In Five Star Chef, talented up-and-coming chefs from around the world compete to get the chance to be head chef at a prestigious five-star hotel in London. The series is streaming on Netflix.

Story

Chef Michel Roux Jr. judges seven exceptional professional chefs with the help of Ravneet Gill and Mike Reid where the winner will become the next head chef at the Palm Court restaurant in London’s luxurious Langham Hotel.

The chefs are tasked with creating a concept that is unique and would fit right in with the fine dining experience of a five-star restaurant. Their technique, innovation, and performance under pressure are all put to the test in various challenges until only one chef remains.

They compete in team and individual challenges to prove that they have what it takes to helm one of the premier restaurants in London and serve the most exclusive clientele.

Positives

The level of skill and creativity on display in the series is fantastic. There is an impressive and varied slate of contestants plying their trade to win the competition.

The melodrama is kept to a minimum with honest criticism from the judges when required and only the tension that one would usually see in a real kitchen is captured here.

The episodes are easy to watch with a basic structure to each episode and the series is restricted to just six of them. The viewers what each episode is going to get with each offering.

Negatives

There’s always the question of reliability when it comes to concepts involving high society. Fine dining is all about extravagance and more from less which the average Joe most certainly cannot afford.

The first challenge quite literally asks the chefs to create the most expensive dish they can think of while it is certainly impressive, it threatens to alienate people from lower income brackets who can only aspire to try those dishes.

Verdict

Five Star Chef isn’t necessarily a unique take on reality cooking shows but that doesn’t mean it is any less engaging to watch. The setting must be taken with a pinch of salt though, as not everyone would be able to experience the dining experiences that are exhibited in the series.