by Kylene Hamulak

 

"Feeding the Demon"

 

The chefs are headed to Hong Kong, and their entourage may only have one fewer person, but that person was Jenna. I wonder how they're all coping with the peace and quiet.

 

To begin, Liz is handed the card that instructs the chefs, as a group, to "locate the Tian Tan Buddha to start the next leg of The Course." While the ladies are shown in their car discussing Hong Kong, the guys are strategizing. John and Nookie have joined forces and plan to try to get Nicole on their team so they can "sacrifice" her.

 

When they reach their destination, which happens to be a cable car, the five of them climb inside, with Nookie blindfolding himself and groaning the whole time. Turns out? He's not a fan of anything in the air.

 

The chefs are informed that they will be remaining on the same teams, with Avery having the freedom to choose which team she'd like to join. She chooses to work with the girls on Red as a strategy. The next step is to ascend to the base of the Buddha and retrieve the envelope, which is not an easy task for Nookie, who is having trouble climbing the stairs.

 

The girls on Red make it to the envelopes first, where they learn that the next task is to locate the Wah Hing Hong Shop. John is starting to get frustrated that Nookie is slowing them down. Black is running seven minutes behind Red by the time they get back to the cable cars.

 

When they arrive at the market, Black has made up only a couple of minutes, but Red is having significant issues finding their way to the shop. I don't know how they do it, but, once again, Black manages to find someone who speaks "only a little" English (sidenote: that little lady's English was pretty damn good!) and offers to have someone take them directly to the spot.

 

Meanwhile, Red is staring dumbly at a map they can't read when Black's guide runs them straight past their competition. The ladies realize they can follow Black and get where they need to be, and I'm pissed off on John/Nookie's behalf. Both teams get to the destination at pretty much the same time. I mean, it sucks, but I guess at least Black didn't LOSE as much time as they thought.

 

Each team gets a basket for the next part of The Course, which is to bundle 10 hairy crabs. Nookie takes the task for Black and curses his way through it, while Nicole insists she'll bundle for Red. Both teams are amused by the pissed off crabs that do NOT want to be bundled. Black completes the task first, and heads on the next part of The Course to go to Peking Garden at the Alexandra House.

 

As Avery begins to question her choice of joining the girls' team, the guys have reached Peking Garden for the next leg - fill seven steamer baskets with happiness dumplings. Nookie and his "sausage fingers" can't do anything dainty, but he and John work well together to have two baskets filled before Red arrives. Once they figure out the challenge, Nicole announces that she's rolled dumplings before - "how hard could it be?"

 

Avery is extra pissed off now, as Nicole took over after screwing them up with the crabs. The guys heckle her a little bit, but as it turns out, Nicole and Liz get their dumplings completed pretty quickly. Black heads to the promenade at Victoria Harbor to meet Cat and Curtis, and though Red isn't too far behind, Nookie and John complete The Course first, with the declaration "Fat guy wins again!"

 

Cat and Curtis begin explaining The Take Over, which will take place at Bo Innovation in Hong Kong, which offers "X-Treme Chinese Cuisine". As a twist, however, the chefs will be cooking not as teams, but as individuals. It will be a five course menu, which each chef responsible for one dish, and the locals' favorite dish will grant that chef immunity in Hong Kong. The Black Team's Exceptional Ingredient is one hour with the sous chef at Bo Innovation to help them formulate their menu.

 

To prepare for The Take Over, all the chefs will be experiencing a tasting menu with "Demon Chef" Leung. Nookie describes him as "scary," and we see - or rather hear - him yelling throughout the meal. To be honest, I'm wondering if I couldn't understand half of what he was saying because I remember two things from the meal: 1) Demon Chef was uncomfortably hitting on Avery and 2) the chefs all ate dog food. Dog food. From a can. And I think he said that can of dog food would cost $200, and I think I saw the chefs dig in to have another spoonful, but I'm so grossed out by the thought, I'm blocking it from my memory.

 

Nookie and John arrive for their "Exceptional Ingredient" hour with the sous chef, and both seem pretty well prepared and confident in their chosen dishes. Nookie is making an effort to use the sous chef's assistance as much as he can, while John is working pretty independently, which Nookie thinks is a mistake.

 

There doesn't seem to be too much drama in the kitchen today, and John has volunteered to run front of the house for the challenge as service begins.

 

Nookie (Irish Oyster with Chinese "Mignonette") - Nookie notes that he is taking a risk by going with a very minimalist dish, and for the most part it is well received. Chef Leung thinks it's good, but Cat is disappointed that her "pearl" wasn't big enough to really give her the right flavor, and she thinks Nookie had enough time to have perfected that piece of his dish.

 

Liz (Mushroom & Ginger Pork "Pot Pie") - Liz's dish gets mixed reviews from the diners, but Chef Leung is definitely not a fan. He describes it as "way too dry" and says, in general, "Asians do not like this."

 

John (Scallop Wonton with Lime Snow) - Even before his dish is served, John is disappointed by it - the scallops are a little overcooked, and his snow didn't come out as he expected. Cat says he fell short of the execution, and the diners seem confused as to what was on their plates.

 

Nicole (Smoked Duck with Green Tea & Squid Noodles) - Nicole got a little heavy handed with the green tea, and it's noticed by pretty much everyone. I can't tell if it's a good or a bad thing, although Cat's "oooh!" and the facial expression that accompanied it makes me lean towards the latter.

 

Avery (Mango Coulis, Ginger Cookie, Lemongrass-Coconut Sphere) - Avery's dish seemed unanimously praised by both the diners and the judges. They all liked both the ginger cookie and the mango, and Chef Leung was also impressed by the presentation.

 

As the judges meet with the chefs, Curtis tells them that, overall, the locals thought it was a good effort in Chinese cuisine. They specifically questioned Nookie about his use of the sous chef and told him the diners thought his oyster really worked. Nicole, however, is challenged for her lack of "innovation" in her dish, as both Curtis and Cat tell her it was a safe dish.

 

The Most Valuable Chef for the challenge is named as Avery for her dessert. She is safe in Hong Kong, and the other chefs discuss why they should stay, which basically ends up being John and Nicole arguing about nonsense.

 

John ultimately ends up voting for Nicole, Nicole in turn votes for John, Nookie also votes for Nicole, with Liz's deciding vote being for Nicole.

 

The final four - Nookie, John, Avery, and Liz - are next headed to Argentina. What's new, Buenos Aires!

 

 

Around The World In 80 Plates airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)