Idk, something seemed off. The way these things usually play out is
Second contestant wins = first hand dealt by first chef, second hand dealt by second chef and it's "Pair vs. Two Pair"
First contestant wins = first hand dealt by chef, second and dealt by second chef, but then the hidden nature that was not revealed by the first chef's judgment comes out on top sorta like "player with a pair reveals they actually have three of a kind"
The judges were praising Soma throughout the chapter for how he masterfully utilized methods specifically to bring out flavor in Soba. However the last judge made it seem like there was something else, which usually means the true nature of the first chef's cooking has yet to be fleshed out. Idk, I could be over analyzing, it just seems a little off to me.