Cousins Dezi, 41 and Penny, 33 from Team Greece were crowned Plate of Origin champions winning $100,000 with a total judges’ score of 76/90 after a three-course meal showdown with Team Vietnam’s Thanh, 31 and Duncan, 30, shown on Seven and 7 Plus.
Dezi said: “We have represented the Australian Greek community and now we’ve just won Plate of Origin! It is mind-blowing. I’m so grateful, this is beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of.” When asked by Matt Preston if Greek cuisine was the best in the world Penny added: “Of course it is!”
With four teams starting the Grand Final cook, Team Greece and Team Vietnam made the final two after Vietnam’s Combination Broken Rice dish wowed the judges securing an instant spot. Team Cameroon was eliminated after their traditional stew included overcooked prawns. Greece’s Ekmek just topped Italy’s Tiramisu resulting in a three-course menu battle between Greece and Vietnam for the Grand Final title.
Team Greece secured an early lead with their entrée featuring perfectly cooked prawns, while Team Vietnam’s Rice Paper Rolls unravelled with undercooked Morton Bay Bug. Team Vietnam evened the score with a perfect main dish of Pork Belly with Bitter Melon Soup scoring 30/30 while Team Greece lost some points in the main by not resting their lamb after a stressful cook. Team Vietnam had to remake their pastry to avert dessert disaster, but the unbalanced and bitter dish saw Team Greece’s Galaktoboureko secure them the victory.
Team Vietnam were gracious in defeat with Duncan saying: “I just feel so proud to be able to represent the Vietnamese and the Aussie community.” Thanh added: “Our experience on Plate of Origin has been extraordinary, it reminded us that food is a universal language.”
| TEAM GREECE 76/90 | TEAM VIETNAM 72/60 |
| ENTRÉE
BBQ Prawns with Yiayia’s Pita Bread |
ENTRÉE
Morton Bay Bug Rice Paper Rolls |
| Matt: “For me that dish was absolutely perfect.”
Gary: “I really enjoyed that char and that marinade. Absolutely perfectly cooked prawns.” Manu: “Definitely a great dish, but to make it perfect, another pinch of salt on those prawns.” Scores: Matt 10// Manu 9// Gary 9 |
Matt: “If you call it a Morton Bag Bug roll, the Morton Bay Bug has to be the star. I just felt I lost it with all those other big flavours.”
Gary: “The freshness and the thoughtfulness in that dipping sauce was delicious, but unfortunately my bug was undercooked.” Manu: “So was mine unfortunately, but the balance of ingredients you put in with the roll was perfect.” Scores: Matt 8 // Manu 8 // Gary 8 |
| MAIN
Lamb with Lemon Potatoes and Greek Salad |
MAIN
Pork Belly with Bitter Melon |
| Matt: “I absolutely love that Greek salad. Those flavours are unmistakably Greek, but the lamb would have been lovely if it had been rested more.”
Gary: “The lamb was perfectly cooked, but the thing I didn’t love were the potatoes.” Scores: Matt 8 // Manu 8 // Gary 8 |
Gary: “You bought a taste of your home into this kitchen and you absolutely nailed it. What I loved was that Bitter Melon soup, it’s just simple perfection.”
Manu: “It was absolutely perfect.” Matt: “That is pretty close to bring impeccable so congratulations.” Scores: Matt 10// Manu 10// Gary 10 |
| DESSERT
Galaktoboureko with Mastic Ice Cream |
DESSERT
Vietnamese Coffee Tart |
| Manu: “A few little faults, but I think it was a really, really delicious dish.”
Gary: “Filo pastry was lovely and crisp on the top; custard was beautifully smooth and tasty.” Scores: Matt 8// Manu 8// Gary 8 |
Manu: “The dessert was out of balance.”
Matt: “Despite the incredible effort you made to save the pastry, the flavour of your dessert was just too bitter.” Scores: Matt 6 // Manu 6// Gary 6 |