Mayb just mayb a show in japan about chefs cant even compare to the center of culinary delights and mayb the Japanese were bias since the show is Japanese to the Japanese chefs....just saying its possible......i didnt taste the food so i have no right to say who won.....but i will say that french cuisine is where it all starts..
But for all of you who say bias......just to play devils advocate....how do you know that it was not bias the other way....ohhh....cause there Japanese iron chefs?.....France is the culinary center of the world...point blank....thats y all the best culinary schools teach french techniques....
I am french....and am a chef.......i will say by body language and the way the show went there is no way that PG won......and if there was a bias then shame on all of them......all i will say is none of us tasted the food...none of us but the judges.
I caught alot of petty nationalistic ideas flying around here. I'm frankly amazed at how closed minded and prejudiced all the judges were. The whole show was supposed to be this big uplifting event to promote Gagnaire..and good for him, (shrugs)..
This is why they need 3rd party objective judges. Not two French judges & two Japanese judges. To be fair though, even though I think the French judges were especially biased, Sakai did lean on asparagus & a variety of sauces instead of thinking of a variety of ways to present lobster. On the other hand, Pierre did admit he thought he would lose. He was messy & haphazard in his approach. I think they were both surprisingly imperfect. But it's all about the display of sportsmanship in the end.
@Daviysoh Look at the scoring difference, usually in the show the judges give one person 1-2 points higher than the other. The French judges did 5, which seals a win when it is a draw between 4 judges.
If it were fair, it would have been a tie breaker as 2 judges were in favour on both sides.
The French judges are clearly very biased (more than the Japanese ones). Whether they are the best cooks in the world has nothing to do with it. It's one thing to vote for their cook, it's another to be voting with that kind of score. I mean, some of the French's dishes have 0 presentation, unless straight out of the frying-pan counts. It would have been better if the judges don't see who prepare which dish, and judge blindly......
I believe the entire show was rigged to help the Frenchman's career. Too bad. They should use impartial judges from a third country, judges who specialize in food.
arghhh... im a fan of sakai and im surprised by the result but either way they did their best to come up with those dishes,and i think gagnaire need this win to fire him up to continue and bring back the energy in his restaurant.gagnaire is french sakai japanese gagnaire cooked his dishes with genuine french palate so the french judges based on that distinction in my opinion.
ehhhhh. i was really disappointed with how robuchon acted here. frankly, i wouldn't care if i saw "spring in his dishes" if it didn't taste good. i'm all for the complexity of preparation and presentation, but if the flavor isn't there, then what good is it?
i think there was a bit of patriotism here by the two frenchmen and even kishi. i wish they would have chosen other judges. not critics or chefs, just people with experienced taste buds. i'm sure the duke and duchess would have fit in well.
wow, after watching both battles, and lookin at the judging i think the japanese judges gave way too much respect. the the french none at all. 12 and 13 scores out of 20?? wtf.... should've been way closer.
...Someone mentioned that Robuchon kissed G's @sses. Please, Robuchon is a top chef not beneath Gagnaire, in fact now he's recognised as Chef of the Century! Who kisses the @ss? I did not taste it but think abt these factors. Note G was able to come up with 6 dishes. Even if one dish did not make it, he still has more dishes to score with. Sakai is disappointing as he shouldn't repeat ingredients in different courses. One can't showcase his ingenuity and skill this way.
Gagnaire is a Michelin starred chef so there is certainly a credibility to his skill. This is French cuisine - his forte, he would know his own country's cuisine slightly better than a Japanese chef doing French cuisine isn't it? Esp so when he is a top chef. At home turf he would also know where to get the best ingredients. Many factors geared him to win this battle. Judges unfair? Robuchon, Troibros and Gagnair all have restaurants in France - why should they side with a competitor?...
i think that Sakai let Pierre win because Sakai just made only 4 dishes and kind of simple, while Pierre really gave all of his effort to make complicated dishes....^^
Hey I definitly think there were some cheap digs @ Sakai from the french tasters and they marked the previous match similarly, I think they were biased
WHOA its pretty obvious i think by looking at the score that perhaps the dishes sakai made were not to their ...pallets...or wat they were used to or something xD
its ok tho, sakai beats um...that one french guy for the title of best chef in the world(following the king of iron chefs battles) so...GO SAKAI! BOKU NO ICHIBAN SUKI NA TETSUJIN DESU YO!!
Troisgros, Robuchon and Gagnaire are multiple 3 star chef. Robuchon has been named the greatest chef of the century by his peer in France. Gagnaire is viewed as a genius and Troisgros comes from an old family of great french chef.
Does anybody know what are the credentials of the two japanese critics here ? can they seriously be compared to Troisgros or Robuchon ?
Please Google a little bit before posting ignorant comment.
How were the French unsportsman? Pieree shook Sakai's hand, hugged him, and raised his arm. He was very humble and gracious. I don't see what you're saying at all.
And the aussies full of nothing. You don't even exist... As an aussie, you shouldn't even be allowed to comment a culinary TV program, based on the level of cooking in Australia. You may have great produce but zero for skills and creativity. The finest Australian dish? Beef barbecue... Keep going!!
I know that people don't like the disparity, but Robuchon and Troisgros as two of the most admired chefs in the world... Robuchon was actually generally considered the World's best for quite some time. The result saddened me, but who can say? I didn't eat it.
You're obviously joking... Very poor complexity of dishes and extremely redundant (i.e aspargus...). His execution was good enough and his dishes were surely good but Pierre is way better. Very complex dishes for a 1 hour prep and cooking time. Both chefs have French cooking styles and therefore, can be compared. Pierre still has 3 Michelin stars. Sakai? None... although he's working in Tokyo (city that has the most Michelin stars). That says it all.
come on, the french are mainly just a bunch of prisies, they refuse to even learn a few words of other languages in other countries they visit and now they just so happen to give such a HUGE gap of points to Sakai, even normal judges on the show dont give such huge gaps of points!
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hehe you have a problem yourself!!! why would you think the judges are unfair? thats your own mentality! maybe if you are the judge that what you'll going to do... what the helll !!! why the chef from india???? and ire land???? what haggis????? chicken tandoori???? hahaha
It all depends on the panel of judges and what their pallets are. If you pit a 3 star German chef vs a Spanish line order cook and have Spanish judges the line order cook will win..thats why I say the Iron Chefs records are not really accurate. If you take the Iron Chefs and pit them in battles vs chefs from India or Ireland with judges from those countries, the Iron Chefs would have a hard time winning 3 out of 10...
when I first watch Iron Chef, I was furious that Sakai lost by so much.
But now that I get to know Pierre gagnaire a lil more, and after having a chance to eat @ his restaurant, I can dare say he is one of the top 5 chefs in the world, without a doubt. His restaurant is also ranked 3rd best in the world in the latest restaurant review, behind El Boulli (unsurprisingly) and Fat Duck.
well...heres what I see, since sakai uses japanese tecniques with his cooking, it does not really work with the purist french judges, kinda like the whole kandagawa/morimoto grudge with japanese cooking. although, the judges being french doesnt help him either :)
When Pierre present his stew, a Jap judge saying it not working- then a French judge defend him by saying its well done consider time limit.
But when Sakai's dishes come out, they r like picking a bone in the fish saying its too hard or too soft etc etc. French ppl r proud ppl but this acts makes them likes fools.
No way... He's a competitor to them and they were not there to be easy on him and give him free publicity and credit. On top of that, these two chefs are real culinary monsters and reached the pinacle of cuisine. Therefore, their judgement on rating French cooking is far more objective than one actress and one Japanese critic (for Japanese cooking). Both chefs are cooking French and shouldn't be judged by people that don't have a clue about what French cooking is all about.
I agree. I found it irritating how the french tasters didn't critizise anything gagnaire did even with the questionable firmness of the lobster, yet they decided to pick on the fact that 'french people like softer asparagus' ?
Theres no question that both chefs are amazing, but like the guest French judges said, the French chefs are more in tune with their own countries palattes so probably appealed more to the French judges. And the same for the Japanese judges as well. You can see it in their scores.
they are all biases, japanese judges voted for the jap chef adn the french chef voted for the french, the same for the first battle, they should have judges that has no affinity for both chefs, and all judges should be former top chef
those french fucks, I think the presentation should be accounted for aswell, most of the french chefs dishes never came out of the pot until serving by the tasting table.
Pierre Gagnaire is definitely one of the best french chefs in the world...without a doubt!...and he really deserved to win in everyway you look at it. Even if the judges were blind-folded.
However, I do agree that the judges are biased....and understandably so....lets face it....if you see a white man making sushi....you wouldn;t reli pay ANY respect. You'd naturally try to find flaws.
I agree with you, but still doesn't make it right. No, I'm not some idealist out to change the world. Just think if it taste good and looks good, scores should be similar. Off to eat my pizza with corn and octopus. cheers
Ugh... WTF is up with those French judges. I can understand wanting to support the French chef, but give an honest freakin opinion. Don't just hand them the win and give unfair critism like that. What a bunch of a-holes.
Pierre Gagnaire is no doubt a good chef, but French judges were so biased..... i just can't believe how they gave such unfair marks like that.
And not be able to say things clearly is also a popular Japanese's weakness. they dont want to disappoint anyone by doing rude things. That results in similar marks (19 vs20 , 16 vs 17...etc).
No way... He's a competitor to them and they were not there to be easy on him and give him free publicity and credit. On top of that, these two chefs are real culinary monsters and reached the pinacle of cuisine. Therefore, their judgement on rating French cooking is far more objective than one actress and one Japanese critic (for Japanese cooking). Both chefs are cooking French and should be judged by people that don't have a clue about what French cooking is all about.
Of course not only the French are qualified to judge French cuisine. Any food critic or chef with French cuisine backgrounds are qualified, regardless of their nationality. For instance, Marco-Pierre White or Gordon Ramsay could have been relevant judges because of their backgrounds. Their palets are well-educated for this type of cooking.
A great design cuisine should be recognize to everyone because it should be judge instinctively, not by mathematical or calculation. So i think an honest judge is all we need to qualified.
For example: I never is a good music learner, i can't play any instruments but still i know what music is my favorite & choose whose songs to buy because i judge instinctively. Shouldn't we taste like that too?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Sakai deserves to win!! It's damn obvious that the scores given by the French judges were biased. Joel Robuchon might have 17 Michelin starts but it was just unfair considering the fact that the lobster dish was overcooked. But then, Sakai has nothing to lose whereas the win would mean a lot to Gagnaire and perhaps help him rebulid his reputation and restaurant.
how it "brings out his talent" without going into any specifics. That means they're just kissing his ass.---
The without going into any specifics....?? it tastes good to robuchon, and thats that. And i am sure he did go into specifics, but reemember for sake of editing...things have to be cut out.
the fact remains that chefs are better judges of food when it comes to the elevated cuisine both sakai and gagnaire make...as opposed to a food critic and some actress.(key word is elevated "haute" type of cuisine)
I find the ignorance quite shocking- i highly doubt joel robuchon was being insincere and as many have suggest "covering up" mr Gagnair'e lobster dish. Differnt ingredients deserve diffent treatment and have differnt qualites,and in the case of Breton Lobster, it seems no differnt.
yes, we japanese consider that the score is biased a little, however, japanese DO NOT think it is unfair. since this is FRENCH dishes and taste of that is made for french people. japanese taster like japanese taste and that is true of french tasters. this is only a TV show. we respect for frech food cultrue. thanks
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Hitotubashidai-san:
Not all Japanese respect French food, you know. They are full of fat. Especially classical French dishes are nothing but high-fat artillery! So called "New Cuisine" among French dishes were started because of this fact and many French chefs were influenced by healthy Japanese dishes. Without the influence of Japanese food, French food would still stay in that timeworn greasy dishes and still producing those disgusting, oily frog-bellied people in France.
first of all thank you archo 89 for posting iron chef battles on youtube, it truly brings makes me crack a smile! :D In this battle, the tension created an innovative and exciting program. I was saddened that Saikai lost, but I get misty eyed when I see both chefs congratulate each other and holding each others arms up to aknowledge victory....I think that is a mark of sportsmanship that is absolutly admirable.
Gotta wonder how much people on here really know about cuisine, not to mention French tastes. Many French ingredients - Breton lobster, Bresse chicken, and others, are known for their firm flesh.
As far as the dishes go, Sakai's were amateurish. The fact that he used asparagus so many times hints at the fact he couldn't come up with anything original.
As for Gagnaire, he's one of the top chefs in the world PERIOD. His restaurant is top 3 in the world, and is known for his genius.
Yea the French judges were incredibly biased. Seriously ... they go on and on about an overcooked lobster dish, how it "brings out his talent" without going into any specifics. That means they're just kissing his ass.
Thses 2 French judges cannot be favorable to Sakai. It was in their country, the opponent was French chef in a downhill, and this was Japanese TV show. I don`t think that these
old and stubborn Frenchmen were enough open-minded to admit the superiority of Sakai`s dishes. Robuchon even made a pathetic excuse to cover up the over-cooking in Peirre`s dish! Even Pierre himself knew that the lobster was overcooked.
I don't know, they show have used judges from other countries. This was extremely bias from both sides. Blind tasting would be kinda better in which the chefs turn in dishes without the judges knowing.
Me to, I personaly saw it that the French tasters were all happy with the one guys stuff but would not say a good thing about Sakai's things, if you're going to do something like this it has to be fair and un biased, this is just a side thing, but they need to do more for a wider viriaty
More important than judge bias is the fact that the French chef knew exactly where to go for ingredients... this was his home turf. Sakai had to go off his experience from years ago. I think that was the difference. Sakai went to markets whereas Garnier went to the individual fishermen/merchants.
They are top cheft in the world. When you can be & are in this stage winning & losing not really the matter. The competing merely juz for entertaiment purposes.
damn it, this was just to boost pierre's confidence and status cause he can't do it by himself, and firm, that lobster was plain tough. Pierre has talent of course, he's a great chef but I found that how the judges praised his dishes fake and exagerated, Sakai using asparagus and sauces for all his dishes was odd... this looks like a total set up. But no matter what Iron Chef rules!
I know the french judges were biased and they made unfair judgments, BUT, I'm have to see the french chef win, after all, Sakai had nothing to lose. Pierre needed his pride back and some confidence, and this battle got that for him.
the whole point of this battle was to bring out pierre's inspiration all over again, wasn't it? that's why they didn't invite pierre over to japan or anywhere else for the competition, but brought iron chef over to france.
they knowingly entered french turf and braved this handicap to help a fellow master chef. i think sakai and the other iron chefs were happy to see him stand up proudly again. the man needed a confidence boost, he's a genius on the level of iron chefs afterall, best not waste
deserving to win or not, i was still outraged with those scores. but i do think that sakai did not do his best or he would have beat pierre. But still obviously it IS biased because they marked himWAY low low, and they WERE french chefs so duh. totally unfair. SAKAI I LOVE YOU ! pierre was kool to. but pooh pooh those french jugdes. biased bastards..
seriously.. i think they dun really like japanese chef do they? i am not a sakai fan.. but his dishes from wad i understand is quite good.. think that the judges might be a bit bias? or that sakai's style way of cooking dun suit them..
What I like most is that THIS Iron Chef MATTERS! The one in america...well who really does care who wins in that one? Not me. The french chef was happy he got some of his pride back, so you know it mattered to him.
At the time of this battle Gagniare had already earned 3 Michelin starts (which is a huge deal). Apparently, he had fallen on hard times then, but now his restaurant has been considered among the best in the world. So, maybe this win on Iron Chef helped him out.
Japanese don't think non-Japanese can cook as good Japanese food as Japanese and French don't think non-French can cook as good French food as French.
i tink pierre's dishes were more robust and more heavy, suited for the french palate.. whereas the japanese cooking was abit balanced .. so naturally i tink the japanese tasters will side the japanese side.. maybe it is the production crew that they wanted the french to win.. it will be more transparent if they could use different nationalities tasters to do the tasting..my opinion ( 1 japanese , 1 french , 1 italian , 1 chinese)..haha
Yeah, the French judges were able to pick apart very transparent dishes. But then, both of them could cook circles around me, unless it was a julienne'd potato battle.
it's easy to say that the judges were biased but really... what do fortune tellers actors and sports player really know about cooking? i'm not sure about the other guy but Joel Robuchon is 1 of the most distinguished cooks ever. and speaking of sakai's plates, they're actually really simple. 3 lobster asparagus combo dishes with uses of different sauce... and 1 soup. comparatively the challenger had some 6 of some very different plates with some really really top quality ingredients.
I have to agree with you too. I was wondering what he would do with a box of asparagus and was disappointed when he used them in 3 out of 4 dishes. It feels like he restrained his creativity.
It's also evident that there is a difference in French and Japanese tastes. The French judges wanted softer asparagus while the Japanese judges disliked firm lobster meat. This being a French cuisine battle, I think the French taste should take the front seat.
Note that Kishi is a culinary critic, so she is well qualifed. As for the sports players, no they aren't qualifed to professionally judge cooking, but I do believe that they represent the common folk's palates, as they do get treated to some good food now and then. Critics sometimes judge terribly tasting things very high indeed. I'd trust someone that's more closer to my class.
Yeah, I have to agree. Supposedly five points were supposed to be for creativity and Sakai's dishes seriously lacked in that department. They really were all just lobster + asparagus + sauce. Robuchon and Toisgros's scores make a lot of sense as a result. Much more sense than Kishi's 20.
Honestly, I think the two Japanese judges saw which way the criticism was going and voted for Sakai to try to help him save face. Frankly, he deserved to get his butt kicked in this one.
Have to agree with Taibak. Sakai is a great chef, and his dishes probably tasted great, but they were all very simple and similar compared to the great variety and creativity in Pierre's dishes. Spices from Iran and Guinea, lime leaves, pigeon meat, and 20 yr old oysters? All Sakai had was asparagus and lobster! The only thing about the scoring that surprised me was Kishi's 20 for Sakai :P
that was not a fair match and I think the French chefs judging had an agenda to help the French restaurant industry recover. But man, this really brought out that French haughtiness which everyone talks about. Look at those scores, that's just unfair.
so this whole thing was a bump for gagnaire? lame... not even a real episode
SpaceTestMonkey 1 week ago
worst part is that the french chef thought he did terrible.....imagine if he did good.
shaunsgirl7788 4 weeks ago
Mayb just mayb a show in japan about chefs cant even compare to the center of culinary delights and mayb the Japanese were bias since the show is Japanese to the Japanese chefs....just saying its possible......i didnt taste the food so i have no right to say who won.....but i will say that french cuisine is where it all starts..
shaunsgirl7788 4 weeks ago
@shaunsgirl7788 if u watch some of d matches b4 there alot of times that d japanese chefs losses
ivancasey13 2 weeks ago
But for all of you who say bias......just to play devils advocate....how do you know that it was not bias the other way....ohhh....cause there Japanese iron chefs?.....France is the culinary center of the world...point blank....thats y all the best culinary schools teach french techniques....
shaunsgirl7788 4 weeks ago
I am french....and am a chef.......i will say by body language and the way the show went there is no way that PG won......and if there was a bias then shame on all of them......all i will say is none of us tasted the food...none of us but the judges.
shaunsgirl7788 4 weeks ago
i didnt enjoy the show at all...i doubt that sakai really lost that battle...
Ashley00ardee 1 month ago
fuck those french judges!
ForwardIntent 1 month ago
i think pierre looked like a mad scientist... lol
kurttruk2011 3 months ago
I caught alot of petty nationalistic ideas flying around here. I'm frankly amazed at how closed minded and prejudiced all the judges were. The whole show was supposed to be this big uplifting event to promote Gagnaire..and good for him, (shrugs)..
ericberner 3 months ago
wow, french judges were a bit TOO BIASED on this one, way more compared to the previous judging. Come on, be a JUDGE.
drzero7 4 months ago 2
the french judges may as well have sucked gagnaire's dick
Pr4dat0r 5 months ago 2
This is why they need 3rd party objective judges. Not two French judges & two Japanese judges. To be fair though, even though I think the French judges were especially biased, Sakai did lean on asparagus & a variety of sauces instead of thinking of a variety of ways to present lobster. On the other hand, Pierre did admit he thought he would lose. He was messy & haphazard in his approach. I think they were both surprisingly imperfect. But it's all about the display of sportsmanship in the end.
WanderLink 5 months ago
Hahaha ! Iron Chef is so awesome ! Pierre Gagnaire is a true genius and look how he really is happy to have so much fun !
pastix51 6 months ago
All I have to say is if Chua Lam was judging this and Chen was in Sakai's place, Gagnaire would have had 19-20 points and Chen only 10 lol
Manic8anorexic 7 months ago
wow wtf wat a BIASED piece of fucken french bastards
xXFirzenXx 9 months ago 2
These judges looked quite fair to me.
Daviysoh 9 months ago
@Daviysoh Look at the scoring difference, usually in the show the judges give one person 1-2 points higher than the other. The French judges did 5, which seals a win when it is a draw between 4 judges.
If it were fair, it would have been a tie breaker as 2 judges were in favour on both sides.
FrostByte096 8 months ago
The verdict was so biased
Rockyhokky 9 months ago
坂井さん、アスパラばっか・・・(^^;
残念だったね。
フランス側は食材が豊富で美味しそう。
akinasukizakura 9 months ago
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akinasukizakura 9 months ago
The French judges are clearly very biased (more than the Japanese ones). Whether they are the best cooks in the world has nothing to do with it. It's one thing to vote for their cook, it's another to be voting with that kind of score. I mean, some of the French's dishes have 0 presentation, unless straight out of the frying-pan counts. It would have been better if the judges don't see who prepare which dish, and judge blindly......
achan1058 10 months ago
Did They Even Judge Presentation?
SmokeBojangles 10 months ago
Screw The French
SmokeBojangles 10 months ago
yeah dude i mean... i know u wanna give ur team..but see the respect the japanese judges shown with score on the other hand...
fucking frenchies..... no respect for other people
gurubhai01 1 year ago
I have yet to see a Japanese iron chef NOT use miso in at least one of their dishes.
InnuendoXP 1 year ago
Oh my GOD Kaga-san is so freaking fabulous, I want to be his butler.
Kneenibble 1 year ago
french people are lame
hong22 1 year ago
I believe the entire show was rigged to help the Frenchman's career. Too bad. They should use impartial judges from a third country, judges who specialize in food.
MolecularMoonlight 1 year ago 3
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ruam heeeev! sakai should've won>(
sweetchunks22 1 year ago
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sweetchunks22 1 year ago
those french judges were too biased... what a big gap of score
yukinos10 1 year ago 4
the french judges against the iron chef..
holyshit74 1 year ago 3
french judges were kind of tough. but sakai used asparagus in every dish i think or atleast 3 out of 4. That's reason enough not to give him the win.
jtothe100 1 year ago
the french judges are really biased. but i have to say Pierre needed the win more than Sakai
terrorhunter 1 year ago
No wonder the british hate french :p
Pfire1 1 year ago
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FRENCH JUDGES DO NOT SEEM TO BE VERY FAIR
Enigmatik691 1 year ago
arghhh... im a fan of sakai and im surprised by the result but either way they did their best to come up with those dishes,and i think gagnaire need this win to fire him up to continue and bring back the energy in his restaurant.gagnaire is french sakai japanese gagnaire cooked his dishes with genuine french palate so the french judges based on that distinction in my opinion.
unsunghero999 1 year ago
ehhhhh. i was really disappointed with how robuchon acted here. frankly, i wouldn't care if i saw "spring in his dishes" if it didn't taste good. i'm all for the complexity of preparation and presentation, but if the flavor isn't there, then what good is it?
i think there was a bit of patriotism here by the two frenchmen and even kishi. i wish they would have chosen other judges. not critics or chefs, just people with experienced taste buds. i'm sure the duke and duchess would have fit in well.
soberdecay 1 year ago
wow, after watching both battles, and lookin at the judging i think the japanese judges gave way too much respect. the the french none at all. 12 and 13 scores out of 20?? wtf.... should've been way closer.
swiffstep 1 year ago
even though end verdict unbalance this time
this is a interesting drama whch shows japanese powor of making creative contents.
uos91 1 year ago
...Someone mentioned that Robuchon kissed G's @sses. Please, Robuchon is a top chef not beneath Gagnaire, in fact now he's recognised as Chef of the Century! Who kisses the @ss? I did not taste it but think abt these factors. Note G was able to come up with 6 dishes. Even if one dish did not make it, he still has more dishes to score with. Sakai is disappointing as he shouldn't repeat ingredients in different courses. One can't showcase his ingenuity and skill this way.
nikandnana 1 year ago
Gagnaire is a Michelin starred chef so there is certainly a credibility to his skill. This is French cuisine - his forte, he would know his own country's cuisine slightly better than a Japanese chef doing French cuisine isn't it? Esp so when he is a top chef. At home turf he would also know where to get the best ingredients. Many factors geared him to win this battle. Judges unfair? Robuchon, Troibros and Gagnair all have restaurants in France - why should they side with a competitor?...
nikandnana 1 year ago
i think that Sakai let Pierre win because Sakai just made only 4 dishes and kind of simple, while Pierre really gave all of his effort to make complicated dishes....^^
hishura 1 year ago 2
it was really no contest
look at Gagnaire's dishes, two of the main courses have intricate side dishes more complex more components, more preparations, more executions.
doggieGZ 2 years ago
Hey I definitly think there were some cheap digs @ Sakai from the french tasters and they marked the previous match similarly, I think they were biased
samshotmail 2 years ago 11
i completely agree
UchihaSasuke1238 2 years ago
WHOA its pretty obvious i think by looking at the score that perhaps the dishes sakai made were not to their ...pallets...or wat they were used to or something xD
its ok tho, sakai beats um...that one french guy for the title of best chef in the world(following the king of iron chefs battles) so...GO SAKAI! BOKU NO ICHIBAN SUKI NA TETSUJIN DESU YO!!
chidoriookami 2 years ago
I am quite stunned by the comments I read.
Troisgros, Robuchon and Gagnaire are multiple 3 star chef. Robuchon has been named the greatest chef of the century by his peer in France. Gagnaire is viewed as a genius and Troisgros comes from an old family of great french chef.
Does anybody know what are the credentials of the two japanese critics here ? can they seriously be compared to Troisgros or Robuchon ?
Please Google a little bit before posting ignorant comment.
alexis0ashok 2 years ago 3
As an Australian watching this battle how unsport-menship can the french be...sham sham sham
cameronhuynh 2 years ago
@cameronhuynh
How were the French unsportsman? Pieree shook Sakai's hand, hugged him, and raised his arm. He was very humble and gracious. I don't see what you're saying at all.
piratebri 2 years ago
Cos he clearly know he lost...
cameronhuynh 2 years ago
As an Australian watch this battle..i thing the french are full of s**t
cameronhuynh 2 years ago
And the aussies full of nothing. You don't even exist... As an aussie, you shouldn't even be allowed to comment a culinary TV program, based on the level of cooking in Australia. You may have great produce but zero for skills and creativity. The finest Australian dish? Beef barbecue... Keep going!!
honesty49 1 year ago
I know that people don't like the disparity, but Robuchon and Troisgros as two of the most admired chefs in the world... Robuchon was actually generally considered the World's best for quite some time. The result saddened me, but who can say? I didn't eat it.
Akireta 2 years ago
as = are
Akireta 2 years ago
sakai should have won
AnimeFreak120689 2 years ago 5
You're obviously joking... Very poor complexity of dishes and extremely redundant (i.e aspargus...). His execution was good enough and his dishes were surely good but Pierre is way better. Very complex dishes for a 1 hour prep and cooking time. Both chefs have French cooking styles and therefore, can be compared. Pierre still has 3 Michelin stars. Sakai? None... although he's working in Tokyo (city that has the most Michelin stars). That says it all.
honesty49 1 year ago
come on, the french are mainly just a bunch of prisies, they refuse to even learn a few words of other languages in other countries they visit and now they just so happen to give such a HUGE gap of points to Sakai, even normal judges on the show dont give such huge gaps of points!
sam93man 2 years ago
"they refuse to even learn a few words of other languages in other countries they visit"
Same goes for japanese people.
And it is irrelevant to compare world-known chefs and judges to the actors and casual gourmets that note standard battles.
Lotfight 2 years ago 2
Those scores make France look bad, even if they did in the end win...
archangelxarchangelx 2 years ago 3
I would be really curious to see what the results would be if they had judges who didn't know whose dishes were whose before the tasting...
littlemsemily 2 years ago 3
Makes ya just love the French dont it?
stinky1128 2 years ago
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hehe you have a problem yourself!!! why would you think the judges are unfair? thats your own mentality! maybe if you are the judge that what you'll going to do... what the helll !!! why the chef from india???? and ire land???? what haggis????? chicken tandoori???? hahaha
bacolodfoodie143 3 years ago
It all depends on the panel of judges and what their pallets are. If you pit a 3 star German chef vs a Spanish line order cook and have Spanish judges the line order cook will win..thats why I say the Iron Chefs records are not really accurate. If you take the Iron Chefs and pit them in battles vs chefs from India or Ireland with judges from those countries, the Iron Chefs would have a hard time winning 3 out of 10...
patron40silver 3 years ago 2
when I first watch Iron Chef, I was furious that Sakai lost by so much.
But now that I get to know Pierre gagnaire a lil more, and after having a chance to eat @ his restaurant, I can dare say he is one of the top 5 chefs in the world, without a doubt. His restaurant is also ranked 3rd best in the world in the latest restaurant review, behind El Boulli (unsurprisingly) and Fat Duck.
624035008 3 years ago 2
well...heres what I see, since sakai uses japanese tecniques with his cooking, it does not really work with the purist french judges, kinda like the whole kandagawa/morimoto grudge with japanese cooking. although, the judges being french doesnt help him either :)
ThePieIsFalse 3 years ago
te French judges really is annoying man.
When Pierre present his stew, a Jap judge saying it not working- then a French judge defend him by saying its well done consider time limit.
But when Sakai's dishes come out, they r like picking a bone in the fish saying its too hard or too soft etc etc. French ppl r proud ppl but this acts makes them likes fools.
cinanglai 3 years ago 2
No way... He's a competitor to them and they were not there to be easy on him and give him free publicity and credit. On top of that, these two chefs are real culinary monsters and reached the pinacle of cuisine. Therefore, their judgement on rating French cooking is far more objective than one actress and one Japanese critic (for Japanese cooking). Both chefs are cooking French and shouldn't be judged by people that don't have a clue about what French cooking is all about.
honesty49 1 year ago
lol, french people will be french people.
pompous little bitches.
windowlicker1 3 years ago
I agree. I found it irritating how the french tasters didn't critizise anything gagnaire did even with the questionable firmness of the lobster, yet they decided to pick on the fact that 'french people like softer asparagus' ?
littlemsemily 2 years ago 5
... well, simply because it is actually the case. It is normal for them to rate the dishes according to their tastes.
Lotfight 2 years ago
Theres no question that both chefs are amazing, but like the guest French judges said, the French chefs are more in tune with their own countries palattes so probably appealed more to the French judges. And the same for the Japanese judges as well. You can see it in their scores.
x3islove 3 years ago
Regardless of who wins, Sakai and Gagnaire showed great sportsmanship at the end, that was the highlight for me ^_^
1001tears 3 years ago 18
they are all biases, japanese judges voted for the jap chef adn the french chef voted for the french, the same for the first battle, they should have judges that has no affinity for both chefs, and all judges should be former top chef
Buskola 3 years ago 2
@Buskola
I agree, they should have had top chefs from around the world except from the countries of France and Japan judging the food.
piratebri 2 years ago
@piratebri yeah, for once an american food critic should have been there lol alton brown? XDDD
chidoriookami 2 years ago
Strange how their tastes differ so much. It's a shame the Iron Chefs lost both battles, especially the second one. Great battle though.
000Six 3 years ago
this definitely made me think badly about french people. what a bunch of self-righteous assholes.
that was very unfair.
headofmush 3 years ago
those french fucks, I think the presentation should be accounted for aswell, most of the french chefs dishes never came out of the pot until serving by the tasting table.
RoZioNoiR 3 years ago
Pierre Gagnaire is definitely one of the best french chefs in the world...without a doubt!...and he really deserved to win in everyway you look at it. Even if the judges were blind-folded.
However, I do agree that the judges are biased....and understandably so....lets face it....if you see a white man making sushi....you wouldn;t reli pay ANY respect. You'd naturally try to find flaws.
624035008 3 years ago 5
I agree with you, but still doesn't make it right. No, I'm not some idealist out to change the world. Just think if it taste good and looks good, scores should be similar. Off to eat my pizza with corn and octopus. cheers
theothergreen 3 years ago
LOL Sakai @ 3:00
624035008 3 years ago 2
Wow, those damn scores.
I think they're just plain xenophobic.
iamlilyy 3 years ago
Ugh... WTF is up with those French judges. I can understand wanting to support the French chef, but give an honest freakin opinion. Don't just hand them the win and give unfair critism like that. What a bunch of a-holes.
shollia 3 years ago 5
Pierre Gagnaire is no doubt a good chef, but French judges were so biased..... i just can't believe how they gave such unfair marks like that.
And not be able to say things clearly is also a popular Japanese's weakness. they dont want to disappoint anyone by doing rude things. That results in similar marks (19 vs20 , 16 vs 17...etc).
jacky11oct 3 years ago 6
I agree. Even Pierre thought that he would not win. The French judges clearly did all thet could to assure he won
Nocturnalux 2 years ago 22
No way... He's a competitor to them and they were not there to be easy on him and give him free publicity and credit. On top of that, these two chefs are real culinary monsters and reached the pinacle of cuisine. Therefore, their judgement on rating French cooking is far more objective than one actress and one Japanese critic (for Japanese cooking). Both chefs are cooking French and should be judged by people that don't have a clue about what French cooking is all about.
honesty49 1 year ago
@honesty49
So who qualified to judge the cooking?
Is French the only nationality that's qualified to judge about French cuisine?
cinanglai 1 year ago
@cinanglai
Of course not only the French are qualified to judge French cuisine. Any food critic or chef with French cuisine backgrounds are qualified, regardless of their nationality. For instance, Marco-Pierre White or Gordon Ramsay could have been relevant judges because of their backgrounds. Their palets are well-educated for this type of cooking.
honesty49 1 year ago
@honesty49
A great design cuisine should be recognize to everyone because it should be judge instinctively, not by mathematical or calculation. So i think an honest judge is all we need to qualified.
For example: I never is a good music learner, i can't play any instruments but still i know what music is my favorite & choose whose songs to buy because i judge instinctively. Shouldn't we taste like that too?
cinanglai 1 year ago
shouldn't be judged by...
honesty49 1 year ago
*lol* yeah, i'd have to say the French judges were certainly more favorable to the French chefs, but, ah well. ^_^
goldslip 3 years ago
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Sakai deserves to win!! It's damn obvious that the scores given by the French judges were biased. Joel Robuchon might have 17 Michelin starts but it was just unfair considering the fact that the lobster dish was overcooked. But then, Sakai has nothing to lose whereas the win would mean a lot to Gagnaire and perhaps help him rebulid his reputation and restaurant.
griffinhearts 3 years ago 3
nooooo...sakai is the best...he is simple and untouchable...don't get me wrong i love french cooks as well but sakai is my idol...i just want to cry
ursuioana 3 years ago
the french judges defending the french guy....
" brings out his talent..." its an overcooked lobster!!!
sakai should have won, thats my opinion
sakai ur my idol!!
Ashevalen 3 years ago 2
how it "brings out his talent" without going into any specifics. That means they're just kissing his ass.---
The without going into any specifics....?? it tastes good to robuchon, and thats that. And i am sure he did go into specifics, but reemember for sake of editing...things have to be cut out.
acomment 3 years ago
the fact remains that chefs are better judges of food when it comes to the elevated cuisine both sakai and gagnaire make...as opposed to a food critic and some actress.(key word is elevated "haute" type of cuisine)
I find the ignorance quite shocking- i highly doubt joel robuchon was being insincere and as many have suggest "covering up" mr Gagnair'e lobster dish. Differnt ingredients deserve diffent treatment and have differnt qualites,and in the case of Breton Lobster, it seems no differnt.
acomment 3 years ago
i am japanese and i love the program.
yes, we japanese consider that the score is biased a little, however, japanese DO NOT think it is unfair. since this is FRENCH dishes and taste of that is made for french people. japanese taster like japanese taste and that is true of french tasters. this is only a TV show. we respect for frech food cultrue. thanks
hitotubashidai 3 years ago 6
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Hitotubashidai-san:
Not all Japanese respect French food, you know. They are full of fat. Especially classical French dishes are nothing but high-fat artillery! So called "New Cuisine" among French dishes were started because of this fact and many French chefs were influenced by healthy Japanese dishes. Without the influence of Japanese food, French food would still stay in that timeworn greasy dishes and still producing those disgusting, oily frog-bellied people in France.
bakaanikimachisu 3 years ago
nouvelle cuisine originates in Japanese food? Right, the same way Transformers are spawned by Godzilla
cloeda 3 years ago 2
Well isint it nice to have the whole of japan represented right here on youtube. ^^
Dularc 3 years ago
first of all thank you archo 89 for posting iron chef battles on youtube, it truly brings makes me crack a smile! :D In this battle, the tension created an innovative and exciting program. I was saddened that Saikai lost, but I get misty eyed when I see both chefs congratulate each other and holding each others arms up to aknowledge victory....I think that is a mark of sportsmanship that is absolutly admirable.
mystiquemorocco 3 years ago
watsup with all this shit talk? who gives a fuck if anyone is biased? just enjoy the cooking please, like how it was meant to be.
abukim 3 years ago
Gotta wonder how much people on here really know about cuisine, not to mention French tastes. Many French ingredients - Breton lobster, Bresse chicken, and others, are known for their firm flesh.
As far as the dishes go, Sakai's were amateurish. The fact that he used asparagus so many times hints at the fact he couldn't come up with anything original.
As for Gagnaire, he's one of the top chefs in the world PERIOD. His restaurant is top 3 in the world, and is known for his genius.
Mikeb85 3 years ago
Yea the French judges were incredibly biased. Seriously ... they go on and on about an overcooked lobster dish, how it "brings out his talent" without going into any specifics. That means they're just kissing his ass.
Chnamanjx 4 years ago
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moron the lobster is suspose to be like that DUMB ASS!
nineballmk2 3 years ago
Thses 2 French judges cannot be favorable to Sakai. It was in their country, the opponent was French chef in a downhill, and this was Japanese TV show. I don`t think that these
old and stubborn Frenchmen were enough open-minded to admit the superiority of Sakai`s dishes. Robuchon even made a pathetic excuse to cover up the over-cooking in Peirre`s dish! Even Pierre himself knew that the lobster was overcooked.
bakaanikimachisu 4 years ago 3
and of course u can say all this because you tasted it all.... lol
hardgayramen4ever 4 years ago
This result is like a math quiz. So boring.
justamusicliker 4 years ago
I don't know, they show have used judges from other countries. This was extremely bias from both sides. Blind tasting would be kinda better in which the chefs turn in dishes without the judges knowing.
tengfung2000 4 years ago 8
Me to, I personaly saw it that the French tasters were all happy with the one guys stuff but would not say a good thing about Sakai's things, if you're going to do something like this it has to be fair and un biased, this is just a side thing, but they need to do more for a wider viriaty
lupinswitch99 4 years ago 4
More important than judge bias is the fact that the French chef knew exactly where to go for ingredients... this was his home turf. Sakai had to go off his experience from years ago. I think that was the difference. Sakai went to markets whereas Garnier went to the individual fishermen/merchants.
headracerSB 4 years ago 2
They are top cheft in the world. When you can be & are in this stage winning & losing not really the matter. The competing merely juz for entertaiment purposes.
frankietee147 4 years ago 2
damn it, this was just to boost pierre's confidence and status cause he can't do it by himself, and firm, that lobster was plain tough. Pierre has talent of course, he's a great chef but I found that how the judges praised his dishes fake and exagerated, Sakai using asparagus and sauces for all his dishes was odd... this looks like a total set up. But no matter what Iron Chef rules!
9drac9 4 years ago
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bias judgment!the french judges are bastards!so unfair!
michoi363 4 years ago
Robuchon is very famous in japan.
He is the first person who introduced japanese ingredient into france.
dryokoi 4 years ago
Joel Robuchon is probably one of the ten best chefs in the world and completely qualified to make an accurate judgement about French cooking.
plumgreen 4 years ago
I think Pierre knew his lobster was overcooked but the French judge try to cover it.
no1asskiker 4 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
you just want the iron chef to win....
nineballmk2 3 years ago
I know the french judges were biased and they made unfair judgments, BUT, I'm have to see the french chef win, after all, Sakai had nothing to lose. Pierre needed his pride back and some confidence, and this battle got that for him.
xeryph 4 years ago
the whole point of this battle was to bring out pierre's inspiration all over again, wasn't it? that's why they didn't invite pierre over to japan or anywhere else for the competition, but brought iron chef over to france.
they knowingly entered french turf and braved this handicap to help a fellow master chef. i think sakai and the other iron chefs were happy to see him stand up proudly again. the man needed a confidence boost, he's a genius on the level of iron chefs afterall, best not waste
hypermegaman 4 years ago 2
japanese judges only give 1 point less to the loser but french judges gave 5-6 points less to the loser. i agree, it was unfair.
glennedwardgo 4 years ago 4
deserving to win or not, i was still outraged with those scores. but i do think that sakai did not do his best or he would have beat pierre. But still obviously it IS biased because they marked himWAY low low, and they WERE french chefs so duh. totally unfair. SAKAI I LOVE YOU ! pierre was kool to. but pooh pooh those french jugdes. biased bastards..
sleepingbeeyootee 4 years ago 5
Pierre's dishes were far more complex and Sakai having asparagus in everything was a bit odd. Pierre deserved to win.
Jimbo7676 4 years ago
seriously.. i think they dun really like japanese chef do they? i am not a sakai fan.. but his dishes from wad i understand is quite good.. think that the judges might be a bit bias? or that sakai's style way of cooking dun suit them..
kreign 4 years ago
I find it hilarious all the Japanophiles below are getting all riled up that the oh-so-infallible Japanese didn't win this one.
MrAnonymity 4 years ago
What I like most is that THIS Iron Chef MATTERS! The one in america...well who really does care who wins in that one? Not me. The french chef was happy he got some of his pride back, so you know it mattered to him.
oopopp 4 years ago
At the time of this battle Gagniare had already earned 3 Michelin starts (which is a huge deal). Apparently, he had fallen on hard times then, but now his restaurant has been considered among the best in the world. So, maybe this win on Iron Chef helped him out.
bardsinister 4 years ago
troisgros and robuchon are elitist pigs. those guys are like, in the klan, except for french guys.
thesupremeknowitall 4 years ago
yeah sakai didn't do it well but the french judges are still bias to judge them.. 18-13 and 18-12 OMG!!!
Wrekognyze52 4 years ago
was pierre crying?
redchakranaruto 4 years ago
lets face it...sakai didn't do to well. frenchie deserved the win.
bamyojdub 4 years ago
Japanese don't think non-Japanese can cook as good Japanese food as Japanese and French don't think non-French can cook as good French food as French.
plumgreen 4 years ago 2
Yeah...there's a huge difference between Japanese and French palattes. That's why foreign challengers usually don't do well against the Iron Chefs.
spellweaver16 4 years ago 2
i tink pierre's dishes were more robust and more heavy, suited for the french palate.. whereas the japanese cooking was abit balanced .. so naturally i tink the japanese tasters will side the japanese side.. maybe it is the production crew that they wanted the french to win.. it will be more transparent if they could use different nationalities tasters to do the tasting..my opinion ( 1 japanese , 1 french , 1 italian , 1 chinese)..haha
smallkuku 4 years ago 2
those scores were terrible. stupid french idiots
deesele 4 years ago
Yeah, the French judges were able to pick apart very transparent dishes. But then, both of them could cook circles around me, unless it was a julienne'd potato battle.
nitzwalsh86 4 years ago
it's easy to say that the judges were biased but really... what do fortune tellers actors and sports player really know about cooking? i'm not sure about the other guy but Joel Robuchon is 1 of the most distinguished cooks ever. and speaking of sakai's plates, they're actually really simple. 3 lobster asparagus combo dishes with uses of different sauce... and 1 soup. comparatively the challenger had some 6 of some very different plates with some really really top quality ingredients.
qtxkrngurl 4 years ago
Although I am a fan of Sakai, I totally agree with you. But, I still love Sakai!
mlsyang 4 years ago
I have to agree with you too. I was wondering what he would do with a box of asparagus and was disappointed when he used them in 3 out of 4 dishes. It feels like he restrained his creativity.
It's also evident that there is a difference in French and Japanese tastes. The French judges wanted softer asparagus while the Japanese judges disliked firm lobster meat. This being a French cuisine battle, I think the French taste should take the front seat.
elfendorf 4 years ago
Note that Kishi is a culinary critic, so she is well qualifed. As for the sports players, no they aren't qualifed to professionally judge cooking, but I do believe that they represent the common folk's palates, as they do get treated to some good food now and then. Critics sometimes judge terribly tasting things very high indeed. I'd trust someone that's more closer to my class.
kensei1984 4 years ago 2
Yeah, I have to agree. Supposedly five points were supposed to be for creativity and Sakai's dishes seriously lacked in that department. They really were all just lobster + asparagus + sauce. Robuchon and Toisgros's scores make a lot of sense as a result. Much more sense than Kishi's 20.
Honestly, I think the two Japanese judges saw which way the criticism was going and voted for Sakai to try to help him save face. Frankly, he deserved to get his butt kicked in this one.
Taibak 3 years ago 4
@Taibak
Have to agree with Taibak. Sakai is a great chef, and his dishes probably tasted great, but they were all very simple and similar compared to the great variety and creativity in Pierre's dishes. Spices from Iran and Guinea, lime leaves, pigeon meat, and 20 yr old oysters? All Sakai had was asparagus and lobster! The only thing about the scoring that surprised me was Kishi's 20 for Sakai :P
piratebri 2 years ago
Yeah the Japanese seemed more honest with the scoring.
kensei1984 4 years ago
that was not a fair match and I think the French chefs judging had an agenda to help the French restaurant industry recover. But man, this really brought out that French haughtiness which everyone talks about. Look at those scores, that's just unfair.
choyryu 4 years ago
Did you see the fat guy make excuses for the overcooked lobster? Geez.
kensei1984 4 years ago 2
the french judges they were harsh
aznfighter 4 years ago
dam.those 2 french judges judged so unfairly.
wingent15 4 years ago 2
First to comment! Thank you so much for posting it so fast. The 2nd battle was intense.
mlsyang 4 years ago