Episode 2 Instant Restaurant


Episode 2

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Two rival amateur cooks are converting their homes into restaurants.

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Check the microwave.

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They've been given just one day and a budget of up to £200.

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20 strangers will be coming for dinner.

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At the end of the evening, they'll decide how much or how little to pay.

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This is absolutely gorgeous.

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If I ordered it in a restaurant, I wouldn't have been impressed.

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Can our cooks do enough to impress the diners...

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Oh, a bit hot!

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..and make a profit?

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Hello and welcome to Instant Restaurant, where two home cooks

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attempt to create gourmet dining experiences for one night only.

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Their guests will then decide what it's worth.

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But will either of our cooks make a profit?

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Copywriter Nicola Coleman is hoping to shine as a chef

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by creating an instant restaurant in her North London apartment.

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The name of our restaurant is Linfields and the concept

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is great food with no gimmicks.

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I hope that's going to work.

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So do I! Nicola and her husband are old hands at throwing dinner parties,

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but now want to take things to the next level.

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We know we can cook for friends, and our friends always tell us that the food is fantastic.

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It'll be quite interesting to see the reaction of ten strangers.

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As well as the tastes of ten strangers,

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she'll be up against Sasha Capocci, a mother of two from Barnet.

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I'm originally from Morocco and I love very much Moroccan food,

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so tonight I'm making lovely food for my guests

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which I hope they will actually never forget.

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Let's just hope it's for all the right reasons,

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though Sasha has had plenty of practice.

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I like to cook every day.

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Every day I cook, really.

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I never buy one of these already cooked meals or something.

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But it's not just the food they'll be judged on.

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As well as creating their menu,

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they have to transform a room in their house

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into an inviting restaurant.

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To help the event run smoothly, both chefs are allowed two assistants.

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Nicola is turning her elegant apartment

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into an equally elegant fine dining room with an eye on every detail.

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Completing the staff are husband Jeff and stepson Joe.

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Joe will be front of house and Jeff will be helping in the kitchen,

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though there'll be only one person claiming all the credit.

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Well done, me.

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They've even splashed out on some personalised chefs' whites.

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Nice touch!

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Over in Barnet, in the house Sasha and her husband designed themselves, there's a surprise in the basement.

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This little pocket of Morocco is where they entertain friends and family.

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But for one night only it's going to become Sasha's instant restaurant.

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And we give an idea for people who have never been to Marrakesh before

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to see how it looks like and how the food is being served.

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As Sasha likes cooking everything from scratch, she's got a lot to do.

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But she has her two helpers.

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I have helping me now Inge and Angel.

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And they are very good at chopping.

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With a feast to prepare, they'll need to be!

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Both cooks have been given an allowance of up to £200.

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Nicola needed £186 for her fine dining ingredients,

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so to break even her guests will have to pay nearly £19 a head.

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Sasha is hoping to create her Moroccan feast

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on a fraction of that, and has asked for just £81.

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So she needs just over £8 per diner to nudge into a profit.

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So we have a battle on our hands between fine dining and a traditional Moroccan banquet.

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Both instant restaurants are now ready, and their success or failure

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is up to the diners who will decide how much they're prepared to pay at the end of the night.

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All Nicola and Sasha can do now is hope they're impressed.

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Can I take your bag?

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Nicola has got stepson Joe to do the vital meeting and greeting,

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which creates that all-important first impression.

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It's beautiful, it's really nice. Nice apartment.

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Very nice actually, very plush.

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Very nice and, well, very cream.

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Meanwhile in Marrakesh - oh, I mean Barnet -

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Sasha's guests are settling into their subterranean salon.

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-This looks like a real restaurant.

-This looks like Morocco.

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Yeah. It's really impressive.

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Thank you.

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Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

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Mmm... Oh, that's nice.

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Well, we certainly have two upmarket, ambitious cooks today, don't we?

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Both Nicola and Sasha have made a great first impression.

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But will the food live up to the surroundings? Time to find out.

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Nicola is offering two choice of starter to her fine diners.

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There's either a tartare of crab and prawns flavoured with chilli

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and served with sweet and sour cucumber and melba toast...

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..or chestnut veloute,

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a thick, smooth soup garnished with cream, whole chestnuts and chives.

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Both of these recipes have evolved over time.

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They're made up by me, they're personal favourites,

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and usually when we serve them to people, they absolutely love them.

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If I was invited to this restaurant, I don't like the fish and I don't like the chestnuts.

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So I won't order either.

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Right, well, probably just as well Sasha's not on Nicola's guest list then,

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especially as it's taken her all day to cook this evening's food.

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Fittingly, the starters were the first to be made, kicking off with the veloute.

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It's onion, carrot, chestnut, sherry,

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a little bit of chilli and some sage.

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Veloute means velvety, and to turn the soup super-smooth,

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Nicola's little helper Jeff has to squidge all of the blitzed mixture into a bowl with a sieving mushroom.

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Then chef tests it.

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It might need some salt, actually.

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-Looks like it's got the thumbs up.

-Is it good?

-Mmm.

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The second starter is a seafood tartar.

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This pate is a mixture of white and brown crab meat.

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Putting the brown in now.

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Some salmon -

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Scottish salmon - and some chopped-up prawns.

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This is more of an assembly job than a cooking job, actually.

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You need to chop the chilli up quite fine, because no-one really wants lumps of chilli.

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I'm breaking these salmon flakes up a little bit.

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You want some texture, but not a huge great...

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I always thought tartare meant raw.

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-Not serving raw prawns, are they?

-It's not raw, actually.

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It's not raw. The prawns are cooked.

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The salmon is cooked. The crab is cooked.

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It is not really a tartare, it is a pate, isn't it?

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But tartare sounds better on the menu.

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Mmm, but tonight's not about how things sound, it's about how they taste.

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I think it's fine. Jeff?

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I actually think it needs a little bit more salt.

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I haven't put any salt in it.

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-Well, maybe some pepper.

-I've put pepper in it.

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Maybe some salt. I think you may be right.

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Not too much, but just a bit more pepper.

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I've been doing a lot of cooking without salt or pepper recently,

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because of the diet that we're trying to follow.

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So now everything,

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when I season it properly, now tastes very salty.

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Let's just hope Nicola's low-salt cooking doesn't result in her losing the wrong sort of pounds.

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Still if the worst comes to the worst, I'm sure the diners can always add their own.

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Let's do another couple.

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Later that evening, the customers wait patiently for their starters,

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while Nicola and Jeff plate them up in the kitchen.

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And they're certainly not skimping on the portions.

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I'm happy with these.

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How's the soup. Still need salt?

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-It's now hot enough.

-Fantastic.

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Great, let's get it out to the diners.

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OK, Joe, we're ready to go with the starters.

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So everyone except for the geezer...

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Geezer?! That's not very waiterly!

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So, is the chestnut veloute slipping down like velvet?

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It's like tomato soup and cream.

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-WOMAN:

-Campbell's?

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THEY LAUGH

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Not Heinz, Campbell's.

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I don't know why.

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Oh, dear. Not the smooth reception Nicola hoped for.

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Will her Titanic tartares fare better?

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I'm the chef, actually.

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-Oh, you are the chef?

-Make no mistake.

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Right. Don't think they'll get that wrong again, do you?

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But, is the tartare going down better than the soup?

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And is there enough seasoning?

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Out of Nicola's earshot, what's the verdict?

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It just needed a little more pepper, which we got at the end, but it just needed that.

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Oh, come on. You could have added a bit yourself, couldn't you?

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Thank you.

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It would have been nice if we'd had salt and pepper on the table just to add something to it.

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Oh. Perhaps not.

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I don't think it's supposed to taste like this, to be honest.

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If it is supposed to taste like this, I probably would never have it again.

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Blimey! Nicola's got a tough crowd in tonight.

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I wonder if Sasha's diners will prove as difficult to please?

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To begin her Marrakesh-inspired menu,

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she's serving not one, but 12 different starters.

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This meze of salads is designed to give everyone a real taste of Morocco.

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It includes aubergine, carrots, spinach, courgettes, tomatoes,

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beetroot, artichoke, peppers and, undoubtedly, salt, too.

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I want the people to sample all these dishes and to taste all the flavours

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of Morocco, and these are very traditional dishes.

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That sounds absolutely amazing.

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I wish I was there. It also sounds like a huge amount of work.

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I've got no idea how one person's

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going to be able to do that in the time.

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And as if 12 salads aren't enough,

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Sasha's also making home-made pitta breads.

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I'm making it on a very traditional Moroccan...

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I'm going to be doing this for 15 minutes.

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No short cuts or breadmakers here.

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I'm with Nicola, this looks like hard work.

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The bread...well actually, I'm worried about the bread, but most of the time it works.

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Sometimes it doesn't.

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It's a little bit...

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And especially today, it's a big quantity.

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Normally it should be nice and soft,

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not really hard.

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You see what I mean?

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Even if you go to the gym, you don't work out like this.

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Who needs a gym when you've got a big lump of dough to pummel? And this is only the start!

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This is Moroccan pitta bread,

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which actually I'm going to be serving with

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the meze, the small dishes there.

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So this has to be ready.

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Each one will be cooked for one to two minutes.

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The pittas are individually cooked over a slow heat until they puff up.

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They'll be served with the meze, which she hasn't even started yet.

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-But after a flurry of stirring...

-This is the starter, yeah.

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..seasoning...

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topping...

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garnishing...frying...

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spicing...

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and finally a bit of dressing...

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-How do I look?

-..it's all done.

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Downstairs, the various salad dishes arrive at the table, but without

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any explanation from Sasha as to what any of them are.

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The diners are looking slightly confused.

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Is that not the same as that one?

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This is such a feast.

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Having realised the only way to identify the dishes is to dig in,

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the diners also then realise there's nothing to dig in with. So they have to fend for themselves.

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-< What are you looking for?

-Serving spoons...

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Whoops, not exactly restaurant service.

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But once they finally start tucking in, there's a gentle hubbub of appreciation.

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And it smells so good.

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Followed by the contented silence of people stuffing their faces.

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Quickly followed by even more dishes.

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The courgette one's probably the pick, and the peppers are very nice,

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but I'm not too much of a fan of the spinachy one.

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Oh, well, one out of 12 isn't bad.

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Any other complaints?

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There was so much food

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it didn't really matter,

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but just the artichoke to me just tasted like socks.

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-It was horrible.

-I don't agree.

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OK. Maybe two out of 12, then.

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Back in the kitchen, and with the effort of getting the salads out,

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the home-made pittas have been left to last.

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The pitta bread should have come out slightly earlier,

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given that it was sort of a meze thing,

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all sort of salads that you could have put on the bread.

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Every bit of food was delicious.

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Absolutely delicious.

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And I think I might be eating too much.

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You just want more, because it's so...

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The flavours are amazing, aren't they?

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They're all different. And I tried absolutely everything.

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So, that's a pretty impressive start for Sasha -

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although she did leave her diners a little confused and looking for implements.

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And Nicola's starters didn't quite live up to her diners' expectations.

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Could do better?

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So, on to the mains.

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Over at Nicola's fine dining establishment, the diners have a choice

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between salmon en croute, served with steamed green vegetables

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and a piquant ginger hollandaise...

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..and fillet of beef poached in red wine,

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alongside horseradish mash, mostarda de fruta, and roasted seasonal veg.

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Both of these are favourites of ours.

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Whenever we have cooked them for friends, they've absolutely loved them.

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That's why we chose them, in fact.

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The fillets look nice,

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the horseradish looks very strong.

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But I don't know what is a mostarda de fruta. I never heard about it.

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And nor have I, Sasha. Never mind, I'm sure all will become clear.

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Meanwhile, Nicola's first job is to prepare the salmon fillets.

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Here's a bit of this fillet of sole from France.

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Looks like this dish is getting plenty of seasoning.

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Nicola tops one of the salmon fillets with a thick layer of softened, seasoned butter.

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Oh, could be a heart-stopper.

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It is quite buttery, but it is not something you should eat every night.

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But once in a while.

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She then places the second fillet on top, to form a diet-busting salmon sandwich

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ready for wrapping in puff pastry.

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Yes, it is like a big salmon sandwich.

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That is just going to go into the fridge.

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Right, here I go.

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I'm about to do a very exciting thing, which is roll out

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some shop-bought puff pastry.

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Well it's all right for chefs. Why not?

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But it's a bit different from Sasha going ten rounds with her pitta dough.

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I've got to roll this out

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quite big, because it's got

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to have the salmon on top of it.

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I'm pretty confident that this will cook

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in about half an hour.

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This is an ideal dish for showing off.

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-Ideal for dinner parties.

-Well, yes, or a restaurant.

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-Or a restaurant.

-Now, showing off is all well and good,

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but only if you can pull it off and after the slight disappointment of her starters, Nicola needs

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to pull something extra special out of the bag for her mains.

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I'm being a bit tougher on myself in the way that

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I'm putting things together and cooking things today, because

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it's in a restaurant setting, rather than for friends and family.

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Not to be outdone, Jeff's been equally ambitious with the beef dish.

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I'm actually going to poach the steak tonight, which is not something that people will know.

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It sounds quite unusual, but it is apparently quite

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an old recipe. Chefs have been doing it for a long time.

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I'm very confident how it works.

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It comes out absolutely perfect, medium rare.

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If anybody likes to have well-done steak, this is not the dish for them.

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So the diners can have their steak anyway they like it, so long as it's medium rare.

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And when the orders come in, they are split right down the middle. Five steaks, five salmon.

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The steaks are going in to be poached

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and these are going to take 25 minutes.

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And while the guests wait for their mains, Nicola's got another trick up her sleeve.

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I'm going to make a hollandaise sauce in the microwave.

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Shall I put the vegetables on?

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Which is probably a deadly sin in chef world, but I'm going to do it anyway.

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I'm going to put it in the microwave.

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Best laid plans. Jeff, the microwave seems to have died.

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What? No, not possible.

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Maybe the kitchen gods have been angered.

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Has the switch gone off?

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-Where is the switch?

-Don't say I've unplugged this.

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Get out of the way.

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I hope no-one's unplugged this in my absence.

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That's unbelievable. That has never happened before.

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How did that happen?

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-We have no hollandaise.

-No hollandaise?

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But people have ordered it. Think man, think.

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No, it's plugged in and switched on, believe me. Just died.

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The microwave's died.

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That is unbelievable.

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How did it happen?

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I have to look up how to make it in a different way.

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But Jeff is not interested in sauce.

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He wants to solve the mystery.

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I tell you what it is, it's a switch up here that's been switched off.

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He's sounding confident.

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Has he cracked it?

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That is probably my fault.

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It's on. Hurrah!

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Yes, he has. So whose fault was it then?

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When I pushed a plastic box into the cupboard, it switched the switch off.

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Well never mind, at least you fixed it. It should be fine now.

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Oh, it can certainly go wrong.

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It can certainly go wrong.

0:19:510:19:54

It can curdle, it can split, it can do all sorts of things.

0:19:540:19:58

And no sooner said than ruined.

0:19:580:20:01

I think that's gone wrong and I think it's unfit to serve.

0:20:010:20:05

You've got plenty of time, Nicola.

0:20:050:20:08

I know, I can do it again.

0:20:080:20:11

-Have we got another butter out?

-Yeah.

0:20:110:20:13

I'm doing it in bursts of ten second this time to be on the safe side.

0:20:130:20:17

This is looking a lot better.

0:20:200:20:22

-This I going to be fine.

-Hurrah, the hollandaise is back on the menu.

0:20:220:20:26

Oh, a bit hot.

0:20:260:20:29

So with the sauce for salmon now sorted, Jeff prepares to serve up the five orders of beef.

0:20:320:20:37

It is looking how it's supposed to look.

0:20:370:20:38

While Nicola starts carefully carving up the salmon.

0:20:380:20:43

It is being more trouble than usual here.

0:20:430:20:46

Let's just hope it'll all be worth the effort.

0:20:460:20:50

To complete the mains,

0:20:500:20:51

Nicola now just needs vegetables, so after slipping them from the hot pan on to a nice cold plate,

0:20:510:20:58

she transfers them to other cold plates containing the beef and salmon.

0:20:580:21:02

-I hope her diners aren't looking forward to a hot meal.

-I think everyone's very happy.

0:21:020:21:06

-People can last for a few more minutes longer but...

-It's coming.

0:21:060:21:10

Now is the appropriate time.

0:21:100:21:13

It may well be. But Nicola's still not ready to send them out.

0:21:130:21:17

This is fruta de mostarda.

0:21:170:21:19

This is from Italy, actually.

0:21:190:21:22

It's fruit in a sort of mustardy syrup.

0:21:220:21:26

So there you go, mostarda de fruta is a cold fruit accompaniment,

0:21:260:21:30

which Nicola now proceeds to add to the rapidly cooling plates of beef.

0:21:300:21:35

We serve our vegetables at room temperature.

0:21:350:21:37

Oh, I think you're going to be serving

0:21:370:21:39

everything at room temperature if you don't get a move on.

0:21:390:21:43

-Good.

-Take these out?

-Yes, you can take them out.

0:21:430:21:45

-Which table is it?

-It's the first table here.

0:21:450:21:48

Come on, Jeff, just get them out there before they freeze.

0:21:480:21:52

Nicola and Jeff may finally be happy, but will the diners think it was worth the wait?

0:21:520:21:59

The salmon en croute with seasonal vegetables.

0:22:060:22:10

-That looks lovely.

-Go on, off you go.

0:22:100:22:13

So is it more to their taste than the starters?

0:22:190:22:22

Probably it needs more seasoning I think.

0:22:220:22:24

It's a bit bland.

0:22:240:22:26

-Do you agree?

-Yes, there is no seasoning on it, it seems.

0:22:260:22:31

Joe actually told us the beef fillet was going to come out medium rare.

0:22:310:22:35

I thought it was cooked a little overdone. The vegetables were nice.

0:22:350:22:39

The only thing was the plates were cold so the dish did go cold quite quickly.

0:22:390:22:45

LAUGHTER

0:22:480:22:50

It was quite like pub food.

0:22:500:22:53

I wouldn't... If I had ordered it in a restaurant, I wouldn't be impressed at all. It was really bland.

0:22:530:22:59

As I was getting through it, it got blander and blander.

0:22:590:23:03

I tried it with the hollandaise sauce.

0:23:030:23:05

It was supposed to have a ginger in it. I couldn't taste no ginger.

0:23:050:23:09

Bland pub food - oh, dear. Not the final dining experience Nicola and Jeff wanted.

0:23:090:23:14

Do you think this is under-seasoned?

0:23:140:23:16

Perfect.

0:23:220:23:24

They must like their food very salty.

0:23:240:23:26

Or just a bit of old-fashioned taste.

0:23:260:23:29

Back in Barnett, Sasha's diners are bracing themselves

0:23:290:23:33

for their mains after the marathon of delicious starters.

0:23:330:23:37

Thankfully this time there's only two choices.

0:23:400:23:43

A lamb tagine with prunes, decorated with boiled egg.

0:23:430:23:48

Or a chicken tagine, with preserved lemons, new potatoes and olives.

0:23:510:23:57

So, if tagines aren't your thing, you are dining in the wrong Moroccan basement.

0:23:580:24:03

These two dishes are a favourite of mine, especially the lamb.

0:24:030:24:07

It is not too sweet, full of flavour.

0:24:070:24:10

Well, Jeff would love this.

0:24:100:24:13

And although there are two tagines there, I think they are different enough for that not to be an issue.

0:24:130:24:18

Well, maybe Nicola should send Jeff over the Sasha's as a reward for fixing the microwave.

0:24:180:24:24

I actually marinated it overnight

0:24:240:24:27

and I put some ginger, some pepper, salt and some saffron in there,

0:24:270:24:35

threads, you know.

0:24:350:24:37

And it is overnight and I'm cooking it with onions and I'm going to put in some

0:24:370:24:41

hot water and leave to it cook very slowly so it's very nice and soft.

0:24:410:24:46

Hmm, that doesn't sound like it's going to be bland.

0:24:460:24:49

I hope it's going to taste really good.

0:24:490:24:53

But since I have been making it, people actually are dying for it. Really good.

0:24:530:24:59

And I think it will be good today as well.

0:24:590:25:03

Next, Sasha begins tagine number two with chicken.

0:25:040:25:08

You see, I don't have to do it this way, but I'm doing it the better way,

0:25:090:25:14

I'm making them a little bit brown.

0:25:140:25:17

Normally you put them in the dish and you put the water all over and that's it.

0:25:170:25:24

But I don't want to do that.

0:25:240:25:27

I'm doing it the hard way.

0:25:270:25:29

This one-pot cooking is the complete opposite to Nicola's more elaborate dishes and

0:25:290:25:34

it looks like there will be plenty of salt and pepper in Sasha's mains.

0:25:340:25:38

Just make it move.

0:25:410:25:43

All the sauce.

0:25:430:25:45

Both tagines will cook on the stove for several hours.

0:25:450:25:49

Then the meat is served up in individual dishes.

0:25:510:25:54

Inge, can you come please, because this is going to get cold.

0:25:550:25:59

The worst thing is just to serve the food cold.

0:25:590:26:02

Oh, cold food, nothing worse.

0:26:020:26:06

Can you give me the eggs? Put the egg on each top.

0:26:060:26:10

The tagines make their entrance.

0:26:140:26:17

-Oh, it looks gorgeous.

-Your chicken's more tender than mine.

0:26:190:26:22

And everyone starts tucking in.

0:26:220:26:24

But in her haste to get the food out while still piping hot,

0:26:240:26:28

Sasha's forgotten the potatoes for the chicken tagine.

0:26:280:26:31

They are going to finish their chicken before the potatoes arrive!

0:26:310:26:36

Oh, my goodness!

0:26:360:26:37

Deep frying them in a wok may not be very Moroccan,

0:26:370:26:40

but at least it will mean they are as hot as everything else.

0:26:400:26:44

Sometimes they burn.

0:26:440:26:46

Now we don't to burn.

0:26:460:26:48

It's nearly there. I'm going to leave them. Give me some tissues.

0:26:480:26:52

And after a liberal sprinkling of salt,

0:26:580:27:00

they get sent down to diners just as they think they've finished.

0:27:000:27:06

Wow!

0:27:060:27:08

So with all the dishes now served, what do Sasha's diners make of their Moroccan mains?

0:27:080:27:14

It was a big hunk of meat and it fell straight off the bone and

0:27:140:27:18

beautifully cooked. You couldn't fault it.

0:27:180:27:21

-Absolutely perfect.

-That was really professionally done, actually.

0:27:210:27:25

A lot better than I've had in a lot of restaurants.

0:27:250:27:27

That is a really good cut of meat.

0:27:270:27:30

It doesn't seem to have much fat. Very tasty. Very, very tasty. And with the prunes, it's beautiful.

0:27:300:27:36

Take the lid off and to find the old chicken there was quite a surprise.

0:27:360:27:39

But it's beautiful, yes.

0:27:390:27:42

Cooked thoroughly well.

0:27:420:27:44

And, yes, it's great.

0:27:440:27:46

And if all that wasn't enough, Sasha has one final side dish to serve up.

0:27:460:27:52

MUSIC PLAYS

0:27:520:27:54

The men loved them. The men absolutely loved them.

0:28:100:28:13

We thought they were good,

0:28:130:28:14

-but obviously for different reasons than the men.

-Yes.

0:28:140:28:17

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

0:28:170:28:21

The dessert was great! LAUGHTER

0:28:210:28:23

We had prime seats.

0:28:230:28:24

Well, I think we know which dish went down best with the boys at Sasha's.

0:28:270:28:31

But her main course of Moroccan tagines was a real hit

0:28:310:28:35

with all the diners and in spite of Nicola and Jeff's best efforts, their guests were not happy

0:28:350:28:43

with more under-seasoned dishes, cold plates and overcooked food.

0:28:430:28:47

But, that could all change with desserts.

0:28:470:28:50

For her dessert, Nicola is making a pear and frangipane tart, served with amaretto cream.

0:28:540:29:00

And a chocolate marquise, a creamy confection, served with creme anglaise and a home-made biscuit.

0:29:020:29:09

Mmm, I hope they're as good as they look.

0:29:110:29:13

I'm very confident about the desserts.

0:29:150:29:18

We have deliberately chosen one chocolate-based dessert and one fruit.

0:29:180:29:23

That way we felt we had all bases covered.

0:29:230:29:25

Hmm, they are really lovely and actually I love these ones.

0:29:250:29:30

Very promising! The marquise is an an uncooked chocolate mousse cake that needs time to set.

0:29:300:29:36

So it was the first dessert Nicola began this morning.

0:29:360:29:39

I'm melting chocolate now for my

0:29:390:29:44

chocolate marquise and I'm just adding a little bit of Grand Marnier.

0:29:440:29:49

That is the last of the Grand Marnier, in fact. I added a little bit more before.

0:29:520:29:56

So we will wait for that to melt and in here...

0:29:570:30:02

I've got orange rind, liquid glucose,

0:30:020:30:06

which gives a really sort of unctuous quality to it.

0:30:060:30:11

To the chocolate orange mixture,

0:30:110:30:13

Nicola folds in whipped cream and egg whites.

0:30:130:30:16

I am now going to pour this chocolate mixture

0:30:160:30:20

into a prepared terrine dish,

0:30:200:30:23

which I've sort of oiled very lightly and lined with clingfilm.

0:30:250:30:30

So it'll be a lot easier to turn out when the time comes.

0:30:320:30:35

I'm happy with that.

0:30:350:30:38

Jeff's making the accompanying biscuits.

0:30:380:30:41

But will they come up to the chef's high standards?

0:30:410:30:44

Now, these are satisfactory, really. Satisfactory.

0:30:450:30:50

He's also in charge of the pear and frangipane tart.

0:30:500:30:54

What've got here, is I've got seven portions of this thing.

0:30:540:30:58

-Seven?

-Yeah.

-Oh.

0:30:580:30:59

So if more than seven people want this, we have a problem.

0:30:590:31:03

We have to say that, I'm sorry, the pear...

0:31:030:31:06

-There's been a run...

-There's been a run on pear tart this evening.

0:31:060:31:10

I actually think that most people are going to go for

0:31:100:31:13

the chocolate side of it,

0:31:130:31:14

because they're going to want to know what

0:31:140:31:17

the Garibaldi biscuit tastes like.

0:31:170:31:19

Perfect. Thank you.

0:31:200:31:21

So, I'm pretty clear on the pear element,

0:31:230:31:26

but what's in the frangipane, Jeff?

0:31:260:31:27

The frangipane, which I'm coating this thing with,

0:31:270:31:30

is made of ground almonds, vanilla...

0:31:300:31:34

Nicola, what else is in it? Remind me.

0:31:340:31:36

-Egg.

-Egg yolks.

-Sugar.

-Sugar.

0:31:360:31:40

-No, egg.

-Eggs.

0:31:400:31:42

-One egg.

-One egg. Sugar...

0:31:420:31:43

Well, whatever's in it - it sounds pretty good.

0:31:430:31:47

And, after a spell in the oven,

0:31:480:31:50

it LOOKS pretty good.

0:31:500:31:52

It tastes absolutely fantastic, and I'm really pleased with that.

0:31:530:31:57

Nicola's going to put some sugar on that.

0:31:570:31:59

So, he's confident about the tart -

0:31:590:32:02

but not, it turns out, about how many people have ordered it.

0:32:020:32:05

How many of these do I need? Three?

0:32:050:32:07

-Was it three chocolates?

-Four.

-I need one more plate, then.

0:32:080:32:12

There isn't a plate missing. We've only got ten. 12...

0:32:120:32:16

12.

0:32:160:32:18

So there is one missing? I don't understand.

0:32:180:32:20

We'll do it on a different plate.

0:32:200:32:22

I'll get this one sorted out.

0:32:220:32:24

-This one as well, yeah?

-Yeah.

0:32:240:32:26

Well, there's definitely some confusion about numbers,

0:32:280:32:32

but at least this time the diners won't be unhappy

0:32:320:32:35

when the food turns out cold. So, what will they make of them?

0:32:350:32:38

MAN: Great flavour...

0:32:400:32:42

I have to say that this is absolutely gorgeous.

0:32:430:32:47

The mousse is just perfect,

0:32:470:32:50

the orange - it's just... Yeah, everything. Just lovely.

0:32:500:32:54

-WOMAN:

-And the crunchy bits in the pie... It's just really lovely.

0:32:540:32:57

I originally ordered the pear tart.

0:33:040:33:07

And then I saw

0:33:070:33:09

the other dish. What's it called?

0:33:100:33:12

-The chocolate...

-The chocolate, orange chocolate.

0:33:120:33:15

And either way I'm quite happy.

0:33:160:33:18

I'm really enjoying them both.

0:33:180:33:21

This cream thing is just...divine. I'm trying to take small bites

0:33:210:33:25

so that I don't finish it, because it's just so nice. It's just lovely.

0:33:250:33:29

Something you would get in a top-class restaurant. It's fabulous.

0:33:290:33:33

This isn't called Instant Hotel, is it(?)

0:33:330:33:35

THEY ALL LAUGH

0:33:350:33:37

Going to show us to our rooms now?

0:33:390:33:41

Wow. Nicola's diners are so happy, they want to stay!

0:33:410:33:44

Her desserts are an unqualified hit.

0:33:440:33:47

It is lovely, actually...

0:33:470:33:49

Oh, you've got to beat that, Sasha.

0:33:490:33:51

Well done, me. Well done, me!

0:33:510:33:55

For her dessert, Sasha is first serving little Moroccan sweetmeats -

0:33:570:34:02

delicate pastries filled with nuts, flavoured with rose-water and honey.

0:34:020:34:07

And the centrepiece of the dessert course

0:34:100:34:13

is this spectacular traditional couscous seffa,

0:34:130:34:16

flavoured with cinnamon, raisins and roast almonds,

0:34:160:34:20

sprinkled with icing sugar and served with mint tea.

0:34:200:34:24

I have never seen this dish here in restaurants, and er...

0:34:260:34:31

it's very popular and very traditional.

0:34:310:34:34

And I hope it will go well.

0:34:340:34:36

I've never seen couscous used in a dessert.

0:34:360:34:39

So, Jeff - I want to go to Morocco now!

0:34:390:34:43

In keeping with all her dishes tonight,

0:34:430:34:45

Sasha prepared her couscous the old-fashioned way.

0:34:450:34:49

I'm going to steam it.

0:34:490:34:51

And while I'm steaming it, I'm going to stop and have a cup of tea.

0:34:510:34:55

The couscous needs steaming three times, to keep the grains separate

0:34:550:35:00

and give the dish a fluffy texture.

0:35:000:35:03

It's OK.

0:35:030:35:04

Then I will take it off now, reduce the heat and then put it in, er...

0:35:040:35:09

..in a dish, here.

0:35:100:35:13

A little bit of salt...

0:35:190:35:21

It's OK, because I'm going to put a little bit of

0:35:210:35:24

raisins in it, will make it sweeter,

0:35:240:35:26

so I won't do that.

0:35:260:35:28

The couscous in Morocco is really very popular, and they love it

0:35:290:35:32

because they have got a very sweet tooth as well. So it's always there.

0:35:320:35:36

It's just the couscous,

0:35:360:35:38

and then I've got the er...raisins,

0:35:380:35:43

and I'm going to put some butter, just to make it a little bit, er...

0:35:430:35:47

little bit of taste of butter.

0:35:470:35:49

And I'm going to put some sugar, a little bit of sugar,

0:35:490:35:52

and then I'm, er... I'm going to serve it.

0:35:520:35:55

Could be an acquired taste.

0:35:560:35:57

Sasha's also serving up a plate of Moroccan sweetmeats

0:35:570:36:01

made from scratch.

0:36:010:36:02

I love my desserts,

0:36:020:36:04

and I think it's very time-consuming to do this, all these things.

0:36:040:36:12

So I hope they can appreciate it.

0:36:120:36:14

Oh, I hope so too.

0:36:140:36:16

The final course of exotic Moroccan treats is served,

0:36:200:36:23

starting with the pastries.

0:36:230:36:26

OK... OK...

0:36:260:36:27

Who ordered the cakes?

0:36:280:36:30

THEY ALL LAUGH

0:36:300:36:31

Closely followed by the couscous seffa.

0:36:320:36:36

So I'm going to present it in this dish here,

0:36:360:36:39

and I've got some water inside to make it a little bit warm.

0:36:390:36:44

Keeping it warm?

0:36:440:36:45

Ooh, that's a good idea(!)

0:36:450:36:47

So far, Sasha's diners have loved

0:36:510:36:53

every one of her traditional courses,

0:36:530:36:55

but can the couscous dessert make it a hat trick?

0:36:550:36:59

-WOMAN:

-Oh, my goodness.

0:36:590:37:01

MAN: Sort of like rice pudding.

0:37:010:37:03

-WOMAN:

-Oh, I can smell them cakes.

0:37:060:37:08

-WOMAN:

-This has got, like, brown sugar in and everything.

0:37:180:37:21

It's quite dry.

0:37:290:37:31

-MAN:

-Mmm. I looked at it

0:37:310:37:33

and I was saying "It's going to need some cream."

0:37:330:37:36

There's a lot of wows for the cakes, but how has the couscous gone down?

0:37:380:37:43

A really nice flavour, it's very authentic,

0:37:430:37:46

but it's incredibly dry. I must admit I am struggling.

0:37:460:37:49

The mint tea's lovely and that kind of works well with it,

0:37:490:37:52

but the couscous itself I am struggling with a bit.

0:37:520:37:55

It's really quite dense and feels like quite a mouthful.

0:37:550:37:58

There's lots of good flavours in it,

0:37:580:38:00

but it's just a tad too dry for me, I think.

0:38:000:38:02

-Do you like it?

-Well, it is nice. It's really tasty.

0:38:020:38:06

I'm finding the couscous really dry. I'm struggling with it a little bit.

0:38:060:38:11

And it's really filling again,

0:38:110:38:12

and I'd just made room for pudding after a break

0:38:120:38:15

but a couple of mouthfuls in and I'm really full again.

0:38:150:38:18

So, maybe Sasha's couscous was one Moroccan dish too far.

0:38:180:38:23

But Nicola certainly salvaged her culinary reputation

0:38:230:38:26

with her desserts.

0:38:260:38:28

But now, it's time for the diners

0:38:280:38:31

to decide how much their evening's worth -

0:38:310:38:34

and remember, it's entirely up to them

0:38:340:38:36

how much or how little anyone pays.

0:38:360:38:39

Will it be enough for Nicola and Sasha to make a profit?

0:38:390:38:43

Nicola spent over £186

0:38:460:38:50

on her fine dining evening.

0:38:500:38:51

So, just to break even

0:38:510:38:53

the guests must leave nearly £19 each.

0:38:530:38:56

But what are her diners' verdicts?

0:38:570:39:00

It was a good filling meal.

0:39:000:39:02

I enjoyed the atmosphere, the company,

0:39:020:39:05

more than I enjoyed the meal to be honest.

0:39:050:39:07

I only really enjoyed the appetiser and the dessert.

0:39:070:39:11

The overall food was great, the quality of the food...

0:39:110:39:14

Bit bland in places, but the desserts sold it for me. I had two!

0:39:140:39:19

I enjoyed myself thoroughly. We also gave Joe a tip for his service.

0:39:190:39:24

Does that go toward the profit?

0:39:240:39:26

No, of course not, it's service.

0:39:260:39:29

-I think that SHOULD go toward the profit.

-Give the wine back.

0:39:290:39:32

Yeah, give me that...!

0:39:320:39:34

Sasha only spent £81 of her £200 budget,

0:39:360:39:40

so she'll go into profit if the guests leave more than £8 each.

0:39:400:39:43

And it certainly looked like

0:39:430:39:45

they enjoyed their evening.

0:39:450:39:47

I was really pleasantly surprised, I had a really great evening.

0:39:490:39:52

I had an amazing time. It was fantastic.

0:39:520:39:55

The service was amazing, the house was beautiful. Loved it.

0:39:550:39:58

The entertainment was good.

0:39:580:40:00

It was more than satisfactory. The food was good as well.

0:40:000:40:03

You've changed your mind!

0:40:030:40:05

Wow, guys. You both worked so hard,

0:40:090:40:14

but I think created amazing evenings.

0:40:140:40:16

Did you enjoy any of it, Nicola?

0:40:160:40:20

No, we really, really enjoyed it, but it was beyond exhausting.

0:40:200:40:24

-Really?

-Yeah. Rewarding, but exhausting.

0:40:240:40:27

What was the most rewarding moment?

0:40:270:40:30

The chocolate dessert. Everybody went mad about that.

0:40:300:40:33

Oh, and also three of the girls when they left asked me for a doggy bag,

0:40:330:40:38

because they couldn't actually manage the cake at the end

0:40:380:40:41

and they wanted to take it home.

0:40:410:40:43

There were some people that complained about the seasoning,

0:40:430:40:46

but you'd been on a non-seasoned diet.

0:40:460:40:48

Well, I was particularly careful about the seasoning,

0:40:480:40:51

because I had been on a diet and we weren't eating a lot of salt.

0:40:510:40:54

So I put a lot of seasoning into things, and...

0:40:540:40:58

I don't know, there were only I think one or two who complained about the seasoning.

0:40:580:41:03

How do you feel about the people that complained? Be honest.

0:41:030:41:07

It's their prerogative. It's their prerogative.

0:41:080:41:10

Customer's always right. ..You sound like a restaurateur to me already.

0:41:100:41:16

That's one thing I'm never going to be, Nadia, is a restaurateur.

0:41:160:41:20

-Really?

-Yes.

-Has it put paid to any ambitions?

0:41:200:41:24

Absolutely put paid to it, yes.

0:41:240:41:25

And the same with Jeff?

0:41:250:41:27

Er...well, he might be able to be persuaded,

0:41:270:41:29

but he'd want to train for a while in a commercial kitchen.

0:41:290:41:33

And how about you, Sasha, were you exhausted? You didn't look it.

0:41:330:41:36

I cook for ten people every day, or more.

0:41:360:41:39

For me it was...like another day.

0:41:390:41:42

-Really?

-Yes.

0:41:420:41:44

People really loved the food, and it was interesting watching it -

0:41:440:41:47

as the meal went on, they loved it more and more.

0:41:470:41:50

They didn't really know what to expect.

0:41:500:41:52

Well, this was the whole idea -

0:41:520:41:54

to have so many different dishes, to give them a whole taste

0:41:540:41:59

and then to try all the dishes.

0:41:590:42:02

I think they must have felt like they were IN Morocco.

0:42:020:42:05

Well...

0:42:050:42:07

Because they were eating Moroccan food

0:42:070:42:09

and they were sitting in a Moroccan area

0:42:090:42:11

so I think...it was, yeah, it was like they were in Morocco.

0:42:110:42:15

So would you do it again?

0:42:150:42:16

It was very difficult, but actually I managed.

0:42:160:42:19

They had so many things to choose from -

0:42:190:42:21

if they didn't like this one they would have this one.

0:42:210:42:24

They certainly had that. There was plenty of choice!

0:42:240:42:27

Yes, there was plenty of choice.

0:42:270:42:30

OK. Well, I'm sure you're dying to know whether you made a profit.

0:42:300:42:34

-Dying.

-OK.

0:42:340:42:35

So, Nicola. Now, you spent...

0:42:350:42:39

..£186.25.

0:42:400:42:43

Is that all?

0:42:430:42:44

And your total donations were £236.

0:42:440:42:49

-Really?

-Meaning a profit of £49.75.

0:42:490:42:51

Well, that surprises me.

0:42:510:42:53

Why? Why are you surprised?

0:42:530:42:55

-Because I didn't think we would have made a profit.

-Well, you did.

0:42:550:42:59

-That's yours.

-Thank you, Joseph!

0:42:590:43:01

-And Sasha...

-Yes.

0:43:010:43:03

You spent £80.50.

0:43:030:43:07

Your diners donated £250.

0:43:070:43:12

Which means you made a profit of £169.

0:43:120:43:15

-Are you pleased?

-Oh, my gosh. Yes.

-You really should be, guys.

0:43:170:43:21

-You did a great job.

-Thank you.

-Oh. That...

0:43:210:43:24

-That was actually...

-Well done!

-Oh, thank you.

0:43:240:43:27

Really? Oh, my God, yes.

0:43:270:43:29

She's speechless.

0:43:290:43:31

For once, yes!

0:43:310:43:32

Well done. Well done.

0:43:320:43:35

OK, that's all for today

0:43:350:43:37

and I'll see you next time on Instant Restaurant.

0:43:370:43:40

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:43:520:43:54

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0:43:540:43:57

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