The owner of Bristol restaurant Woky Ko battled it out on BBC's Great British Menu this evening (February 15) though it wasn't all smooth sailing.
Larkin Cen, the director at the Asian-fusion restaurant in Wapping Warf, competed in the cooking show for a place in the next round and ultimately to get one of his dishes through to serve at the final banquet, which will celebrate the centenary of the BBC.
During the show the talented chef, who was representing Wales where he grew up, joked that if he made it all the way he "might even get a tattoo" to mark the achievement. But it was touch and go for Larkin as, even though he impressed with his bold flavours, technical issues cost him some precious time.
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He got off to a solid start, with judge Angela Hartnett selecting his canape as her favourite. Then he said that his starter, which was inspired by his favourite childhood cartoon Fireman Sam, was the "one I'm most nervous about" as he had struggled with time previously.
However, the tasting went well and even his competitors piled him with praise. When he returned to the kitchen Larkin told his fellow competitors that watching Angela taste his dish was "terrifying".
She later told him that his pork had been "delicious" but the connection to the brief needed more work. Great British Menu host Andi Oliver said it was "a dish I want to eat every single day" but suggested it could do with more refinement.
Larkin admitted he was "disappointed" with the score of seven he'd received, as he had hoped for an eight, but added that it made him even more determined to impress with his fish course. However, it was in fact an issue with his barbecue heating up which almost caused the Bristol chef to fail.
He was struggling to cook his fish as the clock ticked closer to plating up time, but luckily his competitor Nathan Davies graciously offered up his own barbecue as a means of helping, and Larkin hailed him a "lifesaver" for doing so.
Nathan's fish dish scored a 10 and was described by host Andi as "spectacular", and Larkin's also impressed with a score of eight after he managed to cook it through in time - but that alone wasn't quite enough to secure his spot in the next heat.
Of the four chefs competing, he tied in bottom place with chef Mark Threadgill, with only three of them allowed to proceed. It all came down to that winning canape, which swung the vote in his favour and he made it through to the next round.
After his tumultuous time in the kitchen, Larkin told the cameras at the end of the episode: "It's incredibly emotional, a massive rollercoaster, it's the most wonderful feeling to be able to go through."
His colleagues at Woky Ko were tweeting encouragement from the restaurant's account throughout, and said prior to the episode: "[Larkin] will be representing Wales tonight, but he's still doing #Bristol proud." Larkin himself tweeted this evening: "Thanks so much for all the love guys! See you same time tomorrow for the next ep...? #GreatBritishMenu."
Great British Menu continues tomorrow night (Wednesday, February 16) at 8pm on BBC Two and you can catch up on the episodes you've missed on BBC iPlayer here.
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