Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Chapter 586: Chapter 498: The More You Eat, the Hungrier You Get—Round Two

"Quick, give me the bun!"

Wang Ziqin, who was thoroughly enjoying his food, stomped his feet in a hurry, disregarding the paper box, casually placing it on the table and extending his hand towards Lin Chen with an open palm.

Lin Chen understood and picked up a soy sauce meat bun from the steamer basket, placing it in the man’s palm.

The next second, Wang Ziqin’s face changed dramatically, and as if shocked by electricity, he instinctively tossed the bun into the air.

The scalding soy sauce meat bun traced a graceful arc in the air, and the three pairs of eyes followed it intently.

"My bun!"

Without waiting for Lin Chen to make a move, Wang Ziqin let out a startled cry and swiftly reached out to snatch it back.

He grasped it tightly for just two seconds, but the scorching heat quickly spread again, prompting him to hurriedly toss the bun to his other hand.

Repeating this process over a dozen times like juggling, the bun’s temperature finally dropped to a not-so-hot-to-touch level.

"Oh," Chu Yueyue smirked slyly, "I didn’t realize you had a talent for juggling."

"Of course!"

Wang Ziqin, instead of being annoyed, proudly raised his chin, opened his mouth wide, and took a fierce bite of the soy sauce meat bun.

With one big bite, he had almost devoured half of the bun, leaving only a crescent-shaped remnant.

"What the heck?"

His reaction was even more dramatic than Chu Yueyue’s, a single exclamation fully expressing all of his evaluation of this soy sauce meat bun.

"Was this fried with sweet bean sauce?"

"Yo, not bad, President Wang, you’ve got quite the discerning taste."

"It’s alright~"

Sweet bean sauce?

Chu Yueyue was taken aback, finally realizing why this flavor seemed so familiar yet elusive—it was sweet bean sauce!

"This bun is absolutely astounding, I dare bet it’s today’s MVP! I’m serious!"

Wang Ziqin, with his mouth still full, hurriedly stuffed the remaining small piece in, speaking indistinctly while giving a thumbs-up.

"This sweet and salty taste is perfect for foreigners, and stir-fried minced meat is one of their preferred cooking methods. If this doesn’t sell well, it’s simply against all reason!"

"Isn’t it a bit early to say that?" Although Chu Yueyue was tempted to agree, her thoughts lingered on the pan-fried cakes exuding a fragrant aroma.

Until she tasted that, she wouldn’t easily concede.

"I’m referring to the buns, the pan-fried cakes aren’t even in the same league or competition."

"True enough."

Before long, the pan-fried cakes were ready.

Lin Chen used two large spatulas to lift the enormous pan-fried cakes like a round table onto the cutting board, deftly slicing them with his knife and releasing crisp ’crackling’ sounds.

His movements were swift. Before the two could even see clearly, the flying knife shadows had stopped, and the front of the cutting board was littered with enticing slices of thin cakes.

He managed two stovetops on his own—the left one frying pancakes, the right steaming buns, with a long table in the middle. Half covered in scattered white flour, the rest was dedicated to slicing the cakes.

"Here, eat while it’s hot."

After filling a paper box, Wang Ziqin had placed on the table earlier, with a bowl full of sliced pan-fried cake pieces, he inserted two bamboo sticks and handed it over.

Chu Yueyue, having eagerly awaited, took it with both hands like it was a rare treasure, her face lighting up with joy.

She picked up a piece, tasted it, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Yes, yes, this is the taste!"

"Crispy yet soft, the crust is both flaky and chewy, with a rich sauce flavor. It’s salty with sweet undertones, and has a distinct five-spice taste, complemented by sesame and scallions, absolutely divine!"

Just one bite was enough for it to earn immortal status in her book.

"Quick, get me a box too!"

No prompt was needed; President Wang finally picked up on the cues and directly asked Lin Chen for a box of new pan-fried cakes.

The couple each held a box overflowing with cakes as they walked back, Wang Ziqin still munching on a soy sauce meat bun.

This stuff really was addictive; just one wouldn’t suffice, at least two were necessary.

While they ate, they didn’t use their status to freeload; instead, they carried their food box along towards the queue.

Under dozens of longing gazes, they paid their bill but didn’t leave—they simply stood at the restaurant entrance and began eating.

The slices of sauce-coated crispy cakes emitted a rich aroma, driving other diners to repeatedly swallow.

"What kind of cake is that? It looks incredibly delicious!"

"I knew getting up early wouldn’t be a mistake. Chef Lin’s skills are exactly as praised online, trustworthy without fail."

"Are they having an employee meal now? Do employees eat the same food as us?"

"Exactly, that’s how it should be. Only restaurants where employees are willing to eat the food themselves are both hygienic and delicious."

"Am I the only one concerned about when we get to eat? Waiting is killing me!"

After seeing the couple off, Lin Chen picked up two pieces of pan-fried cakes and started chewing, staring thoughtfully at the remaining half.

How to describe this thing—it might be overwhelming to eat too much in one go, but after half an hour or an hour, the craving returns inexplicably, still wanting more.

He swiftly cut up the remaining cakes and boxed them, setting them out on the table for the wait staff to help themselves, while he resumed rolling out dough to make another batch.

There were over twenty servers; one batch wouldn’t suffice.

The couple blatantly ignored the murderously intense gaze of the diners, leisurely finishing two boxes of pan-fried cakes, then burped.

"Satisfying!"

"Are you full, dear?"

"Stuffed, haven’t been this full in a while."

"Want to check out the menu inside? After all, Old Lin composed it, might be different from usual."

"Uh..."

Chu Yueyue touched her rounded belly, looking troubled.

Logical thinking dictated she ought to take a look; she was management, after all, needing to personally ensure quality.

But she feared seeing a spread of delicious dishes and not being able to eat them—what a disaster that would be!

"Forget it, I’ll head back to the hotel; you go explore on your own."

"Just take some pictures for me."

With prompt decisiveness, she gave up the unattainable breakfast and focused her efforts on lunch instead.

It was just over six now, returning to digest for four hours would be just right.

The food was all carbs, digestible enough, with four and a half hours being plenty.

"Alright then, I’m heading in~"

Wang Ziqin was indeed not yet satisfied; when tallying it all up, he had only consumed two and a half buns in addition to a box of cakes, an amount any average man could handle.

He had been hungry since last night, and felt his appetite better than usual.

A box of pan-fried cakes appeared hefty, but that was just an illusion. Once sliced, they varied in size and easily wasted space when stacked together.

And pan-fried cakes were made with flaky dough, not solid, with some hidden spaces within.

What seemed like a full box was actually about half in quantity, equivalent to a bowl of rice.

Waving goodbye to his wife, under the watchful eyes of many, he grandly entered the restaurant’s main door, disappearing behind the lush plant wall.