Chapter 519: Chapter 512: It Really Isn’t Easy
As soon as the Celestial Fish was placed on the table, everyone was stunned!
The aroma of the stewed old hen mixed with fresh fish wafted from the clay pot.
The middle-aged man said, "This dish looks truly unique, just amazing! If it weren’t for wanting to try Hunan cuisine, we would have missed it!"
The middle-aged woman nodded, "I think their cooking is indeed authentic. We’ll come back here when we want to eat this again."
Ye Mian said, "This dish is not only about taste but also the chef’s technique. Traditional Hunan Celestial Fish doesn’t require knife skills, and you won’t see a single fish bone. Look at these fish bones, perfectly intact. The chef’s cooking skills are extraordinary!"
Mao Jia’s wife listened with curiosity, "Are you saying the fish meat just falls off the bone?"
Ye Mian smiled and said, "That’s right. The specialty of this dish is that the fish meat is steamed by the hot steam of the chicken broth until it completely falls into the broth."
Everyone present exclaimed in admiration, "This dish is truly interesting and worth a try!"
The chicken was stewed to perfection, combined with the tender fish, with no other ingredients, just the original flavors.
As people age, their tastes tend to be plain, focusing on health, and they appreciate the subtle flavors in the ingredients.
The group, who had been chatting and laughing, now quietly sipped the rich Celestial Fish soup, savoring its perfectly balanced and exquisite taste.
It was clearly a gathering of old friends, yet it evoked a sense of silent contentment.
There wasn’t much left of the Hunan dishes on the table.
The pot of Celestial Fish was completely devoured.
The news quickly reached Li Xintong, who had been keeping an eye on things.
Li Xintong sighed in relief, happy that the customers were satisfied.
Then, Li Xintong specifically sent someone to the back kitchen to report the news.
Zhang Zhen received the news and was delighted, nodding quickly, "Great! I know!"
"Chef Fu, you’re amazing!"
By this time, everyone in the back kitchen had heard about the event.
Chef Liu was full of surprise and looked at Fu Yu, "Chef Fu, you’re incredible!"
Zhou Yesheng was even more excited, feeling he had witnessed a miracle, "Chef Fu, you are so brilliant! Customers are all praising the authentic taste of this Celestial Fish!"
They could say they had witnessed the live cooking of this Celestial Fish and all knew how challenging it was.
But Fu Yu really pulled it off.
He successfully cooked this classic dish that was said to be lost for a long time.
Thinking about it, Zhou Yesheng couldn’t help but look at Fu Yu with admiration. He was truly impressive!
Amidst his joy, Zhang Zhen sighed silently. Fu Yu was indeed impressive, but... for some reason, during the cooking, Fu Yu’s binding technique seemed familiar.
It seemed like... he had seen it somewhere!
Yes!
It looked very much like the ordinary flat tie method... but it was obviously different, much more practical, aesthetically better, and more stable.
Could this be another improvement technique Fu Yu developed privately?
Thinking of this, Zhang Zhen’s gaze towards Fu Yu changed.
Truly impressive!
Fu Yu turned around and saw several people admiring him with a look of appreciation, feeling a bit embarrassed, "Mainly, I should thank you for your help."
Zhang Zhen waved his hand, "No, we should thank you. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had the chance to see such exquisite cooking. It truly is... breathtaking!"
Zhou Yesheng was stunned and quickly said, "No! This is what I should do."
The few of them exchanged polite remarks.
Zhou Yesheng looked at Fu Yu, feeling an inward sigh. Chef Fu was truly humble and modest. Even though he was merely doing odd jobs a sous chef should do, it was remarkable for him to give thanks.
As for Chef Liu, the more he looked at Fu Yu, the more he admired him. Secretly, he felt fortunate that he had reacted quickly before and asked a question. Otherwise, who would have thought Fu Yu could cook this long-lost dish?
It was truly fortunate!
"Chef Fu, it’s good you can make this dish. Manager Li also thanks you very much. She even sent a message asking me to convey her gratitude."
Fu Yu slightly smiled, politely saying, "It’s just a small matter. You guys are really too polite."
Feng Hai stood two stoves away, neither too close nor too far, watching the scene with complex emotions, wanting to join in the conversation but unsure what to say.
Initially, he thought Fu Yu, this young man, was a bit overconfident.
After all, the Celestial Fish was a long-lost dish, and even he had only heard of it and never seen it in reality.
Could Fu Yu’s so-called ability to make it really be reliable?
Unexpectedly, Fu Yu turned out to be Liu Yunong’s apprentice. Otherwise, he might still be skeptical about him.
But Liu Yunong was a descendant of Lady Liu, passed down through generations. There might be numerous ancient cookbooks, possibly including records of the Celestial Fish recipe.
So, throughout Fu Yu’s cooking, Feng Hai kept an eye on his actions.
In Feng Hai’s view, knowing how to cook didn’t mean it could be done well.
And doing well was different from doing it perfectly.
In reality, today marked the first time Feng Hai had met Fu Yu.
They had no connection whatsoever.
Under normal circumstances, since the Celestial Fish was handed to Fu Yu to cook, he only needed to start preparing the other dishes for the evening’s banquet.
But Feng Hai couldn’t help but be distracted by Fu Yu’s cooking.
One concern was what if Fu Yu couldn’t pull it off, affecting the evening’s reservations?
The other was pure curiosity about how Fu Yu planned to make this dish.
The more curious he was, the more Feng Hai focused on Fu Yu’s every move.
He patiently waited to see the final cooking result.
He really wanted to see what the Celestial Fish looked like on the table.
Whether its presentation or the final customer feedback, he paid special attention to it.
...
Seeing the regular customers, who left satisfied after checking out.
Li Xintong took a breath of relief, it wasn’t easy.
Checking the customer’s bill amount, she felt very pleased.
This regular customer was settled, at least for this year, their dining consumption should still fall into her restaurant.
She had worked for so many years and had quite a stable customer base.
These customers were painstakingly retained and gradually gotten to know over the years.
Many old employees like her also had their own exclusive customer sources.
For them, maintaining their customer base not only brought substantial commission income but also created revenue for the restaurant.
After all, only by operating the restaurant well would their salaries continue to rise with its success.
