“A Flavor I Can’t Calm Down From”: Yoon Nam-no’s “Meok-baet” Stir Over Kwon Seong-jun’s Shrimp Dish

A tense culinary showdown unfolded as a dish featuring expensive ingredients captured the cast members’ palates. The carefully assembled flavors prompted vivid reactions at the tasting table and heightened the suspense surrounding the competition.

“A flavor that hits my sujebi”: The layers of Kwon Seong-jun’s shrimp dish

Episode 89 of JTBC entertainment program “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator” revealed a dish prepared by chef Kwon Seong-jun. He ground the innards of bung-eo shrimp together with clams and used the mixture to fill the dish, placing those ingredients at the center of the preparation.

Kwon explained that the complete composition brought together a squash blossom, bung-eo shrimp, a jelly made from clam broth and Shine Muscat grapes. The shrimp innards and clams supplied the filling, while the clam-broth jelly was added on top in an effort to bring the different flavors into harmony. Each component therefore contributed a distinct taste or texture to the final plate.

The cast members responded in specific terms after tasting the dish. Chef Yoon Nam-no pointed to the savory richness of the shrimp innards, the soft texture of the squash blossom and the sweetness contributed by the Shine Muscat grapes. His comments reflected how the separate ingredients remained noticeable even as they came together in a single bite.

Yoon described a combination of sourness, sweetness, saltiness and umami, saying, “The sour taste, the sweet taste, the really salty taste and the umami just keep hitting my sujebi.” His unusually forceful phrasing conveyed how strongly the mixture of flavors struck him during the tasting.

He also drew attention to the crisp texture of the fried red-shrimp head, another element that demonstrated the dish’s level of completion. Still caught up in the experience, Yoon summed up his response by declaring, “It’s a flavor I can’t calm down from.”

Jeong Ho-young defeats Choi Hyeon-seong after a close contest

After the presentation of Kwon Seong-jun’s dish, the competition continued with a matchup between chefs Jeong Ho-young and Choi Hyeon-seong. Choi served vongole pasta and used a large amount of garlic to build its flavor.

The cast focused closely on the texture of the dish. One reaction described it by saying, “That sujebi-like texture keeps lingering on the teeth, all springy and bouncy.” The comment emphasized how persistently the pasta’s texture remained noticeable while it was being eaten.

With the final decision approaching, Kwon Seong-jun, whose refrigerator was featured, had to choose between Jeong Ho-young and Choi Hyeon-seong. Kwon ultimately selected Jeong as the winner, bringing the tightly contested matchup to a close.

Explaining the decisive factor, Kwon said, “I think he may have been ahead in the selection of ingredients.” His assessment suggested that the use of expensive shrimp influenced the result. With the victory, Jeong secured his ninth star.

Yoon Nam-no’s intense reaction and a preview of the next battles

During the tasting, Yoon Nam-no again characterized Kwon Seong-jun’s food as “a flavor I can’t calm down from,” delivering an animated response. The flow of the video placed particular emphasis on the moment as Yoon became deeply absorbed in the dish and its flavors.

As the competitive momentum continued, the program previewed an upcoming showdown between chefs Son Jong-won and Park Eun-young. Another contest between chef Sam Kim and writer Kim Poong was also scheduled, extending the tension into the battles still to come.