Chapter 492: Chapter 485: Gotta Admit It
After confirming that he could visit the Shangshi Private Kitchen that evening, Fu Yu informed Liu Yunong in advance.
Liu Yunong was obviously very satisfied with Fu Yu’s enthusiastic attitude towards learning.
However, she had something come up in the evening and would arrive a bit later, so she just told Fu Yu to go to the restaurant directly after work.
The Shangshi Private Kitchen follows a limited supply route.
Unlike regular restaurants that operate from ten in the morning to ten at night, this place opens at 3:30 PM and closes at 10:30 PM.
And among the ten dishes offered daily, the two most special dishes are limited to only twenty servings each day. If you’re late, you’ll have to wait and try your luck next time.
After all, the featured dishes here change every day.
When Fu Yu arrived, it was the busiest time at the restaurant.
Liu Yunong hadn’t arrived yet, and the kitchen was relying solely on Wang Yulong and Liu Zhangpeng to handle the cooking.
In a restaurant, the atmosphere of the kitchen is actually determined by the relationship between the chefs in charge.
If the chefs in charge don’t get along, then the assistants would fend for themselves. Not only would they have to do their assigned tasks well, but they’d also have to be on the lookout, observing and listening for any signs of trouble, fearing to get caught in the crossfire and become collateral damage.
But the kitchen of the Shangshi Private Kitchen was different.
Wang Yulong held the title of head chef but was effectively the executive chef.
Liu Zhangpeng was his apprentice, and he completely followed Wang Yulong’s lead.
The two head chefs had a harmonious relationship, and the four assistants were also kind-hearted.
Fu Yu’s main purpose was to learn how to cook the Liu Family Cuisine.
Moreover, maintaining a good relationship with everyone in the kitchen could better pave the way for his future learning.
He wasn’t well-educated, had a certain down-to-earth charm of a small-town guy, wasn’t arrogant, and was warm and straightforward, making him easy to get along with.
In a short time after entering the kitchen of the Shangshi Private Kitchen, Fu Yu quickly became acquainted with everyone.
When Liu Yunong arrived, she could hear the faint sound of laughter and conversation coming from the kitchen as she reached the door.
Wang Yulong was an experienced chef and had stayed with his master at the main restaurant from the time he started his apprenticeship.
He recounted tales of roaming the streets around the main restaurant, tasting local delicacies, and witnessing the top skills of renowned chefs.
Mutton Alley’s White Water Sheep Head Soup, Langfang’s Two-Stall Sheep Head Ma, Flying Knife Thin Stir-Fried Pepper Salt, and various famous old brands of Pea Yellow and Kidney Bean Cake...
Wang Yulong spoke with authority, like an expert himself, with a demeanor as if he were Emperor Qianlong critiquing the Manchu Han Imperial Feast!
Having grown up there and worked in kitchen cooking, such things were most familiar and enjoyable to him.
Aside from Liu Zhangpeng, who transferred from the main restaurant, the other four assistants, as well as Fu Yu, had never been there, so these stories were all new and fascinating to them.
As Liu Yunong entered the kitchen, she heard Wang Yulong, who was usually serious and quiet, smiling subtly as he asked Fu Yu, "Do you know what Sheep Head Soup is?"
Fu Yu shook his head repeatedly.
Wang Yulong asked again, "Have you tasted White Water Sheep Head?"
Fu Yu shook his hand again.
Wang Yulong clicked his tongue, "Let me tell you, just one taste and you’ll understand that saying, no taste for meat for three months!"
Fu Yu’s eyes lit up with excitement.
"Eating meat like this, you shouldn’t go for the rump or belly. Those aren’t savory, they are all fatty. A true connoisseur picks the tendons and offals!"
Fu Yu immediately perked up; he understood this!
He had often heard Zhao Meng talk about this.
Fu Yu eagerly agreed, "Exactly! Like, if you eat chicken, you have to eat the chicken feet; if you eat duck, you eat the duck tongue; if it’s pork, it’s the intestines and tail for sure!"
Wang Yulong looked at Fu Yu with increasing appreciation, rare to see him smile, "That’s right, with mutton, you eat the sheep’s head!"
"The White Water Sheep Head was first created by an old chef named Ma Yukun. In the dead of winter, with the northwest wind blowing, Chef Ma would make this dish right in the alley."
"He was particular about his attire, wearing custom-made chef clothes, a blue robe, a white shirt, and a bull ear knife in hand, his knife skills superb and his speed incredibly fast."
"The slices of meat he cut were as thin as paper! Once cut, they’re laid on bright green lotus leaves and sprinkled with a layer of secret fried pepper salt. The slices, large and thin, are dipped in the specially made pepper salt to eat, soft, tender, crisp, and fragrant without greasiness, oh, it’s incredibly delicious!"
The kitchen staff chatted while working, the atmosphere harmonious and warm.
Liu Yunong stood at the doorway, slightly surprised, feeling for a moment like Fu Yu has always worked here.
Everyone got along well, coordinated seamlessly, and there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Liu Yunong moved her gaze from Wang Yulong to Fu Yu’s face and didn’t interrupt the lively conversation inside.
She stood quietly for a moment, a playful smile touched her lips, and then she stepped inside.
When everyone noticed the boss had arrived, they immediately greeted her.
Afterward, the work atmosphere became more concentrated than before.
Fu Yu followed Liu Yunong around, becoming an official kitchen assistant.
At 7:30 PM, the kitchen staff took turns eating dinner.
Differing from Qianlima’s kitchen, at Shangshi Private Kitchen, the staff’s dinner consisted of dishes from the day’s menu.
The dishes were offered in unlimited quantities.
It was Fu Yu’s first time tasting the Liu Family Cuisine.
In a large porcelain bowl, the stuffed oxtail was made from the tailbone of an eighteen-month-old calf, stewed over a low flame for several hours.
It was filled with a broth of the Liu family’s secret matsutake mushroom filling.
Once stewed, it was steamed again in a high broth for an hour.
The aroma was rich and irresistible, melting in the mouth.
Another dish was the five-spice crispy bone yellow croaker.
From selecting the fish to marinating it, all using the Liu family’s inherited secret recipe.
The marinated yellow croaker was placed in a clay pot, slow-cooked over a gentle flame, and braised for a full five hours.
The fish soup would form slight ripples but should not boil until the bones were crispy and the flesh tender, yet the whole fish remained intact in shape.
When eating, there was no need to pick out the fish bones; they would melt in the mouth, soft and fluffy.
These two dishes were today’s limited supply featured dishes on the menu.
All twenty servings were sold out before eight o’clock.
However, the kitchen staff kept two servings of each for themselves.
Fu Yu alone had two bowls of stuffed oxtail and half a yellow croaker.
By the end, if it weren’t for maintaining his image, he almost wished he could mix his rice with the remaining sauce in the dish, unwilling to waste a drop.
After finishing this meal, Fu Yu was genuinely impressed.
Why was it that a dish at Shangshi Private Kitchen could be sold at such a high price yet still follow a limited supply route?
Because they truly had the skill!
You can’t help but be convinced!
Elsewhere, no matter how much money you have, it’s genuinely unattainable!
