The F Word 5x11

1. - Welcome to the final week of my competition

2. to find The F Word's best local restaurant.

3. We started with nearly 10,000 nominations

4. and from these, 18 outstanding restaurants

5. made it through to compete in The F Word Kitchen.

6. Guys, make this count, yes.

7. There's only four points difference in this.

8. Indian restaurant Lasan from Birmingham

9. has won a place in the grand final.

10. - I won't disappoint you.

11. - In tonight's semi-final, three great restaurants

12. go head to head and I'll pick just one of them

13. to go through the grand final on Thursday.

14. Competing in tonight's second semi-final,

15. The Pheasant who won the best of British heat.

16. My best local Thai restaurant, Simply Thai

17. or Greek restaurant Retsina,

18. who won the rest of the world trophy.

19. Three restaurants and I've got three extreme challenges

20. to test them to the absolute limit.

21. - I'm excited now, looking at the clock all the time.

22. Just when the phone gonna ring?

23. - We're the last six, so that's a big thing.

24. - Have you had a good week?

25. - It all depends on what you say.

26. - All worthy opponents, but only one

27. can stay in the competition.

28. To see who deserve to go through to the final,

29. I've devised three daunting tests.

30. - I'm ever so sorry, but my potatoes

31. are just slightly undercooked.

32. - It's very spicy.

33. - First up, my team of secret diners film undercover for me,

34. after which I eliminate one of the restaurants.

35. I had The F Word secret diners eating

36. recently in your establishment.

37. Then the competition heats up in the second test,

38. as I hit the restaurants with 30 demanding F Word diners.

39. I just hope he hasn't bitten off too much

40. because right now he's in the shit.

41. And the third and final challenge,

42. to cook at my Flagship three-star restaurant in London.

43. Who goes home and who makes it through to the final,

44. tonight, I decide.

45. They're cooking one dish.

46. The most important dish of their entire lives.

47. Tonight I'm taking The F Word on the road

48. because it's the last week of my competition

49. to find The F Word's best local restaurant.

50. On tonight's second semi-final,

51. The Pheasant, Retsina, and Simply Thai.

52. At The Pheasant in rural Cambridgeshire,

53. I loved their passion for their local produce.

54. And I was massively impressed by the sheer hard work

55. and dedication of husband and wife team, Jay and Taffeta.

56. - Check on.

57. - Check on two covers, two rabbit.

58. - And at Restina in London,

59. I was charmed by another family.

60. This time, mother and son working together

61. to create wonderfully authentic Greek food.

62. - Retsina is our family business.

63. It's been going on for around 25 years.

64. I want Retsina to be known as the best

65. Greek restaurant in the UK.

66. - And at Simply Thai in Middlesex,

67. I tasted some of the best Thai dishes I've ever eaten.

68. Wow.

69. Culinary dynamo, Patria Weerapan

70. puts her heart and soul into running this place

71. almost single handedly.

72. She's remarkably talented.

73. I've got to pick the very best restaurant.

74. How? By setting them all three very tough challenges.

75. For the first test, I've hired a team of food experts

76. to work under cover for me as secret diners.

77. - I'm quite excited about this place.

78. - It's a trick of the restaurant trade I use all the time.

79. I spend a fortune on secret diners

80. coming to all my restaurants.

81. It's a really good way to see how consistent

82. a restaurant is on a daily basis.

83. - Hello. Got a table booked?

84. - Yeah, just the two of you? - Yep.

85. - I'm sending my secret diners to all three restaurants

86. who have no idea they're being filmed.

87. - Hi, I've got a reservation

88. in the name of Beth.

89. - I have to find out how the restaurants perform

90. when they're not in the spotlight,

91. and their guard is down.

92. This should be interesting.

93. Whichever restaurant fails to impress me on this test

94. will be eliminated.

95. First up, The Pheasant.

96. It's a great British restaurant

97. where huntsmen leave their wellies at the front door

98. and their kill around the back.

99. - Customers turn up and throw

100. a brace of pigeon down or some mallard.

101. We trade off, we might cook them a duck supper,

102. and that's payment for it really.

103. - I hope my secret diner is in for a treat.

104. Because I thought the service here was first rate.

105. - Could I possibly have the homemade black pudding, please.

106. - I've asked Trish Davies to go undercover today

107. because she's an experienced food specialist.

108. I don't like waiters when they lean on the table.

109. - What wine would you recommend for me to have

110. with my first course, please?

111. - First course?

112. - Yeah, that's the black pudding.

113. - Um, one second, Taff.

114. - In comes the owner,

115. to the rescue, rapidly.

116. - Glass or bottle?

117. The Hellfire Bay Shiraz Grenache.

118. - Yes please, I'd love some.

119. - Yeah, good.

120. - There you go.

121. - I've asked Trish to complain about the food,

122. even if it's perfectly cooked.

123. - I'm ever so sorry, but my potatoes

124. are just slightly undercooked.

125. - Would you prefer mash?

126. - No. - Or we could just

127. do the - Oh, that's very kind of you.

128. No, I'll just go with what - So, go with

129. a little bit more?

130. - Would you prefer mash?

131. Again, coming up with solutions all the time.

132. No negativity, the secret is a great solution.

133. - No hassle, no hassle at all.

134. - Slow start, and then it was

135. brought back to life with Taffeta, good.

136. Okay, Retsina.

137. Next up, Retsina in north London.

138. - Smells good, anyway.

139. Someone's been busy cooking.

140. - That's what we're all about.

141. - Fantastic!

142. - It's run by mother and son Minos and Zeta.

143. - I'll go with the mixed kebab,

144. that sounds great.

145. - They don't have a clue that my secret diner,

146. Sam Head, has booked a table.

147. I've asked Sam to chat to the staff

148. to see how they engage with everyday customers.

149. - Ah, perfect, thank you very much.

150. So, sorry.

151. Not very attentive.

152. I keep trying to catch his eye.

153. I can't get him.

154. He's doing his best to ignore me.

155. - Oh dear.

156. - I'm actually here cause I went round the Greek Islands

157. in the summer, so it's a bit of a treat

158. to try and reminisce. - Ah, that's the reason, huh?

159. - Yep.

160. - They're talking about the authenticity of the Greek Isles,

161. just come back from their summer holiday,

162. and wow he didn't give a shit.

163. He was off, looking out the window.

164. Wasn't even engaging with the customers.

165. Totally uninterested, what a shame.

166. - Are you cooking?

167. Aww, lovely to see you.

168. - Out comes the chef, bless her.

169. - Nice to see you. - We're having a lovely time.

170. - I smell of onions because I'm chopping onions.

171. So I do apologise. - No,

172. that's how chefs should smell.

173. Onions, garlic

174. - Garlic, onion, - Yeah, awww.

175. - How are you?

176. - Really good, thank you.

177. We're having a lovely time, thank you.

178. - Nice to see you. - Great, yeah, thank you.

179. - You're welcome.

180. - Enjoy your cooking.

181. - The saving grace there was Zeta's welcome.

182. Kiss on the cheek, welcome, good to see you,

183. and I've just come out of the kitchen,

184. and she looks like she's been busy which is fine.

185. Simply Thai.

186. So, will my final target Simple Thai

187. in Teddington, do any better?

188. With just nine tables, it's a tiny restaurant

189. run by a tiny chef.

190. But Patria has a hugely passionate temperament.

191. - Table three please, table three!

192. - I feel like I've met a female Gordon Ramsay from Bangkok.

193. - Where is the prawn, where?

194. - This is gonna be fascinating.

195. What's the reception gonna be here?

196. This lady scares me.

197. - It does say if you have a limited amount of time,

198. please let our staff know.

199. - My last secret diner, Beth Heald,

200. is about to risk the wrath of a Thai culinary firebrand.

201. Because I've asked Beth to act as if she's in a hurry.

202. - So we've only got about an hour.

203. Is that gonna be okay?

204. Thank you very much.

205. - What time do you have to leave?

206. - That's Patria coming out of the kitchen,

207. almost, sort of, telling the customers off.

208. What do you mean you've only got an hour?

209. - Well we are in a little bit of a rush, but

210. - Yeah, yeah, what time do you want to leave?

211. So we can see if we can - By nine o'clock.

212. - She looks like she's just come out

213. of a kickboxing competition.

214. I mean, she's like, she's ready for action.

215. - What shocked me more than anything was the,

216. I suppose, the aggressive stance from Patria

217. coming up to the customer.

218. We don't do fast food.

219. Granted, but they're only asking.

220. We've got an hour.

221. We want to spend our money in your restaurant.

222. Dear, oh dear.

223. That's a great shame.

224. So, it's time to eliminate one of the restaurants.

225. My decision is based on everything

226. I've seen and learned so far.

227. Including hours of invaluable undercover evidence.

228. - We're up, and we're back down again.

229. - No one has any idea I've been spying on them.

230. But I have told them that one restaurant

231. is about to be knocked out of the competition.

232. - Today's a big day.

233. I haven't felt this nervous since probably when we,

234. when Taff and I got married.

235. - I'm excited now, looking at a clock all the time.

236. Y'know just when the phone gonna ring?

237. - We hope that we will win again.

238. - Good afternoon, The Pheasant.

239. - Hi Jay, it's Gordon Ramsay.

240. How are you?

241. - Hello Gordon, very well thank you.

242. - Good, good good.

243. Have you had a good week?

244. - It all depends on what you say.

245. - Yeah, the secret of any good restaurant

246. is in the consistency.

247. - Yep. - Now, unknown to

248. you and Taffeta we've had The F Word secret diners

249. eating at The Pheasant.

250. - Okay.

251. - Well, as you know, being shortlisted

252. is a great achievement and y'know

253. I think you guys did phenomenally well.

254. There's only two are going through to the semi-final.

255. - Yep.

256. - And The Pheasant

257. - Yep.

258. - Is one of them, congratulations Jay.

259. - I'm totally ecstatic, y'know.

260. It's the best best news, y'know,

261. apart from my daughters being born.

262. It really is, I'm just, y'know.

263. I could almost cry.

264. - My big tough man. - Mmm.

265. - The Pheasant didn't put a foot wrong

266. and quite deservedly, they now have a chance

267. to win a place in the final.

268. - We are through to the next round.

269. - Who will stay in the competition

270. and join The Pheasant for the next stage of the semi-final?

271. - Simply Thai.

272. - Simply Thai from Teddington.

273. May I speak to Zeta, please?

274. Or Retsina from north London?

275. Congratulations, well done.

276. Welcome back, it's the semi-final

277. of my Best Local Restaurant competition.

278. And three teams are fighting for a place in the final.

279. Only one will go through.

280. So far in tonight's second semi-final,

281. my best local British, Greek, and Thai restaurants

282. have been put to the test.

283. - We've only got about an hour,

284. is that gonna be okay?

285. - I sent in a team of secret diners

286. to investigate the contenders

287. and The Pheasant passed with flying colours.

288. They're still in the running.

289. But now I have to eliminate one

290. of the two remaining restaurants.

291. Who'll be going out of the competition,

292. Simply Thai or Retsina?

293. - I feel quite confident.

294. I think I'm going to win this one as well.

295. - I'm excited now, looking at a clock all the time.

296. Y'know, just when the phone gonna ring?

297. - Good evening, Simply Thai.

298. - Hello.

299. - I've had The F Word's secret diners

300. eating inside Retsina.

301. I had The F Word secret diners eating in your establishment.

302. Zeta, that food is amazing.

303. The important part, in order to get

304. a hundred percent record,

305. is to make sure that you've got the service to match it.

306. The name of the game is consistency, so

307. Retsina

308. isn't going through.

309. Unfortunately, the secret diners felt that they

310. were ignored by the waiter.

311. - By the waiter, yeah. - were not made

312. to feel welcome when they come in

313. for the first time.

314. - We have to learn from our mistake.

315. - Take care, Zeta.

316. - Thank you. - Bye, darling.

317. - Have a nice week, thank you.

318. If I say that I'm not disappointed, I would lie.

319. I am disappointed, but I'm not going

320. to let myself feel bad because these things happen.

321. - I'm upset that people came here

322. and they didn't feel comfortable in my restaurant.

323. Y'know, that's not good enough.

324. - And Simply Thai

325. congratulations.

326. - The feedback from The F Word secret diners

327. has been extraordinary.

328. So congratulations, really well done.

329. And I can't wait to see you in the semi-final.

330. - Oh, thank you!

331. So I've chosen Simply Thai from Teddington

332. to fight it out with The Pheasant from Cambridgeshire.

333. To be worthy of a place in the grand final,

334. they have to survive two more challenges.

335. First, I've asked 30 F Word diners

336. to test The Pheasant and Simply Thai

337. to breaking point.

338. And I'm gonna judge both restaurants' performance

339. more critically than every before.

340. We're going to have lunch at The Pheasant

341. and then dinner at Simply Thai.

342. Your feedback is absolutely pivotal

343. to helping me make my decision on

344. which two restaurants go through to the actual final.

345. So basic today, you're actually my

346. eyes and ears across that dining room.

347. So, be upfront, honest, vocal,

348. and really give me your opinions

349. in terms of what you think, not just on the food,

350. from the minute you enter that dining room.

351. With The Pheasant under intense pressure,

352. I'm going to watch like a hawk.

353. Front of house and behind the scenes in the kitchen.

354. I know this is every restaurant's worst nightmare,

355. 30 diners all arriving at once.

356. - So in terms of the menu,

357. we've stuck to what we do at The Pheasant.

358. I'm feeling excited, confident.

359. Yeah, we're good to go.

360. - I'm gonna test the team to their limit.

361. And if Jay and his staff support each other today,

362. it should run like clockwork.

363. On a personal note, I just wanna say

364. really well done for making it this far.

365. Two hours to cook for 30 guests.

366. They're not here just for the food, it's everything.

367. From the warmth, the welcome,

368. make sure that every plate you send, Jay,

369. you're happy with.

370. If you're not happy with it, don't send it.

371. Make this now, the service of your lives.

372. - Come on guys!

373. So the partridge and the hare.

374. - Straight away, I can see the front of house staff

375. are creating a good first impression.

376. Their service is friendly, attentive again.

377. And everyone's little busy-bodies running around,

378. making sure, bread, butter, water.

379. And constantly observing, which is always nice.

380. - The vibe in the restaurant's really nice,

381. really cosy and quite a warm feel to it.

382. - Two covers, one halibut, one pork.

383. Chocolate sponge and a brulee.

384. - Yes chef.

385. - First table up now, it's all going okay.

386. Yeah, no, it's all good.

387. - All the orders in, yeah?

388. - All the orders are in.

389. Everyone is done.

390. - We've only been here 20 minutes,

391. and my diners are enjoying their starters.

392. - That smells amazing, lovely.

393. Big hit?

394. - Big hit. - Yeah.

395. It smells delicious.

396. - It's really good.

397. - How was the beef?

398. - Excellent beef. - Good.

399. - Beautiful flavours. - Mmhmm.

400. - The flavours just work really really well together.

401. I'm very happy with my dish.

402. - Jay is a very controlling chef, very hands on.

403. He's at the sort of central point on the hot plate

404. and everything comes up to him.

405. So, he misses nothing.

406. Everything is scrutinised, overseen, tasted as well.

407. Which is a good sign.

408. So far, so good.

409. But I'm worried about Jay's main course.

410. He's cooking hare three ways,

411. with Hare Wellington, lasagna, and braised leg

412. all on the same plate.

413. - Eat it, it's fucking hard.

414. - Yes, chef. - It's fucking bullshit.

415. - It's a dish which requires very precise timing

416. and I think Jay's misguided to try

417. and offer this to 30 diners all at once.

418. - These Wellingtons are shit.

419. They've just sat like that and the juices

420. have made the pastry go soggy.

421. So, they're just rubbish.

422. - Hare is difficult enough to cook.

423. Cooking it three ways, that's ambitious.

424. Jay's got somewhat backed up in the kitchen.

425. Cooking it three ways, that's like

426. putting a noose around your neck.

427. So I just hope he hasn't bitten off too much,

428. that he can actually do and the brigade can execute.

429. Cause right now he's in the shit.

430. - Fucking one day that fucking matters

431. and we can't do it fucking properly.

432. It's fucking rubbish.

433. - Jay has to start the hare from scratch.

434. Which leaves some of my diners waiting for their lunch.

435. - This one's a hundred percent better.

436. Yeah, the pastry is still soft.

437. Ah, sorry, still crunchy.

438. Okay, hare sauce.

439. - Is that ready to go?

440. - Yeah.

441. - But when it does reach the table,

442. the hare three ways is a resounding success.

443. - It's just really really succulent, really really soft.

444. I didn't even have to cut it with a knife.

445. - Very well, tonne of flavours.

446. Nice, hearty, tasty food.

447. Very nice.

448. - But just as I think Jay's back on track,

449. there's a problem with the pudding.

450. - Do you want me to take it away?

451. - No, not particularly a fan of orange, no.

452. - I'm gonna go and find out

453. what on earth they're up to.

454. - Just asked if actually, the pudding,

455. which is written as Hot Chocolate Sponge is,

456. I think it's Hot Chocolate Sponge with Orange.

457. And unfortunately I don't think

458. the maître d' really knew that either.

459. - Jay didn't mention on the menu

460. that the pudding is orange flavoured.

461. And it's left to Taffeta to deal with his mistake.

462. - Did you know there's orange in the pudding?

463. - Yeah.

464. - So, were you going to tell me at any point?

465. - We did say at briefing.

466. - They're complaining.

467. It doesn't say Chocolate Orange, okay?

468. - Feeling pissed off.

469. Service, we didn't work together like I said, it was shit.

470. The Wellingtons were crap, the broccoli

471. wasn't cooked properly, y'know.

472. I wasn't, y'know, it's not good enough.

473. - Despite a couple of issues,

474. most of my 30 diners really enjoyed their lunch.

475. - Have you got coffees ordered in your room?

476. - Yes. - Every table sorted?

477. - And the food was very good indeed.

478. But Jay's timing today was in danger

479. of compromising the entire service.

480. Tough challenge that, yeah?

481. 30 guests all arriving at the same time.

482. I thought you coped brilliantly well.

483. Walking in and seeing food like that.

484. The salmon looked amazing, tasted fantastic.

485. So, job well done.

486. If I've got one concern,

487. cooking hare, Jay, is a very difficult thing.

488. Trying to cook it three different ways, yeah,

489. is on the verge of overambitious.

490. This, Jay, Taffeta, was a tough challenge today.

491. But well done.

492. Really well done.

493. And I mean that.

494. - Thank you.

495. - I look forward to seeing you in the

496. next challenge.

497. Bye guys, yeah, thank you.

498. Overall, my diners leave feeling satisfied with their meal.

499. But Jay knows the performance in the kitchen

500. was far from flawless.

501. - Disappointed, pissed off, angry.

502. - I think Jay is being incredibly hard on himself,

503. I have to say.

504. I don't think that it was as bad as he thinks it is.

505. He is just being absolutely meticulous on every single,

506. which of course you should be.

507. But the food came out looking fantastic.

508. I was very pleased to serve it.

509. - Next stop, dinner at a restaurant

510. that couldn't be more different.

511. Simply Thai in Teddington.

512. 57 year old chef Patria runs this place

513. almost single-handedly.

514. - I'm everything, chef, accounting, bookkeeping,

515. managing director, cleaner, everything.

516. - When I first ate here, the food was stunning.

517. So I hope Patria will serve exquisite cuisine tonight.

518. Hello, how are you?

519. - Good evening, sir. - Nice to see you.

520. - Yes, nice to see you. - Good to see you.

521. Ladies welcome, first of all, congratulations.

522. - Thank you chef, - Really well done.

523. Now you know there's only two restaurants

524. that are going through to the final.

525. So tonight, yes, has to be your best ever service.

526. Two hours starting from now, off you go.

527. - Right, off you go out to the front.

528. - Now, the menu, you've got

529. all your best dishes on there, yes?

530. - Yes, yeah.

531. - Okay, you got the Sea Bass?

532. - Yes, I've got the Sea Bass. - Okay, good.

533. - Then I've got the Chicken Panang.

534. I've got all the chicken, I've got all the sauce.

535. - Right. - And I've got the prawns,

536. I've got asparagus. - Okay.

537. But Patria will be under pressure

538. and I'm worried this could be

539. a test too far for her tiny restaurant,

540. which is now full to capacity.

541. - So you're on your own?

542. - I was on my own, but I've got,

543. where's my girl?

544. - Who's in the kitchen with you?

545. Bonny, has she explained any of the dishes to you?

546. - Yes. - Yes, yes.

547. - What are the starters?

548. - The starter, here we are.

549. - No, not you, Bonny.

550. What are the starters?

551. Oh dear, Patria, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?

552. To give me an ulcer?

553. Really nervous for Patria.

554. I mean, she's got no help in there.

555. She's on her own.

556. Two courses each, 30 diners.

557. That's 60 dishes in two hours, cooking on your own.

558. How she's going to cope with this one, I don't know.

559. The waitresses don't know how to handle my 30 diners.

560. And immediately, everything is chaotic.

561. - You take the order food?

562. Now two person take the drink.

563. - So it's been ten minutes now

564. and not one order in the kitchen.

565. I'm getting very nervous. - Well, exactly.

566. What's going on outside?

567. - We've been here for a quarter of an hour

568. and the kitchen has only just kicked into action.

569. - One quail, one spring rolls, now please.

570. Laura, wash your hands, come here.

571. - As the orders come in all at once,

572. Laura, the kitchen porter, is commandeered as sous chef.

573. - One spring rolls, one smoked trout, spring rolls.

574. - Patria's spring rolls are by far

575. the most popular choice of starter.

576. - Enjoy your starter.

577. - One more spring roll now, please.

578. I've got another three spring rolls left.

579. After this one, only three spring rolls left.

580. Table three, oi, table three!

581. - Half an hour gone and you served four tables.

582. - Hold on a minute.

583. Look, come here, somebody didn't listen to me.

584. I haven't got anymore,

585. I don't have enough spring rolls.

586. I told you I don't have spring rolls

587. for table two and table four.

588. Just go and apologise to them.

589. Ask them to choose something else, now!

590. - Now they're selling food they haven't got.

591. She's run out of spring rolls.

592. She told them that 15 minutes ago,

593. but no one's listening to her.

594. When the food's coming out, it looks immaculate.

595. Customers are happy with the food,

596. but it's about to go tits up.

597. - We waited quite a long time for our starters to come out.

598. And when it came, it's amazing.

599. Really really good food,

600. so I can't really fault the food at all.

601. It's just, I think it's the actual volume of people

602. all arriving at once may be putting a bit

603. too much pressure on the kitchen.

604. - Table seven!

605. - I apologise madam, sorry, we are late.

606. - Don't ask, no!

607. Put it here, leave it there.

608. - In the chaos, dishes are being sent out

609. before they're even finished.

610. - Enjoy your meal. - Thank you.

611. - Where is the prawn, where?

612. The prawn is not finished yet.

613. Excuse me, yeah, it's not ready yet.

614. Laura, don't do it again, okay?

615. - I feel much safer on the fucking bus than I do in there.

616. So sad, we're halfway through.

617. There's an hour to go and she's only

618. got two main courses out.

619. So she has to keep it together.

620. She can't talk, she's getting frustrated.

621. And she's getting flustered.

622. And it's such a shame cause when the food arrives,

623. the diners love it.

624. So far, the service is nothing short of disastrous.

625. But at least Patria's food is amazing.

626. It looks fantastic.

627. Simply Thai, this has gone fancy Thai.

628. - No, it's simple.

629. Table one.

630. - That's more complex than my food.

631. My god, that's delicious.

632. That's good, you seem to have got some

633. rhythm going out now.

634. Main courses are flying out.

635. - Table two, concentrate.

636. Don't make mistake, please. - Please, table two.

637. Patria finally seems to be settling down.

638. And there's some semblance of order.

639. - I had the Chicken Panang for the main course.

640. I thought it was absolutely fantastic.

641. It's a shame about the wait,

642. but the food and the flavours, for me,

643. was absolutely delicious.

644. - If she can sort out the front of house service,

645. and maybe get somebody else in the kitchen,

646. then I think this restaurant will definitely go places.

647. - Right, well done, you've finished.

648. And you finished with just over five minutes to go.

649. - Five minutes to go, oh that's brilliant.

650. - Well done.

651. - I thought I was gonna collapse in the middle of the night.

652. Oh no, we're not gonna make it.

653. I said at one point, I said in my mind,

654. in my head, no we're not gonna make it.

655. We're not gonna make it. - I know, I know.

656. You did a really good job and I'm very proud.

657. - Oh, thank you very much.

658. - I'm really proud, well done.

659. - Thank you.

660. I've done at the top of my ability today.

661. And now I've got through it.

662. - The big difference across all the semi-finals

663. is that every other restaurant

664. has cooked for 30 customers.

665. This is fully booked for her.

666. They've all got 60, 70, 80, 90 seats.

667. She never does 30 covers.

668. So, not only has she managed to do 30 covers

669. within two hours, she's done it single-handedly.

670. Well done.

671. You are an amazing lady. - Thank you.

672. Thank you for supporting me.

673. - Next, my two contenders

674. will face the ultimate challenge.

675. Cooking at my three star flagship restaurant.

676. The biggest test is still in front of them.

677. Who's going through the final right now?

678. I haven't got a clue.

679. Welcome back to The F Word.

680. Simply Thai and The Pheasant are fighting it out

681. for a place in the final.

682. Tonight, two semi-finalists have

683. already faced two daunting tests.

684. Under pressure in their own restaurants,

685. I'm seeing their true colours.

686. At The Pheasant, Jay is a perfectionist.

687. - Check on, two covers, two rabbit.

688. He's passionate about game and offal

689. and obsessed with fresh local produce.

690. Creating dishes from the same day's kill.

691. - I love offal.

692. It doesn't have to cost a fortune to be good food.

693. And y'know we're finding customers do love it.

694. - But I've also seen Jay dejected.

695. - Fucking one day that fucking matters

696. and we can't do it fucking properly.

697. - A simple setback can knock his confidence

698. and affect his performance.

699. - Service we didn't work together like I said.

700. It was shit and the Wellingtons were crap,

701. the broccoli wasn't cooked properly.

702. Y'know it just didn't, it's not good enough.

703. - I want to see Jay bounce back

704. with a little more vigour when things go wrong.

705. At Simply Thai, Patria Weerapan

706. is one of the most dedicated chefs I've ever met.

707. Simply Thai, no that accomplished Thai cooking.

708. Yeah, I mean a real thoroughbred.

709. I mean, my god that woman is passionate.

710. Her absolute commitment to her

711. tiny restaurant is remarkable.

712. - Table three, please, table three, oi!

713. - But Patria's fierce independence worries me.

714. Even the greatest cooks need support from their staff.

715. Bonny, has she explained any of the dishes to you?

716. - Yes. - Yes, yes.

717. - What are the starters?

718. Oh dear, Patria, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you,

719. to give me an ulcer?

720. And if Patria's gonna make it into the grand final

721. she needs to work with her team,

722. not just operate single-handedly.

723. Now, both restaurants face the ultimate challenge

724. here at my own flagship restaurant

725. Royal Hospital Road in London.

726. Jay and Patria must create and serve exquisite cuisine

727. worthy of a place on the menu

728. at my three Michelin star restaurant.

729. They're cooking one dish.

730. The most important dish of their entire lives.

731. And with that one dish, they've got

732. one final chance to prove themselves.

733. - I'm sure I'm not ever gonna have three stars, so

734. given the opportunity here to cook,

735. it's gonna be brilliant.

736. I'm really looking forward to it.

737. I just wanna get started.

738. - To know that Gordon would allow me

739. to cook in his kitchen, I feel

740. very honoured and very nervous.

741. At the moment, getting very excited as well.

742. - I've worked for over ten years

743. to build Royal Hospital Road's reputation.

744. And tonight, I'm putting it on the line.

745. And I've invited some distinguished guests,

746. including Jason Atherton who was awarded a Michelin star

747. within a year of opening Maze.

748. - I know how tough he is.

749. I worked for him for ten years.

750. You don't get in Gordon Ramsay's semifinal

751. unless you're a damn good cook.

752. So credit to them both.

753. - Alright, first of all welcome.

754. Really good to see you.

755. Now, this is where it really, seriously matters, okay?

756. Ten years I've had this place, yeah?

757. I had to rent for five years in order to save my pennies

758. to buy each and every brick.

759. It's been a dream come true this.

760. Well it's the first time in ten years

761. I've ever handed my restaurant to any other chef.

762. This is it, the final hurdle.

763. Make this the best dish of your cooking career.

764. One of you is going through to the final.

765. Really good luck, yeah?

766. Off you go.

767. The teams are working in one of the most

768. well-equipped kitchens in Britain.

769. With the finest ingredients money can buy.

770. But I've challenged both chefs to create one dish

771. using the best quality Cornish beef, which I've provided.

772. It's been matured on the bone for a month

773. and the meat is succulent with

774. a beautiful, even marbling.

775. Okay, Jay, first ticket in.

776. Four covers away, table one.

777. Four Fillet of Beef, The Pheasant.

778. - Yeah.

779. - Excellent, thank you.

780. Nice loud call, thank you.

781. Second table in, Patria.

782. - Yes, chef?

783. - Four covers away, table four.

784. Four Beef Panang.

785. - Yes, chef.

786. - For his dish tonight,

787. Jay has pushed the boundaries yet again.

788. He's serving beef fillet with veal sweetbreads

789. and bone-marrow bonbons.

790. - Leave it whole, yeah, like that.

791. Little bit less spinach.

792. - It's an incredibly daring choice

793. because it is a very rich combination of flavours

794. and offal isn't to everyone's taste.

795. Jay rolls his fillets of beef into cylinders

796. and bastes them with butter

797. until they're pink in the middle.

798. Jay coats the bone-marrow bonbons

799. in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs and deep fries them.

800. He sautées the veal sweetbreads in butter for five minutes.

801. And then Jay serves the dish with parsnip puree,

802. fondant potatoes, and a rich red wine Bordelaise sauce.

803. Three complex elements on a plate

804. can get you into three times the trouble.

805. If Jay loses his concentration or confidence

806. for even a minute, he'll ruin the meal.

807. - Only one of us are going through to the final today.

808. Y'know, we want that to be The Pheasant.

809. I want it, Liam wants it to be.

810. Y'know we're going to do the best we can.

811. Y'know we want to win.

812. - You're using the fillet.

813. - Little bit of the fillet, yeah.

814. - Yep, brilliant.

815. - Sweetbreads. - So you just lightly blanch

816. the sweetbreads?

817. - We've yeah blanched these.

818. - Taken off the membrane?

819. - Taking off the membrane now,

820. cause it's horrible when you pan fry it.

821. Then it'll be nice and crispy.

822. - What are the Panko breadcrumbs for?

823. - We're making a, like a bone-marrow bonbon.

824. So we're just getting the bone-marrow

825. and just shaping it into a little ball.

826. And then we're just deep fry it

827. and set it on top of the,

828. - Okay good, excellent.

829. The Pheasant dish is quite complex.

830. It is very very rich.

831. Beef fillet, veal sweetbreads,

832. bonbons made out of bone-marrow.

833. Uh, yeah, this could go completely tits up

834. if he's not careful.

835. - Service please.

836. - Quick table one please.

837. - I am so chaffed that we have got to the semi-finals.

838. I feel like, y'know, it's anyone's game from here.

839. So we could win.

840. - Love the presentation, love the pom fondant.

841. - The cleverness in doing the bone-marrow bonbon,

842. I thought that was inspired.

843. I also thought that it wasn't a dish

844. that you ever got bored of.

845. Y'know sometimes you eat something

846. and you get a third of the way through

847. and you think, well where am I gonna go now?

848. This one was a whole sort of map of excitement.

849. - In stark contrast of Jay's earthy flavours,

850. Patria has chosen a dish with

851. a complex combination of sweet,

852. spicy, salty, and sour tastes.

853. - I would love to win because we're quite close now.

854. I would love to be in the final.

855. It would mean a lot to me.

856. - This is a traditional Thai Panang Beef Curry

857. with authentic Thai Son-in-Law Eggs,

858. cucumber and pomelo fruit salad

859. with lime and coriander dressing.

860. Patria sears the thinly sliced sirloin steak in oil.

861. She drains it and adds it to warm coconut milk.

862. She makes a traditional Panang curry paste in advance

863. to allow the herbs and spices to infuse.

864. She fries it in sunflower oil until fragrant

865. and then adds coconut milk and the beef.

866. Patria serves the curry with

867. a quail egg salad and coconut rice.

868. There are so many flavours here.

869. The spicy curry paste, and the sweet coconut,

870. the sour lime, and the salty fish sauce.

871. Patria needs to balance them out with immaculate precision

872. or the dish just won't work.

873. Now just tell me about the dish very very quickly.

874. - I'm gonna do the Beef Panang.

875. - And you're using the sirloin of the beef, yeah?

876. - Yeah, yeah.

877. - For some fat in there as well, yeah?

878. - Yeah, a little bit.

879. It's got a little bit of texture.

880. And that's a curry paste that I made.

881. - Do you think this dish is good enough

882. to beat The Pheasant's?

883. - Yes, of course.

884. It's curry dish, it's much more

885. stronger flavours and much more interesting dish.

886. - Right, have you heard of The Pheasant?

887. - Pheasant? Yes and no, I love pheasant.

888. - No, not pheasant the bird,

889. Pheasant the restaurant.

890. - Pardon?

891. - Pheasant the restaurant.

892. I'm bending down, you're bending down lower

893. it's hard.

894. to come down we'll come down, bend down.

895. We'll be down under the bench.

896. If I bend down its to talk to you,

897. not for you to bend down even more.

898. Stand up, Jesus.

899. But you're confident with the recipe.

900. - Yes, yes I am, sir.

901. - Okay, good.

902. I've worked over the last 22 years

903. to get what I have today in this industry.

904. All of a sudden, I allow a mass

905. Thai lady to run around in my kitchen.

906. I thought she'd be a little bit

907. intimidated coming here, to be honest.

908. But no, this is not a lady that's been

909. cooking like this for the last eight to ten years.

910. She's been like this for the last 35-40 years.

911. And for her it's all about the food.

912. The love and the passion she puts into the dish.

913. Patria. - Yes, chef?

914. - You have to clean round

915. the side of the bowl, yeah?

916. - I told her, - Okay, now,

917. fuck's sake. - Make sure, look.

918. - A little bit more finesse.

919. A little bit, yeah?

920. So, I'm not gonna send those two

921. until your other two are ready, yeah?

922. - Why is nobody take that?

923. - Because I want to wait until

924. all the four dishes are completed, yes?

925. Yes? - Yes chef!

926. - Thank you, service please.

927. - Just say the rest is coming.

928. - This is very very hot.

929. It's delicious but very hot.

930. - The combination of the Beef Panang

931. and the rice is quite nice, but just slightly strong

932. and it's slightly sweet for my tastes.

933. But overall, I think it's very good.

934. - Quite sweet, but absolutely full of flavours.

935. Exactly what I was expecting, rice cooked to perfection.

936. - I think Patria has what it takes

937. to win this competition, yes.

938. Because she is very very determined.

939. She's absolutely crazy about her restaurant

940. and if somebody can win that, then it is going to be her.

941. - If Patria's going to be my winner tonight,

942. I want her to start communicating with me

943. and her sous chef Nong.

944. Nong, four salad, not ten, 12, 14.

945. Just four, yes? - Nong no no no no.

946. - Patria's dish comes with a salad,

947. which needs to be served alongside the curry.

948. It's only four salad, not eight.

949. - Yes. - So don't

950. - I've told her to do just the eight chef.

951. Because we've got four already,

952. because it takes time.

953. - Nong, I only need four salad, not eight.

954. - Yes, okay.

955. - It's only four portions away, yeah?

956. - Yeah, only four, yeah, only four.

957. - Two, four, six, eight, ten, 12.

958. It's only four.

959. Only four, it's only four.

960. - Yes, chef.

961. - It's only four.

962. Fucking hell.

963. Honestly, I mean if she relaxes a little bit

964. and opens up and at least talks to Nong.

965. Blank me, I'm fine, but at least talk to your sous chef.

966. Y'know it's like we're back, yeah?

967. At Teddington again in the sort of nut house, unbelievable.

968. Jay, was it overcooked, that beef?

969. - It's not overcooked, it's just smaller than the others.

970. - Okay, consistency.

971. Jay, I'm watching everything, you know that.

972. - Yep. - Yeah, everything start

973. to finish. - Chef.

974. - When I first met Jay, y'know

975. laid back, rustic, cooking from the garden.

976. And all of a sudden, bang, he's starting

977. to smell success and he's raised his game now.

978. Which is good to see and they work like a team.

979. And they talk to each other,

980. and they've got each other's back.

981. - That's nice.

982. Don't think that needs to come down anymore.

983. - Here we are, away please.

984. - Yep, stop, I've got the table but look.

985. I've got such important customers there,

986. and we're sending shit all caked down

987. the side of the fucking bowl.

988. I'm sorry but if you take a bit more time

989. putting it into the bowl and not so messy,

990. yeah, we don't have to spend so long cleaning it, yeah?

991. - Because I haven't got the right spoon, chef?

992. - Cause you haven't got the right spoon?

993. Everything is always a problem.

994. What kind of spoon do you need?

995. - Smaller.

996. - Tristan get me a smaller spoon, please, yeah?

997. For Mrs. Thatcher. - Because the ladle is bigger

998. than the bowl. - Ah, for fuck's sake.

999. - So that was a mess.

1000. - The dish tastes delicious, it's authentic and it's just,

1001. it's done with love and care.

1002. Don't throw it out like it's on a conveyor belt.

1003. Don't complain about my ladle,

1004. your spoon, too big, fuck off.

1005. Y'know just put it in there with a little bit more time

1006. and slow down a little bit.

1007. - How long for the beef please?

1008. - It's starting to plate in one minute chef.

1009. - Yeah, good, don't slice it too early Jay.

1010. Otherwise it's gonna go dry out there, yeah?

1011. Where's the last one?

1012. - Coming chef.

1013. - Nice and gently.

1014. Last table, table six, well done.

1015. Excellent, switch your - All done now.

1016. - stove off, well done.

1017. - It's all done now.

1018. - So it's last table here, table four, yeah?

1019. Go, please, table four.

1020. Well done Jay, well done Liam.

1021. - Thank you chef. - Well done, well done.

1022. So service is over, and it's time to discover

1023. the truth from my distinguished guests.

1024. In terms of the dish cooked from The Pheasant,

1025. how was that?

1026. - I loved it, absolutely loved it.

1027. Yep, it's not something I would perhaps

1028. normally choose off a menu.

1029. But it was just so nice.

1030. The sweetbreads in particular were fantastic.

1031. There are so many different flavours in there,

1032. all very distinct, but together superb.

1033. - The boys have done me very proud,

1034. I'm really pleased with it.

1035. It tasted gorgeous, the presentation was fantastic.

1036. And I don't think it's out of place

1037. in a three stat Michelin restaurant.

1038. - Was that authentic Beef Panang?

1039. - I've eaten in a lot of fantastic Thai restaurants.

1040. And that for me was as good as it gets curry wise.

1041. It was just a shame, just that little touch

1042. of sweetness just lost that bit of authenticity.

1043. But in general, it's a great dish.

1044. - I preferred the Thai dish today, absolutely.

1045. The flavours were amazing, it was just the right heat for me.

1046. The salad, the lime and coriander coming though,

1047. it was very very fresh and it just

1048. brought out the ingredients.

1049. - Yeah, it went well.

1050. I'm happy with the food that I cook.

1051. I'm happy with the side dishes.

1052. I'm happy with the rice.

1053. I'm happy with the presentation.

1054. - I think it went really well.

1055. I think it went really good.

1056. I'm happy with everything, y'know,

1057. I didn't get in a mood.

1058. All smiles now, I'm not nearly crying.

1059. So, yeah, I think it was really good.

1060. Yeah, good service.

1061. - Only one restaurant can

1062. go through to my grand final.

1063. And tonight, who stays and who goes is my decision.

1064. - It would be disappointing to get out at this stage,

1065. not to go into the final.

1066. It would be very very disappointing

1067. because I put my heart, I put everything

1068. into this competition.

1069. - I think we have done enough to

1070. go away going, that dish was good.

1071. - Authentic Thai curry done brilliantly

1072. against a British flair with an amazing

1073. level of control and a very talented chef.

1074. Right now, honestly, it's too close to call.

1075. Welcome back to Royal Hospital Road.

1076. I'm about to choose one restaurant

1077. to go through to the grand final

1078. of my competition to crown The F Word's

1079. Best Local Restaurant.

1080. Will it be The Pheasant from Cambridgeshire,

1081. or Simply Thai from Teddington?

1082. In very different ways, they are

1083. both exceptional restaurants.

1084. Before I make my choice, I'm going to

1085. taste the dishes cooked here tonight by Jay and Patria.

1086. Beef Panang, Simply Thai.

1087. Authentic, got slightly nervous

1088. when she was putting all that sugar into the pan.

1089. Is it too sweet?

1090. My god, it is absolutely phenomenal.

1091. A proper authentic Thai curry.

1092. I mean, it's sweet instantly,

1093. then you've got the heat with the chilies.

1094. But it's instantly cooled down

1095. with that wonderful, vibrant cucumber salad.

1096. Incredible, I mean really incredible.

1097. She's a freak of nature.

1098. That's the most bizarre thing.

1099. I mean, I've come across amazing Thai chefs in my time

1100. but this woman not only drives them around the bend,

1101. but she is an amazing talented chef.

1102. The Pheasant's fillet of beef, sweetbread,

1103. bonbon of bone-marrow, and a fondant potato.

1104. That is accomplished, unique cooking at its very best.

1105. Altogether, does it work?

1106. My god, that is amazing.

1107. Parsnip puree, wonderful. Beef, delicious.

1108. Spinach, bone-marrow, that's a little bit gimmicky.

1109. I didn't think Jay would be into gimmicks,

1110. however, it does work.

1111. So, it's the moment of truth.

1112. Two outstanding restaurants, but only one

1113. can win a place in the grand final.

1114. Okay, first of all, well done.

1115. Both restaurants absolutely brilliant.

1116. The feedback has been extraordinary.

1117. This has been the toughest semifinal so far.

1118. Simply Thai, brilliant again.

1119. Patria, in the corner slicing the sirloin.

1120. Ignoring everything I'm saying and just in the food.

1121. What strikes me about the way you cook,

1122. is that you cook from the heart.

1123. I thought the dish was stunning, it was authentic.

1124. I closed my eyes and I ate that dish

1125. and I felt that I was back in Thailand.

1126. - Thank you, thank you.

1127. - If I had one criticism, it was a little bit too sweet.

1128. The Pheasant, tonight's performance

1129. was much different than I expected.

1130. I thought you were gonna play safe.

1131. But Jay, you came out of your comfort zone.

1132. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant, edgy, daring.

1133. For me, that was you showing off tonight.

1134. The fillet of beef, yes is a Rolls-Royce cut.

1135. So it didn't need much work, but it needed accurate cooking.

1136. The fondant, not easy to get crispy and delicious.

1137. And then the bonbon, absolutely delicious.

1138. It was a foodie heaven done with charm but flair.

1139. One piece of criticism is the fact that the sweetbread

1140. was slightly undercooked in the centre.

1141. I'm looking for one restaurant to go into the final

1142. and it's been a real tough decision.

1143. Based on everything I've seen,

1144. the restaurant going through to the final

1145. is The Pheasant, congratulations.

1146. Absolutely brilliant.

1147. - I am so proud of both of you.

1148. I feel absolutely

1149. - You madam, across this search,

1150. you are one of the best chefs I've found.

1151. - Thank you.

1152. - Really well done, come here.

1153. Really well done.

1154. - To come this far and I couldn't get to the final,

1155. I'm a little bit disappointed,

1156. but I prepared a little bit, we may not get it.

1157. - Very happy, probably, I am really really happy.

1158. - Both restaurants produced food worthy

1159. of Royal Hospital Road tonight,

1160. but ultimately I was in awe of Jay's ambition.

1161. He was prepared to take a huge risk and it paid off.

1162. - Thank you very much.

1163. - Absolutely brilliant, yeah.

1164. Done with great flair.

1165. Today, The Pheasant reached new culinary heights.

1166. If anyone ever tells me again that this

1167. is a little pub in the middle of nowhere,

1168. that's cooking plain, simple food, no.

1169. Tonight you proved everybody wrong.

1170. Really well done.

1171. And you deserve to be in the final.

1172. Now make it yours.

1173. Well done.

1174. So The Pheasant from Cambridgeshire is

1175. up against Lasan from Birmingham in the grand final.

1176. Both will cook meat provided by Janet's farm in Yorkshire.

1177. And I decide who should be crowned

1178. The F Word's Best Local Restaurant.

1179. Jay has gone for Beef Three Ways.

1180. - Like they say, less is more.

1181. - That smells delicious, I hope it works for you tonight

1182. do you know that?

1183. I could lift that now, hey,

1184. and run down to Royal Hospital Road.