Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma (食戟のソーマ)

T h e F

i f t h P l a t e

Seven

Totsuki Elite Ten First Seat Yukihira Soma

Noir Armed Dish Sarge

That is my Cluster Bomb Cake.

This is the Yukihira-Style Midsummer Christmas Cake!

Firework shells?!

That's a bûche de Noël, right?

Yeah. It's a cake that you eat during Christmas, made to look like a tree trunk.

But why add those firework shells that don't go with the look at all?

This is brilliantly made.

The design of the bark almost looks real.

Oh, you noticed, huh? I put a lot of work into that...

With this chainsaw-lookin' spoon.

This thing's perfect for making that bark pattern.

Oho... To think something so simple could make such a beautiful pattern.

The appearance isn't the only thing that's impressive.

All right, everyone...

Go on and have a taste!

Food Wars

The Second Plate

The Third Plate

The Fourth Plate

The Fifth Plate

Crossed Knives

So you've come, Joichiro.

Yup.

This is my son's big chance, sorta.

Yukihira Soma's fighting in the first round of this tournament,

but he's up against one of Noir's elites.

Do you think he stands a chance?

Of course not.

Soma's just the son of a guy who runs a puny diner.

Like he stands a chance against Noir.

At least...

Under normal circumstances.

Now, let the tasting begin!

Yes, indeed. Let us eat.

I have been served!

Absolutely delicious. So exquisite and soft.

A harmonious sweetness is blossoming within my mouth.

It reminds me of sparks flashing, then disappearing.

Such a smooth yet fleeting sweetness.

The key here is the Japanese yam.

Adding that to the batter gives you

a cake that's slightly thicker and sweeter.

And there are two kinds of creams.

I made both with banana, avocado, tofu, and soy milk,

Soy Milk

Soy Milk

then I added puffed rice to the white cream

and cocoa powder to the brown cream.

For the sweetener, I added rice syrup.

Rice syrup? Is that when they take the starch from rice and convert it into sugar?

Yup! It's a healthy sweetener that's been used for ages.

Spinny, spinny...

That means this cake didn't use any sugar or dairy products.

He managed to bring out the natural sweetness in all these ingredients

and combined them to make this cake.

Without using any sugar?

Why did he go to all that trouble?

Well, the ones looking forward to my dish right now are you guys at this table.

I figured you might enjoy a cake in the summertime more if it wasn't so heavy.

I would personally prefer something like that in summer.

This is going to be a difficult decision.

Both of them are equally matched.

Don't give me that shit!

You're saying his dish is comparable to mine?

The theme was the ultimate Christmas cake that would be the life of the party.

His cake is just a one-trick pony!

Meanwhile, my Cluster Bomb Cake adds new excitement with every bite!

My cake has enough firepower to blow his out of the water!

'Scuse me for a sec.

It might be a bit early to say that.

We haven't even gotten to the fireworks yet.

The perfect fireworks to liven up this midsummer party.

Fireworks? I'm sure they're just for show.

Oh, I wouldn't say that.

These go perfectly with a summery day.

They're sparklers!

What's that?

They truly do look like sparklers.

Countless sparkles are spreading around the Midsummer Christmas Cake.

That's not all. The cream is oozing down and soaking into the bark pattern.

And this refreshing aroma...

It appears that the outer shell of the fireworks

has grated mandarin peel mixed into it.

Dig in!

Coffee crumble!

Fruits, almonds, and coffee beans are crushed,

mixed, then baked together to create this crumbly confection.

It goes perfectly with the lightly sweetened cake.

The main supporting actor in it is this cream that's soaked into the bark.

That's the brown cream I used in the bûche de Noël itself.

Except I made this one to melt easier, depending on the temperature.

I see. He used the melted cream to make sure the coffee crumble didn't get too dry,

while melding it to the cake itself

and maintaining its original crunchy texture.

There's another reason why he didn't use sugar or dairy products in the cake itself.

It was to make sure they could savor

the faint tartness and bitterness of the coffee.

The refreshing aroma...

The richness enveloping us...

And finally, the bitterness...

...dissipating in an instant!

A dish that's truly a delightful gem for anyone of any age!

Bûche de Noël? Brown cream?

Crumble?

That's all utterly mediocre.

Yet they're calling it delightful for all ages?

What the hell is going on?! Where do you get that strength of yours?!

Huh? Uh, let's see...

I guess, if I had to say,

it's probably stuff I learned working at a diner.

Soma!

I'll let you come up with one

of the new menu items we release in a month.

What?!

But I'm only in sixth grade!

What? Are you saying you can't do it?

Of course I can.

The Basics of the Basics >

Damn it! There's no point in making something like the stuff we already have.

But prep time shouldn't be too long! But we need to cook it properly—

Soma!

You need to make 20 to-go orders. Within five minutes.

What?!

Soma, this regular's been told to lay off the sugar for a while,

so make him something sweet without using sugar or dairy.

Wha—

Soma!

Soma!

For basically 365 days a year, up until the time Soma transferred to Totsuki,

I kept asking him to pull off the impossible.

Soma!

I'm leaving the rest to you. Can you handle it?

Of course I can.

Because diners can't afford to let their regulars get sick of them.

Unlike the extraordinary destinations, your high-class restaurants or resorts,

diners exist within the realm of the ordinary.

You need to make sure people don't get tired of you, even if they come by every day.

For that, you need to be able to make something universal,

along with dishes that surprise and delight.

I crammed all that knowledge into Soma.

Unfortunately, we just happen to be the best diner around.

If you don't believe it, why not have a taste yourself?

I'm trying not to admit it, but my body is reacting on its own.

My tongue! My body!

My heart!

Say, Sarge.

Asahi-san?

You always look so pissed off.

Why not show me a smile every once in a while?

You're ruining that beautiful face of yours.

Please don't tease me like that.

I'm not teasing, though.

You're always hiding how you really feel.

It's okay to be more honest with yourself.

Take your true feelings...

...and let them burst!

Who—

The Coffee Crumble Fairy

Oh, no!

I want sparklers! Not the big ones you shoot up into the sky!

Damn... it!

I can't believe I...

Sarge should've had no problem winning that round.

But...

Yukihira was able to make his dish outshine hers

because he took a moment to consider the customers and the situation.

The winner is...

Winner

Yukihira Soma!

Yukihira Soma

Glad you liked it!

Soma-kun did it!

Great job, Yukihira!

He was being himself, as usual.

Looks like I'm next.

Tell Yukihira congratulations on his victory for me.

We will!

We'll catch up with you as soon as we meet up with Yukihira!

Let's all do our best, Tsukasa-senpai.

Oh?

BLUE Administration Saiba Asahi-sama, This is a notification of your 1st match at the main event

Hey, sorry about that, but I can't afford to lose, either.

Not until I personally get revenge against Saiba Asahi.

You are indeed strong.

But the reason you can't defeat Asahi-sama

lies within your knife!

What?

Hey, hey.

So what'd you call us here for?

We have things to do, you know.

Well, you see... it looks like I was hit with a troublesome opponent right from the get-go.

I was hoping you'd help me out.

The hell are you talking about?

Unlike Sarge, we have no loyalty to you.

We just played along because you were worth using.