MasterChef: The Professionals viewers swoon over two Michelin-starred chef Jeremy Chan left freezing after contestant ‘forgot’ octopus order
One of the world’s best chefs impressed viewers of MasterChef: The Professionals in a semi-final episode of the show – for the gentle way he treated the three contestants fighting for a place in the final.
British chef Jeremy Chan has two Michelin stars at London eatery Ikoyi, which also recently ranked in the top 50 restaurants in the world, and has put professional chefs Tom, Lauren and Charlie to the test in the latest episode of the show.
Chan’s restaurant, which charges up to £300 for its tasting menu dinners, is inspired by African cuisine and in episode 17 the contestants helped his kitchen serve up the 18-course lunch menu.
There was no sign of the fiery temperament chefs are known for, with fans praising Chan for treating the hopefuls with respect – even when disaster struck for Lauren.
While serving an octopus dish, the young chef forgot one portion and looked nervous when the restaurant owner added them up to reveal the mistake.
However, 36-year-old Chan was ice cold and simply asked for one of the octopuses to be cut in half to make a second portion.
Viewers were impressed by the calm approach of the two Michelin star chefs.
One wrote: ‘This guy, Jeremy, is a class man – Wareing and Galetti should have come along for a refresher course – in cooking and manners.’
Another added: ‘Yes, tonight’s show with Jeremy at Ikoyi’s was fantastic, he seems so sincere and sincere, it was really lovely to see as some professional chefs in the past have come across as shouty and aggressive.’
British chef Jeremy Chan, who has two Michelin stars at the restaurant he co-owns, Ikoyi, was praised by viewers for the calm way he helped send off the three semi-finalists Lauren (pictured), Tom and Charlie
Disaster struck at one point when Lauren miscounted how many octopuses were needed to serve, but fans praised Chef Chan for not losing his cool over the mistake
One viewer commented: ‘Chef Jeremy was so gentle and supportive – none of that shouting we’ve seen from previous chefs – candidates are more likely to do a better job.’
He received a call elsewhere ‘one of the most inspiring chefs with one of the most innovative restaurants I’ve ever seen on #MasterChefTheProfessionals.’
The second part of the show saw the trio of chefs hoping to lift the MasterChef Pro crown to the kitchen.
Chef Charlie watched intently as Chan showed him how to prepare a dessert dish from the 18-course menu
Three to two…Lauren, far left, was the last contestant to leave the MasterChef pro kitchen – while Charlie, centre, and Tom, right, won a place in the final
A disappointed Lauren became the final contestant to leave the competition after failing to impress with a pork belly main course and pineapple dessert
A hard-fought final cooking competition saw all three chefs criticized for their dishes, although Charlie’s main course of monkfish was enough to see him sail through to the final.
Tom faced the wrath of Marcus Wareing for serving a close-cropped guinea fowl breast, which the chef had decided to cut up to make it look neater on the plate.
However, it was a tearful Lauren who was ultimately shown the door after none of her dishes – a smoked Scottish bonnet pork belly followed by a charred pineapple dish with dark chocolate mousse – impressed Wareing or Galetti.
The remaining semi-finalists, James, Kasae and Tommy, will face similar challenges in the next episode as they battle for the final two final spots.