Gourmet: Midnight Vending-Chapter 268 - 266: Gazes from Fellow Professionals
Busy until around six in the evening, Chen Mo finally stretched and got ready to set up his BBQ stand.
Fortunately, all the oysters had been processed on the first day. The eggplants didn’t require any handling; the main task was slicing meat and skewering lamb kebabs.
Driving the yellow cart to Construction Road, the first thing to do was to quickly stir-fry the millet garlic chili sauce.
Moreover, today’s batch needed to be larger since the eggplants would also be grilled with this seasoning.
Seeing the yellow cart arrive, Cao Tianrui flicked away his cigarette butt and walked straight out of the store.
"So the core of everything, honestly, is Boss Xiao Chen’s BBQ!"
"This was a misconception I hadn’t realized before. In fact, whoever gets the BBQ here holds the say," said Cao Tianrui, feeling he had finally found the blind spot. Previously, his thoughts were all about converting his gym into a BBQ joint, which was evidently the wrong approach.
Cao Tianrui called out all the trainers from inside the store.
Just like the first day when they intended to stir up trouble, today the trainers had an average of two tattoos each, wearing tight black vests to show off their robust muscles.
"Eat! Today’s mission is to eat, eat like mad!"
"Use your biggest appetites to eat! Make it as extravagant as possible, so passersby see it and get tempted, that’s the way to go."
Ma Juntao was utterly baffled, "Boss, weren’t we going to disrupt their business? Why are we suddenly supporting Boss Xiao Chen’s venture?"
"You don’t understand." Cao Tianrui took a breath, "Only with a crowd and high foot traffic can we get a bit of business ourselves."
Although Ma Juntao and a few trainers didn’t get the strategy, who could resist the offer of free food?
Especially such delicious BBQ.
A dozen sturdy men sat right beside the yellow table, "Boss, give us two hundred oysters to start with!"
Chen Mo lifted his eyelids, glanced over, "One moment."
The garlic sauce was quickly prepared, and Ma Juntao added, "Let’s have two hundred lamb skewers as well!"
Chen Mo nodded, cranked up the heat!
Two grills were loaded with lamb skewers and oysters respectively, and the newly purchased sweet potato roaster had each drawer opened. After brushing the eggplants with vegetable oil, two were placed into each drawer, filling them perfectly.
"Perfect!"
After finishing these, Chen Mo leisurely added a new line to the menu board: Charcoal Grilled Eggplant 10 Yuan/piece.
Ma Juntao and the others were astonished by the new dish.
"An eggplant for ten yuan?"
"Is this young owner here to make money or do charity? Isn’t ten yuan for grilled eggplant a bit too outrageous?"
"Damn, last time I had BBQ at Construction Road Night Market, an eggplant cost me 28 yuan! Compared to Boss Xiao Chen, that guy was just a rip-off!"
Ma Juntao stomped his foot, "Boss, let’s have another two hundred eggplants!"
Chen Mo was somewhat stunned.
But then he thought about how these burly guys each weighed about two hundred pounds, totaling fifteen men.
If split up, that would be each having thirty lamb skewers and oysters, but eating thirty eggplants per person seemed a bit over the top, didn’t it?
Nevertheless, when the customer asks, we deliver, especially now that it’s about pushing sales volume.
The two hundred lamb skewers were quickly done, just like any other day, when Chen Mo flipped them, creating a burst of intense flames, leaving the fifteen trainers in awe despite keeping their voices down.
Especially as dusk fell, the fiery display was strikingly brilliant.
Today, however, aside from the trainers, a few passersby were also drawn over.
Li Chao was one among them.
He originally had a BBQ stall at Construction Road Night Market, specializing in grilling!
That place was heavily trafficked in the evening, not just by locals but also tourists from outside.
After closing up his stall last night, Li Chao idly browsing his phone came across a livestream by Yuan Dongli Fitness Center, which got him curious to check out the BBQ that even had a girl going "yumyumyum" with delight on his way to set up today.
"So, wanna try?" Li Chao pointed to the yellow cart, speaking to his wife beside him.
"Let’s try, I see some... huh? Their skewers are really cheap!"
Li Chao then noticed the menu board in front of the cart.
"Lamb skewers 2 yuan, Grilled Eggplant 10 yuan, Oysters only 8 yuan each? Ha, but you know the saying ’Cheap stuff isn’t good,’ they probably don’t compare to our BBQ," Li Chao commented as he approached the cart, observing Chen Mo grill with a seasoned eye.
After all, he had spent two years in the Northeast to master BBQ skills, visiting and studying at dozens of BBQ joints, developing his own special BBQ seasoning.
Especially grilled lamb and eggplants, these were the top-selling items at Li Chao’s stall; he was very confident in his skills.
Watching the guys at the yellow table gobble down the BBQ, Li Chao shook his head with a smile but said nothing.
Inwardly, he thought.
Indeed, the current economic situation wasn’t favorable; BBQ this cheap couldn’t be that good, yet these people seemed to savor it, indicating that low prices still ruled.
While musing, he saw Chen Mo flip the two hundred skewers on the grill and sprinkle some salt.
After a while, flipped again, and more salt sprinkled.
Li Chao sighed inwardly, feeling the young owner’s BBQ skills were quite basic, nothing special...what the hell!
Suddenly!
Chen Mo’s hands ignited the skewers in a fierce blaze!
Amid soaring flames, the young owner didn’t miss a beat, continuing to sprinkle cumin and chili powder over the skewers.
Li Chao could no longer sit idly, "Boss, give me ten lamb skewers."
Chen Mo nodded, after finishing the seasoning with a few more spins, the flames extinguished.
He handed Li Chao ten skewers, the rest were quickly claimed by Gu Fang and Liu Yuerong who had just arrived, packed in one go.
"Boss Xiao Chen, another two hundred oysters, please!"
"How many of you are eating all this?"
Gu Fang chuckled, "Our gym’s having an event today, they will be well-utilized."
Li Chao followed Chen Mo out of the cart, continuing to observe.
He handed his wife five skewers.
"Wow, Brother Chao, these are pretty good lamb skewers!"
Li Chao tried a skewer himself.
Cumin and lamb are a match made in heaven, the mild chili enhanced the texture, offering a slightly numbing and spicy taste.
The key was...
"His skewers are so juicy, not dry at all. And why does it feel like the seasoning is thoroughly integrated into every bite?"
Li Chao finished one skewer, quickly reaching for another, his astonishment growing.
Then he saw Chen Mo ladling fresh sauce into the shells of the two hundred oysters on the grill. After the oil in the fresh sauce bubbled for a while, more garlic and millet chili were added.
Li Chao nodded approvingly, overall the idea was right, but just like with the lamb skewers, there seemed to be too few seasonings.
If only two kinds, is the flavor enough?
Before he could ponder more, he watched as Chen Mo pulled out a drawer from another grill.
"A BBQ stall selling roasted sweet... oh crap! Using it for eggplants?"
Originally thinking a sweet potato was in the drawer, Li Chao was dumbfounded seeing its contents.
This, this, this...
The oil-slathered, charcoal-roasted eggplants were soft and tender, as Chen Mo, wearing gloves, moved them onto the skewer grill.
Black Blade sliced through the middle, then made incisions at both ends, splaying the eggplants open longitudinally.
Next up was the seasoning!
