Your Food Critic is sorry to tell you that Week Thirteen failed to live up to its billing for a variety of technical reasons.
WILLIAM scored a walkover victory, as his opponent Bryan failed to make it to the starting line. Having learned the lesson that the Priority diners favour spice over subtlety, William delivered a superb chicken curry, redolent with vegetables and a rich, palate-searing sauce. A winner for sure, no matter what the competition.
GERLYNN and JOSEPH managed to both lose – an extraordinary result by any standard! But when Joseph called in sick, and Gerlynn failed to deliver her dish, the merciless judging panel had no choice but to award zero points to both, and record a loss for the pair of them.
The final match-up saw Kairavi take on Francis in place of Sharmini whose return from long-term convalescence was delayed by one day, denying us all the opportunity to be reminded of her considerable kitchen competence . Francis, ever the trouper, produced a chicken curry which might have met with more acclaim had William’s prime version of the dish not been on the table. As it was, Kairavi produced another outstanding vegetarian dish. This time it was Spicy Coconut Rice, a favourite of the Sultans of Hyderabad in ages past, featuring the South Indian flavour of freshly grated coconut, blended with the fresh spices typical of northern Indian cooking. An absolute delight and inevitably the winner.
No-one, by the way, earned the extra points available for recognizing the literary quote. Your Editor is certain that you, dear readers, know very well that the quote was from Lord Alconleigh, in Nancy Mitford’s delightful “The Pursuit of Love”, first published in 1945.
Kairavi’s Spicy Coconut Rice, a favourite of the Sultans of Hyderabad in ages past, featuring the South Indian flavour of freshly grated coconut, blended with the fresh spices typical of northern Indian cooking. An absolute delight and inevitably the winner.
Now, are you ready for the exciting news from Priority’s World of Haute Cuisine? We are thrilled to announce that from here on in, our competition format will change to a knock-out tournament!
Week Fourteen will see Nolan, Gerlynn, Joseph and Constance in a round-robin battle to produce one single finalist. And Week Fifteen will feature Kunalan, Kairavi, William and Angelia at each other’s throats to produce the other finalist.
It doesn’t take an Einstein to figure out that Week Sixteen will be the GRAND FINAL, a one-on-one, mano-a-mano, no-holds-barred contest to decide the Winner of the Great Priority Cook-Off 2012. Remember, the winner gets a certificate for dinner for two at one of Marina Bay’s finest restaurants, although more significant by far will be the bragging rights!
It’s nail-biting time, food fans; stay tuned for all the news from the semi-finals!!
