[AOKI] Zero points! [SATO] Zero points!
[AOKI] Zero points again?!
[SATO] Is zero the only score Natsume Sendawara knows?!
[AOKI] Maybe her machine's, like, broken or somethin'!
[SATO] Alice Nakiri's gothy servant-dude, huh?
What kind of food is this weirdo gonna make?
Apparently, he had some huge lines at the camp's 200-dish breakfast challenge.
[NATSUME] Ah, yes. That's the young man who was preparing lobster.
He acted like a different person when he was cooking earlier.
[KODA] Ohhh! The contrast of the fiery red of the lobster
against the bright yellow of the saffron rice is quite beautiful.
And it's been expertly treated so that the legs and the antennae pose no danger.
How thoughtful. This presentation has a grace and refinement to it.
It's difficult to find this outside of the fine dining experience.
Yeah. Several restaurants serve lobster curry within their repertoire.
A seafood curry is nothing special to write home about.
(Gasp)
Forest...
Deep forest...
What is this?
What is this aroma?
Whoa! That's the first time she's taken a second bite!
[SCHOOLGIRL] It must be pretty incredible!
[SCHOOLBOY] I know, right?!
(Slight moan)
(Opening Song)
[YUA] The A-Block Competition continues.
Ryo Kurokiba's lobster dish is currently being tasted.
(Moaning) Aaahhhh...
The sauce is americaine, but its origin is French.
It's rich with fish stock and butter, and it also has savory vegetables.
But the core of this deep, woody fragrance...
it actually seems to be coming from...
Cognac!
That's a top-quality brandy.
It's made in the region around the western French city of Cognac, correct?
Smells enticing!
Brandy is infused with the scent of wooden casks
when left to age creating this aroma.
That would explain why this curry dish...
has such a rich fragrance of cedar and sandalwood emitting from it.
You are correct in that.
However, I used a top-shelf Napoleon cognac.
This was to deepen the scent of the curry and bring out the pureness of the others flavors.
To think, the aroma of cognac could enhance curry so greatly!
This is the perfect accentuation to French lobster curry!
This is the first time the judges have reacted!
That guy's curry must be some kind of amazing!
[ALICE] It's been a while, Erina.
Let me introduce you. I have my very own aide now.
You have an aide?
I do! I found him in Northern Europe.
So he's like some kind of pet puppy?
No! Okay, be a good boy and speak.
Hey.
Well he must be skilled enough
for Alice to have put her trust in him.
Well, it's about time our dishes start to receive a proper judgment.
Yeah, okay.
But is that really it?
Seems like there should be more to the dish.
[NATSUME] Um, well, it wasn't a bad dish.
I may actually give it a score.
Your score will be-
Hmm...
Huh? Oh... Just a sec...
Oh, there it is...
Huh?
Not just yet!
It's still too soon for you to stop eatin'!
Um, was it really necessary to go through all that?
Well... What're these for?
It would seem that these are filled with cognac as well.
There's still a part of the dish you haven't enjoyed yet.
The tomalley nestled deep inside the lobster head!
You must take this dropper, put a couple of drops into the shell and then slurp it up.
That's the most satisfying way to eat this dish.
You want me to "slurp it"?
How could you even suggest we do something so vulgar?
At least serve it once you've split the shell.
Why are you holding back, my dear?
Excuse me?
I can tell by just looking at you.
I can see your true colors.
The truth is you want to scarf it down right now
in all of its dirty glory!
Once you've swallowed the tomalley with the cognac,
try stuffing your mouths with the roux and saffron rice again.
It'll be so sinfully delicious it'll make what you just ate look like nothing.
More delicious?
(Slurping)
The delicious seafood flavor explodes in your mouth,
blending with the rich, woody aroma!
So... sensual...
My consciousness...
It's flying away!
(Cosmic moans)
[YUA] Ryo Kurokiba scores 93 points!
[SCHOOLBOY 1] Awesome! [SCHOOLBOY 2] He totally just took the lead!
[SCHOOLGIRL] I don't believe it!
[SCHOOLBOY 3] 93 points?!
[SCHOOLBOY 1] I thought for sure
Akira would sweep A-Block!
[SCHOOLBOY 2] No joke!
He just came outta nowhere!
[SCHOOLBOY 1] This guy is one heck of a dark horse!
[SCHOOLBOY 3] This really shakes things up!
For as long as I can remember,
I have been endlessly driving toward this fate...
to fight on the Food War stage!
(Bar revelry)
This academy is a disappointment!
[SCHOOLGIRL] Can you believe that score?!
[SCHOOLBOY] How could someone just come in and jump that far ahead?
[RYO] Well, that's that.
They gave him a 93?
Heh! That was a grand surprise, wasn't it?
At his young age, 70 or 80 points
should've been the most he could have gotten in this competition.
Th-that completely blindsided me.
I never expected such an incredible dish!
I need to calm down.
Will, the, uh, next contestant please come forward now?
Ooh!
Wait, this is...
Go ahead and eat it up, everyone.
Allow me to present to you my curry dish...
Dongpo pork curry bowl!
Dongpo pork...
It's pork belly simmered in soy sauce
and other delectable ingredients.
Just look! The sultriness of this ravishing meat!
It's glistening with juices!
The pork belly has been cut so that it has three distinct layers,
alternating between lean meat and fatty meat.
What's most notable is the dish wobbles simply by tapping the bowl gently.
It takes an incredible sense of temperature control to achieve that!
In some regions this masterpiece is lovingly called "Three-layer meat."
(Sniff) We are now entering the realm of the senses.
My tongue is rejoicing before I've even taken a bite!
It looks like her dish has made a good impression on them.
Thatta way to take it to 'em, Meat-Meat!
That is awesome, Meat-Meat!
The meat has been cut into thick cubes,
and it has most certainly absorbed the umami of the soup!
I want to grab that meat and tear a big ol' bite into it!
I can't even imagine what it would taste like.
Uh! W-wait a moment...
I still haven't recovered from the shock of that lobster curry.
To have it followed up by a dish like this...
What's the matter?
Take yourself a great big bite of meat.
Taste the pleasure of the highest-quality pork around.
Mpphh!
MEAT!
AAAHHHH!
The moment you bite into it,
the pork's juices spill out like an untamed waterfall
of velvety smoothness!
The distinctive smell of pork belly skin
is masked by the aroma of the spices...
So that the tongue is hit by the sweetness of the fat and richness of the curry.
It's a mind-scrambler!
I parboiled the shank, pan-frying the surface to a savory finish.
Simmering it in soy and oyster sauce, Shaoshing rice wine and other flavors.
My aromatic spices were a blend of star anise, a little ginger, and Sichuan pepper.
But I don't get it.
The pork is cut so thick!
Why is it so easy to eat with a mere spoon?
I see! It's all in the rice!
The rice has been mixed with a little bit of rock salt,
and teng jiao you flavoring oil!
The numbing sensation and refreshing scent of ten jiao you
makes this oil set one's heart to racing!
It makes you crave the sweetness of the fat, which allows the cycle to continue.
This bowl dish has created a chain of vicious, delicious wickedness!
Um, okay guys, there are still other dishes needing to be judged,
so please eat in moderation, please.
I don't think so!
You want us to eat in moderation?!
Talk all you want, but there's no way I'm not finishing this!
Ikumi Mito... When she entered Tohtsuki,
she had a sense for meat-based cuisine far above ze others,
but her attention toward other ingredients was lacking.
However, her cooking has clearly evolved.
[KODA] The fat and the smoothness of the curry make a harmonious combination.
Aaahhh! Such a glorious sense of euphoria!
[MINATOZAKA] There's no better way of properly tasting this dish without a skin-on pork belly.
The destructive force of this dish is proof enough!
She's truly the Meat Master!
No, she's more than that...
Oh, meat!
She's The Meat General!
Thick juicy meat!
[YUA] Ikumi Mito scores 86 points!
[SCHOOLBOY 1] There it is! She's in the running!
[SCHOOLBOY 2] She went straight to 2nd place!
Damn it! I wasn't even able to get up to 90 points.
Meat-Meat! That looked SO amazing! You got me wanting to try it.
Well, you kinda gave me a helping hand with the idea for it.
Huh?
Rice bowls should be
a meal summarized in one bowl, right?
Haha! You really get it, huh?
[KANICHI] WAAAHHH! Meat-Meat, you're the meatiest!
Oh my gosh, thank goodness!
At least it's finally become more of a competition.
Let's keep things moving forward!
Next up is Ryoko Sakaki.
I hope you enjoy my dish...
This is everything I have to offer.
This one looks kinda normal compared to all the others.
It certainly doesn't have much impact compared to that last dish.
Alright this could either be an Indian dal or a bean curry.
It's very similar to Indian channa masala.
But why is it so thick?
Because it's natto!
Stickiness and umami intertwine on the tongue!
Has natto ever been this delectable?
It can't be... this is no normal natto.
Now don't tell me this is actually-
[RYOKO] It's natto that was finished on coals.
In other words, it's char-fired natto.
I kept charcoal burning in the basement,
preserving the optimal temperature and humidity.
Then I spread the natto spores over soybeans,
fermenting them over dozens of hours.
I nurtured it over the course of the entire summer vacation.
She used charcoal to slowly age the natto,
and by doing so, she made the flavor especially strong.
Because that doesn't kill the bacteria, it keeps natto's ammonia odor in check.
But that's not all! There's something else in there.
What is this umami that reverberates on the tongue like a deep bass?
I added soy sauce koji to help bring out more flavor.
Soy sauce koji?!
Soy sauce mixed with malted rice.
Then it's fermented at room temperature for weeks to make a flavoring agent.
Okay then.
So that black stuff she's been carrying around
is soy sauce koji!
And that sticky stuff was the natto!
Soy sauce koji's umami component, glutamic acid,
is more than ten times stronger than that of salt koji!
So zat's how she was able to increase ze flavor
without it being overpowered by ze strength of ze curry.
A splendid dish, one making use of the secrets of fermentation.
Thick Japanese-style curry...
It's so well suited to the stickiness of the natto!
The generous topping of diced green onions is exquisite as well!
It perfectly brings together the power of the soybeans.
I want to call this girl "Big Sis"...
No, I shall refer to her as, "Elder Sister"!
[STUDENTS and JUDGES] Soy! Soy! Soy! Soy!
[YUA] Ryoko Sakaki gets 86 points!
She is now tied with Ikumi Mito!
Way to stick it to the man, Ryoko!
You're moving up to 2nd place!
[SOMA] Hey, Ryoko, you make some pretty interesting stuff.
Let me have some of that next time!
Okay. Sure thing!
Things are heating up!
Who's up next?
Oh jeez, it's him?
[ZENJI] I guess most of the people at this venue don't expect much of me.
Come on, Zenji!
You GOT this! Do it to it!
Zenji... Good luck!
Time to get real. I'm about to stir things up a bit.
xt contestant is Zenji Marui!
Please present your- Uh!
It's white!
The roux, the ingredients, everything is white!
[KODA] These are udon noodles, and they're infused with cumin.
In other words, it's a curry udon done in your own unique style, correct?
Yes sir. It's a white pottage curry udon.
Interesting. It is quite a beautiful-looking dish to behold.
If Ryo's dish was a kaleidoscope of bright and shining colors,
that would make this a spring that has fallen silent.
Well, then...
[SCHOOLBOY 1] I bet it won't get a great score.
[SCHOOLBOY 2] That Zenji guy practically collapsed at the training camp.
Hm!
(Slurps and yummy grunts)
Um, hello there?
Would someone care to comment on the present dish at this time?
Uh, hello?
Hey! Please don't ignore me, you guys!
[SCHOOLBOY] Look! They totally can't stop eating it!
A soft poached egg,
creamy mashed potatoes, and melted cheese...
On top of all that decadent goodness,
sits a delicate roux in the style of a truly classic vichyssoise!
Yes. Vichyssoise soup:
It's a chilled pottage made mostly from potatoes, pureed leaks, and fresh cream.
It is said to have been created back in 1917 by a man named Louis Diat,
head chef at ze luxurious Ritz-Carlton hotel.
It looks quite creamy and heavy,
but the chopsticks are able to move through it
with such delicate ease.
That would be because of the supremely lightweight noodles
and coriander powder.
A mellowness reminiscent of citrus fruits and select spices that give it a hint of heat.
They're a perfect match for the cumin-infused noodles,
with each complementing each other!
Such unbelievable pleasure!
I used dill as a cornerstone ingredient to top the Vichyssoise.
I combined that with the dill's seeds and seedlings in a pan roast.
Creating an extremely aromatic soup.
How did you come up with something resembling modern tsukemen
based on the vichyssoise of over 100 years ago?!
This is a splendid dish!
Zenji!
Way to go, my homie!
Oh, Zenji!
Uh-huh. This is the greatest venue possible
for Zenji to show off his wonderful talent.
[MIYAZATO] Miyamoto Seminars researches and analyzes classic literature regarding fine dining.
Even though he's a freshman, Zenji could be considered an ace among my students.
[ZENJI] My cooking sense is nothing remarkable.
Also, I'm weaker than the average person.
That's exactly why I set out to acquire knowledge:
so that an average guy like me could devour the geniuses!
This is why we call our little Zenji:
the Great Professor of Taste!
[YUA] Zenji Marui gets 88 points!
He easily takes the 2nd-place spot!
(Cheering)
Way to go, Zenji!
Awesome, buddy!
Ahh!
Look Professor! Professor, please look!
Zenji's in 2nd place right now! (Giggles)
Yes, yes. I know Madoka.
And the high scores keep on coming.
We're on a roll! But can this momentum keep going?
Next up is Shun Ibusaki- Aahh!
Judging solely by the strong aroma...
this might be the most powerful dish yet!
[SHUN] This is my special smoked curry.
Please, take a bite.
[SATO] The toppings are smoked bacon,
smoked potato,
and smoked egg?!
You can't go around just smoking anything and everything!
I mean, come on!
But it smells delicious!
In the end, the theme is CURRY.
This reckless smoking seems like he's out to destroy the aroma of the spices.
(Smoky squeals)
The spices in play are: ground cinnamon, ground cumin,
cardamom-and-clove, mixed into a heady blend.
He also added apple bits that were slowly cooked over smoke chips.
I see! That's how he managed to elevate the flavor of the spices
instead of overpowering them!
Yes! These smoke chips are the optimal way
to make use of the coarse-ground spices.
Prior to them being smoked,
the spices were cured in a Saumur.
Giving a solid curry flavor.
Even from just the toppings, you'll experience a distinct taste.
Your choice of toppings are excellent.
The egg really locks in the umami flavor!
Being soft-boiled, the yolk is perfectly viscous and oozes out!
But wait, how was he able to do that?
All the ingredients have stayed perfectly aligned.
How did he get them to stay so cohesive without shifting?
Ahhh!
That's it! I get it now!
The salt that he added to the spices has also been regaled in smoke!
How does one go about smoking salt?!
But wouldn't that change the flavor of the curry in the dish?
[SHUN] By the way, rather than ordinary salt, I used seaweed salt.
Seaweed, which contains a lot of sodium,
is dried and then dissolved in water.
The top layer is scooped out and boiled to create salt.
That's what gives it such a rounded, mellow flavor.
He was able to harmonize the curry using smoked salt!
[KODA] A formidable young man.
He had an idea of showcasing the flavors smoking can produce,
and it was perfectly realized.
[MINATOZAKA] Though young, he is able to manipulate
smoking techniques with precision!
[MINATOZAKA] Young man, you are...
The Prince of Smoke!
[YUA] 88 points!
Shun Ibusaki is now tied for 2nd!
Wow, both of these guys are something else!
I've never seen a tie quite like this!
You've finally shown people your true colors, haven't you?
Oh yeah? Like you're the one to be pointing fingers.
You've been the secretive type since I've known you.
Maybe a little.
(Whimpering) [SCHOOLBOY] Ms. Natsume is starting to look
a little weak in the knees down there.
That's awesome!
Three of the top five finalists
are representing Kyosukei, dude!
Whoa... Wait, hold on a second.
Only four can move on to the finals, right?
But what about if the scores are tied?
If this order remains unchanged by the tournament's conclusion,
the five judges must cast run-off ballots to break the tie.
However...
Ah, ze judges are still holding back, eh?
[YUA] The next contestant is Akira Hayama!
(Cheers)
Don't worry, Soma, I made enough curry for you to try as well.
Oh! Well, what a coincidence.
I did the same.
So we'll taste and compare, then?
Let's do it.
(Ending Song)
[OWNER] Here you go. Thanks!
Huh? Um, this is not really what I was looking for-
Yeah, well it's yours, now get lost.
I'm busy over here, little girl.
[JUN] Huh? But... (Sniff)
That spice is only about 30% pure.
Huh?
It's mixed with an inferior product
with a weak aroma.
Look here, you little garbage boy...
You don't know what you're talking about alright-
Oh, I know alright.
I happen to have a very special sense of smell.
Are you Chinese?
No, you're Japanese, aren't you?
Huh?
This is no place for little kids
to come sight-seeing.
Um, well, I'm 26, so, uh...
Huh?!
Akira Hayama has been named a candidate to win this year's Selection!
Finally, it's his turn!
His dish would appear to be a fish-head curry.
It's a marvelous dish wherein the entire head is used in order to-
Huh?
What's this? What's happening?
This looks so small!
This isn't a fish-head curry at all.
This dough covering the ramekin, acting as a lid...
It's naan, isn't it?
Use your spoon and push the naan inside the ramekin while you eat.
It's still hot, so be careful.
(Swift explosion)
The aroma!
It's like an explosion!