My Kitchen Rules SA fired up this season on Sunday 4 September (18:00 on M-Net Channel 101) with a homecoming – as each of the contestant duos are once again able to host their Instant Restaurants in their own homes, across the country. Father- and son-in-law Eddie and Martin from Riebeek-West were drawn to start first and based their meal around fire, in their Instant Restaurant named Ignite, and picked up a score of 69/100 to set the bar for everyone else.

Their menu comprised a starter of fire-seared springbok carpaccio with smoked beetroot, horseradish aioli and wonton crisp; a main course of curry-infused grilled kingklip with beurre blanc, mushrooms and herb baked potato, and a dessert of cinnamon apple tarte Tatin with pistachio brittle ice cream.

Welcoming everyone to Riebeek-West with potent bone-dry martinis designed to get conversation flowing, Martin and Eddie had an instant false start as their ice cream went awry in the first few minutes, but they soon got back on track in time to send out their starters.

David felt the carpaccio was overcooked and the beetroot under-smoked, which meant the flavour balance was off. J’Something said that while their plating was impressive, the flavours were bland. When the contestants were invited to tuck in, Waven inhaled the portion but Mbali spurned most of it, declaring that she doesn’t eat cold or raw meat.

Rocked by the initial feedback, Martin and Eddie redoubled their efforts for the main course and were rewarded when David praised their balance of flavours and dubbed the fire-roasted dish "an incredible plate of food". J’Something said it was no average home-cooked meal and declared it "a phenomenal dish". Mbali – having admitted she doesn’t like fish – struggled with the kingklip and thought it was overcooked, though fellow cook Mark enjoyed it. 

J’Something felt their tarte Tatin worked really well and said he’d enjoyed it, while David enjoyed the beautiful smells of cinnamon and cooked apple, but struggled with the icy, hard ice cream. Jabu demolished her plate and was hoping for seconds, while Mark’s self-declared granny smith apple allergy was forgotten because the fruit was cooked.

When it came to scoring, the judges both rated their starters a 6/10, mains 8/10, and dessert 7/10 for a score of 42/60. Each contestant pair scored them a 7/10 – bar Jessica and Nicole with a 6/10 – for a total of 27/40, giving them a combined score of 69/100. 

My Kitchen Rules SA is produced by PictureTree and proudly sponsored by Nederburg. The series is available on DStv Premium on M-Net (Channel 101) every Sunday at 18:00 from 4 September, as well as live-streamed on the DStv App, and is also available on DStv Catch Up after broadcast. Join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, using #MKRSA.