Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 124: The Secret in the Special Dish

Chapter 124: Chapter 124: The Secret in the Special Dish

Xia’s Restaurant.

Ren Xue, Shuigu Jun, and a group of international students had devoured the ample servings of nine dishes on the table, each sitting back in their chairs, savoring the shock each dish had delivered to them.

"Let’s give some feedback," Ren Xue, very satisfied with the dinner, clapped her hands to draw the attention of the group of students. "Are you all satisfied?"

Including Qi Nan, everyone instinctively nodded along with the group of students.

"So, which dish did you like the most?"

Ren Xue glanced at the nine empty plates on the table, which now only contained traces of sauces.

The female live streamer, Xuanxuan, was the first to reply: "Dry-fried rock carp!"

Having ruined her image during the meal, which caused the audience in her live stream to ridicule her, Xuanxuan decided to throw caution to the wind, casting aside her modesty and concerns loudly declaring: "Dry-fried rock carp is a Sichuan delicacy. Before going abroad to study, I was very fond of this dish, and I’ve made a point of trying it at every restaurant in the city. But I dare say, the ’dry-fried rock carp’ I ate tonight can truly be called a masterpiece!"

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

Not only did the international students’ peers doubt, but the live stream audience was also dissatisfied.

A dish from a Chinese restaurant at home being inferior to one abroad? That was like a slap in the face.

An audience member who seemed to be a gourmet posted a lengthy comment: "Neon has authentic ’dry-fried rock carp’? Heh. As far as I know, the rock carp, scientifically named Lithobates carrhai, also known as black carp, is found in the Yangtze River system, living in the deepwater layer with lots of rocks, thick-bodied and plump, with meat that is dense and delicate. How could Neon possibly have fresh rock carp ingredients..."

Xuanxuan was at a loss for words.

Ingredients are undeniably very important for gourmet food. As a big foodie herself, Xuanxuan knew the impact of ingredients on cuisine.

Just as Xuanxuan didn’t know how to respond to her audience, the manager of Danfei Building, Qi Nan, with a complex tone, interjected: "This ’dry-fried rock carp’ has actually been modified."

"The key lies in the fish."

"The carp used in the dish is not the rock carp from China. It may be possible to buy rock carp that has been air-shipped to Neon’s seafood market, but it would be challenging to find it fresh."

"If I’m not mistaken," Qi Nan said, "the carp used in this ’dry-fried rock carp’ is in fact produced locally in Neon, and it is mountain carp that has been carefully bred with spring water in the mountains. In terms of meat quality, it is no less delicious than domestic rock carp."

This manager of Danfei Building was clearly not a mere manager, and he was knowledgeable about gourmet cuisine at the drop of a hat. No wonder the IGO organization had entrusted him to become an auditor.

"Don’t Neon people rarely eat carp?" Xuanxuan expressed her confusion.

"Who said that?" Qi Nan glanced at her and said at a leisurely pace, "The history of Neon people consuming carp can be traced back to the Nara Era, which corresponds to the Sheng Tang period in China. Later, during the Kamakura Shogunate, carp became an essential ingredient in cuisine prepared for the imperial court. By the later Edo Period, the shogun had developed a taste for sea fish, particularly for sea bream, so in this period, the status of Neon’s native freshwater fish and sea fish on dining tables was reversed. The sea bream surpassed the carp, and the number of people eating carp gradually decreased..."

"But if one takes the time to collect data from the seafood markets, it’s not hard to find that Neon’s yearly production and consumption of carp are not low, and moreover, the price of mountain carp used for making sashimi increases every year!"

Everyone listened, spellbound.

The female live streamer Xuanxuan glanced at the comments and read out the second comment from that audience member:

"Neon’s mountain carp? Heh."

After speaking, Xuanxuan busied herself with gesturing and explaining: "This is the interactive comment from the audience, not my personal opinion."

Clearly looking to pick a fight, Qi Nan shook his head, valuing his words like gold, not wanting to explain any further.

As for the "gourmet" who dared to pass judgment without having tasted the dish, Qi Nan really didn’t want to bother.

At that moment, Ren Xue exclaimed: "Neon’s mountain carp? Mr. Qi, are you sure? This type of carp is generally used by Neon people to make carp sashimi, and it’s much more expensive than sea fish!"

"How much does this dish cost?" Qi Nan asked.

"Five thousand yen."

"If it were in Danfei Building, this ’dry-fried rock carp’ would be our signature dish, starting at fifty thousand yen," Qi Nan stated gravely. "It’s not just because the mountain carp ingredient is expensive; the culinary skills encapsulated within the dish are even more precious!"

A group of foreign exchange students was stunned.

The female anchor Xuanxuan couldn’t help but smile bitterly at the barrage of comments flying across the screen.

50,000 yen, over 3,000 RMB for a dish, that really was expensive. But listening to Qi Nan’s convincing reasoning, Xuanxuan suddenly felt like she had struck gold.

"Oops..."

At that moment, Xuanxuan noticed the cool-looking waiter approaching a table that had just been seated, bowing in apology, "I’m sorry, guests, but the special dish ’Braised Rock Carp’ has run out for the evening."

The young couple, who were dining, could only disappointingly order other dishes instead.

Witnessing this scene left Xuanxuan, Ren Xue, Shuigu Jun, and others exchanging glances.

So, it was the limited supply dish of the evening!

A buzz of greetings suddenly filled the restaurant, drawing the attention of the table of foreign exchange students.

"Chef Xia, the ’Braised Rock Carp’ was delicious, thank you for the hospitality!" a lone diner at the bar waved to a young man.

Among the newly seated young couple, the male youth saw the young man and his eyes lit up, calling out, "Chef Xia, please, make me another ’Braised Rock Carp’. Someone just posted a tasting review on Twitter, and I really want to try it! Please!"

"I’m sorry, we’ve run out of carp," was the response.

"Ah!" The couple’s faces fell with disappointment, "Then, when will ’Braised Rock Carp’ be available again?"

"You can follow our newly launched official restaurant website. Every morning at eight o’clock, we will publish the evening’s menu on the reservation page of the website."

"Xia’s Restaurant has a website now?" The diners were surprised.

Xia Yu took the opportunity to promote aggressively, sharing the website address and repeating it several times, "After everyone returns, please help spread the word. In one week, the restaurant will completely switch to a reservation system where dining will be based on the reservation number and time slot allocated."

"Finally, there’s a reservation system!"

Many diners looked relieved.

These were all regular customers who had dined at Xia’s shop at least two or three times. Xia Yu was not always hidden away in the kitchen preparing dishes. Before Far Moon began its new term and with the help of Hozoi Midori, he often came out of the kitchen to chat with customers at the bar.

The reservation system was also good news for diners.

After all, the queue at Xia’s shop was terrifying. Arrive a bit late and stand towards the back of the line, and you might not get into the restaurant to order until after midnight, ending up returning on an empty stomach for nothing.

With online reservations, one could choose the dishes and dining time slot they wanted, essentially planning their visit. There would be no need to rush to Xia’s shop.

"Are you looking for me?"

Arriving at table number four, Xia Yu recognized two familiar faces.

"So, how is it, young boss? I brought you a whole bunch of people, and they’ll be your loyal customers from now on. Can you comp this meal for me?" Ren Xue said with a playful and cute expression.

"We run a small business; we don’t do comps here!" Xia Yu replied with a stern face.

He felt somewhat speechless.

Ren Xue and Shuigu Jun came to his shop every other day. If they needed something, wouldn’t it be more convenient to text or tweet?

"Tell me, what do you need?"

"It’s not us, it’s him—" Ren Xue pointed to the only older male at the table.

"Hello, I am..."

Qi Nan looked up with surprise and stood, handing over his business card to Xia Yu.