3* HQ crafting with 387 cp .. eh what ?

[Alahra]

Dunno why you'd use that new food to begin with though. Overpriced and unnecessary when seafood stew will get it done more reliably.

Guess your friend is really undergeared?

Basically, yes. If you went with the 180, no melds advancement path, you have to use Beet Soup to meet the Craftsmanship and Control minimums for 3-star crafting. That gear didn't used to be considered "undergeared" (it was relatively comparable to i170 pentamelds in 3.0/3.1, but it's no longer comparable because of the CP deficit).