Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 934 - 460: You Two Sure Are Lucky

To be fair, the fruit platter served at Fen Garden is truly a masterpiece among fruit platters.

Even the most common watermelon and cantaloupe on the market are the sweetest and crafted into extremely exquisite shapes, with every piece of fruit being impeccable.

But this doesn't change the fact that it's just a fruit platter. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an resignedly and listlessly shared it, bite by bite, getting hungrier with each bite, until they lost interest and began discussing what the final dish might be.

"Zhao Cheng'an, do you think the basic dish could be sweet and sour carp?" Qin Huai asked wistfully.

"If the basic dish has to be fish, I would still prefer to have steamed white bream." Zhao Cheng'an replied with similar wistfulness.

"Do you think there's a chance the basic dish might be something big?"

"I want to eat steamed white bream."

"At a time like this, you only dare to dream of steamed white bream?" Qin Huai questioned soulfully.

Zhao Cheng'an was even more wistful, with hunger mixed in: "Can't I at least dream about it? If I had known we'd end up like this for coming early, I'd have gone with you to buy that damned baked bun instead. Eating two buns would at least fill me up a bit. Should we go buy some buns after this meal? I think I could eat at least three buns, what about you?"

"I think I could also eat three buns. I don't know why, but after eating a belly full of cold dishes and fruit, I feel no sense of fullness at all, instead I feel hungrier." Qin Huai echoed.

"What filling do you want in your bun? I want beef buns."

"Are there beef buns for sale? Just buy some pork buns to make do." Qin Huai's words had just fallen when the stern Zhang Guanghang came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of sizzling hot 'Youbao Shuang Cui'.

Seeing that the hot dish had finally been served, both Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an were excited. Upon realizing it was 'Youbao Shuang Cui', they instantly felt today's meal was worth it after all. Even though Master Xia was angry, the final dish was still a genuinely good dish.

Youbao Shuang Cui, a top-tier Fire Control dish.

Mainly it consists of pork tripe tips and duck gizzards (chicken gizzards can also be used, but duck gizzards were used in this dish). Typically, the cooking time for the entire dish does not exceed 15 seconds. It truly achieved perfection in precision; any slight deviation from the control of the Fire would ruin the entire dish, showcasing the chef's absolute mastery of the Fire Control art.

While using the Fire to its fullest, it also requires high Knife Skills. Pork tripe tips must be cut into a fishnet pattern, and duck gizzards must be cut into a crisscross pattern. Just mastering these two knife patterns alone is enough for an ordinary-talented chef to practice diligently for decades.

Such a top-level Fire Control dish naturally used to be on the signature menu at Fen Garden. The reason for the past tense is mainly because Xia Mubing is getting older and no longer has the energy of his younger years, and preparing such a troublesome dish isn't as profitable as dishes like shark fin and sea cucumber.

When Zhang Guanghang was at Fen Garden, Xia Mubing was willing to make 'Youbao Shuang Cui' when a disciple helped with the preparation. A few years ago, when Zhang Guanghang went abroad to study, Xia Mubing took 'Youbao Shuang Cui' off the menu altogether, making it only when in the mood, about four or five times a month if he was in a good mood.

Getting 'Youbao Shuang Cui' as the basic dish made Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an feel their luck wasn't too bad today.

This kind of top-notch Fire Control dish naturally needs to be eaten hot.

The two, already ravenous from eating cold dishes and fruit, immediately devoured it with gusto, biting mouthfuls in a storm-like frenzy, feeling like famished souls reincarnating, wishing they could even chew on the plate too.

If Qin Huai were to use a game rating to evaluate the 'Youbao Shuang Cui' in front of him, it would definitely be—

Unratable.

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Cao Guixiang's cooking skills are also superb, but her cooking is a different type compared to Xia Mubing's.

Cao Guixiang, when she was young, briefly worked as a full-time chef for a few years in Qiu County before happily retiring to become a housewife. She could make big and good dishes, but only when in a good mood or during festivals; most of the time she still cooked home-style dishes.

Xia Mubing, on the other hand, worked tirelessly as a frontline chef for nearly half a century, to an awe-inspiring degree of work ethic, dedication to the profession, and energy that most could only dream of.

'Youbao Shuang Cui' is the greatest testament to Xia Mubing's lifetime of achievements.

At his age, Xia Mubing might not keep up physically, but his experience has piled up to levels unimaginable for ordinary chefs. Under the layers of nearly overflowing experience in a pure Fire Control dish like 'Youbao Shuang Cui', its deliciousness can almost surpass all contemporary chefs.

It's not an exaggeration to say that Fen Garden's 'Youbao Shuang Cui' is the pinnacle of what an ordinary wealthy diner can taste.

As to why only ordinary wealthy diners, it's mainly because across the ocean there is a long-retired first-ranked Chef Record who would probably make an even tastier 'Youbao Shuang Cui' if you were extraordinary enough to have him cook personally. But Qin Huai hasn't tasted it, so he offers no comment.

Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an ate with the fervor of people who hadn't eaten in three days.

After serving the dish, Zhang Guanghang returned to the kitchen and found his master was simultaneously stir-frying sauce-fried diced meat and occasionally looking up at the surveillance in confusion, multitasking with the risk of things going awry but not too seriously.

Even if things did go wrong, it didn't matter since he wouldn't get to eat this plate of sauce-fried diced meat anyway.

Sauce-fried diced meat is also a quick stir-fry dish that locks in the meat juice quickly, ensuring tender meat, requiring extremely high Fire Control. As Zhang Guanghang mentally grumbled for a moment, the sauce-fried diced meat was already done.