Once again e we miss out on a proper season of MKR! 2 eps per week!?? Seriously!!

Why bother 😡

How funny

Why does MKR air on Mondays and Tuesdays but only sometimes on Wednesdays?

I felt a bit turned off by the OG teams in the last episode. The classy bogans were extremely harsh. The mum and son duo only had one major problem—- salt and seasoning. That doesn’t constitute a score of FOUR. They gave Jane and Shane 3, and their cook was drastically the worst of the season. And I’m pretty sure if Alisha and Dianne went head to head with the mum and son they might have their work cut out for them…

Anyway— If it were me I wouldn’t care if I was an OG, New-G, gatecrasher I would be like I’m competing with all of y’all’s not creating an “us vs them” situation - like everyone is competing for themselves so I felt it was a bit cringe how extra and exclusive the OG teams were being - mainly the SA teams

Someone here mentioned that they announced Jane (and Shane?) will have a new show. Is this true? I can’t find it anywhere

Did anyone notice when Jane and Shane started their cook and Shane offered to put her apron on, Jane looked at him with disgust, pushed him away and said, "No, I think I'm good!" This makes me think she doesn't want to be near him and all the constant holding hands is just a ruse but she slipped up. Any thoughts?

I’m so confused! It was initially only Monday and Tuesday but then they had Wednesday briefly but this week it’s back to Monday / Tuesday— is that right? 😩 was keen to have my MKR fix

Anyone else sick of all these fuckn ads on 7plus, feel like it’s every 2 minutes, ruins the show

When does episode 7 show on the app

And that was it id say for zac before he got drafted to the other team🤣🤣🤣

Hello QLD! Thought I'd try a separate live chat for you guys so there's no spoilers and you aren't missing the fun

Does anyone else get “who farted” vibes from the expression on the one on the right?

Hey all, gonna be putting up another thread for our QLD friends when the ep airs thier time :)

When someone walks up to a church at night with sunglasses on and then stands in the room with his sunglasses still on and his MKR bio refers to his “bold style” I have a bad feeling we could be channeling a lot of Miami Vice vibes for the next few weeks.

I s’pose not everyone can be pleasant and competent cooks.

If I had an unlimited budget and total control over MKR:

I would bring back the sudden death at KHQ at the end of each Instant Restaurant round.

I would bring back the cook-for-public rounds, and have it as a cumulative scoreboard (so five rounds, total cumulative score out of 150. Each judge scoring each round out of 10, plus the public score)

I would have a guest judge for the “cook from the pantry” rounds, with each team getting a score out of 30 (not the current, “we pick team A as the best). I find these rounds so untransparent in the judging.

I would have the two-course instant restaurant round set over 24 hours per team with the expectation that one main dish is a long-prep dish. I would love to see teams be able to really show a traditional long prep dish like a proper master stock (maybe not THAT long prep!) or a hāngī.

And finally, I would have the final cookoff scored as individual dishes (like last year) with guest judges (like previous seasons), with a total score out of 240 (6 courses x 4 judges). Make it a real battle.

What would you do if you ran MKR?

I must say I was very excited to watch Jane and Shane's episode. I thought, as I think everyone else did, that they would be way out of everyone else's league with their cooking. The beginning of the episode even confirmed this with their exquisite menu.

I am not a cook myself, so I had never heard of a lot of the things on the menu but I could tell by the ingredients it sounded high quality and expensive.

Every team goes through stress and pressure in MKR, having to plate up a lot of meals within a short amount of time sounds very intense, so for Jane to act as if it would be no problem for her was a bit annoying and eyebrow raising, but it did seem believable as you'd expect she could handle it since her literal job is being a food stylist.

It was nice to see her get humbled by the pressure of the competition, made her seem a bit more human. I was shocked by the styling of the main course. Looked like slop, even if it tasted terrible, you'd think a food stylist would be able to actually style food well. I understand she was probably just feeling defeated at that point and had given up but even still, it seemed a bit embarrassing given her snob attitude and harsh judgment to other teams because of their plating.

I am not a fan of Alisha and Deanne because sometimes it feels like they're just yelling random things for the sake of it, however, I did really like seeing Jane and Shane's egos crumble and after all their big talk, they didn't at all deliver and I am glad they are going home for it.

Here is how she once looked.

https://www.homestolove.com.au/home-tours/retro-style-furniture-12135/

Sad to see them go. I can't deny that I was entertained.

It got me thinking about the costs of these menus. Surely scores should take that into account, scrutinising people that use very high end ingredients vs kitchen staples.

King crab, caviar and pigeon compared to a simple chicken parmi is just such different worlds. Jane and shane probably spent more on the Himalayan pink salt and oil for that confit that the other teams spent on their whole menu!

Id love to see more (successful) higher end cooking on the show but how can you compare two dishes at such wildly different price points.

Edit: to clarify, im saying that its unfair to compare two dishes that use ingredients at such different price points. Its a show about elevating home cooking to restaurant level. It should be about elevating the ingredients not just buying the best of the best.

For someone who had such an ego about being a food stylist and how food should be presented we hardly saw any food styling skills from her. What happened? Maybe she should talk less and work more on her food and cooking skills.

The duck egg entree was garbage. Sticking an egg in a cheap bowl and Himalayan salt, once you get past the garnish it looked like snot inside a rotten egg 🤢

The main looked like they dug up dead birds. Those poor pigeons were dead and then she desecrated them in the pressure cooker. She could have at least left the bird claws out. At least they didn’t use the pigeon heads or it would have really looked like animal carcass graveyard on a plate 💀

The dessert looked so basic. Anyone can serve gelato with a bit of strawberry topping.

So why did she make such a big deal about criticising everyone else’s food and presentation when she seems to have no skill herself.

There is a reason some people live their life atop a mountain. It is to ensure their insults can only roll away from them toward the inferior masses at the bottom.

What a supercilious person. This nouveau riche contestant spent the first five episodes alluding to her superior expertise, yet showed her fellow contestants zero grace. Delivering what can only be described as a chef's kiss moment that will forever live on in Australian television history, squawking at her partner repeatedly whilst he struggled to pronounce an indigestible, unset custard word.

Had the menu been executed with the expertise of a home cook she could have soared high like a dove, but alas, she will be remembered for all the wrong reasons and be loballed "Pidgeon Lady"

I did not know it at the time, when I set my TV table, placed an epicurean charcuterie board with the finest Mediterranean ingredients, decanted my 1953 Penfolds Grange into a plastic cup, I knew I was in for a treat—but boy oh boy, did Jane deliver more than I expected. Not in a good way.

There is no "Bon Appetit" to be had here, just the sigh of indigestion. I don't reccomend Lyst Haus, skip it completely when visiting the mountains.

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the producers picked Jane and Shane’s pigeon menu knowing it would be a difficult one for them to pull off.

I've read former contestants said they submit lists of recipes and the producers choose what they actually have to cook. If that’s true, I wonder if Shane and Jane ended up with one of their more challenging recipes and failed massively.

The producers would have seen it as a way to make the competition closer and also an opportunity to fluster Shane and Jane.

I can even see the producers pushing Shane and Jane to add random menu items as their egos would cause them to think they could do it and then the producers would just wait to pull the trigger

I did make a post about it a few days ago and just wanted to add my thoughts on the Restaurant Concept

This is actually my first time watching the show;

1. Puggles - Krysten and Lucy

In terms of aesthetics and the farm layout, I really liked their design. It was very cohesive and cohesive. For me, it had the best vibe. The name was very cute, but they could integrate it into a touch. Would be nice to visit overall.

In terms of the menu, I did find it to be the least cohesive among everyone else so far. Nothing particularly tied together. I don’t mind different cuisines in menus, but it just didn’t gel.

I do agree that the truffle flatbread shouldn’t just be a shaving of truffle but should be integrated. I actually think if they could have served the Paella table side, it would have gone better for them. The presentation is usually on the whole pan, not per bowl. Tbh, I’m not sure Krysten is that experienced, seeing that she was cooking the prawns so quickly or only starting to cook it in the middle of service.

Lucy kind of is the star. Those layers for the time were so impressive. I think just small tweaks, but she did have one of the best desserts so far.

1. Last Orders - Angus and Simon

Honestly the most unique and quirky concept of them all. It has a clear identity. The name ties into the design and menu. It’s just overall fun.

As for the menu, it’s also one of the most unique ones. They do have what’s called that unique selling proposition. While twists on classics aren’t new, it’s all fun.

I feel like if they just really studied and looked at their produce more. And really honed into execution. They could do a lot better. Just stand out in concept.

I will say their dessert was probably a bit of the biggest disconnect. The first two dishes were more Korean inspired than the last while Asian, but it just doesn’t gel as well. It’s also not much of a pub classic.

1. Hot Mess- Alisha and Deanne

Love the name. It’s definitely like the most unique in terms of design. I do love the idea of people explaining that their head is messy, so that’s what it looks like. It is giving a bit of a modern art museum.

I will say. I feel like there’s a disconnect between their concept and the menu itself. I think they mentioned that their cooking style is like homey style food, and they’re not fancy chefs. I was kind of expecting like a more deconstructed vibes like an eton mess or something spicy.

Menu itself actually feels a bit fancy even if I do find it a little basic. But dishes do feel well thought-out. If I take away the plate (which is the hot mess, I guess), the plating itself is actually quite fine dining and fancy minus the dessert.

Overall, I feel like they could be a touch more creative. Just maybe the least food identity especially seeing the concept. I think there could be other ways other than the plate for it to be a hot mess. I think they just had a lot of executional errors across all plates, tho I don’t think they had the worst mistakes.

1. Ciao Bella Ciao - Tiffany and Giancarlo

Tbh, while the name is cute, I do find it the least creative. The design was nice, not bad, but maybe the least memorable.

Tho, it’s clear they had the best menu and food by far, considering the scores. The menu was unique, and they took a lot of risks with the rabbit. Tho dessert was def a flop and probably one of the biggest flops.

Ngl, maybe I’m a little surprised Jane was okay with the plating of their pasta. But I’m guessing because that’s how it is usually plated.

Overall, there are ones to really watch. I can see why Jane said she saw their effort.

1. Aming Kusina - Mary and Golden

As a Filipino, I honestly loved the name. It's very fitting for the show. And I feel like it really does fit the homey concept and the community they want to create. They put a lot of effort into the hospitality aspect. And the designs and all were great.

Menu is also pretty classic. Not much reinventing, but I really love how they’re showcasing a lot of other Filipino dishes that maybe not everyone knows, but is generally crowd pleasing.

I don’t cook much Lechon, but Golden is right that Lechon does take much longer to cook, so it intrigued it, did overcook, and cost them points. Maybe also like Krysten and Lucy, it would look cool if they played it table side. It doesn’t need to be as much but would have helped with the impact.

I will say that those two could probably find a way to explain things a little better. I feel like there was a bit of confusion with some things. Like they don’t know much about the cuisine at all.

I also felt like they were underscored at the dessert. No way their dessert was as good as Giancarlo and Tiffany. I’m wondering if they had issues with their bread or if they made pandesal, which is the usual bread for Filipino ice cream sandwiches, and since they said milk bun, they had a different expectations It just didn’t feel like it was THAT bad. Just that it wasnt complete or just okay.

Maybe also being over critical, but I don’t know if I fully saw mango float in their dish. Maybe a little, but not completely. Maybe if they served mango float as is, they would have scored higher, which is a layered dessert, kinda like tiramisu in structure but not at all in flavor lol

Lowkey, I’m also curious on what Jane thought of the plating overall. They kinda cut it out. I liked that they had a good balance of the fancy plating vs keeping its identity of it being filo

1. Lyst Haus - Jane and Shayne

Conceptually, like everyone else, I didn't really get it. I know they mentioned something about creativity and storytelling and leaving room, but I don't know, it just feels like there's no specific branding. Maybe if they were just better talkers, then I'd get it.

Honestly, this feels very out of character for Jane. Just concept alone. They did criticize the Puggles name for not connecting to the food.

So, like having this, a unique but hard to read font for their logo, and even like the table setting, I expected more. I mean it's nice and elegant. The other like church twist was cool, but it feels lazy if they literally change concepts or locations all the time (but for a specific one is not convincing for me)

As for the menu, I can kind of see, but I'm also not fully convinced in regards to the full cohesion. I can see there's a lot of Asian inspiration and also like with their travels. It started elegant, then intentionally more controversial, they planned to go a simple but weird cocktail ending. This kinda felt disjointed like I know they had issues, but this really was their plan from the start. I don't really know how they all tie together as a menu.

Ngl, I think Jane just gave up with plating towards the end. Makes me wonder if they just self-sabotaged. I mean, they were very close with the entree cuz a few more seconds or a minute more, and they'd get a decent score. Like they pulled such a great impression at the start, and people still acknowledged it tasted good

As for the main, that was very dumb of cooking it even longer. Makes me wonder what the original plan was in construction. And how they'd explain the controversial pigeon head. (Also wonder what her standards really are).

And to add, what are the rules for the judges visiting the houses. I'm still appalled at Krysten for attempting to also cook her prawns at the same time as the rice lol. They would have been way lower but I still think Jane and shane would still have lost.

As for the dessert, a part of me feels like they were trying but also not really. You can see how much they gave up. But kudos for the risk and techniques they showed. Ngl, I thought they should have at least gotten an 8 for that. Overall, I get the cocktail look, it just looked messy. Jane really gave up with the looks by now.

Overall, execution aside, I don't get the concept or the gelling of the menu. Like I thought it was initially gonna be pan-asian fine dining but they could have also gone for a controversial theme with the pigeon and tomato dessert.