Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 477 - 476: Establishing a Classic (Part 1)

Chapter 477: Chapter 476: Establishing a Classic (Part 1)

The fragrance wafted from the basin on the countertop, palpable in its intensity.

White vapors spread like a dense spider web from above the young chef’s head, quickly enveloping the entire venue.

The audience cooperated, each seemingly losing their souls.

From Bernard’s perspective, it seemed a grand enchantment spell, inconceivable.

"Huh?!"

A whiff of the fragrance accidentally swept past his nose, Bernard inadvertently inhaled, and became stunned, tremblingly murmuring, "Why does the blood sausage taste... so strange?"

He couldn’t help but take another sniff, feeling pounds lighter.

This top student from the French Culinary Institute bowed his head, his shoulders trembling as he evidently suppressed something.

A heavy atmosphere hung over the guest seating area.

"What a familiar spice pairing!"

Yu Hong, the leader of Yangquan Restaurant’s team, had already stood up from his chair.

Just by smelling it, Lin Chef felt as if a door was loosening, booming, rumbling, ancient bronze doors continually vibrated, echoing in his heart, drawing Yu Hong in, igniting a long-lost desire to explore.

"Master Yu, Master Yu..."

His disciple’s call brought Lin Chef back to his senses, and he chuckled, shaking his head as he sat back down, murmuring regretfully, "If I were a judge, I’d be in luck, but alas, what a pity!"

"Only 20 minutes left until the end!"

Chiyoda Aichi’s reminder finally broke the odd atmosphere at the venue.

Time was pressing.

Xia Yu’s hands were already clean; he touched the blood sausage to test its temperature and used kitchen paper to absorb the remaining moisture. He then fired up the stove, placed a frying pan on it, oiled it, and quickly pan-fried the sausage before plating.

One fried blood sausage was first arranged, and another raw one was neatly sliced and arranged around the plate.

Finally, he mixed a dish of garlic sauce.

Just peel the garlic, chop it up, add some vinegar and dipping soy sauce, and it’s done.

"Cooking complete!"

As Xia Yu put on the lid, ready to serve the dish, the system suddenly prompted:

"Cook completion at 95%."

"New recipe recorded, please name it."

He had no time to deal with the system now; naming could wait until after his victory. As Xia Yu carried the plate, he glanced across the stage and was momentarily taken aback.

Clack.

Bernard, expressionless, opened the oven and took out a tray with five roasted apples.

He placed each of the five apples on different plates, thus completing Bernard’s dish. Their eyes met across the stage, each clearly seeing the expression in the other’s eyes.

"Clang—"

The gong sounded, marking the exact moment the last second ticked away.

The judges’ table now held two different versions of ’black blood sausage’: Bernard’s, freshly served with roasted apples emitting a fruity aroma and a hint of wine; Xia Yu’s, with no apples, included both pan-fried and boiled sliced blood sausages.

The camera lingered on the dishes for a long time.

Bernard looked uncomfortable.

Comparisons are dreadful; his plating, already considered refined, had sauce drizzled over the pan-fried blood sausage and roasted apples, looking bright and appealing, almost like a carefully edited gourmet photo, drawing gasps from the audience.

But the next moment, the camera shifted to the dish beside it, Xia Yu cracked a slight smile, and lifted the lid!

"Whoosh—"

Silence.

A sudden burst of blinding light, too intense to stare into, left the five judges slack-jawed.

Two seconds later, as the light faded, the blood sausage in the plate, like the initial ’blood of cow, pig, and bird,’ shimmered with a mysterious luster, bright red as if uncooked, but the strong tantalizing fragrance told the judges and the audience that the dish was complete.

Compared to such a visually stunning dish, Bernard’s plating immediately seemed mundane.

"Both in form and color, completely outshined!"

That was the audience’s sentiment.

Tiqie Eriina, without knowing when, uncrossed her legs and sat upright, no longer biting her nails or looking agitated. Her beautiful eyes glimmered with a hazy sheen as she stared at the screen above the venue, clearly showing her yearning:

"His food is still so beautiful!" Eriina murmured softly, her mood suddenly calming down. Ever since she encountered her father, her uneasy heart had settled down inexplicably upon seeing the familiar culinary style.

Maybe he really can defeat my father.

Eriina actually wanted to completely sweep away the shadow her father had cast over her, but she couldn’t do it herself.

"Ahem!"

A staff member handed over a microphone. Xia Yu cleared his throat into the microphone, glanced at the stunned Bernard, and said, "Let’s start with my dish for the review, shall we?"

Bernard clenched his teeth and said with forced support, "Fine, you go first!"

Xia Yu turned his head to meet the eyes of the five judges.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please—"

he said.

The penultimate judge, a woman with flaxen wavy long hair, looked at him with disapproval and said deliberately, "Contestant Xia Yu, I do not agree with your dish! Nor do I agree with your culinary skills!"

In front of her was a nameplate: Famous Gourmet, Melissa.

The venue exploded.

The audience hadn’t expected the judge’s first words to be so unforgiving.

Afterward, Bernard clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with excitement, "I haven’t lost yet!"

Xia Yu just frowned slightly, "Why?"

"Because you have nothing of your own!" Melissa displayed contempt on her face, her words biting and merciless, "I’ve heard you’re the youngest, most talented top-tier chef from Neon, but why don’t you showcase your own recipes? Imitation? Haha, it’s audacious to do so on such an international stage. No judge would accept a plagiarized work. What’s more severe now is that I deeply doubt how you even passed the top-tier examination..."

Melissa successfully set the tone, and the scene was suddenly filled with echoes of agreement.

"Exactly, imitation is fundamentally wrong! The Legendary Culinary Competition doesn’t allow such disqualified chefs!"

"Get out!"

Angry shouts.

Xia Yu stopped smiling and glanced towards the loudest area, seeing it was the waiting area of the French Academy.

However, it wasn’t the competing team members shouting, but a group of students with them, probably here to observe, learn, and tour, each filled with righteous indignation.

"I say, stop talking and taste it!" Xia Yu said sharply to the critical female judge.

"Taste it?"

"Hah!"

Melissa folded her arms, leaned back in her chair, arrogantly lifted her face and sneered with her nose towards him. "I, won’t, eat!"

Veins popped on her forehead.

Damn it!

Before anyone could react, Xia Yu actually stepped past the judge’s bench, stood next to Melissa’s chair, picked up a shiny silver fork, and forked two slices of prepared blood sausage, "Come on, eat!"

He said sternly, pushing the fork towards the female judge’s mouth.

"I won’t eat!"

"Eat."

"No!"

"Eat, and you’ll see."

This scene, unfit for the atmosphere of an international competition, caused the audience to hold back laughter, which soon turned into a roar of laughter.

But then, everyone’s eyes almost popped out in shock.

The comedic scene didn’t continue, for Melissa suddenly relented, swallowing the blood sausage on the fork.

Anger and annoyance disappeared from her beautiful face after she swallowed the food and chewed slightly. The famous star and gourmet’s eyes sparkled with intense surprise and greed, "Eat, eat, eat!"

Before Xia Yu could speak, she snatched the fork and buried her head in the plate, wolfing down the food like a glutton.

The other four judges exchanged glances.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please taste—"

Xia Yu stepped back and returned to his original spot, bowing slightly.

Hesitantly, the four judges began to taste the dishes, marking the true beginning of the judging phase.