The F Word 5x5

1. - Welcome to the F Word.

2. I'm searching the country to find

3. our best local restaurants.

4. Britain's independent restaurants

5. serve fantastic food in the heart of our communities.

6. And each week, I'm choosing two unsung culinary heroes

7. to compete in the F Word kitchen.

8. Guys, make this count, yes?

9. There's only four points different in this.

10. So far, Salvo's from Leeds

11. has been crowned The F Word's Best Local Italian Restaurant.

12. Bouchon Bistrot from Hexham snatched victory

13. from their French rivals.

14. Lasan from Birmingham were delighted with the Indian trophy.

15. - I mean, I'm just shaking inside, I mean it's just pffft.

16. - And Chinese Sweet Mandarin

17. from Manchester swept to the top of the leaderboard.

18. - I'm bringing this home to Manchester.

19. Tonight is all about Thai.

20. A cuisine that's become incredibly popular in the UK.

21. Simply Thai from Middlesex take on YumYum from north London

22. to fight for the Thai trophy.

23. Scary Spice is in the F Word kitchen.

24. - Get out while the food is still hot.

25. - You only served the two.

26. - I don't want my food get cold.

27. - I'm going now. - Out, now.

28. - And in the recipe challenge,

29. let's hope Rory Bremner's trifle is better

30. than his impression of me.

31. - We got everything here.

32. Restaurants, yes, camera on, yes, chef, yes,

33. services, yes, ingredients, yes.

34. Let's fucking do it.

35. - I cook for some very special diners.

36. How is it?

37. - But will I make the grade.

38. - This is not pad thai at all.

39. - This is not pad thai. - Naw.

40. - Great to have you guys here in my kitchen.

41. Now, the secret success behind Simply Thai is what?

42. - Heart and soul, love and care.

43. - Now, YumYum.

44. - Yep, YumYum.

45. - Who came up with that name?

46. - Me. - You.

47. - Yes. - Good, good good good.

48. You are my two top Thai restaurants.

49. Make this the best service of your entire life.

50. - Yes, Chef.

51. - Tonight, Simply Thai from Teddington

52. and YumYum from north London are competing

53. in the F Word kitchen.

54. This is how they got here.

55. Earlier this year, I asked you

56. to log on to The F Word website

57. and nominate your favourite local restaurants.

58. The response has been absolutely phenomenal.

59. You told us about nearly 5,000 different places

60. you love to eat.

61. 40 years ago, there was only one Thai restaurant in Britain.

62. Now, there's one in nearly every town.

63. We're a nation of Thai food fanatics.

64. With the help of my team, I set out to whittle down

65. your nominations.

66. - So, you really rate the food?

67. - Yeah, loved it.

68. - All right, great.

69. - We were looking for the very best.

70. - It just give you very warm, nice, comfortable feeling

71. that you are in a proper Thai restaurant.

72. - We're travelling across the country, really putting

73. these nominated restaurants under severe scrutiny.

74. We went to the Thai restaurants

75. you really care about.

76. And after months of searching, it was clear

77. that two of your Thai favourites were exceptional.

78. First up, Simply Thai in Teddington.

79. With just 10 tables, it's a tiny restaurant,

80. run by a tiny chef.

81. But Patria Weerapan has a hugely passionate temperament.

82. - Table three, please.

83. Table three, oy!

84. Table three!

85. I just got normal chef temperament.

86. I 'posed to be like Gordon in the kitchen.

87. Fiery tempered.

88. - Patria works ferociously hard,

89. seven days a week, sleeping just five hours a night.

90. - Plate, now, Laura!

91. - She makes every dish

92. almost single-handedly, and each one

93. has to be absolutely flawless.

94. - Where is the prawns!

95. Where?

96. Wipe the plate, please, wipe plate.

97. If you are perfectionist, you not gonna let anything go

98. with even tiny, tiny fault.

99. - Patria has dedicated her life

100. to creating perfect Thai cuisine.

101. She left her family in Bangkok 37 years ago,

102. and she's never married or had children.

103. - All my time is here in the restaurant.

104. The restaurant, to me, is my home, is my family.

105. - I was fascinated to finally meet

106. this culinary firecracker.

107. Hello!

108. How are you?

109. - Good afternoon, sir. - Good to see you.

110. Gordon, Patria.

111. - Nice to see you, nice to see you.

112. - Tell me about Simply Thai.

113. The secret success is what?

114. - I cooked very good food.

115. The traditional Thai food, and I cook with my love,

116. my care, my passion, everything, my heart.

117. I put into every single dishes.

118. - Amazing, absolutely amazing.

119. 57 years of age, on her own, and cooks every day.

120. Sleeps five hours a night.

121. If that's not passion, I don't know what is.

122. Open-plan kitchen, sees the dining room,

123. oversees the kitchen.

124. Everything's just about food, food, food.

125. First up for me, king prawn special.

126. Wow.

127. - And, I also had to try Patria's crispy sea bass

128. with jungle curry.

129. Those eyes scare me, honestly!

130. I feel like I've met a female Gordon Ramsay, from Bangkok.

131. It's incredibly crispy, I mean really crispy.

132. Amazing.

133. Hot, spicy, and everything you'd want from Thai food.

134. This lady shoots from the hip.

135. That's not a traditional Thai restaurant.

136. This lady's pushing the boundaries out.

137. There's not a selection of curries.

138. I mean, the menu's authentic,

139. but she hones in on the ingredients,

140. that's the exciting thing.

141. - I want the best, and I give the best.

142. - 32 seats, yeah,

143. is one thing.

144. What I need you to do is to start cooking for 50,

145. because you're through, congratulations!

146. I need you to work at cooking for 50, not 32, okay?

147. Congratulations, well done, really well done.

148. That food was delicious, really delicious.

149. And if you can cook that crispy sea bass

150. with your jungle green curry, amazing, really good.

151. Simply Thai, no, that's accomplished Thai cooking.

152. Yeah, I mean, a real thoroughbred.

153. I mean, my God, that woman's passionate.

154. She's sacrificed her life for that restaurant.

155. - It's really a dream come true.

156. I wouldn't even want to win a jackpot,

157. I wouldn't be excited.

158. Because it's my achievement, my hard work.

159. If you got strong determination,

160. you will achieve what you want.

161. - So Simply Thai is through.

162. And from your nominations, we've found an opponent

163. who couldn't be more different.

164. YumYum is on the High Street in Stoke Newington,

165. north London.

166. I knew The F Word viewers loved it.

167. YumYum is run by Atique and Moy Choudhury.

168. This dedicated couple have worked for 17 years

169. to build one of Britain's biggest Thai restaurants.

170. In contrast to Simply That's 10 tables,

171. YumYum has nearly 90.

172. - We are very proud of myself and my husband and of my team.

173. - Moy is the head chef.

174. - This is the lemongrass, one stem of it.

175. - When YumYum opened,

176. she only had two people in the kitchen,

177. now, she has an army of staff.

178. 14 waiters and 16 chefs, catering for up to 500

179. customers every night.

180. - Always full of people, great atmosphere.

181. - My customers say, is brilliant as usual, as all the time.

182. So that make me really proud.

183. Moy is a talented cook

184. who's also built up an amazing business.

185. I can't wait to taste her Thai cuisine.

186. Hello, good to see you, your first name is?

187. - Atique. - Atique, Gordon.

188. Good to see you.

189. Look at the size of this place, it's huge!

190. Hello, where's Moy?

191. - Nice to see you!

192. What's your signature dish, what is it?

193. - Must be my lamb curry.

194. - Your lamb curry. - Yes, I'm born with it.

195. - Who's the boss?

196. - I am the boss, I'm the chef, I'm everything in here.

197. - Good, I like to hear that.

198. - Direct everybody, yes.

199. - Excellent, right, I'll go upstairs, get out of your way.

200. First up for me, YumYum's most popular starter,

201. the fish cakes.

202. The presentation is beautiful.

203. - We eat with our eyes before taste it.

204. There's no secret ingredient.

205. It's just my passion, so that's why our restaurant

206. packed every night.

207. - For my main course,

208. lamb and peanut butter curry.

209. Lamb is just falling off the bone, lovely.

210. So you've got the effect of the bone marrow,

211. the flavour is 10 times greater when it's cooked so slow.

212. When that lamb dish arrived with those potatoes

213. and the lamb cooked on the bone.

214. Yeah, it was definitely there without a doubt.

215. Proper, authentic Thai cooking.

216. - If I win the competition, you make me very proud.

217. - This country's been in love with Thai food

218. for many years.

219. I'm really sorry,

220. you're gonna have to take a night off next week.

221. Congratulations, 'cause you are through!

222. Okay?

223. Congratulations, well done! - Thank you!

224. - And if we get big numbers,

225. just home in on 50 stunning portions

226. of your main course.

227. Just cook from the heart.

228. - That important, that very important, cook from the heart.

229. I feel very, very excited and I will do my best on that day.

230. - Moy, I mean, she's amazing.

231. There's a level of passion there from her, and you can

232. taste it through the food.

233. So from your nominations,

234. I've chosen two extraordinary Thai restaurants.

235. Will the F Word diners prefer Patria's

236. obsessive attention to detail, or will they be seduced

237. by the sophistication of mighty YumYum?

238. Who will be crowned the F Word's Queen of Thai Cuisine?

239. We're back in London at The F Word Restaurant.

240. Tonight, a cuisine that has exploded

241. in popularity in the UK, Thai.

242. With its irresistible combination of fresh flavours,

243. exquisite presentation, and healthy ingredients,

244. it's no wonder that Thai food has become a hit

245. with the nation's food lovers.

246. And thanks to your nominations and months of searching,

247. we've found The F Word's best two local Thai restaurants.

248. YumYum in north London, and Simply Thai in Teddington.

249. 25 portions of each, it's not a race.

250. - Yes, Chef!

251. - Right, on order, focus on table one,

252. YumYum, two prawn fish cakes.

253. - Yes, Chef!

254. - Thank you, Moy.

255. Simply Thai, six codfish cake.

256. - Yes, Chef.

257. - Patria! - Yes, Chef!

258. - Thank you, darling, you scared me there.

259. Hidden away in the London suburb of Teddington,

260. there's a Thai restaurant so authentic, it wouldn't be

261. out of place in amongst the backstreets of Bankgkok.

262. - Table seven!

263. - The restaurant's success is a testament

264. to the die-hard dedication

265. of 57-year-old kitchen dynamo, Patria.

266. - I'm always got very high ambition.

267. I want to get the top of everything I do.

268. - Simply Thai may only have 10 tables,

269. but every single dish is cooked or finished by Patria.

270. - Don't do anything, you understand?

271. - Her fiery temperament

272. and obsessive quality control are remarkable.

273. - I never, never take shortcut.

274. Doesn't matter how busy the restaurant.

275. If things go smoothly, I get bored.

276. - For Simply That's fish cakes,

277. Patria uses only the finest, freshest cod fillet.

278. They're served with ad-yart,

279. a traditional Thai cucumber salad.

280. What's in here?

281. - Pardon? - What's in here?

282. - Is cucumber, shallots, chilli, and this syrup.

283. It just a sugar, vinegar.

284. - And why does sweet and sour work so well in Thai cooking?

285. What is the secret behind that?

286. - The Thai knows how to use the sugar.

287. Because English cooking don't know how to,

288. you don't have sugar in your roast beef

289. and Yorkshire pudding.

290. - Definitely not, no.

291. Do you think these are better than Moy's?

292. Or Moy's is better than yours?

293. - Yes, of course.

294. Mine are going to be the best.

295. - Right, Moy. - Yep?

296. - Where'd this recipe come from?

297. - From my mom. - From your mum.

298. - Yeah. - Brilliant.

299. And how long has it been on the menu at YumYum?

300. - It been menu for 17 years.

301. - Brilliant, and how many portions a week do you sell?

302. - 500 pieces. - It's that popular, amazing.

303. - Very popular, yes.

304. - Moy and her husband Atique

305. have spent 17 years building up their glamorous

306. north London restaurant.

307. - A restaurant with its nature, needs people who appreciate

308. the quality of what we create.

309. - YumYum has had to open up a series

310. of new dining areas to make more room for the ever-growing

311. number of customers.

312. - I feel like I'm in Thailand.

313. It's probably the easiest way I can explain it.

314. - YumYum has 36 staff,

315. and can handle up to 500 covers a night.

316. The success of this restaurant is built on fantastic

317. service, and the delicious dining experience, which keeps

318. their customers coming back again and again.

319. - They will ask me, "Are you expanding the restaurant?"

320. I say, "No, I want only one Thai restaurant do the best."

321. That is it, that what I want.

322. - Moy makes her fish cakes using

323. grey featherback, a fish that's highly prized in Thailand,

324. and will give Moy's dish a truly authentic Thai flavour.

325. - Would you ever cook these fish cakes in a pan,

326. as opposed to deep-frying, or always deep-fry?

327. - Always deep-fry. - Always deep-fry.

328. - We used to try in the oven.

329. - Right. - Quite nice.

330. - Quite nice, but too dry?

331. - Too dry, yes.

332. - Our last table of two.

333. Make these two as exciting as the first two.

334. - Yup, yup, coming, Chef, coming, Chef!

335. - Good, how is everybody?

336. - Go, go, go, Chef!

337. - Two seconds, complete the table first,

338. and I'll send them all, just in case, yeah?

339. - Get out while the food is still hot.

340. - You only served the two.

341. - I don't want my food get cold.

342. - I'm going now. - Out, now.

343. - You happy with them?

344. - Yes. - Nice.

345. Okay, table six please, let's go.

346. Moy, Simply Thai have only got 30 covers

347. in their dining room.

348. So this should be a walk in the park

349. for you to beat Simply Thai tonight.

350. - Yeah, be very ashame myself.

351. - Service, please, table 14.

352. Right, some people say that food is the new religion.

353. They may have a point.

354. Britain is home to almost 30,000 Thai people.

355. And in the heart of southwest London,

356. is Europe's only purpose-built Thai temple.

357. Where I'll be serving up a very special meal.

358. I love Thai food.

359. I love cooking it, and I love eating it.

360. But this has to be the most daunting task so far.

361. This small and revered group of Buddhist monks

362. live in the monastery attached to the temple.

363. They spend most of their waking hours

364. meditating and studying.

365. Buddhist teachings forbid them to cook.

366. So it's up to the local Thai community to offer the one meal

367. the monks are allowed to eat at 11 o'clock each day.

368. Helping me fulfil this honour and privilege is Chang,

369. executive chef at the Blue Elephant,

370. one of London's top Thai restaurants.

371. - Morning, Chang, good morning, how are you?

372. - Good morning, Gordon, how are you?

373. - Good to see you.

374. - Thank you for come to the Blue Elephant.

375. - A little bit tight in here, no?

376. - Because this is the Thai kitchen, no?

377. - Where have you gone, Chan?

378. Morning, everybody!

379. Oh, hi. - I'm here, I'm here.

380. - Pressure's on, right. - Yeah.

381. - So they gotta be before 11 o'clock.

382. - Yeah.

383. - Are they fussy eaters?

384. - No, they are very nice, very kind.

385. - They ever send food back?

386. - No, never. - No.

387. The restaurant prepares the very best dishes to offer

388. to the monastery, and every dish has to be perfect.

389. Like these savoury dumplings known as moneybags.

390. So that's a moneybag, and that's it?

391. - Yeah, so it's easy and simple.

392. Maybe you can try.

393. - These dumplings

394. are usually served as a starter.

395. Pork and crabmeat are wrapped in a delicate

396. bean curd pastry.

397. And the tops are tied with thin strips of spring onion.

398. Now the shoelace.

399. - No, it's the next step.

400. - Nice and tight.

401. - Very tight.

402. - And how do you call the moneybag in your language?

403. - Right, moneybags.

404. - Oh okay, good. - Okay, good.

405. Chang's authentic moneybags are delicious.

406. But I want to show him my take on a classic.

407. Thailand's national dish, pad thai.

408. Okay, a quick pad thai.

409. I fry shallots, garlic, and chilli,

410. with salt and a little bit of sugar.

411. Colour on the shallots, half the spring onions.

412. This is a dish I love cooking at home.

413. I'm using delicious king prawns and adding some extras

414. like chilli and tamarind paste.

415. I'm so excited I'm going to be cooking for the monks today.

416. - Yes.

417. - Never cooked for monks before.

418. - Me, too, you know?

419. - Those prawns smell amazing.

420. My pad thai is made sweet and sour

421. with fish sauce, salt, and sugar.

422. Turn up the gas.

423. Add the tamarind paste.

424. A beaten egg is cooked in the wok and then added

425. with the noodles and bean sprouts to the sauce.

426. I hope they're going to be happy with this,

427. you know that?

428. - I think that monk will be happy.

429. Prawns and fresh coriander

430. finish the pad thai.

431. But what will Chan think of my quick and easy version

432. of this classic?

433. And then some peanuts 'round the outside.

434. - Happy? - Oh, no.

435. - I have to test. - Yeah, please.

436. - Before you call pad thai, I have to test it first.

437. What you want to know from me?

438. Ask me.

439. How is it?

440. Oh, no, look at that face.

441. - This is not pad thai at all.

442. - This is not pad thai.

443. - No. - No.

444. - Pad thai have to be sweet, sour, and salty.

445. - I think that doesn't taste too bad.

446. It's not perfect —

447. - For you, but not for me.

448. - You're a tough cookie.

449. I'm gonna keep an eye on the monks—

450. - Okay.

451. - To see how it goes down.

452. Traditionalist Chang isn't impressed, but more crucially,

453. what will the monks think?

454. The food being offered today is brought to the monastery

455. to serve to the monks, bang-on 11 o'clock.

456. - Good morning,

457. - Tam is a regular worshipper

458. at the temple, where respect and etiquette are crucial.

459. Shoes off? - Yes, shoes.

460. - Yeah, of course.

461. My pad thai is separated into dishes and joins the small

462. portions of everyone's food.

463. Every day, all this food comes in.

464. - Right. - Donated.

465. - Donated, yes. - In this wonderful palace.

466. - So this is one tray.

467. - Each tray is for each monk?

468. - For each monk.

469. - Look at all that food.

470. Mr. Chang doesn't like my pad thai.

471. It doesn't taste very good, apparently.

472. - I guess, I can see from the colours, it look nice.

473. - Yeah, exactly.

474. - The monks pray and chant before eating.

475. This is a far cry from a service at Claridge's.

476. - This is incredible, absolutely fascinating.

477. People are donating money in envelopes, rice, chicken.

478. Now it's my turn, but it's hard to tell

479. what they make of it.

480. Because if you offer food,

481. you're forbidden to talk to the monks whilst they're eating.

482. - Thank you very much. - Thank you, sir.

483. I knew it was gonna be respectful, and brilliantly done,

484. but it's very serious!

485. - Very serious.

486. - Is it always like this?

487. - Always. - Wow.

488. - Always.

489. - To find out how well

490. the pad thai went down, I spy on the monks,

491. to see if they're enjoying it.

492. His bowl is nearly empty.

493. Mr. Chang, how can you say my pad thai is shit?

494. Look!

495. - For me. - For me!

496. - But maybe the monk like that taste, but I don't like.

497. - Look at that!

498. It's the most eaten bowl.

499. My pad thai seemed to go down well,

500. but I couldn't resist breaking the protocol

501. by asking the monks about the food.

502. One very simple question.

503. Did you enjoy the pad thai?

504. - Yes.

505. - This experience takes respect for food

506. to a completely different level.

507. It's humbling, and a fascinating insight

508. into Thai Buddhist tradition.

509. That was an amazing experience.

510. And it was so nice to see such traditional Thai culture

511. here, in the middle of Wimbledon.

512. As for being a monk and eating my last meal

513. at 11 o'clock in the morning, nah.

514. Thanks, but no thanks.

515. Right, last table, yeah?

516. Moy, table of two, please, yes?

517. Thank you.

518. Good, well done.

519. - Is it finish?

520. - That's it, very good.

521. - Fish cakes were amazing.

522. The sauce, like a sweet satay sauce,

523. complemented it very well.

524. - Fishcakes were a little bit rubbery,

525. but the flavours and the ingredients

526. that went into them were really good.

527. - Welcome to The F Word, really good to see you.

528. Atique, how are you?

529. - Absolutely fine.

530. - Nervous?

531. - Yeah, very nervous.

532. - How do you think your dear lady's doing in there?

533. - She is the kind of person that would hit it

534. right on the spot, so I'm very confident.

535. - Right, so she can handle pressure brilliantly.

536. - Absolutely.

537. - And what would it mean, for you,

538. to leave here this evening, as victory?

539. - You know, for our area Stoke Newington,

540. it's very important for us to win.

541. - I love the presentation, all laid out beautifully.

542. Beautiful dressing, not your usually sweet chilli sauce

543. dumped on the edge of the plate.

544. - It was too much spice in the cod cakes,

545. and in the end, I wasn't able to recognise

546. what else was in there.

547. - Welcome to The F Word, really nice to see you.

548. - Oh, nice to see you. - Good.

549. You work with Patria a lot, yes?

550. - Yes.

551. - Does she shout in front of the customers?

552. - Sometime she just, "Get out from the restaurant.

553. "This my restaurant."

554. If some customer a bit rude, or complain to her.

555. - Yeah, and she throws them out?

556. - Yes.

557. - Now, what would it mean for her tonight,

558. to leave The F Word restaurant as a winner?

559. - She hope a lot she would get the winner, I think.

560. - Now, YumYum's are made

561. with a grey featherback and prawns.

562. Basically, a Thai freshwater fish.

563. Mm, it's rather spongy.

564. Feel that little texture of a sort of sponge

565. when you press it with a fork.

566. And Simply Thai, again, quite an interesting dressing.

567. Love the colour.

568. Texture-wise.

569. Mm, that's delicious.

570. It's less spongy and sort of more robust.

571. Both very delicious, going to be a tough one to call.

572. If it was me, I'd have to go for Simply Thai.

573. While the rest of the diners enjoy YumYum and Simply That's

574. fish cakes, here's my take on this classic Thai dish.

575. Thai fish cakes.

576. Fragrant, delicate, and packed full of flavour.

577. First off, start prepping the fish.

578. Fillet of coley, prawns, red curry paste,

579. sugar, fish sauce, salt,

580. eggs, kaffir lime leaf, coriander.

581. Lid on.

582. Pulse.

583. French beans.

584. Shape.

585. Just flatten it down a little bit.

586. Chill.

587. Cucumber relish.

588. Chop cucumber, shallot, chilli,

589. lime dressing, coriander, and mint.

590. Hot pan, vegetable oil.

591. Fry.

592. Mm, they smell delicious.

593. Drain.

594. Thai fish cakes with cucumber relish, done.

595. So, all the diners have finished their starters,

596. and the results are in.

597. Now, they are tough customers out there.

598. How well do you think you did?

599. - I'm happy, very, very happy.

600. - Out of 25 customers, how many do you think

601. are happy to pay for that?

602. - All!

603. - All, wow!

604. I love that!

605. Moy. - Yeah.

606. - How many do you think out of 25 -

607. - 25 out of 25!

608. What's with the confidence between you guys?

609. It's amazing!

610. Okay, let's find out the results.

611. JB, thank you.

612. Let's start off with Simply Thai, yeah?

613. The amount of customers that are happy to pay

614. for your delicious fish cakes out of 25, is...

615. 21 out of 25, that's amazing!

616. That is amazing!

617. Patria, that's very good!

618. What didn't they like, the four guests?

619. - Slightly overcooked.

620. - Slightly overcooked, really?

621. - Couldn't taste as well the fish.

622. - Okay, don't show those four customers to Patria,

623. she'll kick them out.

624. Very good start, are you happy?

625. - Thank you, Chef, thank you!

626. - Are you happy?

627. - I am very happy!

628. - Good, I'm glad you're happy, so you should be.

629. Now, Moy.

630. - Oh my heart is pounding!

631. - Your heart is pounding.

632. Okay, let's see.

633. The number of customers out of 25 willing to pay

634. for YumYum's fish cakes is...

635. - Come on, Gordon.

636. - 22 out of 25, well done!

637. Well done!

638. That is incredible!

639. Really well done.

640. 22 out of 25.

641. Both fantastic scores.

642. YumYum, you are now one point in the lead.

643. - Thank you.

644. - Clear down and get ready for the main course,

645. 'cause it could all change, yes, on this main course.

646. - Okay. - Well done.

647. Now, 50 portions each, you can do this.

648. Good luck, there's only one point in it, yes?

649. - Yes. - Okay, let's go, right.

650. Simply Thai, four pork curry.

651. - Four pork curry. - Let's go, thank you.

652. YumYum, four chicken curry.

653. No one's answering me.

654. - Yes, Chef!

655. - Four and a six, thank you, ladies.

656. Now both freshens, they're cooking the main course.

657. First up, is Simply Thai.

658. - Patria Weerapan is the incredible driving force

659. behind Simply Thai in Teddington.

660. - Absolutely love her food.

661. I've been coming since I was 'bout 10, I think.

662. - Most of the people here are very faithful regulars.

663. Patria's amazing work ethic

664. is matched only by her passion for the food she serves.

665. - Every dishes on the menu is my favourite.

666. - One sweet spicy pork, please.

667. - Simply That's signature dish tonight

668. is Spicy Sweet Pork.

669. To make a paste, Patria finally cuts lemongrass,

670. chops galangal.

671. - Similar to ginger, but is much more subtle.

672. Peels and slices the skin

673. of a Thai lime, garlic, coriander root, and Thai shallots.

674. - The smell, the aroma, is much stronger

675. than the Continental shallot.

676. Next, she adds red chilli,

677. black pepper, and crispy pork fat,

678. and grinds to a fine paste in a pestle and mortar.

679. - I learn to make these recipe with my aunt.

680. Since I was very little, must be about 13 or 14 years old.

681. I had to sit on the floor, and my hand that time

682. was so small, and this is big.

683. And it's really a hard work for a little girl.

684. She fries the pork loin

685. and puts aside.

686. In a saucepan, she fries up the paste,

687. adds coconut cream and the fried pork loin.

688. Next, she adds steamed pork belly, palm sugar,

689. white sugar, some fish sauce, and chopped fine green beans.

690. She serves with deep-fried salted duck egg,

691. and a salad with sweet Thai dressing.

692. - Service, please!

693. Spicy Sweet Pork, served.

694. Now, tell me about the recipe.

695. What's so good about it?

696. It's quite a complex recipe.

697. - Yeah, it's very, very, very complex.

698. And it hard working.

699. It took me six hour last night just to make the curry paste.

700. Because we have to use the pestle and mortar.

701. Well I got neighbour came 'round and knock at the door.

702. - A neighbour knocked at the door?

703. - Yeah, knocked at the door, and said, "What are you doing,

704. "What are you banging?

705. "I've never heard it before, are you dancing, something?"

706. - Was it in the middle of the night?

707. - No, 10 o'clock.

708. - 10 o'clock in the evening.

709. - In the evening.

710. - Did you throw him out?

711. - Yes, I did. - Good.

712. Now, Moy. - Yep?

713. - You're one point in the lead, are you feeling confident?

714. - Yes, Chef.

715. - Head chef Moy has been serving up

716. a flavour of Thailand to YumYum in north London

717. for almost 20 years.

718. - I've been to Thailand quite a few times,

719. and it's most probably the nearest I would get to it.

720. - Absolutely fantastic.

721. From starters right through to dessert, absolutely amazing.

722. - Food has always been a huge part

723. of Moy's life, and she was trained to cook

724. the traditional Thai way.

725. - In Thailand, yeah, Thai girl in a family

726. must go to the kitchen and learn how to cook.

727. - YumYum's signature dish tonight

728. is Red Chicken Curry with Plantain.

729. Moy starts by peeling and slicing green plantain.

730. She peels a green papaya and slices it.

731. - In Thailand, we have this in our backyards.

732. So, we grow up with this

733. and easy to get,

734. and we don't have to buy it.

735. - Next for the red curry paste.

736. She cuts lemongrass, finally.

737. Chops galangal, the rind of a Thai lime, a coriander stem,

738. and crushes garlic.

739. - Oop, it's going away.

740. - Then she adds de-seeded red chilies

741. and blends.

742. She fries the red curry paste in a hot wok for 10 minutes.

743. She adds coconut cream, fish sauce, sugar, chopped chicken,

744. the plantain, and papaya.

745. She then cooks it for five minutes.

746. Finally, Moy adds red and green chilies

747. and Thai sweet basil.

748. - Red Chicken Curry

749. with Plantain, served.

750. Now, Moy, you're currently in the lead.

751. What would it mean for you to win tonight?

752. - Very happy. - Very happy.

753. - Yes.

754. - What would it do for the restaurant?

755. - Party. - Party?

756. - If we win.

757. - You'll have a party.

758. And what other Thai restaurants do you think are good

759. in London?

760. - I don't know. - You don't know.

761. - Only YumYum.

762. - Wow, wow wow wow.

763. - Wow wow wow.

764. - What makes yours stand apart?

765. - I am quite confident that my food is good.

766. - Right.

767. Patria—

768. - Yes, Chef.

769. - You ever been to Nahm, the Michelin star Thai restaurant?

770. - Oh Nahm, Nahm restaurant.

771. Oh, been several time.

772. - Did you enjoy it?

773. - Yes, I did.

774. - Fantastic food.

775. - Yeah.

776. - And Moy, have you ever been to Nahm?

777. - No, I haven't been there.

778. - No, never heard of it?

779. - I heard of it, yes.

780. - Do you think you'll be the second Thai restaurant

781. to get a Michelin star?

782. - Yes, will be soon.

783. - Soon. - Soon.

784. - I like that confidence.

785. Patria.

786. - Yes, Chef?

787. - What does your husband think about your food?

788. - I haven't got one and I don't need one.

789. - No?

790. - I'm capable of looking after myself.

791. - I'm sure you are, but would you like me to introduce you

792. to a nice, young French boy?

793. - No thank you. - No?

794. - No thank you.

795. - Okay, no.

796. Sorry, JB.

797. Patria's said no, she wants someone a little bit younger.

798. - You're too big!

799. Honestly.

800. - Oh, there we go, she's getting stroppy now.

801. What's the matter?

802. - What did she just say?

803. - She angry. - She what?

804. - She angry. - She's angry.

805. Watch out, don't make her angry,

806. otherwise we're all screwed.

807. Are you demanding with men

808. as much as you are in your kitchen?

809. - No compromise. - No compromise.

810. - Yeah.

811. - Service, please.

812. Patria?

813. - Yes, Chef?

814. - Seriously, when was your last day off?

815. - Last Easter Sunday. - Last Easter Sunday?

816. Oh my God.

817. So you don't take Sunday, Monday off as your days off?

818. - No, can't afford it.

819. - You're amazing, you are an iron lady, aren't you?

820. - Determined.

821. - Well done. - Is it all done now?

822. - Bloody good job, thank you.

823. - Spicy sweet pork, done!

824. - That's a good line, I like that!

825. - The chicken was very well cooked.

826. It was well presented, 'cause the rice was out of the bowl,

827. which was a lot more easy to consume, as well.

828. - It had the classic kind of Thai taste to it.

829. But the only thing that really didn't work for me

830. was the plantain.

831. It was a little bit hard, a little bit bland.

832. - The pork was cooked very well, it was very tender.

833. Nicely, thinly sliced.

834. - The actual curry itself was quite greasy,

835. and a lot of the meat was quite fatty.

836. And I found the rice to be a bit cold,

837. so I was a bit unhappy with this course.

838. - Right, Simply That's pork curry.

839. Very authentic, pork cooked twice.

840. Slow roasted and then a loin of pork sauteed.

841. Finished.

842. Mm, flavor's amazing.

843. Texture, delicious, not too hot,

844. but real nice depth of flavour.

845. This is a very authentic pork curry.

846. Mm, absolutely phenomenal.

847. YumYum's.

848. That's the kind of colour you'd expect in a chicken curry.

849. Mm, there's such a difference, a huge contrast.

850. Simply Thai tastes and looks authentic.

851. YumYum comes across mainstream and not that exciting.

852. I would imagine that the diners would prefer

853. the authenticity of Simply Thai.

854. With only one point between the teams,

855. it couldn't be tighter.

856. Okay, let's find out the results.

857. Jean-Baptiste, please.

858. Okay, let's go Simply Thai first, yeah?

859. So, bearing in mind they are a tough, tough

860. bunch of diners this evening.

861. The number of customers that are happy to pay out of 50?

862. Is?

863. Wow, 39 out of 50, well done!

864. That's really good, really good indeed!

865. That's a great score, 39!

866. JB, feedback?

867. - They found the meat a little bit too fatty.

868. Would you like to throw out the 11 people that are not

869. going to pay for it?

870. - No. - No.

871. - It's okay, because they still got to eat pudding.

872. - Still dessert to go, exactly.

873. Well done, 39 out of 50, really good!

874. Okay, YumYum.

875. The number of diners that are happy to pay

876. for your chicken curry, yeah?

877. Is?

878. Wow.

879. 23.

880. That's a bit of a shock.

881. Okay, JB?

882. - The main problem was too spicy.

883. - Too spicy? - Too spicy.

884. They find the portions as well not balanced,

885. some were big, some were smaller.

886. - Damn, Moy, it's not over yet.

887. You can pull this back, it has happened before.

888. Okay, clear down, and let's go for the dessert.

889. Damn, that's a shock.

890. Now, time for the recipe challenge.

891. - We got everything here.

892. Restaurants, yes, camera on, yes, chefs, yes,

893. services, yes, ingredients, yes.

894. Let's fucking do it.

895. - It's good to see you.

896. - Oh, we don't need this.

897. - Now, what are you cooking?

898. - I'm gonna do a trifle.

899. It is so simple to do, because I can see you faffing

900. around with eggs and yolks and vanilla pods and all that

901. sort of stuff.

902. I mean this is just sponge fingers, lemon curd,

903. and liqueur and you're off!

904. - Right, so you're making trifle.

905. - I'm making trifle.

906. - I'm making my version of a trifle.

907. Now, shouldn't you be doing the custard first?

908. Or are you doing the sponge first.

909. - No, doing the sponge first,

910. uh, actually, that's a good point,

911. it would be quicker.

912. Probably if I did the cream first,

913. how does this work?

914. Hang on.

915. Normally, if you were doing it for six people,

916. you would need half a litre of double cream.

917. Just over 100 grammes, 120 grammes of castor sugar.

918. That is quite a lot of sugar.

919. - Trifle's not exactly cutting-edge,

920. is it something that you remember from your childhood?

921. - Yeah, well, childhood was a Scottish childhood,

922. like yours?

923. Then, when we were children, it was about getting as much

924. cholesterol as you could into your kids until they died.

925. Wasn't it, that was the idea.

926. It was massive!

927. It was meat pies, it was haggis, clotted cream.

928. - So Rory's doing his version of his trifle.

929. I'm gonna do exactly the same.

930. This time I'm gonna use panettone.

931. First, I'm gonna make a really nice delicious custard.

932. - Now this is the fun part, this is the Cointreau.

933. You sprinkle a little bit over there.

934. If I was doing Keith Floyd, a little bit over there,

935. and quite a lot in here.

936. - Ooh, God, fuck me that's got a kick!

937. Right, okay, very, very good.

938. That's all wonderful, don't forget, Keith Floyd,

939. very, very sadly missed.

940. He was the man who invented all that thing that Gordon

941. is so good at, which is of course, swearing on television.

942. Right, okay, how are we doing?

943. Right, where is the cream,

944. going 'round and 'round and 'round.

945. And see, this is the thing.

946. Your voice is hard to do,

947. because you've lost the Scottish accent!

948. - Do you think it's that difficult to do?

949. - Yeah, there's a little bit of Birmingham in there,

950. but I kind of listen to you.

951. And I've studied you, I've done you in shows.

952. What works is the makeup, it takes an hour and a half.

953. Me to you.

954. - The scars? - An hour and a half it took!

955. How do you do that every morning?

956. - Yeah, your forehead looks like mine already, come on!

957. - I do, I know.

958. - The scars you put on the chin.

959. - We are the before advert in the Botox thing,

960. have you ever seen it?

961. I'm gonna put some lemon juice into this

962. to make some lemon custard, okay?

963. - How old were you when you first started doing impressions?

964. - About eight or nine, I used to watch Mike Yarwood a lot.

965. Do you remember Mike Yarwood?

966. - Yeah.

967. - And he was the first person to do Bob Mancastle,

968. that

969. And David Attenborough, Prince Charles,

970. - That show in front of your parents?

971. - Reggie, yeah, yeah, parents.

972. - Did you do any impressions of people alive?

973. - Get off.

974. Yes, I did.

975. - We had David Blunkett last year on The F Word.

976. - What did he cook?

977. - Shepherd's pie.

978. - But he was always so aggressive, David Blunkett.

979. Don't pat the dog, he'll have your fuckin' head off.

980. Today I'll be launching daft legislation.

981. No, sorry, I'll read that again.

982. Draught legislation.

983. - How long does it take you?

984. You've perfected Blair, Bush.

985. - Well that took me about 12 years.

986. George Bush we miss, you know,

987. he went, it was the end of an era.

988. So now we have

989. Obama.

990. - Can you do him?

991. - He's cool.

992. He's authoritative.

993. And just wanna say.

994. He speaks

995. slowly.

996. If there is anyone out there who still doubts.

997. We haven't got time to do the whole thing.

998. - Can you do an impression of Obama?

999. You're so serious tonight!

1000. - I'm not, I'm doing my best!

1001. - Now the custard's thickened.

1002. Grate a touch of the orange zest in there.

1003. That makes it nice and light, fragrant, less rich.

1004. The panettone slice nice and thinly,

1005. not too thick.

1006. And then cut the slices in half

1007. and spread the little thick-cut marmalade.

1008. And then from there, slice that down into cubes.

1009. Little touch of Grand Marnier on top.

1010. So that really nice, rich flavour running through.

1011. And then from there.

1012. - Can I watch you, 'cause my recipe

1013. means I've got loads of time.

1014. - From there...

1015. Thing is, Rory, I'm gonna beat you.

1016. This is not a race, it's about perfection.

1017. You know how competitive I am.

1018. Now, put everything in the fridge to set.

1019. Then the blind taste, we'll pick a winner.

1020. Feeling confident?

1021. - Yes, I hope that is the fridge, isn't it?

1022. - It's definitely the fridge.

1023. - I've just put it in the dishwasher.

1024. - Are you gonna win?

1025. - In the dishwasher, cycle two,

1026. 25 minutes, fantastic, lovely clean taste.

1027. - Next on the menu, will Patria be able

1028. to maintain her lead?

1029. Or the cool, calm YumYum girls

1030. be able to pull off a comeback?

1031. - This is the most important course of the night.

1032. And one of you is gonna come out as the winner.

1033. Now, welcome back to The F Word.

1034. Time for the results of the recipe challenge.

1035. Ready?

1036. - Yes, absolutely.

1037. - Excited? - Yes, very.

1038. - Now what is that you're putting on top?

1039. What are they?

1040. - This is crystallised violets.

1041. - Violet petals.

1042. So you've got the silver balls.

1043. - I have on the trifle.

1044. - On top of the trifle.

1045. I'm finishing my cream with a bit of lemon zest,

1046. just to give that a little bit of a wake up.

1047. And then grating some chocolate on there.

1048. Chocolate, orange, lemon.

1049. Don't worry, it's okay.

1050. - Are you ready?

1051. - Mine doesn't look as flash as yours, yeah?

1052. - One for kids, and one for adults.

1053. Right, JB?

1054. No, don't put your fingers in there!

1055. - Don't drop those.

1056. - Do the small ones.

1057. Those bowls weigh heavier than you!

1058. - Hi everyone.

1059. - Hi.

1060. - There we go.

1061. - There's a tang to it that is quite subtle.

1062. - I like the lemon.

1063. - I actually think that is really nice,

1064. the lemon flavour is really nice.

1065. - Very different, actually.

1066. - Completely different.

1067. - I would say very vanillery.

1068. - It's quite sweet, actually, as well.

1069. - Okay, results.

1070. Right, JB?

1071. - Oh no, he's got that French smirk on his face.

1072. - What did they think of both the trifles?

1073. - They really like both of them.

1074. - What, the silver balls?

1075. - They really like it.

1076. - What were the scores?

1077. - Five to nil. - Five nil.

1078. - Shit, that is pretty emphatic.

1079. - Yeah, come on, don't do this to me!

1080. I hate it when you got that smirk on your face!

1081. Now look.

1082. Watch his little hands where they gonna wave,

1083. where they're going.

1084. - This is trial for humiliation.

1085. - Come on, who?

1086. - Five oh.

1087. - Yes, yes, five nil, fantastic!

1088. - That's a hammering.

1089. - Now, please leave my kitchen.

1090. - Oh he's wound you up, it's the other way 'round.

1091. Been a pleasure, humiliating.

1092. - It's been an absolute pleasure, thank you.

1093. Yes, five nil, fantastic!

1094. Now, back to the competition.

1095. And it's time for dessert.

1096. Both Thai brigades will be cooking my recipe.

1097. Mango lime and coconut rice pudding.

1098. An Asian twist on a traditional rice pudding.

1099. First off, rice into the pan.

1100. 400 millilitres of coconut milk.

1101. 80 grammes of caster sugar.

1102. Vanilla pod.

1103. What the vanilla pod does to the rice

1104. is helps it really perfume,

1105. or make it really nice and fragrant.

1106. Simmer for 20 minutes.

1107. Hot pan, desiccated coconut.

1108. Toasting the coconut really helps to bring out

1109. that nice, nutty flavour.

1110. When the rice is tender, add 150 milliters of double cream,

1111. the toasted coconut, and chopped mango.

1112. Fold it in.

1113. Top with mango, pistachio, toasted coconut.

1114. Finish the rice with a little grating of fresh lime.

1115. Beautiful.

1116. Thai mango, lime and coconut rice pudding.

1117. Done.

1118. Moy? - Yeah?

1119. - This is the most important course for you of the night.

1120. You can pull this one back, yes?

1121. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

1122. - Yeah, good.

1123. - I do my best in here.

1124. - There's only 25 more plates each, yes.

1125. - They got to be perfect.

1126. - They have to be perfect,

1127. and one of you is gonna come out as the winner.

1128. If Simply Thai win tonight,

1129. it will mean everything to Patria.

1130. - I will be so excited.

1131. It just like a dream comes true.

1132. And for YumYum, victory means the massive restaurant

1133. will be fully booked for months to come.

1134. - All my local customer, they'll be very proud

1135. for YumYum Thai restaurant.

1136. - Now, please don't give up.

1137. - No, no, no worry.

1138. - I know you're behind, but you can pull this back.

1139. - I'm not worrying. - Good.

1140. - I'm not worrying.

1141. - Patria?

1142. What kind of desserts do you have at Simply Thai?

1143. - Coconut creme brulee.

1144. And your recipes, but I substitute.

1145. I change the milk to coconut.

1146. - All right, so it's my recipe for creme brulee

1147. but you put coconut in there.

1148. - Careful, Mantana, if you keep on pasting it,

1149. it's gonna break it up and it'll end up in the bowl

1150. like wallpaper paste.

1151. Still pasting.

1152. So this is interesting.

1153. Unfortunately, Moy has dropped her confidence

1154. and sort of become very, very quiet.

1155. On the other hand, Patria has sort of raised the bar.

1156. She wants to really make sure

1157. this rice pudding is absolutely perfect.

1158. And she's having fun with it, as well.

1159. - Oh, Jesus.

1160. Have you been drinking champagne?

1161. I can't believe you're this happy.

1162. You haven't won yet.

1163. If you miss the dessert, you could lose.

1164. - I'm just about to put two portion of sugar in one pan.

1165. - Oh.

1166. - I haven't done that, sir, not yet.

1167. - Mantana? - Yeah.

1168. - The rice is ready, so if it sits here longer,

1169. it's overcooked.

1170. Moy is doing everything.

1171. Try to get a system going.

1172. You put the rice in, you put the pistachios on.

1173. You put the mango on, you put the lime on.

1174. - Okay.

1175. - Yeah, four.

1176. - One dessert was absolutely lovely.

1177. 10 out of 10, absolutely delicious.

1178. - I think it's amazing.

1179. I think with the mango, the fresh mango, as well, yeah.

1180. We happy.

1181. - I thought the rice pudding was delicious.

1182. I thought the mango was perfect.

1183. The coconut, you could really taste it.

1184. - Consistency of the mango and the lime, amazing.

1185. There we go, all finished.

1186. - Right, desserts.

1187. Simple, fragrant Thai rice pudding.

1188. My recipe, but have they done it?

1189. And YumYum's.

1190. Nice.

1191. The unfortunate thing is the rice is slightly pasty

1192. and a little bit overcooked

1193. Simply Thai.

1194. Mm, rice is perfectly cooked.

1195. That is delicious.

1196. Mm, yeah, I like that.

1197. Time to find out who is gonna be crowned the F Word's

1198. Best Local Thai Restaurant.

1199. Okay, time for the results.

1200. JB, please.

1201. So, thank you.

1202. Let's start off with YumYum. - Okay.

1203. - Okay, the amount of customers that are happy to pay

1204. for dessert out of 25, is...

1205. 17 out of 25.

1206. That's amazing, that is amazing!

1207. Well done.

1208. And you didn't give up, well done.

1209. - Thank you. - Really good.

1210. Okay, Simply Thai.

1211. The number of customers that are happy to pay

1212. for your dessert out of 25, is...

1213. Damn.

1214. - Oh.

1215. - 22 out of 25!

1216. Well done!

1217. That means, in total, you have 82 out of 100!

1218. You're now joint top of the leaderboard.

1219. Congratulations, really, really well done.

1220. Moy, Mantana, well done.

1221. - I'm enjoying it.

1222. - Now, do me a big favour, yes?

1223. Get out of here and get yourself a big drink.

1224. Congratulations.

1225. Ladies and gentlemen, YumYum and Thai.

1226. - I enjoyed it very much, and on top of that,

1227. I got this.

1228. That prove isn't it, that if you put your heart and soul

1229. into everything you work, you gonna achieve.

1230. - So Simply Thai are joint top

1231. of the F Word leaderboard.

1232. With the top six brigades guaranteed a place

1233. in the next round, their stunning performance

1234. means they go through to the semifinals.

1235. Next week, another culinary treat.

1236. The F Word's best local Spanish restaurant.

1237. I think it's simply amazing, what a find.

1238. Will your favourite be joining me in The F Word kitchen?

1239. Will Kelly Brook crack as she takes me on

1240. in the recipe challenge?

1241. - Oh my God, I'm nervous, no, the pressure!

1242. - And I'll be in northwest Spain,

1243. risking my life in search of an extraordinary delicacy.

1244. All that fucking work for these things.