audra steps up to say a few words. She says Kylie's filled with talent, generosity and a beautiful spirit.

She tells us her favourite moments during the competition were meeting Jamie Oliver, the pop-up restaurant challenge and meeting the pastry chefs in the Careme challenge.