MasterChef Australia Season 14 Episode 38 is titled ‘Japanese or Italian Restaurant Team Challenge’. The runtime is 49 minutes and it is a service challenge where the contestants are divided into teams to serve a set of clients. Winning the challenge gives them a shot at participating in the upcoming immunity challenge.
We see the contestants being welcomed by the judges to Hotel Fitzroy’s Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya and Cappo Sociale, spanning over two floors. The place serves both Italian and Japanese cuisine making it a perfect place for a restaurant battle. With Sarah winning immunity in the last challenge, she is the only one with the advantage to choose which cuisine she wants to cook. For the rest, it is the same old apron lottery out of the bag.
MasterChef Australia Season 14 Episode 38 Recap Contains Spoilers
Sarah chooses to cook Japanese cuisine and belongs to the red team. As for the rest, the lucky draw of aprons is soon over and we see the red team consisting of Sarah, Aldo, Alvin, Daniel, Mindy and Montana. The other team is the brown team which includes Julie, Tommy, Michael, Keyma and Billie. They are to prepare a three-course meal for whatever restaurant they are assigned to.
Because the red team has 6 cooks, they are going to serve a diner of 40 people and with 5 members in the brown team, they get to present their dish to 34 people in the diner. They are assigned two and a half hours until the entrees start leaving for service. The winning team in this challenge gets a chance to vie for the upcoming immunity challenge that will secure one of them a position in the top ten.
Tommy is the team captain for the brown team in the service challenge. They strategize their courses and pick a risotto for the entree, seafood for the main and semifreddo for the dessert. Montana takes the lead to be the team captain for the red team in the service challenge. They draft their plan to do a tuna dish for the entree and yuzu for dessert. However, the decision to cook for the main is split as Aldo wants to go something vegetarian and Daniel votes for meat.
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With the final minutes ticking away it is time for service soon. The red team’s entree comes in first. It is Tuna and Cucumber with Wasabi and Ponzu. The flavours are good but the portion/serving does not seem enough to kick off a three-course meal. The brown team’s entree is Seafood Acqua Pazza. The fish is undercooked, which sinks the dish.
For the main, the red team serves Glazed Beef with Mushrooms and Pickled Nashi. The dish is a savoury one and the judges really like it. Mushroom Risotto with Truffle comes from the brown team for the main course. It is a flavourful dish but, the rice is overcooked and surely, the judges think cooking the “death-dish” in the service challenge was not smart.
At last, desserts slide in. Team red serves Yuzu and Pineapple Cake with Yuzu Sorbet & Caramelized Pineapple. The dessert hits on point and is a strong finish from the team. The brown team presents a Pistachio Semifreddo with Chocolate and Beer Crisp for dessert. The dish is appreciated by the judges but, it isn’t cohesive enough to finish off the course.
MasterChef Australia Season 14 Episode 38: Which Team Wins?
It comes as no shock that it is team red that wins this challenge sending Montana, Mindy, Alvin, Aldo and Daniel to compete in the upcoming immunity challenge to fight for that all-elusive spot in the top ten at MasterChef Australia Season 14.
MasterChef Australia Season 14 Episode 38: Final Thoughts
It was a tough one, this service challenge. However, somewhere it feels like Tommy was not a strong leader to lead the brown team and Montana was just lucky enough that Tommy was bad. Given how Steph and Alvin beautifully put forward their ideas during the Lume challenge, this episode really fell short of that spirit and zeal for both teams.
You can watch MasterChef Australia Season 14 Episode 38 now on Disney+ Hotstar.
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