Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 104 - 101: Only a Professional Head Chef Can Instantly Revamp a Recipe_2

"So, have you tried the Mapo tofu from before? I suggest you buy some Sichuan pepper powder—it's that tingling flavor—and also get some oyster sauce and soy sauce... Never mind, why don't we exchange contacts, and I'll send you pictures, then you can buy accordingly."

After thinking it over, maybe the spicy flavor is more suited to the Brasil seasoning, as for the salted egg yolk, I haven't thought of a good pairing yet, let's wait for now.

"Thank you so much, it really takes a professional Head Chef! You easily solved the problem that's been bothering me for days, you can eat for free here anytime!"

"I also have to thank you, if it weren't for your customer support, I wouldn't have found my footing so quickly."

This is sincere; ever since Lunard moved his food truck next door to his, almost ninety percent of the old customers became his guests, leading to Lunard suddenly losing business on his side. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Though it only affects business after ten o'clock and doesn't really impact Lunard's income, it's undeniable that he took some of Lunard's customers, and it's impossible not to feel grateful.

"Oh no!! Sold out??"

Meng Qi hurried over, hands on his head, face full of disbelief.

Since bumping into Lin Chen at the mall, he knew the stall would start early tonight, but he never expected to be late; he even sneaked out during work hoping to order two servings.

Helplessly, he could only pack an ice jelly to take home and eat while walking, to comfort his wounded stomach, and as a bit of a silver lining.

The two food trucks were just a meter apart, so Lucas heard every word of the conversation.

"Really? Going to Dieppe is such a big deal, and you didn't notify me?"

Lin Chen wiped two sweat drops from his forehead: "Uh, well, I just didn't have the time, I only got notified right before leaving work, so I went and bought a few outfits and drove the truck home without even eating dinner."

"Fair enough, when are you leaving?"

"They'll notify about the exact time, they said next month, but who knows, it might be moved earlier or later."

"Let me think, Dieppe, we definitely need a beach special, seafood is a must, barbecue and beer need to be there, and our ice jelly will definitely sell well, maybe even a yacht party!"

"No, dude, I'm going there for work."

"I don't have to work~"

"...You're something else."

Tomorrow is Sunday, a national holiday, usually, there should be a challenge task.

The current challenge task is only breakfast potstickers, and five hundred of them are needed to complete the task, requiring an early start if I want to do them.

I just got up early yesterday, and I'm not yet recovered; getting up early again is really something I can't handle, it would affect my regular work afterward.

I can only postpone this task for a while, and see if the schedule in Dieppe would be more relaxed, to find chances to do it.

Without challenge tasks, I'll just do regular tasks, because there definitely needs to be money made.

Asked Lucas, he doesn't have cravings for anything suddenly, so Lin Chen decided that doing boxed meals is safer, offers more variety, allowing customers to choose freely.

Today's sushi didn't sell out again for a long while, and Nakamura Arita and Hanama Ai decided not to operate too late, driving the food truck back to the restaurant shortly after nine.

After the grandchef reheated the soup brought back by them and tasted it, he seemed to discover a new continent, frantically searching for dishes related to salted egg yolk and their crafting techniques, even sending them a hundred euros as a bonus to encourage them to keep exploring, bring more new and intriguing ingredients back.

Sunday morning at ten o'clock.

Lin Chen arrived at the usual spot on time; the Brasil Food Truck and Sakura Food Truck also arrived almost simultaneously.

Besides their trio of roll kings, no sign of other food trucks could be seen, presumably they were enjoying their breaks.

Sunday is often the best business day, most restaurants are closed, leaving hungry pedestrians with no choice but to get something to eat from roadside or fast-food outlets.

While preparing ingredients, Lucas, who was contemplating Xiao Hei, walked over to a dog park nearby, unexpectedly seeing the little fella lying on the grass beside the water basin, sunbathing with a look of leisure.

The packed cat food was completely eaten, and was stably resting on the tiles above the water basin.

The sound alerted Xiao Hei's ears; it lazily glanced over, swinging its long tail twice.

"Hey, little guy, did you eat today? I brought some delicious food for you!"

He pulled out cat food and dried freeze from his pants pocket and poured them into a box, before also taking out a beef can, carefully opened and placed alongside.

The scent from the can seemed to reach Xiao Hei, who gracefully sat up, stretched lazily, lightly stepping onto the basin countertop and sitting there.

"Meow~"

It licked its small paw, tilting its little head curiously, sniffed at the can, then began to gulp down mouthfuls.

Lucas brought another packaging box today to fill with water, placing it with the cat food.

Seeing the little guy eat happily, he became bold, extending his hand to gently stroke the sleek fur a few times.

"Purring~"

Xiao Hei purred with enjoyment, without much special reaction.

After playing with the cat for a while, Lucas remembered Lin Chen was still waiting to sell the ice jelly, he scurried back quickly.

"I'll be back to see you tomorrow, little one!"

A busy day went by quickly, before he knew it, it was evening.

The day was still bright, but the time already reached past seven o'clock.

With all the ingredients sold out, Lin Chen prepared to close early, going for a long-awaited thorough cleanup to tidy his food truck.

Cooking a lot usually leads to grease buildup that must be cleaned regularly. Any laziness would turn them into stubborn stains over time, becoming extremely difficult to clean and could corrode the equipment.

Going home after cleaning the truck, upon checking the accounts, in two weeks the total income reached over twenty thousand euros, after deducting tax and costs only left a bit over ten thousand, and he still needed to pay Lucas' salary, leaving only a few thousand.

It doesn't seem like much, but calculated as a month's income, it's still much more than working a regular job would earn.

He's currently in the position of station chef, so his salary is definitely much higher than the basic salary, earning four to five thousand is easy. Combined, his monthly income nearly reaches twenty thousand.

Converted to RMB, it's just under sixteen thousand, a chef in the domestic market could never earn this kind of income.

Street vending also wouldn't work, the competition in the industry is too fierce.

"First send some to mom, the rest to uncle, and on to second uncle over there, let them pay back the money borrowed from relatives and friends, they're family, so postponing a little would be fine."

Although his family faced dramatic changes, fortunately, there weren't any troublesome relatives. Both on dad's side and mom's side, they're kind and willing to help willingly, telling him not to work himself too hard overseas, to rest when needed.

Everything is moving in a positive direction, and soon the debts would be cleared; it made him exhale a sigh of relief.

With the tension easing, he lay down on the bed and blissfully fell asleep.

Monday.

Having not slept so well in a long time, Lin Chen was invigorated, marching briskly into the kitchen early to start checking the cold storage inventory.

At half-past-eight, Chef Raphael arrived early at the restaurant, seeing him wasn't surprising.

He'd grown accustomed to it after so many years, Lin was always the earliest to arrive, opening the doors daily was his job.

"Now that no one's here, Lin, come over and we'll chat, I'll show you something too."

Chef Raphael, with mystery, pulled out a laptop from his briefcase, inviting him into the office and closing the door.

"Photos from the new store just received last night, including the kitchen, front of house, garden, and surroundings, along with farm videos, let's go through them together. If you have any thoughts, feel free to share."

The store photos displayed on the screen exhibited a rather different vibe from typical Western-style dining, more akin to a garden restaurant atmosphere, primarily featuring greenery, elegant and secluded, with seats arranged in semi-closed spaces via plants.

Despite the restaurant appearing small from the visuals, there was an outdoor garden and grassy areas for dining.

The establishment sits on a lawn beside a beach, only a few hundred meters from the sea, adjacent to towering cliffs, with expansive grassy areas atop the cliffs intended for hosting kite festivals in the future.