Divorced Dad's Gourmet Shop

Chapter 389: Chapter 388: A Scouting Head Chef from Jing City?

The three of them lowered their heads and dug in, dipping the buns in chili oil for a fragrant, spicy kick.

They followed it with a delightful sip of kiwi juice to cleanse their palates.

Nearby, Yang Zishan showed her experience. She had gone silent the moment the food was served and had now polished off five buns, in addition to some beef, fish, and ham.

*

Jiang Liu looked up at the massive crowd queued up at the door and shook his head.

The line was getting longer and longer.

But basically, only the first three hundred people would get to eat.

He had no plans to increase the amount of food for the time being.

Just then, two middle-aged men, one tall and one chubby, entered the restaurant after waiting in line.

The tall man was burly and broad-shouldered, looking like a fitness instructor.

The chubby middle-aged man looked amiable, wearing a blue baseball cap.

Both were wearing V-neck button-up shirts and track pants.

The burly, tall man walked up to the counter and spoke.

"Hello. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Du Qin, the head chef at the Jing City Guomao Grand Hotel. I heard the food at your restaurant is quite good, so we thought we’d come by for a taste."

The chubby man, Xia Lianshan, added with a smile, "Hello, I’m the lobby manager, Xia Lianshan."

The two of them introduced themselves right off the bat; they weren’t there to cause trouble.

Lately, the upper echelons of Jing City society had been buzzing about a small restaurant in South City, and the two of them were very curious.

What kind of small restaurant could possibly captivate so many tycoons, making them unable to forget it and causing them to rush over to South City every other day?

So, after discussing it with their general manager, they took a day off to come here specifically to taste the food and perhaps learn a thing or two.

Jiang Liu was taken aback for a moment.

He sized them up for a second before replying, "I’m Jiang Liu. Welcome. But right now, all we have left are buns, juice, and beer. What can I get for you?"

The two of them weren’t disappointed and remained composed.

"We’ll have ten buns—two of each filling—a bottle of beer, and a bottle of juice."

"Alright. Find a seat, and I’ll bring it over," Jiang Liu said, unfazed.

He’d encountered plenty of people like them.

The portly Xia Lianshan scanned the packed tables and chairs, his brow furrowing.

He was about to suggest they go back to the car to eat.

Just then, a few customers finished their meal. They even thoughtfully wiped the table clean for Jiang Liu with alcohol swabs, and they did it with remarkable diligence.

The nearby convenience stores had been completely unable to keep wet wipes in stock lately.

The store owners couldn’t stop grinning. ’Doing business next to Boss Jiang is so easy!’

The tall Du Qin said in surprise, "This place certainly has character. The owner doesn’t hire a waiter to clean the tables; he has the customers do it. I wonder how he talked them into it."

"Ha, maybe you get a discount for cleaning the table?" Xia Lianshan scoffed.

"Could be."

The two of them sat down, listening to the chaotic and exaggerated moans of pleasure filling the room with a hint of disdain.

’Do people really need to get this worked up over a bun?’

Soon, the buns arrived at their table.

Hmm?!

Xia Lianshan’s and Du Qin’s eyes narrowed.

As veterans and big names in the culinary industry, their perspective was completely different from that of a regular customer.

An ordinary customer might just see white, good-looking buns. But from their expert point of view, every single bun was identical, down to the very pleats on top.

’How strange.’

’If they were given enough time, they could do it too, of course... but looking at that line at the door, it’s obviously impossible!’

They exchanged a look.

"A tough nut to crack. He might actually be skilled."

Du Qin and Xia Lianshan each picked up a bun and gave it a firm squeeze.

The soup didn’t leak out, and the bun was incredibly springy.

A puff of white steam was squeezed out from the top.

The two were puzzled.

’This aroma is incredible, and it’s not from any artificial essence!’

Du Qin picked up another bun and squeezed it in the same way.

Then a third, a fourth... all the way to the eighth.

"Well? See anything?" A hint of astonishment appeared on the chubby Xia Lianshan’s face.

He could see the grave, disbelieving look in Du Qin’s eyes.

It was the first time he had ever seen such a cautious expression in the eyes of this supremely confident, even arrogant, master chef.

Du Qin put down the bun. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "This boss is no simple character. In fact, you could say he’s formidable."

"Formidable?"

"Yes! More than formidable. I’ve discovered that with Boss Jiang’s buns, the weight and softness of each one are identical. That means his control over the thickness of the dough is incredibly precise!

I’ve never seen a pastry chef this skilled!" Du Qin shook his head in amazement.

"Are you exaggerating?" Xia Lianshan frowned. He didn’t like hearing words that built up someone else’s reputation.

"Never mind, you wouldn’t get it. Let’s just taste them and see. Maybe I’m wrong."

"Right."

The two of them each picked up a bun and took a bite.

Hmm?!

They froze instantly, staring in disbelief at the half-bitten buns in their hands.

The dough was soft yet resilient, with a delicate fragrance of wheat.

The pork was tender and savory, melting in the mouth and filling it with flavor!

There was no trace of any gaminess from the pork, the seasoning was perfectly balanced, and the green onions in the filling were crisp, tender, and refreshing, with a faint, sweet heat.

They locked eyes and took a deep breath.

’These buns...’

Without another word, they lowered their heads and devoured a bun in two bites, their hands immediately reaching for another.

The Little Cyan Dragon crayfish meat was fresh, savory, crisp, and tender. One bite sent the juices of the crayfish flowing across the tongue, immediately followed by the sweet, hot juice from the corn.

Delicious!

So damn delicious!!

The two of them let loose, eating with wild abandon.

Although Xia Lianshan was the hotel’s lobby manager, he was also a veteran chef.

They were often invited by famous tycoons to cook private meals, charging an appearance fee of thirty to fifty thousand per event. A good performance could even earn them over a hundred thousand.

Yet, the higher their own level of skill, the more they could appreciate the secrets and the supreme technical mastery contained within these buns.

After eating three buns with different fillings, Xia Lianshan’s expression was a world away from what it had been upon his arrival.

From faint disdain at the beginning, to shock, and finally, to nothing but profound admiration.

"It’s strange. I wonder where this Boss Jiang learned his craft. I’ve heard that besides the buns and juice, every dish he makes is a masterpiece. Take this chili oil—it’s unbelievably fragrant! He must have slow-fried at least ten kinds of precious spices in it!"

"I was thinking the same thing." Xia Lianshan looked at Jiang Liu, his eyes full of probing curiosity.

Dipping a bun into the chili oil and taking a bite, the rich, spicy fragrance combined with the bun’s own texture and aroma, creating an explosive burst of flavor.

Their mouths flooded with an intense, savory aroma.

"So fragrant, so good. Quick, go order more buns," Du Qin said.

"On it!"

Ten seconds later, Xia Lianshan came back, his face fallen. "He won’t sell us any more. Boss Jiang said you only get one chance to order."

"What? Then didn’t we totally lose out?!"

"There are too many people in line; it can’t be helped. With that many people waiting, a rule like this is normal. Otherwise, things would get chaotic."

Du Qin was upset. "But I’m only like, a fifth full." He took a gulp of the bitter, unfiltered beer and let out a small burp.

"What a shame! Sigh, and we came all this way." Xia Lianshan slapped his thigh. "Fuck! If I’d known, we would have bought thirty right from the start! We really screwed up. This is all your fault."

"How is this my fault? Weren’t you the one who said we were just coming to ’critique’ it? The one who said it was probably all just empty hype?"

The two of them bickered for a bit.

Soon, the juice and beer were gone too.

"Whatever. I see they have hot water. I’ll get some to fill my stomach a bit." Du Qin went and got two cups of mountain spring water.

The two of them raised their disposable cups and took several large gulps.

....

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