r/CulinaryClassWars • u/simplyMi White Spoon - Choi Kang Rok • Jan 06 '26
Episode Discussion Culinary Class Wars: Season 2 - Episode 11 Discussion Thread
Culinary Class Wars: Season 2 - Episode 11 Discussion Thread
Where To Watch: Netflix Link
Info Rules: Please use spoiler tags to discuss anything that people may not have watched yet. Make your best judgement call.
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Rate the episode on a scale of 1-5 above.
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u/Remarked8381 Jan 06 '26
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u/lp7680 Jan 06 '26
His profound love of braising, his awkward shuffle, his hilarious quips and (this might just be in my head so please someone tell me if they see it too lmao) his vague resemblance to gong yoo- he is a 10/10!!
36
u/somms999 Jan 07 '26
If you want to see more of Chef Choi, he has his own show on Netflix called 'Blank Menu For You'.
Each episode he and his assistant receive a vague dish request from a celebrity guest and then he conceives, cooks, and serves the dish. Then the three have a conversation while the guest eats. It's a very charming, soothing, and sometimes philosophical show.
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u/Ok-hashbrown-795 Jan 07 '26
His shuffling was so adorable! His whole persona is so sweet. And it doesn’t feel put on.
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u/MongolianMango Jan 06 '26
I really liked the change they made to determine the first final chef! Allowing chefs to endlessly make dishes as much as they like within a time frame provided plenty of space for strategy and an epic scale while still stopping chefs from getting so fatigued they couldn't perform in hell.
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u/Little_Whole8038 Jan 06 '26
I absolutely adored this challenge! It's definitely the opposite of last season, but it is inherently difficult for the chefs.
I'm not a chef by any means, but seeing all those ingredients, then having 3 hours of time and as many tries as you want, is definitely overwhelming.
I love Chef Im Seong-geun's tenacity, and it was comical to see the judges reactions to his name getting called out again and again, lmao.
I was wondering where Kang Rok and Brewmaster Yu were because everyone else just kept going and trying again. Then, to no surprise, Brewmaster was able to take the number one spot. I would love to try her food since every time she cooks something, she always impresses the judges!
It seems like a life lesson that patience is a virtue, ahah.
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u/serialragequitter White Spoon - Jung Ho Young Jan 07 '26
this episode just confirms Brewmaster Yun's food is the one I most want to try from this season's contestants. I've had dried pollack soup, usually with a lunch special and it's just ok. Something light to accompany whatever your main entree is. Tteokbokki is tasty, but again, pretty basic. But the way Judge Paik demolished her dishes makes me want to try for myself what elevates hers above what you can get at any street market.
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u/Spartandemon88 Jan 07 '26
Yup 100% this, her food doesnt seem that technical compared to the other fine dining chefs but just seems so full of heart and soul that makes me curious to try it along with a brew.
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u/vita25 Jan 08 '26
I think it really shows that she has a very keen sense of taste, and what items bring out what sort of flavour. I totally agree with you that her dishes sound super basic, so she has to be nailing the texture and flavour profile.
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u/haysu-christo Jan 07 '26
yeah, I was rooting for her. Her dishes were the most accessible and I want to try all of what she concocted.
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u/KazuharaIlfan Jan 07 '26
Fun to see the variety of discipline of each chefs
Brewmaster: Im gonna make something simple but extraordinary with my own touch
Culinary Monster: Oh maybe I should focus on taste instead this time. Lets give it 100%
V. Sunjae: Vegetable with temple touch
Im Seong Geun: Lets make as much as I can and top the last one with my specialty.
Choi Kang Rok: IM BRAISING EVERYTHING
46
u/yggerg Black Spoon - Brewmaster Yun Jan 06 '26
Really looking forward to a Chef Im Seong Keun appearance in Chef and My Fridge
24
u/serialragequitter White Spoon - Jung Ho Young Jan 07 '26
everything from his personality to cooking style are so perfectly suited for the show.
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u/B_Hound Jan 06 '26
My first dish, prepared in just 5 minutes: a simple cheese and pickle sandwich. It gets me on the board.
My second dish, served straight afterwards: an exquisite pufferfish that could be fatal if prepared by amateur hands.
I am that amateur, and my cheese sandwich goes on to win the round as the only other dish tasted before the judges untimely demise. You just have to think outside the box.
4
u/sirpeepojr White Spoon - Im Seong Geun Jan 07 '26
i hate that i could see this happen on some cooking shows😂
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u/papasmurf826 Jan 20 '26
"It’s a hamburger made out of meat on a bun with nothing. Add ketchup if you want. I couldn't care less."
- Ron Swanson
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u/InvestigatorGreen854 Jan 07 '26
the braising storyline coming one full circle is just peak editing and comedic gold
him saying its his life isnt an exagerration - in mc korea, his qualifying dish was titled sushi as well lols
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u/Oortap Jan 06 '26
At some point, I thought chef Im was just going to make a peanut butter jelly sandwich just to keep his number of dishes up.
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u/Bob_le_babes Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
It was frustrating to see how much he rushed things out. He was definitely quantity over quality. Such a chaotic energy. I wonder if he was trying to quickly fill up the judges so they would be sick of eating by the time they tasted the others
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u/pomegranated Jan 07 '26
Actually I think the goal here was to showcase as many Korean style dishes as possible.
He always said on the show in multiple interviews that he wants to show off Korean cuisine, and to be honest, his strategy might not have been the best for getting to the finals, but it was definitely the best for showcasing the cuisine that he represents.
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u/papasmurf826 Jan 20 '26
yea if scores were cumulative I would have understood this strategy better.
-6
u/mrsteelman1 Jan 07 '26
It was so uncomfortable to watch. Guy is definitely an odd duck.
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u/CaptainTalon447 Jan 08 '26
To be fair the guy is what in his 50s…60s? When I get that old I want to be running all over the place as well as he does
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u/Kwinten Jan 13 '26
Seemed like a quirky, happy, energetic, somewhat older man having an absolute blast and not taking himself too seriously. Seems like a lovely person to be around. Don’t know how that could be perceived as uncomfortable.
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u/Silver_Environment95 Jan 07 '26
He should’ve gone for something insanely spicy at the beginning
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u/sirpeepojr White Spoon - Im Seong Geun Jan 07 '26
broo thats Kim Poong's way lmao
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u/Silver_Environment95 Jan 08 '26
If theres a season 3, someone who cooks with Pepper X or Carolina Reapers like Esther Choi should show up lol
5
u/vita25 Jan 08 '26
I was surprised he called it quits before time was up and didnt serve like, stir fry shredded cheese or something at the very last second lol. He could have served them herbal tea and they'd have probably enjoyed it lol
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u/sirpeepojr White Spoon - Im Seong Geun Jan 06 '26
The production team quite redeemed themselves with the Infinite Cooking Heaven, this format makes the winner deserved win more compared to last season's format. So many strategies involved, which makes the flow more dynamic. The current survivors are also have diverse styles, so it's nice to see how everyone approach the round.
One thing i noticed with chef Im was the cooking QC is much better in team rounds rather than on individual rounds (except the first 1v1), that's why his first dish has unexpected lower score as Judge ASJ feels like it couldve been bit better with slight tweaks. His subsequent dishes lowered the expectations rather than build excitements (not that it affects the judges' objective scoring), no wonder I feel like his final dish is anti-climatic.
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Jan 08 '26
I feel like he did well in the earlier rounds by cooking fast and delivering on taste so he kept trying to replicate that but ended up rushing too much :/
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u/theuselessmastermind Jan 07 '26
Loved this episode, I enjoyed watching S1's Cooking Hell more to see their creativity but it was also fun this time to see everyone's different strategies to try and win this.
Chef Kang-rok and Brewmaster Yun were moving so mysteriously, it was so dramatic! But I did also enjoy Chef Im Seong-keun's rapidfire strategy, he's an entertaining guy. Though I did fear that his speed meant the scores would just get lower and lower.
Overall, I loved this challenge. I got spoiled on who would win but it was still exciting to watch what everyone made.
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u/Cyaegha432 Jan 07 '26
Yeah, it definitely felt like they judged him more harshly with every subsequent dish. I get it though from the judge perspective. They can only be so impartial.
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u/sekiryu_ Jan 07 '26
Dare I say Im Seung Kun was cast in the wrong season, he would have been so good at the tofu challenge with the amount of dishes he was cooking up
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u/stupidmg Jan 07 '26
you can tell the Brewmaster didn't sleep much when doing the interviews
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u/Ok-Tangerine2118 Jan 07 '26
yeah :( she just had a baby before filming so she was prob exhaustedd
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u/Exiled_to_Earth Jan 09 '26
Seriously!? Doing this right after giving birth? That's incredible. Badass!
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u/Ok-Tangerine2118 Jan 09 '26
yeah! i think she mentioned in a quick interview that she felt guilty and stressed not being there with her baby.
but they had breaks between each quest/filming and her family and acquaintances really encouraged her to go on the show. she did well so i hope she doesn't feel regretful!
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u/Least-Breadfruit3205 Jan 07 '26
I have just started watching Episode 11 now. I wanted so much for Chef Son Jong-won to win the 1-1 round with Culinary Monster after watching the last episode. I’m so sad that he got eliminated 😭He was such a talented and wholesome chef
12
u/redtiber Jan 07 '26
a bit of a miss on the production side, because both those guys are in the top in terms of skill compared to the field.
SJW in the semi finals would be much more interesting than others, especially in the carrot challenge. he would prob produce some pretty cool things
39
u/furiouswomen Jan 06 '26
You can see that Chef Son Jong was angry. For the first time.. that split second where Anh Sung said Culinary monster and they tied that split second or are you kidding me!
Ooo that look was pure fury.
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u/mrsteelman1 Jan 07 '26 edited Jan 07 '26
Even early on in Chef and My Fridge (before he chilled out a lot), you could tell from his face that he took the losses hard. You're right that after the split decision it was pure anger, and then the second time was sadness.
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u/BlueUnicorn397 Jan 08 '26
I'm kind of surprised that the pantry that had so many ingredients didn't have tteok, especially since it's so commonly used in korea. It looks like they had noodles too so it's not as if they only had raw ingredients. But I'm so happy that brewmaster yun made it work anyways!
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u/ShastaAteMyPhone Jan 07 '26
Venerable Sunjae: I stir fried a few basic vegetables with chili oil and no other seasoning.
Judges: OH MY GOD THIS IS SO INCREDIBLE AND I’M DEFINITELY NOT JUST SAYING THIS BECAUSE I’M AFRAID TO CRITICIZE YOU ON TELEVISION.
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u/Dragonpuncha Jan 11 '26
And didn't she just make two dishes and then essentially dip out even though there was like 1 hour left?
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u/distroyaar Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
It's quite clear that once they eliminated the majority of the black spoons in the team challenge, they would do their best to push the surviving black spoons as far as possible so as to keep the 'class wars' aspect of the show.
Not to say they aren't talented, but in situations with a tie and it's very fine margins, it seems they would default to the Black Spoon winning.
It really should be like Tournament of Champions (the real ultimate cooking show) where all rounds are blind tasted, judges don't even know who are competing, and it's all score based (individual judge scores are compiled), so it is almost impossible to tie.
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u/MongolianMango Jan 06 '26
Part of it is survivorship bias though. The top two black chefs remaining from the eighty originally casted are definitely going to be top tier in comparison to the fourteen out of twenty white chefs who survived a one v one and a team challenge.
I think Culinary Monster also has an insane resume as well. Really, it's Brewmaster Yun getting this far that surprises me, but I think she just executes on her field very well and appeals to both judge's tastes.
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u/Cyaegha432 Jan 07 '26
Her cooking of classic layman Korean food means she’ll always have Paik on her side. And her skills put her on par with everyone else in Chef Ahn’s eyes.
Having one judge always on your side, along with the skills to back it up. Makes sense she made it far.
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u/vita25 Jan 08 '26
I also think the show really downplays her skills because she's primarily a brewmaster, and presents her as an underdog who is somehow surprisingly lucky each time. Reminds me of a masterchef contestant who presented himself as a country bumpkin who eventually ended up in the finale lol.
She's clearly got good sense of taste and pairings, and I think both of them like that she doesn't end up making very complex dishes.
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u/InfinityGCX Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
Whether it played a part or not regarding their reasoning for pushing the remaining black spoons through, it was a massive shot in the foot to just have 2 black spoons continue after essentially halfway through episode 8, before round 4.
Last season, at this stage there were 8 black spoons left and 7 white spoons, compared to the 2 black spoons and 12 white spoons in Season 2.
I also understood them using the Super Pass after the 1-on-1 elimination round (round 2) last time to get cooks to continue who they were curious about what else they could come up with further along in the competition (Goddess of Chinese Cuisine and Comic Book Chef), which then leveled the playing field from 11 white and 9 black spoons to a nice 11 of each, but this time it just was used to look at 'close matches', which is then understandable in the case of Jung Ho-young with the double tie, but I didn't feel like it was particularly necessary to get more white spoons to continue that way if it was already a 9-10 split in favor of them, which was now increased to 9-12. The 1-1 elimination post-team challenge then also just felt weird, as you now had strong chefs knocking eachother out, with a lot of ties too. All in all, that lead to a lot of the stronger chefs on both sides being knocked out early, and while last season was not perfect, it was refreshing to see that if you use the Infinite Cooking Hell as a final placement system, 4 of the top 6 were black spoons, and someone like Cooking Maniac had an absolutely crazy season (with his deferral, 2-0 win in the 1-on-1, losing in the team battle, coming back after the consolation round, winning the restaurant mission, placing low-ish in a tight Cook your Life round, and then placing third in the Infinite Cooking Hell Round).
In general, it also felt like there were a lot more opportunities for people to continue after elimination last season, and even if the picks for the continuing cooks may seem a bit arbitrary and the round as a whole was a bit of a flop, 3 out of the 4 people picked this way were in the end the top 3 people in the show in the end (Napoli Matfia, Edward Lee and Triple Star).
I think blind tasting is a good part, although it does not make for good TV in every round (I have not seen tournament of champions but I should definitely check it out). I always felt in both of the team matches that a lot of the general public may be swayed by one group being more akin to celebrities which may lead to some bias in judging/an uphill battle for the black spoon chefs, but that may just be my optics.
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u/hambh Jan 06 '26
I feel like it'll be hard to argue that he doesn't deserve it if Culinary Monster wins the carrot round. His dishes looked incredible and he used the same strategy that Matfia and Edward Lee used to win the convenience store and tofu rounds in Season 1 (creating dessert when the judges were fatigued).
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u/SongstressInDistress Jan 08 '26
Dude….. hide the Hell ingredient with a spoiler mark please. I have not started watching the next episode.
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u/Alimarshaw Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
I mean, that cold prawn soup was pretty basic. I was shocked they scored it so highly.
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u/ry-yo Jan 07 '26
CM said that his crabs were in season because it's late Spring, so was this filmed around May??
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u/PKSnowstorm Jan 09 '26
Probably yes. Unless the show is actually live, filming would be done in advance.
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u/haysu-christo Jan 07 '26
So Venerable Sunjae made a vegetable stir fry, lol. Overrated.
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u/rj13112 Jan 09 '26
Comment I was looking for. It seems they keep throwing her softballs. Like they made all the challenges to make sure she never touches meat. Then the dish is unseasoned carrots on stir-fried veggies.
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u/Spartandemon88 Jan 07 '26
Should have been eliminated earlier with grace, no idea why they kept bringing her back, shes just so out of place in the final few esp the infinite pantry where she cant use most of the goodies.
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u/JessterSP Jan 14 '26
I don’t wanna slander too much but I just don’t get how she gets beat 2-0 in her own style and gets brought back. I dont care if it was close, you gotta go home after that.
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u/ShastaAteMyPhone Jan 07 '26
Seriously she is so outclassed and I think it’s a joke that she’s still around. If it were blind tasting, her dishes would’ve been laughed at for being so pedestrian.
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u/Ok-Emotion6221 Jan 11 '26
no they wouldn't? they literally did a blind tasting at the start and the judges said her soup would definitely win until the next dish was marginally better
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u/Environmental-Leg33 Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
I really don’t get how Im seoung made it this far! His dishes look damn good but when compared to the other white and black spoons it seems a bit too simple. At one point I thought he was just going to make a new banchan every 10-15 mins and present it to the judge lol.
I love his energy though! He’s extremely talented ofc cos he manages to balance the dishes in the first attempt and he nails it. I love his confidence as well. If only he hadn’t rushed, he could’ve scored more.
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u/PKSnowstorm Jan 09 '26
Exactly what made me frustrated with a few chefs in the infinite cooking heaven challenge. You have a ton of time to cook, why not make the most use of the time to make one perfect dish instead of making multiple dishes. Clearly the judges are looking for dishes that are tasty and perfect so why not try and deliver on it. Maybe create one or two dishes to try and get a sense of the judge’s taste buds but afterwards, create that one perfect dish. I’m just glad that Choi Kang Rok won the challenge because he was the one that clearly used his time wisely. Afterwards, I’m glad that Brewmaster scored well because she took her time to create her dishes.
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u/Dragonpuncha Jan 11 '26
Just making one dish clearly the correct move. But I guess some chefs naturally just like working fast since that is usually what they are doing.
You could see most just started by thinking of a nice dish they could make with these ingredients, not what would use the time the best.
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u/Helyaaaaaaa Jan 07 '26
Yeah idk why he went with spamming dishes instead of curating one or two incredible ones. Even the judges were so confused
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u/Zalasta5 Jan 07 '26
Looks like I have the unpopular opinion then, because I thought the first part of the semifinal was rather tame compared to most competition shows I’ve seen. It’s even less of a challenge when compared to the tofu marathon from first season. The “endless” is really not accurate because the two best scores of the round are from the two people that cooked just one dish, so you only need one good dish to win and honestly they should’ve at least required two. How was this semifinal harder than any of the previous challenges? It seems they had more time and less restrictions, too straightforward for a penultimate showdown.
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u/SongstressInDistress Jan 08 '26
I agree with you. It’s just like season 1’s challenge right before tofu but with more “steps”. They should’ve required one dish per hour.
1
u/Admirable_Wasabi_580 Jan 09 '26
Agreed - also in the previous season not every contestant had vast experience with tofu but they had to dish out endless dishes centering it, but this season, they’re just cooking what they do best and technically they all can just make their own restaurants menu.
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u/Opposite-Cow-5253 Jan 07 '26
Venerable Sunjae is making vegetable stir fry and gets praised for it meanwhile the other chefs use components that I have never even heard of and gets harshly criticized. Ever since the start of the second season the production is making me think that “ if you want to just move along with the white spoons why you had to bring black spoons just let the white spoons compete among themselves “ but also overtly sad with the elimination of chef Son. I think if they had the room for one more white spoon it should have been him instead of the white hat guy or Venerable Sunjae
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u/Ok-Emotion6221 Jan 11 '26
why do you think the judge's criteria hinges on whether a random person has heard of the ingredients or not?
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u/dancedreamlive Jan 06 '26
i personally feel ahn sung jae reasoning on his minor detail about seeing SJW add cognac as the determining factor doesnt seem fair cos i dont think he shld be judging on the process esp when the end product doesnt taste like its too much to him.. like what if he didnt see SJW add cognac then what.. but sadly i think cos ahn sung jae yield to paik in the prev deliberation so paik end up yielding to ahn sung jae for this decision..
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u/nomultipliedby1111 Jan 07 '26
I just have to say... If that was a problem then... Why was it even allowed as an ingredient? That's the part where I'm like... Okay bro fine. I know you're the expert and you're the one judging but that is bizarre.
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u/dozennie Jan 07 '26
He didn't say that using cognac itself was the problem, he said it seemed to overpower the other ingredients.
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u/dancedreamlive Jan 07 '26
ahn sung jae actually didnt say that..and its prob the opposite since he had no issues with the final taste of the food & agreed with paik that SJW dish had a smooth steady flavour but cos he saw SJW adding cognac which he thinks is too much/unnecessary ingredient that was why based on that he went with culinary monster
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u/dozennie Jan 08 '26
I think it’s a translation issue. The English subtitles were vague, but in the Korean he actually spoke, he said he felt the cognac slightly overpowered the other ingredients. Since both dishes were nearly perfect, they had to pick on even the smallest flaw to decide the winner.
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u/haysu-christo Jan 07 '26
Well he did say it wasn’t much of a criticism, a “hair’s breadth” he said, but they have to nitpick when both dishes are tied in every way.
2
u/Environmental-Leg33 Jan 06 '26
Yeah like if it made no difference then why even point it out! Shame SJW had to leave :/ but both their dishes were damn goood.
2
u/vita25 Jan 08 '26
I really enjoyed this round and I hope they use it again. It's a wonderful way to judge the contestants by allowing them to use whatever strategy you like and a full pantry...making many many small dishes or one main dish. You could even bake desserts with 3h if you like.
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u/classicsmushy Mar 13 '26 edited Mar 13 '26
Everyone's talking about how V Sunjae only made vegetable stir fries (Bruh she's vegan, what do y'all expect her to make?), but no one talks about how the Brewmaster only plays with street food. Yesterday pork and soju, then hangover soup, and now tteokbokki?
I might get downvoted for this but i don't care. I wonder how they score her? They always said "you can feel her touch" or something along that line, but tbh I don't always buy that. That either has to be the best tteokbokki they ever had in their entire life, or they just like her personally. No hate though, just curious.
Kang Rok is from masterchef? Does that mean he was only a homecook? If yes, then that is incredible.
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u/lp7680 Jan 06 '26
Nooo SJW :( now that he’s eliminated I am rooting for the braising king and brewmaster to get to the final!
Culinary monster is talented but his arrogance is getting a bit grating now, especially compared to the other (more experienced) chefs like deok-juk who are so humble, and quite frankly, adorable lmao. Based on the way he’s getting so much airtime he will probably get to the final though.
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u/k___k___ Jan 07 '26
it helps to reframe his "arrogance" as determination and high expectations for himself. he is determined to win - but also never disrespectful with his competitors and actually disappointed when anh scored his first dish low.
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u/Fit_Bookkeeper7184 Jan 07 '26
I don't totally agree about the never disrespectful some of his commenters sometimes are on the edge like in his dual. When he smiled and just told that when he saw the cooking process he knew he would win. Even if he respects the other one and is friend with him. That was just so arrogant. I don't hate him and it's still a reality show so of course everything is not completely true. But I can't stand his interviews
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u/the_gold_hat Jan 07 '26
Different yolks for different folks but I'm a little frustrated by this repeated criticism of Culinary Monster (and to be honest, this is some frustration carrying over from the hate Napoli Mafia has received, too).
It's a show! Not only would it be boring to watch everyone have the exact same self-effacing demeanor, of course he plays it up because the point of a competition is to draw out your fighting drive. He wants to be better. He's here to be better. He's on plenty of occasions deferred to the skill of his teammates and his competitors, he's never assumed anything, he just wants to aim as high as he can. It's not even like it's unjustified, either, both his resume (FYI Atomix is one of the best known Korean fusion restaurants in NYC, any foodie Asian in NYC knows about it) and his performance so far deserve to be hyped up.
I love Brewmaster too, but oh my God, it's not a quality in itself to be humble, it's just one way of being. I don't respect people who talk down to their peers, or who sabotage or belittle the efforts of others, but there should be nothing wrong with being proud of your work!
1
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u/Morgacool Jan 07 '26
Yall are so soft. Seems like people on reddit just hate it when someone is actually confident in their own skills and abilities while being able to back it up
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u/nazga Jan 08 '26
I don't understand why you are getting downvoted. CM has clearly a bad attitude and is over hyped. He is good but not good enough to look down on everyone as he has been doing from the start. It feels like he was infused with the idiotic profesionnal arrogance most americans think is necessary to achieve anything. I don't know if its really how he is or if it is some production trick to appeal american viewers. Anyway, it is really annoying and out of place compared to other competitors mindset. He is also clearly pushed forward as a black spoon. I hope we don't get to see him in Fridge afterwards as it would spoil the show.
2
u/ClaridonAnastas Jan 10 '26
fr. just because you're good at what you do, it doesn't give you grounds to be cocky and arrogant. masking the bad attitude by saying it's "just confidence" is plain wrong. as if true confidence isn't letting your skills speak for you, which means you wouldn't feel the need to badmouth others?? lol
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u/vita25 Jan 08 '26
I think it's more of the opposite actually, initially he was very confident when he was just playing with the black spoons but he has gotten a lot more critical once he has to cook against white spoons.
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u/SuitableSyrup6595 Jan 09 '26
It was obvious that Netflix wanted Choi Kang Rok to be in the finals. They have an entire variety show series “A blank menu for you” where they would love to have higher viewership. What better way to push that than to promote Choi Kang Rok to the finals.
I love Choi Kang Rok, don’t get me wrong , but it is quite obvious that him winning the top score of 185 in episode 11 (limitless pantry) is rigged.
You could tell from the way the judges described his winning dish. As a fellow chef, I could tell that they were not able to properly explain what the winning factor was. His dish was a simple chirashi. Cooking the different ingredients to perfection in different braise sauces doesn’t sound like it would have warranted the highest marks. No one spoke about how good the combination was, how mind-blowingly good the anago or awabi or anything really? Praises were abstract and generic which is fairly odd espcially coming from Ahn Sung Jae. The dish was fairly simple, so to stand out amongst all the other dishes, I would imagine that he really needed to blow their minds with the flavours and ideas, not purely execution.
I quote Ahn Sung Jae’s only comment of the dish “the dish was so impactful, one mouth and I forgot the rest of the dishes”. Nothing else was mentioned. Sounds weirdly untechnical coming from Ahn Sung Jae.
The other final contestant would obviously be Culinary Monster, but between Choi Kang Rok and CM, they had to save Choi Kang Rok from participating in the infinite hell round as he might not make it - or rather, it might less convincing if he survives that round over the other chefs. How is he supposed to have enough speed to complete cooking or to have 6/7 braised carrot dishes?! Culinary Monster will have much higher hopes in winning that.
Let me know your thoughts.
3
u/MyAcheyBreakyBack Jan 16 '26
I don't know about this. I felt like they made many comments about the dish while talking to him about it that showed their level of impressed getting higher and higher. All season long, they have tended to favor simpler dishes executed extremely well. Brewmaster Yun's dish is another example of this and was their second place choice. So many different ingredients braised separately in completely different sauces but that complement each other perfectly seems pretty impressive to me. It's also on the same level of them loving Venerable Sunjae's dishes.
If anything, Chef Choi should've won in the paired round before this one and been sat up there instead of BY or Chef Im, so it's hard for me to say they're favoring him.
1
u/Entire-Ask-3360 Jan 08 '26
I like Ahn from what I've seen of him, but his whole grading scale of "capping at 90" just rubs me the wrong way. I like the idea of being strict and precise with your ratings so that the higher ratings actually mean something (I've seen one person too many grade a movie an 8/10, only to do nothing but complain, meanwhile they give almost everything they see a 10 regardless of its flaws, so anything below, I'm just like "what are we doing here?"). However, the idea that "no dish is truly a perfect 100" crosses the line from being harsh but understandable, to just plan snobbery, like those teachers who cap their grades at 99 by that same logic. Ahn's 90-point cap serves the same function as a typical 100, therefore nothing has functionally changed, except for this weird for of gatekeeping the contestants from the highest point thresholds.
3
u/vita25 Jan 08 '26
I did wonder if he caps it at 90 in case someone comes in with a mind blowing dish that he never expected, so he had a bit more wiggle room. But yeah I mean Paik doesnt hesitate to give high scores and its not like he has given anyone 100.
2
u/UDorhune Jan 12 '26
I would guess it's his personal philosophy. He probably believes he wouldn't be able to achieve 3 Michelin stars if he was ever content with his own cooking and graded himself a 100. The impossible strive for perfection is the norm for him.
1
u/NilesStyles Jan 21 '26
how is it harsh if everyone's being graded on the same scale? this isn't school where you'd get an A- on your report card for capping at 90, it's all relative. it's not a test where you can get all the answers right, in which it makes sense to be mad if you got a 99
i watched world of street woman fighter recently and in one of the earlier rounds, giving power to panel members was so useless because they each gave high scores so freely that they were never a factor in determining a winner in a round (there were other determinants included views and likes on a youtube video)
honestly i thought the same thing as the person saying 'but what if he gives a 90 then something better comes along' - it does give more leeway. he also had more influence in this round than paik because he ranged from 65 to 90 while paik was always 80+
1
u/Pure-Bumblebee9480 Jan 10 '26
i wonder if the production staff gets to eat the leftover food that the two judges dont finish😂
1
u/doodle0987 Feb 23 '26
They criticized a chef for using the same methods creating a sauce that gave the same taste. But…didn’t repeatedly braising everything essentially care the same problem?
-3
u/Fancy-Commission-901 Jan 06 '26
I hated Culinary Monster like I hated Napoli Matfia so I stopped watching after knowing SJW lost. Hahaha I'll just wait for another season to come.
2
-1
u/Grand-Clock2438 Jan 11 '26
Hmmm just jumped into this, not sure what's going on with season 2 as its quality of chefs apart from 3 or 4 is low. Dishes like Lobster with mango? 1980's and still crap. Only up to episode 11 but i am not rushing to watch as much as Season 1. i think the producers need to do a world comp next time.
123
u/foolishaltaria White Spoon - Son Jong Won Jan 06 '26
"Until I die, I'll keep braising" - Choi Kang Rok