In Wednesday night’s episode of My Kitchen Rules (MKR), childhood chums Amber and Mel swung from culinary highs to lows at their Instant Restaurant, Salty Secrets.
Despite serving a standout dessert, their entrée and main course left them scraping the bottom of the leaderboard with a score of 61/110.
As guests took their seats at Salty Secrets, the atmosphere immediately began to sizzle with tableside confrontations and dramatic exchanges, foreshadowing the night to come.
For their opening act, the duo opted for a Spiced Lamb with Hummus, Pomegranate and Pita Bread. “The lamb isn’t really the hero of this dish, but it is there to add that flavour and texture to it,” Mel disclosed during the cooking process. Yet the dish that emerged shocked the assembled teams who were anticipating something more along the lines of lamb kofta or kebabs.
Marcus quipped, “When you are promised lamb, you’re hoping for lamb. I just got sort of like a speckle of dust of lamb.” Colin Fassnidge wasn’t far behind, remarking, “To me the lamb, which is the bride who’s getting married, was sort of the bridesmaid to the hummus.”
Manu Feildel added to the critical pile-on, observing, “I don’t want to be rude, but [this is] an Australian version of Lebanese food here. From what you promised, it was a little underwhelming.”
Despite the lukewarm feedback, Amber and Mel shook off their disappointment and moved on to their main course of Baked Fish with Tahini Sauce, Roasted Almonds and Caramelised Onion. “Although we are disappointed with the critique, we just need to pick ourselves up,” shared a resolute Amber.
This dish, another one of Mel’s mother-in-law’s creations, similarly failed to impress the discerning palates around the table. Claudean was forthright, stating, “This is a competition and this is not a competition dish.”
Mel mentioned they found it challenging to plate 12 individual dishes since they usually prepare share platters. This disclosure resonated when Manu commented, “All of the elements, individually are okay. But together it’s a bit of a mess.” The dismal performance of the entrée and main had Mel feeling as though she had let her family down, particularly her mother-in-law.
However, all wasn’t lost. The duo somewhat redeemed themselves with Amber’s Upside-down Orange Cake with Orange and Ginger Ice-cream, which garnered positive reviews and somewhat salvaged their culinary dignity.
The Judges’ Scores were as follows:
- Manu Feildel: Entrée 5/10, Main 5/10, Dessert 9/10 (Total 19/30)
- Colin Fassnidge: Entrée 6/10, Main 5/10, Dessert 8/10 (Total 19/30)
The guest teams’ combined score was 23/50, bringing Amber and Mel’s overall tally to 61/110.
In the next MKR instalment, Melbourne’s gastronomic gurus Nick and Christian are back in the kitchen, with stakes higher than ever.
