There are little mistakes from one side to the other, a montage that knows how to maintain suspense... But if you look closely, what is striking when seeing the third episode of “Top Chef” this Wednesday on M 6 is good that “it’s exciting”, as Christophe Aribert, two-star chef, notes. With Yoann Conte and Bruno Oger, also two stars, they are invited to compete against the candidates on broth dishes - avocado shrimp, onion soup and leek vinaigrette. One hour for the stars, half an hour more for the candidates.
By blind tasting, Éric Fréchon, MOF and three stars, no less! That is to say nine Michelin stars served on the set, plus the twenty represented by the six members of the jury, that is the constellation! With your head in the stars, it will be about keeping your feet on the ground and not flinching under pressure. On each dish, the team that does better scores a point. Two if the guest chef is beaten.
“Clotaire, it’s a journey, you have to follow it”
Clotaire, however, is not stressed and goes to the pantry as well as to the market. “But give him a little wicker basket,” quips Glenn Viel when he sees his candidate on the loose. " Go outside ! Go outside ! Oh shit, I went to the wrong show,” he laughs. Behind the scenes, Lise and Marie form the “clodettes of Cloclo” – “Clotaire, it’s a journey, you have to follow it,” says Lise – who brings the classic to Asian territory with raw food and broth.
A little messy, and too wise too, Arnaud takes a hint from Hélène Darroze. “That’s not square at all!” Do you know what that makes me think of? Dentures (…) Be careful not to give me something that is too CAP academic. (…) You tell me yes, but you don’t listen to me! ". Cropped, relaunched, a little liberated the little Belgian, but not enough to outclass his competitor to the taste of Fréchon who places Yoann Conte above the rest.
Also read “Top Chef”: 5 women, 27 years average age, 11 Michelin stars… Who are the candidates for season 15?
Christophe Aribert, for his part, focused on the leek. In front of him, Lise and Quentin. The second goes with a chartreuse and combines its leek greens with its vinaigrette after being pushed around a little by Stéphanie Le Quellec. “Are you rock’n’roll?” she scolds him. How old are you ? 24 years. So cook for someone who’s 24.” Glenn Viel tries to dissuade Lise from using this green in her hot and cold terrine. She doesn't want to spoil anything of the vegetable, he considers it fibrous, unpleasant...
“It’s going to be played out with green leeks”
“Éric Fréchon, he’s not going to like it,” he whispers. “Listen to the chef or listen to yourself… It’s a choice,” she remarks… “Quite honestly, I would have left it off the plate,” inevitably remarks Fréchon, who greets all the plates. “It’s going to be a leek, I swear you’re going to go do the dishes,” says Glenn Viel to his candidate. Quentin wins. Better still, it outranks Christophe Aribert who relied on tarragon and walnuts to spice up his leek. History does not say if Lise was diving…
Marie for the Grays, Pavel for the Oranges, then face Bruno Oger on the onion soup. “Maybe I need to take a little kick in the butt,” notes Pavel, who is going in all directions. “We'll give you some,” promises Dominique Crenn, who tries to slow him down in his overly fragmented destructuring of the classic. Opposite, “Petite Marie”, as Etchebest calls it with Cabrel in the lead, goes straight to the point and seduces Fréchon with its “excellent” broth.
“He’s going to have to get out of his comfort zone”
" A damper ? », asks Stéphane Rotenberg. “No, nothing to say, very large dish, a dish that I could put in my restaurant,” greets the three-starred chef. Pavel, for his part, is destabilizing, even if the combination of his preparations “is a marvel”. The point still goes to the Grays of Marie who fails to do better than Oger on this one. To choose between the two brigades tied, Fréchon has a weakness for the Grays. One of the Oranges therefore leaves as a last chance, the chefs choose Arnaud who has more to prove after the first test.
In front of him, Pol-Henri, the other Belgian in the competition and second selected as a lone candidate during the first episode, for a duel with crème brûlée. In this game, Arnaud ensures by wisely combining butternut and citrus fruits with dessert when Popol takes the risk of a crème brûlée lasagna with tomato and basil. It fails on the cream but succeeds in its visual. “On a trompe-l'oeil test, you fell in love with it,” Hélène Darroze whispers to him. As cruel as it is caressing as a remark. He joins the “Hidden Brigade” with Pierre Gagnaire. Arnaud passes by. “He’s going to have to get out of his comfort zone,” notes Darroze.