ryethenovel Chapter 82 The Banquet is in Full Swing
Chapter 82 The Banquet is in Full Swing
While the dancers were enjoying their meal, Pingping brought out a pot of rosehip tea and poured a cup for each of them.
After drinking canned roasted milk tea for a while, it can get a bit cloying, so a refreshing fruit tea is the perfect complement.
The fifth dish was a mutton feast, which was the dish that Lu Yuan spent the most time preparing.
Once people leave their hometown, what they miss most and what they want to show off to others is definitely the food from their hometown.
The most representative food of northern China is undoubtedly mutton.
There are many ways to cook mutton in northern China, and Lu Yuan has prepared some of the most representative ones.
Hand-pulled mutton, steamed lamb in a bowl, stewed mutton, stir-fried lamb, and braised mutton.
Each dish is small in portion, but when several small plates are put together, they create a truly impressive presentation.
Most people would only choose one thing to eat when they go out to eat, but this "I want them all" way of eating is very extravagant.
When these plates of mutton were served, the girls were stunned; it was the first time they had ever seen mutton served like this.
It's like going to a restaurant and the waiter asks you which one you'd like, and you say you'd like one of everything.
The master was also a little shocked, but she quickly figured out what had happened.
For someone like her who is about to leave her hometown, being able to taste all the different flavors at once would be the best way to avoid any regrets.
"Yuwen, you're so thoughtful!" The master was very pleased and affectionately took Zhang Yuwen's hand and held it tightly in his.
"Huh?" Zhang Yuwen was also dumbfounded. She didn't expect Lu Yuan to be so extravagant.
But this is Lu Yuan's philosophy for running private banquets: understanding customers' emotions and exceeding their expectations is the way to satisfy them.
A dish should not only taste good, but also convey some emotions.
Zhang Yuwen couldn't say at this moment that this wasn't her design, otherwise it would ruin the atmosphere.
She silently remembered this favor and planned to come to Baiyang Elementary School more often to teach the children to dance as a way of repaying it.
The master was very happy; she didn't actually have high expectations for this meal.
She thought that they had come all this way because her apprentices were going to give her some kind of surprise.
She was surprised by how amazing the meal was. As a seasoned foodie who loves to eat but is afraid to try new things, she was overjoyed by the variety of dishes on the table.
She picked up a piece of each type of mutton and savored it carefully.
As a native of northern China, she believes she has eaten quite a few delicious lamb dishes.
But the lamb that Lu Yuan made today gave her a different taste experience with every bite.
Yuanyuan picked up a piece of stir-fried lamb and exaggeratedly showed it to the chef:
"Master, this is the lamb I told you about! It's so delicious! My senior sister fell in love with it after eating it!"
Zhang Yuwen was already feeling a bit awkward, and Yuanyuan's teasing made her feel dizzy.
He wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. That girl was sharp-tongued and he couldn't argue with her.
I might as well just lower my head, eat my meat in silence, and deal with her properly when I get back!
Just as Zhang Yuwen was lost in thought, Zhenzhen and Pingping brought out a few more small dishes.
Just like the lamb feast we just had, this time it's a classic combination of cold dishes.
Cold dishes include beef tendon salad, shredded chicken salad, fish skin salad, and swallow noodle salad.
Oat noodles are a type of coarse grain product that is popular in Northwest China. Oat noodles are the same as the oat noodles eaten by people in Inner Mongolia.
Knead oat flour into a dough, roll it out into a sheet half a centimeter thick, steam it, and then cut it into thin strips.
The cooled swallow noodles have a very chewy texture when kneaded, and they are very refreshing when mixed with garlic water, vinegar water and chili oil.
This dish is often served as a cold appetizer in Chinese restaurants. It is sour, spicy, and refreshing, and goes very well with other main dishes.
The master was almost immune to the endless surprises from this rural restaurant, and simply patted Zhang Yuwen's hand in appreciation.
Before Zhang Yuwen could calm down, she was shocked by the dishes.
She had begged Lu Yuan for a discount on this meal.
But now, looking at plate after plate of such exquisite and delicious food, she really felt a little guilty.
Although 3000 yuan was a huge sum for her, at that moment she felt that the meal was absolutely worth 5000 yuan.
From the perspective of ingredient costs alone, it may not be worth it.
If she understands the concept of emotional value, then it's definitely worth the money.
After tasting each of the cold dishes, the master nodded in satisfaction.
"Yuwen, you've really come to the right place. Based on my many years of experience, I can confidently say that the chef at this restaurant is absolutely the best in the Northern Frontier!"
"He's also the most handsome!" Yuanyuan shouted in a high-pitched voice, and was immediately locked onto by Zhang Yuwen's cold gaze.
The seventh dish was the easiest one Lu Yuan made tonight.
It's also a dish etched into the DNA of women in northern China: Mala Tang (a spicy hot pot dish).
But Lu Yuan's mala tang was seafood mala tang.
Abalone, sea cucumber, prawns, meat rolls, and other dishes were piled up in a generous bowl.
Although the abalone and sea cucumber available in northern China are not of high enough quality to be served as a dish on their own, they are more than enough to add to hot pot.
When this dish was served, it indeed awakened the DNA of these girls.
The girls all exclaimed in surprise:
"Am I seeing things? There's abalone in mala tang?"
"Is this still mala tang?"
These seafood products were still expensive back then, and their popularity was far less than in later generations.
This method of adding a bunch of seafood to spicy hot pot is quite eye-catching.
"Quick, put it in my mouth!" Yuan Yuan was almost in tears when she saw the bowl.
Zhang Yuwen leisurely moved the spicy hot pot to her master first, glaring at Yuanyuan and saying:
"You think you're so greedy? Master hasn't even eaten yet!"
The chef casually picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, then turned the hot pot towards Yuanyuan, smiling as he said:
"Master has already eaten his fill, you all eat!"
Having received permission, the girls picked up their favorite dishes and began to eat.
"Wow, this abalone smells amazing! It has to be seafood hot pot!"
"Try taking a strand of rice noodle; I think this spicy hot pot is delicious, the seafood is just a garnish!" one girl said, disagreeing.
"I also think it's delicious mala tang. This is definitely the best mala tang I've ever had!" another girl chimed in.
The turntable spun continuously until it suddenly stopped in front of Zhang Yuwen.
The master placed his hand on the turntable, picked up a shrimp, and put it into Zhang Yuwen's bowl:
"Yuwen, you love spicy hot pot the most, eat more!"
"Thank you, Master!" Zhang Yuwen did love spicy hot pot the most, but as the head chef, she didn't dare to eat it.
She only rewards herself with a bowl of it on her birthday each year.
She picked up a piece of green vegetable and took a small bite.
In an instant, the spicy and savory flavors broke through the barrier of the taste buds and immediately occupied the mouth.
It smells wonderful, the most wonderful fragrance ever!
"Senior sister, isn't it delicious! If I married a handsome chef, I could eat this delicious mala tang for the rest of my life!"
Yuanyuan was on the other side of the table, looking at Zhang Yuwen with a mischievous grin.
With food in her mouth, Zhang Yuwen wanted to argue with Yuanyuan, but she couldn't catch her breath and almost choked.
"Alright, stop teasing your senior sister!" Master glared at Yuanyuan in annoyance, then gently patted Zhang Yuwen's back.
Just then, the eighth dish was served: crispy roast pigeon.
This dish is elegant and sophisticated, suitable for all ages, and Lu Yuan plans to keep it at his private banquets for a long time.
At that moment in the kitchen, Lu Yuan held a pot lid in front of him, nervously saying:
"Grandpa, let's talk this out, please don't hit me!"