Grime on a plate may not sound very appetising but Kray hopes to translate urban music into a tongue-tingling starter called ‘Fire in the Booth’. Inspired by DJ Charlie Sloth, whose face stares out at diners from bespoke boards, it’s a refined take on the guilty pleasure of late night (or early morning) fast food. Kray tops garlic puree with veal sweetbreads in hot sauce, diced tuna belly, caviar and a generous flurry of grated truffle.
Matthew is not impressed with the miniscule portion, calling it a ‘small fire in a rather large booth’ and this week’s guest judge Ali Campbell of UB40 fame critiques the flavour as ‘more confusion than fusion’.
Sabrina’s starter ‘My Mixtape’ features ox cheek cappelletti in a broad bean and bone marrow sauce. On Wednesday, she battled to salvage enough meat from the burnt sauce of her pressure-cooked ox cheek but it left the pasta filling a little drier than intended. Mercifully the judging chamber is getting a moister (albeit minced) mouthful. Topped with mushroom fricassee, tarragon dressing and pangrattato, it’s finished with a sprinkling of red-veined sorrel cress and Parmesan. The judges overlook a delayed service and praise its rich flavour, though they agree the pasta is a little thick and chewy.
Kray’s fish course, ‘Disdain for Orthodoxy’, is a celebration of punk, complete with a Mohican-style fan of crunchy skate bones dusted with squid ink and vinegar powder. Mussel soup marbled with dill oil is topped with pan-fried ray and turbot, strands of pickled carrot, caviar and a black rice cracker. Silver-sprayed studs of pureed oyster flesh in a cocoa butter shell provide a truly anarchic garnish. Andi thinks the oyster stud is ‘quite unpleasant’ and Matthew is left alone in liking the dish.
Deprived of the opportunity last year to present her top-scoring fish course to the judges, Sabrina runs the risk of repeating herself and decides to do it all over again. Now renamed ‘Brimful of Asha’, her gamble paid off on Wednesday when Paul agreed it was a winner. Onto flaked rice and crab salad, she spoons a rich curry sauce and arranges pan-fried spiced turbot, crispy shallots and coriander cress. Matthew deems it to be ‘sensational’ and Oliver calls it ‘a perfect marriage of ingredients’.
Channelling Ozzy Osbourne (and all things deep purple), Kray presents a dish that yells for attention called ‘Shaaarrrronnn!’. Succulent slabs of seared wagyu rump languish on Stilton-topped black scones, served with purple potatoes, a red cabbage tuile and a sanguine sauce of beef and beetroot. Bat-headed bottles of hot sauce are a complementary condiment and Kray finally draws the compliments to match. ‘I really like this – the beef’s terrific’ admires Oliver, whilst Ali says ‘it’s a showstopper’.