Redemption was on the menu Monday night for Victorian best friends Matt and KT as they sealed their spot in the MKR semi-final.
After crumbling under the pressure of their instant restaurant, the pair won over judges Colin Fassnidge and Gary Mehigan at Kitchen HQ with their two-course indigenous-inspired menu.
Matt and KT had 90 minutes to cook and serve a main and 60 minutes to prepare a dessert. The brief for both dishes was to reflect their heart and heritage.
All teams had a solid start across the board, but Matt and KT’s main of Warrigal Greens Gnocchi with Cinnamon Myrtle Burnt Butter Sauce had the judges in awe.
Gary was impressed with the texture of the team’s gnocchi, saying it was “light and pillowy” and had good flavour.
Colin agreed it was a good dish and the team had made a “beautiful” burnt butter sauce.
After the judging of the mains, Western Australia’s Che and Dave were at the back of the pack for overcooking their Pork Fillet with Fondant Potatoes, Port and Red Wine Jus.
Che and Dave regained their form to produce the best dessert of the night, Poached Nashi Pears with Chocolate Sauce and Toasted Peanuts.
But with many highs and lows across the teams during the night, Colin and Gary deemed Matt and KT had been the most consistent in cooking the best two-course menu.
“We loved your idea of promoting these flavours. It absolutely ran true,”
Gary said of Matt and KT’s aim to showcase native ingredients throughout the competition.
“This is so unexpected. All we wanted to do, was to do better than last time and we did that,”
Matt said elated with their win.
“It just means so much to me, all my ancestors are looking down and this is what we came to do. KT’s Italian and I’m aboriginal. We smashed it all together and put it on a plate.”
Tuesday night on MKR: Semi-finalists Kate and Mary, Janelle and Monzir, Sophie and Katherine, and Matt and KT go head-to-head at Kitchen HQ to secure a place in the MKR grand finale.
