The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World-Chapter 35 - 34: Mastering the Art of Dish Division (Part 2)
Inside here, the thing Fu Yu is most interested in is the exquisite six-color platter.
This dish is a cold appetizer usually offered as a complimentary item in the restaurant. However, at large events like wedding banquets, it becomes a legitimate dish.
Though named six platters or eight platters with similar names, the corresponding dishes are entirely different at each place.
The exquisite six-color platter at the music restaurant includes: Blueberry Yam Mashed Potatoes, Bicolor Donkey Meat, Double Dragons Go Out to Sea, Dual-flavored Deer Treasure, Crispy Chicken Gizzards, and Crispy Papaya Shreds.
Fu Yu was stunned when he saw the note about the ingredients.
These six cold appetizers are essentially their restaurant’s signature dishes.
Usually, when patrons spend a certain amount, they would specially send over two platters as a gesture.
But at the music restaurant, they surprisingly transformed into main dishes that could share the limelight.
The ingredients haven’t changed, the method probably hasn’t either, so the only thing that could elevate the price would be the presentation.
Fu Yu was very curious, considering Yao Shi’s status. Although he couldn’t see Yao Shi’s attributes due to insufficient rapport, Chef Yao’s personal skill in plating must surely be advanced. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
He wondered how ingenious and distinctive his plating design might be.
Fu Yu was staring at the menu in a daze when someone suddenly spoke to him: "What are you thinking about?"
Fu Yu blurted out: "Thinking about how I can learn Chef Yao’s culinary skills."
Zhang Zhen heard this and said with a smile: "Being able to learn from Chef Yao, it’s such a rare opportunity."
Fu Yu felt a bit embarrassed.
Zhang Zhen is the head chef at the music restaurant, and as an outsider helping in the kitchen, Fu Yu felt it wasn’t quite right to think about acquiring skills secretly.
However, Zhang Zhen obviously didn’t mind this.
Zhang Zhen said: "I do have a good learning method, though I’m unsure if it suits you. You can actually record the process while Chef Yao is cooking, and watch it slowly later to see if you get any inspiration. Besides recording Chef Yao’s process, you can also record your own cooking process and review it later to examine your shortcomings."
Fu Yu’s eyes brightened at this suggestion.
Yeah, this is indeed a great method.
Fu Yu gratefully said: "Chef Zhang, that’s a brilliant idea! Thank you."
Zhang Zhen chuckled and said: "Oh, it’s nothing. I’ve seen those under me do it, and it seems quite effective. Plus, I’m an old friend of your Chef Zhao, and he asked me to take good care of you, so I’m just fulfilling a request."
Zhang Zhen is a seasoned cook; his boss occasionally brings Qianlima’s head chef Zhao Meng to work in the kitchen, and through their conversations, it was apparent the two had a closer-than-usual relationship.
Through constant interactions, Zhang Zhen gradually figured things out, feeling his boss clearly intended to poach Zhao Meng.
Zhang Zhen understood this, so he consciously began closing the gap with Zhao Meng. Now seeing Yao Shi bringing along Fu Yu and hearing Fu Yu used to work under Zhao Meng at Qianlima, Zhang Zhen started pondering again.
He wanted to befriend Fu Yu, and seeing Fu Yu accepting his olive branch made him happy.
He then proactively said: "I’ll get someone over to help you, he knows the place well. Ask him if you can’t find something while prepping."
Zhang Zhen quickly sent over a worker named Chen Cang to assist Fu Yu.
Fu Yu was already quite skilled at prepping ingredients.
With Chen Cang’s assistance, he quickly gathered all the necessary ingredients, memorized the specifics of the spices’ locations, and familiarized himself with the styles and numbers of bowls and plates.
Yao Shi came around after a circle and instructed Fu Yu: "The banquet’s in the afternoon, there’s plenty of time, so let’s start with the cold plates. The six platters aren’t marinated yet, so let’s first do a whole duck."
Fu Yu nodded: "Okay, Chef Yao."
Yao Shi put on gloves and demonstrated: "With the duck laid flat, start with the duck head."
Cut down.
"Then the thighs."
Cut down.
"The wings."
Cut down.
...
"Divide into 28 pieces in total, making sure each piece has skin attached."
Yao Shi diligently explained while dividing the duck.
Fu Yu watched Yao Shi’s actions intently.
Chen Cang, responsible for recording, held up Fu Yu’s phone to capture the entire process.
Yao Shi finished processing a duck, and after plating, instructed: "Fu Yu, you give it a try."
[Ding! Task from NPC Chef Yao Shi: Complete the dissection and plating of a whole duck. Task reward: 50 RMB, 5 dissection experience, 10 task experience]
Fu Yu chose to accept the task.
He wore gloves and placed a duck on the board, holding the knife in his right hand.
Began dissection.
Started with the duck head as before.
The guiding green line appeared as usual.
Fu Yu followed the cue, deftly cutting down.
With enhanced hand speed, his swift knife work was both efficient and graceful.
Despite the seemingly simple start, it made Yao Shi furrow his brow slowly.
Fu Yu’s knife skills were very experienced, and his precision was impressively accurate.
Yao Shi evaluated in his mind that Fu Yu’s proficiency in dissection was clearly a result of rigorous practice to achieve such results.
What appeared simple had unique intricacies in every detail.
A layman watches to be impressed, an expert watches for the craft.
Yao Shi speculated that Fu Yu likely practiced these dissection skills with Zhao Meng.
After all, Zhao Meng had always taken great interest in Fu Yu, possibly giving him private lessons on dissection techniques.
With this thought, Yao Shi felt somewhat at ease.
Indeed, diligence makes up for deficiency.
Although he is a newcomer whose skills are not yet advanced, with careful mentoring and diligent personal effort, over time he has gradually mastered the relevant skills.
Yao Shi attributed Fu Yu’s dissection technique to Zhao Meng.
After all, Fu Yu had been working for less than a year, with only so many chances to handle the main knife.
He himself had worked for decades, having dissected hundreds if not nearly a thousand times, making it incomparable.
But watching as Fu Yu accurately and swiftly dismantled the entire duck and neatly organized it on the plate, Yao Shi’s amazement was impossible to hide.
Fu Yu, completely focused under the guidance of the green lines, finished the final plating.
Relieved, Fu Yu looked up at Yao Shi, smiling as he asked: "Chef Yao, how is it?"
With a solemn expression, Yao Shi nodded: "Very good."
[Ding! Task from NPC Chef Yao Shi: Complete the dissection and plating of a whole duck. Successfully completed, reward received: 50 RMB, 5 dissection experience, 10 task experience]
The phone in Fu Yu’s pocket vibrated.
It was a notification of a bank transfer.
But Fu Yu didn’t have time to be happy about it.
He saw Yao Shi’s furrowed brows and felt a constriction in his breath...
Why did Chef Yao have such an expression?
Did he make a mistake somewhere in his operation?
Was the duck not divided into 28 pieces?
Or was there any duck meat not attached to the skin?
