ICC Exclusives – Matsutake Battle (10/3/1997)

The challenger’s restaurant is often visited by Crown Prince Akihito, Princess Masako and Princess Kiko. He started his culinary training at the age of 15. He became a head chef at 24. The Chairman spent 1 million yen on the theme ingredient for these young chefs. (That’s a little over $12,000 now, about $8,200 back then.)

You can visit the challenger’s restaurant’s homepage here. (Unfortunately, there is not an English version of it.)

537sub – Matsutake Battle – Masahiko Kobe vs. Fujio Imai – 10/3/1997

This episode is in Japanese with English subtitles.

ICC Exclusives – Cucumber Battle (9/26/1997)

This challenger is the youngest ever to enter Kitchen Stadium. At the young age of 22, she already heads the kitchen of a bustling Chinese restaurant in Tokyo. She was only 7 when she began helping her father in the kitchen that she eventually took over. She feels that a chef’s job is more important than that of a doctor. Once again, Chen is called upon to take on a female challenger.

See how the challenger looks now (almost 15 years later) by visiting her homepage.

536sub – Cucumber Battle – Chen Kenichi vs. Miyuki Igarashi – 9/26/1997

This episode is in Japanese with English subtitles.

ICC Exclusives – Beef Cheek Battle (9/12/1997)

The challenger has declined many invitations from Chairman Kaga to do battle in Kitchen Stadium. He heads a French restaurant in Aoyama, Tokyo. He trained in top restaurants in France. It’s a French on French battle as Toshiyuki Nakajima takes on Iron Chef Sakai in Battle Beef Cheek.

To add to the tension, apparently Sakai’s restaurant is not far from the challenger’s. According to Google Maps, it’s about a 10 minute walk between restaurants. See for yourself here.  (This location of La Rochelle has closed as of 9/30/11, but this is where it was in 1997.)

For more information about the challenger’s restaurant, visit the website here.

535sub – Beef Cheek Battle – Hiroyuki Sakai vs. Toshiyuki Nakajima – 9/12/1997

This episode is in Japanese with English subtitles.

ICC Exclusives – 4 New Episodes

Three of these episodes have been available in their original airing Japanese language form for some time, but now I am able to add the English subtitled versions.

— 531 – Eggplant – Chen vs. Kawaguchi – The challenger is a Bhuddist monk who specializes in vegetarian dishes.

— 532 – Melon – Sakai vs. Androsoni – Another dessert battle for the undefeated Sakai. The challenger won a top dessert award in Italy as a young chef.

— 533 – Potato – Nakamura vs. Kojima – This battle is a comedy of errors. How bad was it? So bad that Chairman Kaga had to do something he had never done before.

— 534 – Shiroshita Flounder – Nakamura vs. Kojima – A rematch between the combatants from episode 533.

Enjoy.

Happy Birthday, USA

Today is Independence Day in the United States. To help you celebrate the Red, White, and Blue, I have picked some battles with an American connection or with a red, white, or blue theme. Enjoy.

• 336 – Matsutake – Michiba vs. Noda – The first American-born challenger.
• 901 – 21st Century Battle – RED Snapper/Spiny Lobster – Sakai vs. Kandagawa and an All-American rematch featuring Morimoto and Bobby Flay.
• 607 – RED Snapper – Morimoto vs. Hirayama – The debut battle of the American-based Iron Chef Japanese Morimoto.
• 324 – BLUE Crab – Michba vs. Mingxing
• 627 – BLUE Crab – Kobe vs. Sakai
• 802a – New York Battle – Part 1 – The Iron Chefs tour New York.
• 802b – New York Battle – Rock Crab Battle – Morimoto vs. Flay – The first battle to take place in the United States.
• 802OA – Original Japanese version of the New York Battle – (Read this for a list of differences between the original version and the Food Network version.)
• 709OAa – Morimoto Retrospective – Iron Chef Michiba visits Morimoto in New York.
• Morimoto RAW – Special detailing the opening of Morimoto’s restaurant in Philadelphia.
• 636 – Lobster – Sakai vs. Siegel – The first American challenger to win in Kitchen Stadium
• 503 – European Rabbit – Sakai vs. Kennedy – The challenger is a British chef who heads a restaurant that was founded less than 30 years after the Revolutionary War with the colonies (1798).

Enjoy some Iron Chef. Fire up the grill. Watch some fireworks. Have a great holiday.

Keep your eyes open for a brand new post later today when I’ll be adding 4 new subtitled episodes.

ICC Exclusives – Iron Chef Summer Tag Team Battle (subtitled)

This episode has been available here for a while in it’s raw Japanese form, but now I am glad to give to you the subtitled version of this great episode. Enjoy.

Iron Chef Tag Team Battle – Watermelon – IC530sub