Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 190 - 189: The Competition Among Students (Part 2)

Chapter 190: Chapter 189: The Competition Among Students (Part 2)

Molecular cuisine undoubtedly approaches perfection in its "delicacy."

Tiqie Ailisha’s cooking was a combination of machine and chef’s fantasy, and the five different colors of "caviar" sparkled enticingly in Xia Yu’s eyes, too perfect.

"It looks delicious!"

He couldn’t help but swallow. Xia Yu hesitated with his chopsticks, not knowing which one to pick first.

"Instructor, you can pick any one at random; there is no particular order," Tiqie Ailisha said with a faint smile, her hands resting on the table.

"Is that so..."

All he could smell was a cold scent; the flavors of the fish and side dishes were locked away. Full of curiosity, Xia Yu picked up a piece of red "caviar" sushi, and in one bite, he swallowed the whole delicate sushi.

"Mm!"

An indescribable feeling rose, goosebumps bursting forth in an instant. Xia Yu felt as if he had been electrocuted, his whole body shuddering.

The layer of "caviar" on the surface melted in his mouth, the rich fruit flavor immediately filled him. Xia Yu straightened up, murmuring to himself, "It’s strawberry—"

Strawberry juice turned into granules!

Moreover, as he chewed, the fragrant pan-fried fish hidden inside merged with the thick juice in his mouth. Xia Yu couldn’t help but moan in contentment, as if he were running through a fruit orchard.

Among spring seasonal fruits, strawberries were undeniably essential, their sour-sweet taste perfectly blending with the light fragrance of pan-fried fish. Not at all out of place, in Xia Yu’s vision, a plump trout seemed to be swimming in a pool of strawberry juice.

"Not bad, trout!"

Xia Yu’s eyes lit up.

Even without considering the molecular instruments’ treatment of strawberry juice, the pan-frying technique of the fish itself was also very skilled.

Continuing, he picked up the second piece of sushi to swallow, this time, mango "caviar."

The third piece was mangosteen "caviar."

The fourth and fifth were mulberry "caviar" and pineapple "caviar," respectively.

After finishing, Xia Yu let out a long breath, his gaze flickering as he sized up the lovely and attractive pair of cousins across the table.

They seemed to have somewhat similar mindsets.

Tiqie Eriina had used spring seasonal vegetables to construct the taste of spring, starting with asparagus, to fresh bamboo shoots, cauliflower, and even sakura leaf tempura, offering tasters a completely different layering of flavors.

Just trying a small dish felt like enjoying a full meal, thoroughly satisfying.

And Ailisha’s concept was quite similar, using spring seasonal fruits to build a spring orchard.

More crucially, the molecular instruments gave those fruit juices a "caviar"-like form, so when tasting, the sensation of biting into each grain of caviar was too beautiful a picture.

Even now, Xia Yu’s mouth was still trembling.

"How is it?"

Tiqie Ailisha leaned forward, peering closely at Xia Yu, boldly capturing the changes in his expression.

"Excellent!"

Xia Yu also gave a thumbs up, while inwardly, he chuckled with a bit of sly amusement.

Heh.

Interesting, the Spring Vegetable Garden against the Spring Fruit Garden, the same concept and creativity blooming into different flowers.

"Right!" Xia Yu suddenly remembered something and then startled, "Wait, aren’t you Tiqie sisters in the same team? Why are you preparing dishes separately!"

"Who is her partner!"

The cousins almost said in unison before turning their heads away, with a dismissive look towards each other.

"Forget it, forget it, you both pass and can leave at any time," Xia Yu waved his hand.

Unexpected to the sisters, neither was satisfied with the result.

Bang!

Tiqie Ailisha leaned back once more, her eyes intensely focused on him, "Instructor Xia, in your opinion, is my cooking better or Eriina’s? Don’t beat around the bush; I only want to hear your most genuine assessment."

She bit her lower lip, her expression resolute.

Eriina simply gave a cold, dismissive glance, seemingly above squabbling with Ailisha.

The sharply contrasting attitudes of the two sisters were actually a true reflection of their culinary skills.

It was evident that Ailisha lacked confidence in herself.

"Do you want to hear the truth?" Xia Yu found it challenging as he certainly could taste who had the superior cooking quality. That was crystal clear.

Among the first-year newcomers, although Ailisha was top-notch, she still wasn’t on par to compete with Yashan Liang and Xingping Chuangzhen, and Eriina was already a member of the Top Ten. The difference in superiority was obvious.

"Yes, the truth!" Ailisha nodded.

Xia Yu, without hesitation, pointed towards Eriina, who stood nearby, "If it were a scoring system, I would give Eriina’s ’Tempura Platter’ 90 points, and your dish would receive 80 points."

"Why!" Ailisha immediately asked, her eyes betraying an indiscernible mix of disappointment and defiance.

"A cold machine can never match the beauty of handcrafted work," Xia Yu sighed, shaking his head, "In terms of cooking techniques, I think there is no clear winner between you. However, regarding the ’Spring Theme,’ the gap is quite clear."

The heart of a chef.

What surprised Xia Yu was that this time, Eriina had invested a strong sentiment in her cooking, conjuring a vivid depiction of the ’Spring Vegetable Garden’ in his mind, stirring him so intensely that he almost lost his composure.

The difference between a dish with soul and one without lay there.

He had expected Ailisha Tiqie to make a fuss, but within seconds, her expression shifted to a smile.

"It’s fine, this is just the first day!"

Tiqie Ailisha fixed her gaze on her older cousin, "Eriina, in this dormitory study session, I will take my first victory, to genuinely defeat you for the first time!"

"You’ve never beaten me, and it will stay that way!" Eriina responded indifferently.

"We’ll see about that!"

With her hands behind her, Tiqie Ailisha walked away with an elegant catwalk.

Eriina, on the other hand, showed no intention of leaving, standing prettily next to the evaluation table. Xia Yu cast her a curious glance but did not concern himself further; let her stand if she wishes. He bowed his head and continued at the table, applying formulas for spice equations, pondering improvements for the fragrance structure in the recipe.

His leisure was short-lived.

Half an hour later, students began to bring up their respective creations.

"Pass!"

"Fail, go back and redo!"

Xia Yu either took a small taste of other students’ works, or if they were decent, he might eat a bit more.

"Shen Liangzi, you pass!"

Looking down at the dish from this member of the Polar Star Dormitory, Xia Yu was quite surprised. He hadn’t expected that the grains of salt koji, mixed with the sliced circles of pan-fried fish, could exude such a rich essence of spring.

The salt koji enhanced the umami of the Spring Fish, with the emphasis on the fish itself.

"Reiko, in the realm of fermented items, you are the expert!" Xia Yu gave her a thumbs up, and with his praise, Shen Liangzi’s tense face finally relaxed, revealing a slight smile.

The pass rate in the class was around 60%.

Out of ten students, six passed, an average pass rate. The challenge Xia Yu set was not too difficult.

The topic of seasonal-themed cooking was quite basic in the culinary world, and Far Moon students would definitely have undergone training in this area. But Xia Yu’s genuine intention was simply to find, through this straightforward test, chefs who knew how to incorporate ’heart’ into their cooking.

The ’heart’ had not yet reached the level of true culinary spirit, but the culinary spirit was cultivated bit by bit, nurtured to grow strongly and transform from the heart.

Xia Yu already had a rough list of outstanding students in his mind.

"Instructor, this is my dish!"

At that moment, a stern male voice reached his ears. Xia Yu looked up and smiled.

’Divine Nose’ Yashan Liang!