Our first round of elimination is now complete! At this point, mostly because I’m salty (and spicy and mala and umami) about mapo tofu losing, we’ll switch to a double-elimination format, with the second-placers from round one going into the loser’s bracket for a final head-to-head contest between two champions.
With that in mind, a tip of the hat and a swirl of the wok to the 32 dishes that were eliminated for good in Round 1.
Suckling Roast Pig
Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings
Chicken with Mixed Vegetables
Shrimp Curry
Ginger Beef
Fried Wonton Chips
Bolo Bao
Si Yay Wong Chow Mein
Beef Chop Suey
Yushang Eggplant
Gobi Manchurian
Braised Chicken Feet
Buddha’s Delight
Lemon Chicken
Shanghai Rice Cake
Pork With Crispy Skin
Cantonese Style Lobster
Salt and Pepper Shrimp
Seafood Bird’s Nest
Tomato Eggs
Egg Foo Yung
Sesame Balls
Hot Dog Bao
Cucumber Salad
Fuqi Feipian
Laziji
Lamian
Clams in Black Bean Sauce
Salt and Pepper Pork Chops
Steamed Fish With Ginger and Scallions
Singapore Mei Fun
Some other notable results from round 1:
- Sesame Chicken was the highest-scoring winner, at 44 votes. It also scored the biggest blowout, beating its second-place opponent by 34 votes and its third-place opponent by a whopping 39 votes.
- The lowest-scoring winner was Cheung Fan at only 17 votes, winning by a healthy margin of 9.
- The biggest come-from-behind win came in Match 15, where fan-favorite Combination Fried Rice rallied from a #39 seed to beat the #15 seed Green Onion Cakes, the highest-seeded loser so far.
- Three matches featured ties: Match 29 sported a thrilling three-way draw between General Tso’s Tofu, Salt and Pepper Pork Chops, and Shrimp Toast at 16 votes each;
- Match 16 featured a two-way battle for first place between Sweet and Sour Chicken and Moo Shu Pork, both at 20 votes; and Match 28 featured another tie for first between Chicken with Broccoli and Spicy Green Beans, likewise at 20 votes each. I’ve broken all three ties according to my own preferences.
- The narrowest victory was by Canadian superstar Ginger Beef, winning by only a single point over second-placer Black Bean Chicken.