Japan Original Airdate: 4/22/1994
Episode: 25
The Challenger: Mario Nakagawa, owner/chef of Chez Mario and one of over 400 apprentices under the Gourmet Academy's very own Hiroyuki Sakai. He started under Sakai in 1979, chopping onions at first. He opened his own place at age 28, and heads the "third generation" of French cuisine in Japan.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef French II, Hiroyuki Sakai, nicknamed the "Delacroix of French Cuisine." Chronologically speaking, this is the first look we get at the new Iron Chef French...he seems a little intimidated by the challenge. If one isn't looking too closely, and if you ignore the color of the outfit, Ishinabe and Sakai kinda look alike...
The Battle:
Master and apprentice face off in the confrontation...and calling the action from the booth is, once again, actress Mayuko Takata.
"Lions are said to push their cubs into gorges," Kaga begins. "Today, the cub has climbed out of the gorge and is now showing his fangs to his master." Well, aren't we metaphoric today--he even goes so far as to call Nakagawa "the Prince of French Cuisine."
Nakagawa confidently strides into the stadium--you know, it's a little bizarre that a Japanese guy named Mario practices French cuisine, but that's just me...nevertheless, I don't know why they don't just have Sakai make a solo ascent, but in any event, the three Iron Chefs make their intimidating appearance...
"I know I don't have to do this, but it's a ritual here," Kaga says, before asking Nakagawa the eternal question: "Who will it be?" And--big surprise!--the challenger guns for his master, Iron Chef French, Hiroyuki Sakai!
"A former apprentice challenging his former master. But in contrast to his bold attempt, he looks very humble. This has given me inspiration. This man may look like a humble animal, but he is really a wolf inside." I'm not quite sure what Kaga's getting at exactly, but nevertheless, he rips off the veil and we find...LAMB!
And remember, "If lamb is not served at a dinner, you have been slighted." "The bones will tell you how to do it right."
1 hour on the clock, the first meeting in 13 years between the two men in the form of this match begins with Kaga's call of "ALLEZ CUISINE!" On the ingredient stand today: the ribs, loins, fillet, and legs. Apparently it's a delicacy in Europe, better than beef or pork, according to Hattori. He also adds: anything between 6-8 months old is lamb, anything over a year is mutton. So that's the difference...
Prep work begins on both sides after the ingredient-mongering is over, and Nakagawa's already slicing off the fat--a critical thing to look for, according to Hattori.
Sakai has the carré de agneau, or the ribs, on his board. He peppers those, and also begins to slice off the fat. He's also got foie gras on his side, according to Ohta...
The challenger is returning to his original job of slicing onions for a bit, while Sakai is making an obi peel on some...potatoes? Whatever the case, Sakai said he'd rather not have this battle at all...
"Well, you want your student to do well, but do you want him to show you up in front of a national audience?" Fukui quips. He has a point...and Nakagawa's thinly-sliced onions are headed for the oven. His wife, Yukie, is in the Royal Box with his two kids watching.
Sakai has the rack of ribs in the frying pan, and that later makes a trip to the oven as well. Nakagawa has crépine, or fat netting, on his board, and he's just salted what looked to be the loins (?)...they suspect he'll be wrapping that in the crépine.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Sakai's foie gras has hit the frying pan...and Sakai thinks lamb is an everyday ingredient for him, but is nervous simply because of who he's battling! "He ain't no lamb," Fukui says. And 15 minutes gone already!
Nakagawa is laying herbs down on the fat netting...but forget all of that! Sakai breaks out the Tetsujin Torch, and he's using it on some pieces of lamb. Hattori says it's to char the surface, and while he won't get the smoky flavor from, say, a charcoal grill, he'll get the same charred surface effect. And Fukui wants to switch chairs with Takata! She's showing him up!
Nakagawa is laying truffle bits on the lamb on the fat netting...and apparently, Sakai has some truffles on his side as well! Could we see another faux truffle battle like we saw with Ishinabe and Borie? Who knows...
(Iron Chef drinking game: drink every time either side uses truffles. I promise you'll be smashed by the end of the match.)
Speaking of Sakai, his foie gras is off the heat and onto the torched lamb pieces from earlier, to be cooked more later. And there are the truffles! It'd be called Rossini-style, if this were beef instead of lamb. Bamboo shoots finish it off, as he moves on to a spring roll sheet and places the whole combination inside--Hattori miscalls it while Fukui gets it, saying he needs to change the prescription on his glasses. And Fukui offers him his!
Nakagawa's crépine is on the frying pan, while Sakai is boiling--er, deep-frying, actually--vegetables. Nakagawa is also deep-frying potatoes...sound familiar? Seems like they're copying each other...oh look, Nakagawa's ALSO got foie gras!
Sakai is coating a rack of ribs with bamboo shoots with some greens--kinome, or Japanese pepper leaf buds--mixed in, with bread crumbs over that. A huge slab of lamb has hit the heat on Nakagawa's side, and 30 minutes are gone, just like that!
Nakagawa is playing possum with Ohta, apparently, coyly saying he's shooting for 2 or 3 dishes. And Sakai's deep-frying eggplants here.
Sakai says Nakagawa was a gutsy guy back in the day, and now he's facing an anxiety attack. And while he's talking, they're saying Sakai got an oil burn because...
EGGPLANT GO BOOM!And while Sakai turns some heads, Hattori says he should've made some cuts in it first...Takata's concerned that the cameraman got burned a bit in the explosion, while Sakai's eggplant? "Perfect," he says, even after it spontaneously exploded! "Still usable!"
15 more minutes go boom, and the challenger has olive oil and something else in a blender...Ohta reports it's basil, olive oil, and garlic inside. Sakai's been sneaking looks at Nakagawa, and he says Nakagawa will definitely have more than 3 dishes. And his spring roll wrap with the foie gras and truffles (gyoza fit for royalty, Fukui calls it) has hit the heat.
And--uh-oh, Nakagawa says he's in trouble, as clock mismanagement is beginning to do him in, and that he won't be able to finish some of his dishes...or is it a bluff? 10 minutes left, and Sakai's blender is in action, making a sauce of some kind. Takata calls a fond du veau, as he adds balsamic vinegar to that mixture.
Challenger's pressure cooker is open, and has burdock root, potatoes, and--you guessed it--more truffles! 5 minutes to go as the breadcrumb-crusted rack of lamb is already down, the French-style gyoza is about to come off the heat, and the challenger is sauteing foie gras with 4 minutes to go...they're worried he isn't going to finish on time!
Sakai's plating with 3 minutes to go, and Nakagawa is still looking lost as all heck...his assistants are plating that potato/burdock/truffle brew from earlier, and he's slicing the crépine wrap as Sakai is plating his "gyoza"...
1 minute left, and the potato/burdock/truffle brew gets lamb and some extra sauce ladled on. (So THAT'S where the onions went...)
Time is ticking down, it looks like Nakagawa will be okay in the end...Sakai is in cruise control as the last few seconds tick down...
"And THAT'S IT! The Lamb Battle is OVAH!"
Post-game remarks reveal Nakagawa is...well, how can we put this nicely...not feeling good about the battle. Asked how he did...
"Horrible. Just...horrible."
At least he tried hard, but he admits "Sakai-san's still the best."
Sakai's still not used to the time limit (and who can blame him, this is only his third battle), saying he could only do about 80% of what he wanted to do.
Challenger Nakagawa's 2 dishes:
--Lamb and Daikon Radish Salad
--Roast Lamb, Truffles Flavor
Iron Chef Sakai's 3 dishes:
--Sauteed Lamb, Served Cold
--Lamb, Foie Gras and Truffles Wrapped in Brik (the "royal gyoza")
--Roast Lamb, Pepper Leaf Bud Flavor (breaded rack of lamb)
On the panel today for the Lamb Battle are:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Culinary Critic Asako Kishi
Nakagawa's up first...says he didn't have anything to lose, and that Sakai was under more pressure today. Luckily for him, everyone seems to like his salad, saying they're surprised by the daikon.
His second dish is thicker, according to Kageyama. Takata says there's a raw smell to the lamb, and that the flavor lingers...might be a bad sign considering Kageyama agrees that it's a bit strong...at least Kishi called it a "bold choice"...
But uh-oh, Kageyama was expecting a dish with bones...
Sakai's up now...he's uncomfortable now, wait 'til he goes through this trial by fire...
His sauteed lamb, according to Takata, is mild, but she likes the combination of flavors. Kishi likes the doneness of the meat.
Kishi and Kageyama like the sauce of the brik wrap...I think Sakai hit a home run with that one.
"This dish reinforces that today's theme is lamb..." Takata says of Sakai's third dish. I can only hope that this comment was a result of the dubbing, and not a word-for-word translation of what she actually said...Takata is one of the less ditzy-acting female actress judges on the show, she's too good for a comment like that. And after her commentary during the battle as well...
Anyway. She likes the use of the bamboo shoots, but Kishi would prefer garlic...says it's too sophisticated. Whatever that means.
Think on that while the judges think on the scores.
Kaga likens Sakai's countenance after the battle to a parent, proud of how his son has grown and progressed.
"But this is a battlefield. We have to reach a cruel decision," he adds.
Well then, who takes it? The master or the apprentice?
"Tetsujin Sakai Hiroyuki!"
And once again, the Iron Chef takes it! Still the master after all, it appears...but no hard feelings on either side. Sakai definitely taught him well, but he still held him off.
My take: This was a case of "I fought the clock and the clock won." One can only imagine what Nakagawa would've done if he hadn't mismanaged his time. Then again, Sakai pretty much knocked one or two out of the park with the rack of lamb and the brik wrap. The oil burns from the exploding eggplant are a small price to pay for this notch in his belt.
Watch this episode at the Iron Chef Collection here.
15 more minutes go boom, and the challenger has olive oil and something else in a blender...Ohta reports it's basil, olive oil, and garlic inside. Sakai's been sneaking looks at Nakagawa, and he says Nakagawa will definitely have more than 3 dishes. And his spring roll wrap with the foie gras and truffles (gyoza fit for royalty, Fukui calls it) has hit the heat.
And--uh-oh, Nakagawa says he's in trouble, as clock mismanagement is beginning to do him in, and that he won't be able to finish some of his dishes...or is it a bluff? 10 minutes left, and Sakai's blender is in action, making a sauce of some kind. Takata calls a fond du veau, as he adds balsamic vinegar to that mixture.
Challenger's pressure cooker is open, and has burdock root, potatoes, and--you guessed it--more truffles! 5 minutes to go as the breadcrumb-crusted rack of lamb is already down, the French-style gyoza is about to come off the heat, and the challenger is sauteing foie gras with 4 minutes to go...they're worried he isn't going to finish on time!
Sakai's plating with 3 minutes to go, and Nakagawa is still looking lost as all heck...his assistants are plating that potato/burdock/truffle brew from earlier, and he's slicing the crépine wrap as Sakai is plating his "gyoza"...
1 minute left, and the potato/burdock/truffle brew gets lamb and some extra sauce ladled on. (So THAT'S where the onions went...)
Time is ticking down, it looks like Nakagawa will be okay in the end...Sakai is in cruise control as the last few seconds tick down...
"And THAT'S IT! The Lamb Battle is OVAH!"
Post-game remarks reveal Nakagawa is...well, how can we put this nicely...not feeling good about the battle. Asked how he did...
"Horrible. Just...horrible."
At least he tried hard, but he admits "Sakai-san's still the best."
Sakai's still not used to the time limit (and who can blame him, this is only his third battle), saying he could only do about 80% of what he wanted to do.
Challenger Nakagawa's 2 dishes:
--Lamb and Daikon Radish Salad
--Roast Lamb, Truffles Flavor
Iron Chef Sakai's 3 dishes:
--Sauteed Lamb, Served Cold
--Lamb, Foie Gras and Truffles Wrapped in Brik (the "royal gyoza")
--Roast Lamb, Pepper Leaf Bud Flavor (breaded rack of lamb)
On the panel today for the Lamb Battle are:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Culinary Critic Asako Kishi
Nakagawa's up first...says he didn't have anything to lose, and that Sakai was under more pressure today. Luckily for him, everyone seems to like his salad, saying they're surprised by the daikon.
His second dish is thicker, according to Kageyama. Takata says there's a raw smell to the lamb, and that the flavor lingers...might be a bad sign considering Kageyama agrees that it's a bit strong...at least Kishi called it a "bold choice"...
But uh-oh, Kageyama was expecting a dish with bones...
Sakai's up now...he's uncomfortable now, wait 'til he goes through this trial by fire...
His sauteed lamb, according to Takata, is mild, but she likes the combination of flavors. Kishi likes the doneness of the meat.
Kishi and Kageyama like the sauce of the brik wrap...I think Sakai hit a home run with that one.
"This dish reinforces that today's theme is lamb..." Takata says of Sakai's third dish. I can only hope that this comment was a result of the dubbing, and not a word-for-word translation of what she actually said...Takata is one of the less ditzy-acting female actress judges on the show, she's too good for a comment like that. And after her commentary during the battle as well...
Anyway. She likes the use of the bamboo shoots, but Kishi would prefer garlic...says it's too sophisticated. Whatever that means.
Think on that while the judges think on the scores.
Kaga likens Sakai's countenance after the battle to a parent, proud of how his son has grown and progressed.
"But this is a battlefield. We have to reach a cruel decision," he adds.
Well then, who takes it? The master or the apprentice?
"Tetsujin Sakai Hiroyuki!"
And once again, the Iron Chef takes it! Still the master after all, it appears...but no hard feelings on either side. Sakai definitely taught him well, but he still held him off.
My take: This was a case of "I fought the clock and the clock won." One can only imagine what Nakagawa would've done if he hadn't mismanaged his time. Then again, Sakai pretty much knocked one or two out of the park with the rack of lamb and the brik wrap. The oil burns from the exploding eggplant are a small price to pay for this notch in his belt.
Watch this episode at the Iron Chef Collection here.
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