Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle
Chapter 310 - 195 Xu Cheng’s Shock_3

Chapter 310: Chapter 195 Xu Cheng’s Shock_3

Some chefs are good at leading, not only can they cook well, but they also manage the kitchen in an orderly fashion.

Some chefs are tyrants, every employee in the kitchen lives under their oppressive rule, trembling with fear, not daring to make a single mistake.

Xu Cheng glanced at Qin Huai.

This Master Qin must have a really good rapport in the kitchen.

Even though the harmony in Huang’s Kitchen is well-known in the industry, the fact that no colleague showed even a hint of jealousy towards his good fortune today, just proves that Qin Huai’s interpersonal skills are excellent.

Looks like I could mention Master Qin’s great personality in the food review.

Xu Cheng was already drafting out his article in his mind.

"Is there anything you don’t eat?" Qin Huai asked.

"Of course not," Xu Cheng replied, his gaze still lingering on a helper’s face in the distance when Qin Huai handed him a still-warm guo’er.

Xu Cheng looked at the guo’er in his hand: ...?

Is this... an apple dough ball?

How can there be such an ugly apple dough ball?

The apple shape is somewhat decent, but isn’t the coloring a bit...

Xu Cheng gave Qin Huai a complex look.

Generally, he doesn’t demand much from chefs regarding presentation, as some chefs are not good at it, or to be precise, they lack an aesthetic sense in that area. In high-end restaurants, chefs who aren’t good at presentation often work with a plating chef who makes the dishes look more appealing and sellable.

Xu Cheng found this understandable.

He also knew that for a pastry chef, presentation is crucial. High-end pastries that are worth their price, like Boat shaped pastry or dumplings, require high skills in finger techniques and aesthetics from the chef.

Though the presentation doesn’t change a pastry’s flavor, it can make it visually pleasing.

Mostly, pastry chefs only start pursuing presentation after reaching the limits of their skill proficiency.

Considering Qin Huai’s age, Xu Cheng knew he couldn’t blame him for not making the pastries look nice.

You have to encourage young chefs, especially young pastry chefs.

But...

Though he understood, what is this thing in his hand?

Is this an apple dough ball???

It’s okay not to be good at presentation, but you can’t be totally oblivious!

Master Qin, what kind of aesthetic sense is this?!

This color, this arrangement, this fruit...

Perhaps a bit of an art appreciation class could help, maybe learn a little about color coordination.

Isn’t it a bit embarrassing to serve this to customers?

Xu Cheng was stunned.

For a moment, Xu Cheng, who had written countless food reviews, was at a loss for words.

"This is guo’er," Qin Huai explained, "It’s shaped somewhat like an apple dough ball, but it’s not the same as a dumpling."

"Guo’er is filled with meat."

"My fire control is not quite there yet, and I didn’t know you were coming beforehand. I handled the pastry part of this guo’er, but the filling was prepared by Huang Shengli."

Xu Cheng wasn’t too concerned, as division of labor in making pastries is common.

His concern was elsewhere.

What on earth is a meat-filled dough ball?

Meat filling in a dumpling, does that make sense?

Just because you changed the name doesn’t mean I don’t know it’s a dumpling.

Xu Cheng realized he must truly be getting old.

In his younger days, he could eat local specialties like raw cured pork dipped in soy sauce with a straight face, only to go back to the hotel later to gag himself.

Now, when faced with a seemingly edible pastry, his first reaction was to question why it had a meat filling.

Indeed, it’s the young who bring creativity to the table.

Xu Cheng chuckled to himself and took a bite of the heavy guo’er.

Xu Cheng found himself unable to laugh anymore.

Suddenly, Xu Cheng realized that the guo’er in front of him had little to do with a dumpling; it just looked similar.

Yet upon tasting it, it was an entirely new, exquisite, delicious pastry he had never tried before.

It was made from the dough of a dumpling, but not quite.

The dough had its own unique texture, crispy on the outside but soft inside, especially the parts soaked in meat juices, which felt like the perfect bun skin, yet different.

Its outer hardness and inner softness when chewed together formed a delightful texture, mixing with the juicy meat filling with a hint of carrot sweetness, feeling like a natural, perfect pair.

The dough was so unique, and the filling was the perfect finishing touch.

Xu Cheng’s first thought upon tasting the filling was that this must be bun filling.

Delicious bun filling.

A niche bun filling mixed with carrot puree.

But the pairing was excellent; the carrot puree only played a supporting role, without overshadowing the star, which was undoubtedly the juicy meat filling.

Fresh and sweet, but not overly so, giving the impression of the most ordinary pork filling made into the juiciest and tastiest filling through meticulous cooking.

The ingredients were simple, yet everything was perfectly arranged.

What surprised Xu Cheng was that while eating this peculiar pastry, he felt the taste of love.

Despite having a rather indifferent relationship with his wife, whom he hadn’t seen much of lately and wasn’t a great cook, Xu Cheng thought of her while eating the guo’er.

His first thought while chewing was that this pastry was quite good, interesting, and he should bring his wife and kids to try it.

Xu Cheng continued to eat, completely forgetting he had already had a meal and was nearly full, ignoring the principle of eating small meals frequently.

Small meals frequently... what’s that?

Lunch was over; now it’s just afternoon tea.

Eat, everything can be eaten!

Soon, Xu Cheng finished the guo’er in his hand, slowing down his pace.

He was full.

Age has caught up; he couldn’t eat as much as before.

Xu Cheng reminisced about his younger days, when he could eat six fist-sized guo’ers in one meal!

Qin Huai watched Xu Cheng, noting the nearly four bites worth of guo’er left in his hand, feeling that Xu Cheng was satisfied.

After all, today’s guo’er was a historical best, prepared under the extraordinary skills of both him and Huang Shengli.

Of course, Qin Huai felt he didn’t go too out of his way, mainly that Huang Shengli was exceptionally skilled.

The big spoon stir-frying technique was almost godly.

[Apple Dough Ball A+ Level]

Whether this A+ level guo’er, unlikely to be replicated anytime soon, could impress Xu Cheng enough to mention Huang Ji Restaurant several times in his review and give it some promotion is yet to be known.

It’d be great if he could also write a bit about Huang Shengli or Huang Jia’s dishes.

Huang Shengli’s back was almost healed, ready to return to work, and with "Taste" as promotion, Huang Ji could definitely flourish and reach new heights.

This would justify everyone’s excellent performance today.

Qin Huai looked at Zheng Siyuan, giving him a look that said, "Your performance was really not so great, even worse than Wang Jun’s."

Zheng Siyuan: Is it my fault?

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.