Carom Chefs: Put Your Menu Where Your Mouth Is

Britain's top chefs...

Yee-ha!

..are going up against each other...

This'll be a good battle.

..to see who can make the most money

from creating fabulous food for the great British public.

It's all about making money.

Our award-winning chefs

will be putting their reputations on the line...

Help me!

..as they are challenged to produce a delicious three-course meal...

Yes!

..for a room full of ravenous diners.

We can't have customers waiting!

We want beef!

-Perfect.

-Wow!

They'll be working in kitchens they've never set foot in before...

This is impossible!

..with a limited budget...

-Deal!

-You've got to go a bit lower than that.

..and up against the deadline of that day's service.

That took for ever to cook.

But the big question is, who will make the most money...

-Rock on!

-..and win?

We came, we saw, we conquered.

Today, gastro guru Paul Rankin

takes on gourmet gladiator Richard Phillips

in an epic battle of culinary combat

that will test their chef skills to the absolute limit.

Bring it on, we're ready.

Coming up - Richard questions his opponent's cooking skills...

He doesn't know what he's doing yet. He's making it up as he goes along.

..Paul shows he's not about to be intimidated...

Wind your neck in, there.

..and will it be Paul's luscious lamb rack

or Richard's choice chicken curry that will win the day?

Chefs - Put Your Menu Where Your Mouth Is!

The scene for this culinary rumble is London town,

capital of our great country.

Two famous maestros of the gastro are about to go head-to-head

in a real restaurant to determine beyond doubt

which one of them is the champion chef.

Our challengers are both culinary heavyweights.

In the blue corner, the man who made history

when he won Northern Ireland's first Michelin star.

It's the bruiser from Belfast...

In a competitive kitchen environment,

any chef that wants to beat me better be on top of their game.

In the red corner, another award-winning chef

who earned his first Michelin star at the age of 29

before going on to build an award-winning restaurant empire.

It's the crusher from Kent...

I am the worst loser you would ever imagine.

Ladies and gentlemen, take your ringside seats

for one of the biggest bouts in the history of combative cookery.

Our two hard men know nothing about what's in store for them,

so which restaurant is going to be today's battleground?

Carom is one of London's trendiest Indian restaurants,

where customers expect top notch quality cuisine

way beyond your local takeaway.

What I'd expect from this evening is something not quite traditional,

something a little bit different from normal Indian cuisine,

maybe something with a little bit of a twist.

So our boys will need to focus all their expertise

into rustling up a truly exceptional and authentic dining experience.

And it doesn't stop there.

They'll also have to source and buy all their own ingredients.

They've each got a budget of £650,

with which they'll have to seek out the very best deals...

I'm going to go and haggle cos price is key.

..as it will be the chef who makes the most money

who will be crowned the winner.

I think I'm going to make loads of money out of this.

And all profits will go to their chosen charities.

Paul Rankin and Richard Phillips,

it's time to Put Your Menu Where Your Mouth Is.

Wow. Authentic modern Indian restaurant,

that's more my bag than it is yours.

-It's probably one of my worst nightmares.

-I'm not really...

I do a little bit of Indian-influenced cooking

-but I can't just make this stuff up in my head.

-No.

So I'm doing lamb, what are you doing?

You're doing lamb, you've already chosen!

Look at you, you're quick off the... Bang!

-I wanted to get that in there!

-THEY LAUGH

Oh, dear. I need some thinking time.

I need to digest this. This is a bit of a blow.

I need to take it on board and think about what I'm going to do.

I'm going to do a bit of yoga first,

and get in the sort of Indian spirit of the thing.

-Good luck.

-Did you like that?

I did. At your age, doing things like that, you want to be careful.

So the jibes are already flying.

Make no mistake, both these boys are in it to win it.

They're both out of their depth with Indian cuisine,

but strategy is everything in a challenge like this.

So does Paul have the plan to prosper?

I'm going to try and tease them with a superb sounding menu

and get them to pay good money for it.

So Paul's planning to get those diners digging deep,

but what about Richard?

I've got to buy cleverly.

I've got to make sure the dishes that I put on the menu,

I buy really, really cheap,

but good ingredients, cos I've got a very limited budget

and it all comes down to profit.

So Paul's going to make 'em pay

while Richard's relying on cunning economics,

but which strategy will win the day?

With battle plans in place, it's time for our boys

to make their first critical decisions. The starters.

What are you planning, Paul?

So, for my starter I'm going to do

a warm salad of chargrilled spiced prawns

with a salad of chickpeas, peppers and garlic.

Going to be fantastic.

Mmm! Certainly looks it, Paul!

But what's your opponent Richard going to strike back with?

So my starter, salmon and scallop kebabs,

chargrilled with a little bit of red pepper,

some tomatoes and some onions.

Richard will be serving his kebabs

with a garlic and chilli dipping sauce,

a home-made naan and mint raita.

As our chefs make their way to the restaurant,

they know that getting their menus right is one thing,

but cooking them on a huge scale

in a kitchen they've never set foot in

is a whole new level of challenge.

And so our gladiators enter the arena of combat.

Both chefs have been assigned two courageous volunteers from the

regular kitchen staff to help them prepare their three courses.

And they waste no time in getting their teams fired up!

Going to be busy tonight. Our menu is much better than his.

Got to beat Paul, those guys over there.

Up for the challenge? Let's do it.

With just over five hours to go before the start of service,

our chefs hurl themselves into the preparation of their starters.

Paul sets out a plan for preparing his spiced king prawns,

while Richard starts portioning out the salmon for his kebabs,

and sets his sous chefs off on the naan.

Richard's hoping the naan will sway the diners in his favour.

Everyone loves a naan bread. We're going to use that as a dip-in

so you can actually put a bit of raita on there

and work with the kebabs.

Paul gets stuck into making the marinade for his prawns.

Loads and loads of garlic. In it goes, into the mustard oil.

Paul adds turmeric and toasted fennel seeds to his marinade.

Normally I'd let that cool down, but I don't have time to mess about.

So I'm going to get the prawns in,

the prawns will start to cool it down.

Our two chefs have very different styles...

Richard is the picture of focus constructing his kebabs,

but perky Paul thinks there's always time for a laugh.

PAUL LAUGHS

Rankin, are you going to do some cooking today,

or are you going to talk all day?

Wind your neck in, there.

Our contenders are spoiling for a good rumble

but which of them will walk away with the title?

The ultimate winner will be the chef who makes the most profit,

so earlier on, our boys were determined

to spend as little as possible on their ingredients.

For his prawns and spices, Paul headed to an Indian store

on London's famous Brick Lane.

This is what I'm after for my starter.

Big, fat, juicy prawns, you know?

I think those will be spot on.

I mean, if I bought ten of those...

erm, what's the wholesale price?

I'll sort something out for you.

That sounds promising, Paul.

Richard wanted fresh fish for his kebabs,

and has already bought scallops for £20.

Now he needs to get his hands on two sides of salmon.

What about if we said £40 for the salmon and the scallops?

Done deal.

I am skinning you alive, I know,

but, you know, it's a competition I've got to win!

He's just fallen off his chair.

Good man. I got a tentative yes from you then, didn't I?

Now that is a good deal.

Ooh, what a result!

Will Paul be able to haggle the price down for his prawns?

So, say I buy all of these -

one, two, three, four, five,

-six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

-OK.

What's the best deal?

I'll take a pound off each of these packets.

-A pound off each?

-That is £10 off.

-Can we do £1.20 off?

-No.

-90p?

-90p off?

-I'm just joking!

Careful, Paul. You want to pay less, not more!

A pound off.

So Paul's got £10 off his prawns

and has spent £63 on his main starter ingredient.

So how will the money our chefs have spent

influence what menu price they give their starters?

Well, with all his ingredients included,

Paul spent a total of £79.91

and has put his starter on the menu at £7.90.

Richard's total spend on his starter was £84.16,

slightly more than his rival.

He's priced it at £6.95, almost £1 cheaper than Paul's, meaning he's

going to have to sell more portions if he's going to win the round.

Back in the restaurant kitchen,

the sheer scale of this challenge is hitting home.

It's such a strange kitchen,

I don't know how to sort of speed it up without relying on the boys,

which is part of what makes the challenge tough, actually.

No-one said it was going to be easy, Paul!

It's six o'clock. There's only an hour to go before service begins.

Outside a queue of eager diners is forming, and they look ravenous!

In the kitchen, our chefs are gearing up for the moment of truth.

Richard has made his ideal starter,

and wants his team to replicate it to the same high standard.

Salmon's nice and pink on the outside.

What I'm looking for is that caramelisation on the outside

of the tomato, the pepper - all those flavours to work.

Like a hawk, wily Paul is watching his rival's every move.

He's also created a starter to be proud of,

and wants his team working together as a tight unit.

Then you take the extra butter...

..and around.

In the restaurant, the excitement is building.

The guests are expecting great things.

A venue like this, I guess I expect some interesting food.

It's quite funky decor,

something with a bit of a twist, obviously an Indian flavour.

Both Paul and Richard are banking on the guests being seafood lovers,

but will Paul's Indian version of garlic prawns be the hit,

or will it be Richard's take on a classic kebab?

In the lull before battle, our chefs take the chance

to taste each other's starters

and suss out their rival's weapons of war.

Just simple, fresh flavours. Keep it simple, as I have.

Quite a fresh slaw.

I love his fresh naan, that's going to be a real winner.

I wish I'd thought of that.

What I was trying to do was a modern Indian version of garlic prawns.

-OK, yeah, yeah.

-I thought that would sell.

If I was dining here tonight, I'd choose that.

I thought you might.

Good luck.

I wish I could say the same.

Ooh, there's a bit of tension there.

Paul's got naan bread envy

and Richard says he'd choose Paul's dish over his own,

but don't be fooled.

They both want their own dish to be victorious.

The restaurant's head chef Bala

is here to oversee tonight's proceedings.

He'll take care of any complaints

and make sure that our chefs don't short serve his customers.

In the restaurant, the diners have no idea

which chef is cooking which dish. They've got nothing more

than the descriptions on their menus to go on.

In the kitchen, it's almost time for battle to begin.

Chefs, two minutes until service!

Yeah, bring it on, we're ready. Get those orders in.

Both chefs are fired up and raring to go.

And then, they're off!

I'd like for starter the Tandoori king prawns, please.

-Salmon?

-Yeah.

The first orders come in...

First order, one garlic king prawns, one salmon and scallop kebab.

..and it's one all.

Tonight's winner will be whoever makes the most profit,

and as Richard spent more on his starter ingredients

and has priced his dish lower than Paul's,

he's the one who needs to sell more dishes.

As the heat rises, Richard is like coiled spring.

Paul is watchful, but calm.

Which fighting style will win the day?

Only time will tell.

With some tables ordering both starters,

our combatants have to coordinate service

so that their dishes are ready to go out at the same time.

How long are you taking, Paul?

That'll take about... maybe three minutes.

OK, let's make it happen.

One minute, Richard.

Yep, when you're ready. When you're ready, I'm ready.

But as more orders come in...

One garlic king prawns, two salmon and scallop kebab!

..it's looking like Richard is going to be the busier chef.

New order. Two more salmon and scallop kebabs!

Ooh, that's four of Richard's kebabs to just one of Paul's king prawns.

Three all day. I'll be two minutes.

Ooh, they're going ahead.

New order, chef! One king prawns, one salmon!

You keep churning out those naan breads, my man!

Richard is motoring and Paul does not look happy.

You're going ahead of me, dude.

Not by much. And you know what it's like.

It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Wise words, Richard. But Paul doesn't look convinced!

New order! Three salmon on its own!

Another order of three for Richard. And it's really getting to Paul.

How's he doing that? Do people like salmon more than prawns?

Oh, Paul, it looks like this lot do.

The salmon is thumping you.

Thanks for that, chef(!) You're supposed to be neutral!

-What do you want next?

-I need one salmon, one prawn!

Do you know what it is, I think it's the naan that's doing it for him.

I should've had a wee naan on the side or something.

Some more plates, please! That's a good problem to have,

I need more plates. That means we're selling.

Ooh, look at this! One chef's pleasure is another chef's pain.

Chin up, Paul. All is not lost.

Or is it?

We've got five salmon.

And one prawn, please.

Ooh, Bala delivers another crushing blow to Paul's chances.

What is going on?

Naan, naan, naan, naan, naan!

Don't rub it in chef, OK?

As his hopes crumble,

Paul is forced to watch helplessly as Richard rides it home.

Doing good, Richard, man! Doing good!

Richard's in the zone. He's banging out those orders,

and his opponent looks finished.

I've got five left, and there's five left to order.

As the last orders come in, is it all over for Paul?

OK, we've got the last order here. Three prawns and two salmon!

Yee-o-o-oh!

Oh, at last! Paul gets some much-needed orders for his prawns.

It's a welcome boost, but is it too little, too late?

Even though I was one up there,

it's nowhere near enough to get me back in this!

As starter service comes to an end,

has Richard romped home, or is Paul still in with a chance?

Before we find out how many dishes our chefs have sold,

what did the diners think of their starters?

I had the spicy king prawns.

They were lovely, perfectly cooked, not overdone.

I had the scallops with the salmon, which were obviously freshly sourced

and it really lived up to my expectations.

So it's an all-round thumbs up from the diners,

but how many servings have each of our chefs sold?

Did Richard's kebabs wipe the floor with Paul's prawns?

I think you definitely got this by a healthy margin.

-You think?

-Oh, I know.

One, two, three, go!

-Ohhh! Damn.

-I'll take that.

11 ahead! Well done. You know what it was?

It was the naan, it was the wee naan on the side.

I liked that. Liked it.

That was the little ace card.

-Well done, that's a lot.

-Main course!

-That's a lot!

Paul and Richard now know how many starters they've sold,

but the more important question is how much profit have they each made?

Paul spent less on ingredients and charged more for his starter

of spiced prawns, and his 14 sales have made him a total of £110.60.

When he takes off his costs

he'll be left with a profit of just under £31.

Richard spent more on the ingredients

for his scallop and salmon kebabs,

but he charged less than his opponent.

His healthy sales of 25 dishes have netted him £173.75,

making him a profit of just under £90.

So Richard is in the lead, but that was just the first round

and there's everything to play for in round two, the main course!

When it comes to potential profit, this is the big one!

But which one of our chefs has got the winning dish in mind?

For my main course, I'm going to do a rack of lamb

with a braised lamb jalfrezi,

spiced cumin potato cakes, aubergine and mint chutney.

I'm banking on that being a winner.

Well, rack of lamb is a pricey piece of meat,

so will Paul's dish sell enough to bring him back into the game,

or has Richard planned another show-stealing dish?

Main course - my strategy here is I'm going to do chicken,

I'm going to do chicken thighs.

They're packed full of flavour and they're really cheap.

Chicken jalfrezi, a great rice, a great main course.

Richard's playing it safe and keeping it cheap as...

well, cheap as chicken thighs!

Paul is playing a risky game

by offering an expensive rack of lamb...

but which dish will win over the diners?

In the restaurant kitchen,

Paul's first step is to get his lamb shoulder

ready for the jalfrezi braise

that will be the crowning glory of his dish.

So the shoulder is a cheaper cut of meat.

I think it's more interesting

because you have the texture of the shoulder

and the tenderness of the rack.

But this is going to make it go further

so that we can make a bit more money.

This braise will also give us the sauce for the plate.

Richard's team are up and running,

creating a spicy sauce for their chicken curry.

Garlic, ginger, tomatoes, chillies, spices and curry paste

are cooked before being blended with a serious piece of kitchen kit.

With just over four hours until service,

Richard's in the thick of chicken thigh grilling.

This is all going on here skin side down,

that way we're going to caramelise it,

the natural sugars come out of that skin

and it adds the flavour to that chicken.

We're going to seal it, make our sauce separately

and then they meet together.

This competition is judged on how much profit our chefs make,

so earlier on in the day

when they went shopping for their main course ingredients,

they were both determined to spend wisely.

Richard went for cost-effective ingredients for his main course,

and picked up 120 chicken thighs for £130.

Paul is pairing his pricey rack of lamb with cheaper lamb shoulder.

Can he haggle out a good deal for the whole lot?

I'm going to need 13 racks.

£11.20, that's a little bit over my budget.

Do it for ten, can you?

Loving your work, loving your work.

And I need five boneless shoulders.

Give it to me for ten quid, and we've got a bargain.

Five shoulders. Can you do it?

Yes. Top man. We'll be there within the hour.

Yes! I think that's a good deal.

I've got him down quite a bit.

Down on the shoulders, down on the rack.

I've just got to sell it now. What happens if they don't order it?

Too late now, Paul. You've made your decision

so you've got to stick to your guns!

So, Paul is our resident risk-taker while Richard's playing it safe.

But how will their spending influence

their main course menu prices?

With all his other ingredients included,

Paul has spent a whopping £246.20 on his main course,

and he's put his lamb dish on the menu at £15.90.

Richard's overall spend on his main course

was slightly more modest at £179.34,

but his menu price is just under £1 cheaper than his rival's at £14.95.

So after his troubled run in the starter round,

Paul is going to have to sell

considerably more portions than Richard to turn the tables.

Back in the restaurant kitchen,

perky Paul's working closely with his assistants

to make sure he gets that authentic Indian flavour

into his jalfrezi sauce.

Love it. Oh, rock and roll, now we're cooking!

All this larking around hasn't gone unnoticed by Richard.

Can you hear?

Doesn't know what he's doing yet. He's making it up as he goes along.

He's got one of the most expensive cuts of meat on the planet

and he's making it up as he goes along.

We'll see, Richard!

Paul cracks on with the marinade for his prize ingredient -

the rack of lamb.

We start with salt.

Not too much at this stage cos we can always add a bit more.

Quite a lot of pepper.

Say when. You're the boss now.

-Enough.

-Enough?

-Yes.

Ginger, garlic.

Lime zest, yoghurt and vegetable oil are added to the marinade.

The lamb marinates for an hour

and then goes into a traditional tandoor oven.

By going for a dish his team know and understand,

has Paul played a tactical blinder?

What I really liked is when I went through the menu,

all the boys are going, "Yeah, I get that, I get that."

So that's really helped that once I communicated it properly

they knew, kind of, what I wanted, so doing OK, fingers crossed.

Richard's probably banging on ahead, he's a control freak,

but, er, I'm doing OK, doing OK.

Good work, Paul. How's your "control freak" rival getting on?

What you got, guy? What you doing?

It's just the... Well, this is my sauce for the chicken.

-Chicken thighs.

-Chicken thighs, yeah. Authentic.

And what are you serving that with?

Rice, pilau rice.

Just chicken thighs and rice.

Chicken and rice, absolutely.

What would you have in India as a main course?

-Er, yeah, chicken and rice.

-Chicken and rice, yeah.

-I'm feeling confident now.

-Good! I'm glad.

Oh, our boys are getting into psychological warfare now!

Richard's convinced he's on the right track with his chicken curry,

and Paul gets a second opinion on his jalfrezi.

What do you think of my recipe?

-It's very nice.

-Yeah? You like it OK?

Yeah, I like it. I love this recipe.

-He said he loves it. Did you see Richard's chicken?

-No.

Ah, I mean, for me this is heaven. It's nectar.

Those beautiful deep flavours. I love it.

Suitably reassured, Paul clearly reckons his main course

could turn the whole game around.

Will Richard's straightforward chicken curry win the day?

Or will Paul's flashier barbecue rack of lamb dazzle our diners?

We'll find out when service begins but first, our chefs have the chance

to give their verdicts on each other's finished dishes.

Well, I see what you've done here. You've taken your lamb rack,

-which is the most expensive part of the lamb...

-Yeah.

..and to make it a little bit of a bulkier dish

you've put a bit of shoulder in there, which is very clever.

-Deep flavour, huh?

-Yeah, very good.

Well, for the first time, Richard looks worried.

What are Paul's thoughts on his chicken?

This looks to me like really great Indian bistro-type food.

Exactly. I mean, I tried to keep it very simple.

-And this is cheap, no?

-Very effective, and very, very cheap.

-You're making a lot of money on that.

-I'm here to make the money.

It's the one who makes the most profit.

-Yeah.

-Lovely pilau rice.

It's a lovely buttery Indian flavour with pilau.

You've done well on that, but I'm going to spank ya.

Not personally!

-I did get worried.

-You're safe, you're safe.

Ooh, fighting talk from our Celtic tiger!

With service about to begin, Paul's got Richard's game plan sussed.

You know what, I can't believe what Richard's doing over there.

You know what he's done? He's bought the cheapest protein,

chicken thighs, which is a wonderful protein.

All he's doing is making a very basic chicken curry,

serving it with rice and it's going to cost him nothing,

so he's banking on people ordering one lamb, one chicken curry,

one lamb, one chicken curry,

and he's going to make a fortune. He's so crafty.

Well, it's all down to tonight's diners.

They don't know which chef has cooked which dish

as they decide on their orders.

Well, the lamb did look lovely and really interesting,

with the jalfrezi lamb shoulder, looked great.

But I do like chicken curry

so I've kind of got to go with an old classic there.

-Rack of lamb for mains, please.

-Ooh, lamb.

This round is the big one. And now, finally, the wait is over.

Bala calls out the first orders...

First order! One barbecue lamb shoulder, one chicken curry!

Once again it's one order for each chef.

The kitchen springs into action and they're off.

Next order, one more barbecue lamb shoulder, one chicken curry!

Yes, chef!

Our chefs are neck and neck.

New order! One lamb shoulder, one chicken curry! Total, three to go!

Our boys leap into action

as the orders begin pouring in thick and fast.

Paul knows that to stand any chance of winning this round,

he needs to outsell Richard.

And that's not happening...yet!

What we need is a few big tables, where they just say, "I want lamb."

And then, bingo!

New order! Five more lamb, one chicken curry!

Whoo-hoo!

Well, what a turn up!

In the restaurant, the diners are enjoying their food,

blissfully unaware of the battle that is raging in the kitchen.

You want to be more happy?

-Two more lamb, one chicken curry!

-Whoo-hoo!

Oh, Paul is starting to edge ahead...

and Richard knows it.

That's not good.

He's about five ahead and we're about halfway through.

I knew he'd do well on the lamb. Let's just hope I can keep ahead.

The game's not over yet as more orders come in.

But who will be first to get a major break?

Two lamb, two chicken curry.

Oh, this is going to be close,

but Paul reckons it's going his way.

I'm in the lead. Definitely in the lead. Yee-ha!

And then, the news that changes everything.

-How many all day, chef, please?

-You've got ten lamb all day, OK?

Do you want to know how many chickens working?

Yeah. Just tell me how many chickens to make me smile.

You've got four chickens working.

With ten orders outstanding for Paul's lamb

and only four for Richard's chicken,

the tables have turned in a most spectacular way.

Richard's forced to watch helplessly as his opponent lines up the dishes.

So Richard's falling behind,

and his opponent's not about to go easy on him.

Sorry, Richard, I really feel bad.

Do you want a beer so that you can feel better?

Nah, nah, nah. D'you know what?

That's expensive. You need to sell a lot, you need to sell a lot.

He's getting cocky now.

Well, the iron man gives as good as he gets,

but this is not looking good for him.

Main course service is drawing to an end.

Just as things are at their bleakest for Richard...

New order! One lamb, two chicken curry!

Well, that's some consolation for our resident bruiser.

In the restaurant,

the diners give their thoughts on their main courses.

I had the chicken for my main

and I thought the rice and the sauce were very good together.

I wasn't quite so impressed with the chicken

I didn't feel it was very infused with the flavour.

I went for the lamb for the main course.

It was absolutely fantastic.

So, for my mains I had the chicken curry with the pilau rice.

It was beautifully delicately flavoured,

really nice authentic taste. I really enjoyed it.

So after another intensely fought round

it's time for the moment of truth.

Is Paul set to make an amazing comeback on the mains

after his decisive loss in the starter round?

-I definitely got you there.

-Oh, God, yeah.

But I don't think I got enough.

Yeah, yeah you did. You definitely won that.

Although I'm ahead I'm probably not enough ahead,

cos I lost on the starters and that cost me money too.

-One...

-two...

-three...

-Whoa!

-Ten.

Ten's not bad.

It's going to come down to who was a clever buyer.

Let's get on with dessert.

Paul doesn't want to hear it, but Richard's right.

This all boils down to who made the most profit.

Richard's 14 chicken dishes have earned him £209.30,

but after deducting his costs

he's only made a profit of just under £30.

He won't be happy with that.

And it looks like Paul's risk has paid off

and he really has managed to turn this one around.

His 24 lamb dishes have made him £381.60

and a mighty profit of £135.40.

Could this be enough to throw this entire game up into the air?

And so begins the final clash - dessert!

If he wants to make a comeback,

Richard needs to pull something pretty spectacular out of the bag.

Indian cuisine isn't really renowned for dessert,

so it's a tricky one. I've chosen chocolate,

but I'm going to infuse it with a little bit of chilli.

Quite mild, it's not going to be hot, it's just going to work

and balance really well with that bitter chocolate.

A really fresh lemon cream is going to work really well with that

and just balance it up to be a great dessert.

Everyone loves chocolate so hopefully I'll sell a lot.

Richard's chocolate tart

is not the most Indian-sounding of desserts,

but how will it go down with the diners?

And what of Paul's offering?

For dessert what I'm going to do is a lime and coconut posset

with Alphonso mango and cardamom butter biscuits.

It's kind of like a classic English dish but given a big Indian twist

with the mango, the coconut and the cardamom.

It's a cracker.

In the restaurant kitchen, Paul gets cracking with his posset.

It's an old English set dessert,

but adding limes and coconut powder to the mixture of cream and sugar

should give it a more authentic Indian taste.

But already there's a problem.

So the kaffir limes, although they've got a beautiful flavour,

they're quite dry in juice,

and so we don't have enough juice to set our posset.

We've had to sort of send out and buy some lemons.

Another cost for your budget, Paul!

Richard's making the sweet pastry for his chocolate tart.

He blends icing sugar with flour, butter, egg yolks and vanilla,

and it's ready to bake blind.

Blind baking means I've lined the tart ring with the sweet pastry,

which you saw me roll out.

Little bit of greaseproof paper. We've put some rice in there,

there's plenty of rice in this kitchen

so I've used those to blind bake it.

And what that's doing is keeping the base nice and flat

and in all the corners, so when you cut a tart

you have this sort of L-shape to the tart

rather than it being a curved shape.

That's really important.

He's also got a clever tip to avoid ending up with a soggy base.

Take some egg yolks

and just brush the inside of your tart with the egg yolks.

Back in the oven for about three or four minutes,

just to set that egg and it's cooked. That acts as a sealant,

and when you pour it in it doesn't leak anywhere.

Richard can then focus on making his chocolate chilli filling.

For his posset, Paul's using kaffir lime juice, zest and leaves,

and he's convinced he's invented a new taste sensation.

Do you know what?

I think, watch out, coming to a restaurant near you.

This is going to be copied. This could become a classic.

We like your ambition, Paul!

For a selection of recipes from the series, log on to...

Earlier in the day,

the boys went shopping for their dessert ingredients

with the aim of keeping their costs to an absolute minimum.

Richard wants to accompany his chocolate tart with a fruit salad.

So there's some great fruits here, great selection.

We've got some papaya, we've got pomegranates, we've got dates,

before they're actually dried that's what they look like.

Some amazing fruits here, so I'm going to buy some of these.

I've got to go and haggle, cos price is key.

I've got to make sure I get the right prices.

If I do, these are going to be on my dish.

Paul's on the hunt for mangoes for his salsa.

I've never heard of honey mangoes.

I mean, what I'm looking for are Alphonso mangoes,

but they look fantastic, don't they?

They also sound great. I love the sound of a honey mango.

They sound perfect.

But how did Paul get on with securing a great deal for them?

£8 for a box of mangoes. That's a pretty good deal.

But there's only four mangoes in each box

so it's a really special ingredient.

But I think it's just what I'm looking for.

£2 per mango. Let's hope they do the job for you, Paul!

How did Richard do with his exotic fruits?

£23.47.

23.

£23 it is. Happy?

-£23.

-Done.

Almost 50p off. Well, every little helps, eh, Richard?

With all the other ingredients included,

Richard spent £85.98 on his dessert.

Paul's total spend on his dessert was a lot less at £46.43,

so he's already at a significant advantage.

Back in the restaurant kitchen Paul has added lemon and lime juice

to his posset, but he's got some major concerns.

I really hope this is going to cool down in time.

This is what I'm really worried about now.

It's my biggest problem right now.

Paul's fretting hasn't gone unnoticed by his eagle-eyed rival.

Well, down there, pretty hectic.

He's a bit on edge, I see lemon possets going in the fridge now.

Lets hope no-one wants a dessert before ten o'clock tonight,

otherwise, he might not be able to deliver it.

So it's a bit frantic down there.

Not being cocky but look at us. We're all calm, ready for it.

Well, how the tables can turn in this game!

It's now Richard who's the picture of calm!

But will it last?

Just before dessert service begins,

our boys get to taste each other's dishes.

There's fantastic news for Paul.

Most of his possets have set just in time,

but what does his rival think of them?

It's fresh, it's fruity. This food just is absolutely sublime.

It's fantastic, absolutely amazing,

but it's the kind of dessert you want after a curry.

Wow! High praise indeed from the normally poker-faced Richard.

But what does Paul think of his chilli spiked chocolate tart?

The star of this is that chocolate tart

and that's the way it should be.

I think you're going to do just fine with that.

-Let's hope so.

-I think it's going to be Even Stevens on the dessert.

I'd like to be a little bit ahead of you, cos I think I need that comfort.

I don't think you will be.

-We'll see.

-Big mouth.

THEY LAUGH

Well, our boys are being cagey...but gracious!

Come on, Paul. Let's hear what you really think.

I just don't really think he's bothered

to try and make it Indian in any way. Erm...

it's lovely but it belongs in a modern European restaurant,

not in an Indian restaurant.

Wow. Our Celtic tiger's got his claws out at last!

And after that tirade, what on earth will Richard make of Paul's posset?

Paul's dessert tasted nice.

I mean, I was expecting it to be a little bit firmer and a bit heavier

but it's actually very nice.

Light, that lime, the mango was fantastic.

That worked really well and the hint of coconut came through well.

We'll see how Richard and Paul's desserts go down with the diners,

as it's now time for the last big push in today's competition.

For this final round our chefs must go out into the restaurant

and pitch their dishes to the diners face-to-face.

And the customers will only have to pay

whatever they think the dessert they choose is actually worth.

All evening, the diners have had no idea

which chef has cooked which dish, but now that's all about to change.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

It is a pleasure to introduce the chefs.

Paul Rankin and Richard Phillips.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Good evening, everybody. Welcome. Thank you for coming.

I hope you've enjoyed your food this evening so far.

For myself, we have a very light chocolate tart

with a lemon cream and mint citrus fruits.

I have very much an Anglo-Indian dessert.

It's kaffir lime leaf posset with a honey mango salsa

and a cardamom biscuit.

I hope that you've really enjoyed your night.

It's been a real pleasure cooking for you,

a real pleasure, thank you.

Flattery could get you everywhere, Paul!

Both our chefs are working hard to charm the diners,

one pulling out all his best lines...

What you got there?

A cosmopolitan.

That's all right, isn't it? It's all right out here.

I've been in the wrong place!

See the posset's really heavy, really stodgy!

..while the other is all about the authenticity.

With this one I really have put an Indian spin on it

because to the cream I've added coconut powder

to give it a light coconut taste.

Our chefs have done all they can.

This round is absolutely crucial to the competition,

and as service begins, it will soon become clear

which of them has managed to do the best job of charming the diners.

New order! One tart, one posset!

New order! One tart, one posset!

And once again, it's an even start for our chefs.

New order! Three tart, three posset!

Both desserts seem to be doing well, which Paul's not too happy about,

as he thought he had convinced all of the diners to order posset.

Well, I mean, they seemed to love my pitch for the dessert, but...

maybe they were afraid to say anything about it

but, erm, I felt like they were all going to order posset,

but that's not going to happen.

Paul's possets are all lined up and ready to go...

but what's this? Is Paul helping his opponent?!

Richard, you know I'm helping with your service now?

I'm glad you're doing something today.

Just remember who sold more main courses.

Just remember who sold more starters.

Oh, easy with the knife waving, Richard!

At least they're still smiling!

The orders come flying in in reasonably equal measure,

and it's hard to tell which chef is in the lead.

Surely one of our boys is going to get a break soon?

New order! Two posset, one tart!

-OK, chef!

-Whoo!

New order! One posset, one tart!

Oh, this really could go either way!

New order! Two more tart.

Two more tarts, come on!

We're ahead now. That's put us ahead.

New order! Two tart!

New order! Two posset!

Ee-yo-oh!

Even though his tart seems to be doing well,

Richard isn't counting his chickens.

What we need to remember here is we haven't set the price on this.

They pay what they think it's worth, so I might sell more than him

but they might only give me £2 for the dish.

Quite right, Richard.

As the end of service draws near, it's looking like it's just

too close to call, with both chefs seemingly neck and neck throughout.

-Last one, chef!

-That's it.

Well, we'll see shortly who has sold the most dishes

and even more crucially,

who has made the most overall profit to win the game.

But first, how have the desserts gone down with the diners?

I chose the chocolate pudding and I wasn't overwhelmed by it,

so I'm going to choose to pay £4 for it.

Well, I had the lemon and coconut posset

and I'm going to pay £7 for it cos I thought it was absolutely delicious,

one of the best desserts I've had in a restaurant.

I had the chocolate tart, it was a little bit too rich for me,

and I'd say it's probably worth about £7.50, something like that.

Before we find out how much profit our chefs have made,

let's see how many desserts they've each sold.

And the results show that in the final round

both chefs really were Even Stevens on the amount of desserts sold,

with each of them sending out 19 dishes.

But remember, the diners have only paid

what they thought their dessert was worth.

Today has been a real challenge for Paul and Richard.

They've had to cook an unfamiliar style of cuisine against the clock

in an unfamiliar kitchen.

It's finally time to reveal who has managed to make the most profit

and win the competition.

Here we are. The final course. Feeling confident?

Well, I was sort of counting them coming in

and I think you're one or two ahead.

Put me out of my misery, come on.

BOTH: One, two, three!

-I won!

-You did!

Oh, my goodness!

Blue team won, guys!

CHEERING

Richard, a pleasure as always, sir!

Gritted teeth, well done!

No, well done. It's been a good day, well done.

I'm smiling, I can't stop smiling, I can't stop smiling.

I won't ask for a recount.

Smiling.

So Paul is today's champion chef!

He's worked hard, and it's fair to say he's pretty pleased about it!

Hey, I am absolutely delighted!

I am like a kid, you know, like, lit up!

It makes me happy a lot, I didn't expect it, you see!

Yes! I'm so happy.

I'm pretty shocked, you know.

Absolutely whipped him on the starter.

Not the better man won.

All the profits made by both chefs

will be going to their chosen charities.

Today my profit is going to go to Kent Air Ambulance, whose job is

to save a lot of lives in the south-east.

So I'm very happy to say

that all my winnings go to the Alzheimer's Society.

Paul may be the winner in today's competition,

but both our chefs have shown that they've got what it takes

to Put Their Menus Where Their Mouths Are!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd