Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 230 - 164: The Breakfast Competition Intensifies Day by Day (Part 2)

"Yes."

Lucas nodded, "According to the master, there are several other groups coming, one of which includes Yuqi's brother."

"Hmm??"

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow; this news once again caught him off guard.

President Wang has something going on, throwing money like this!

Yuqi's brother's popularity in the country is quite possibly the top among Korean workers, especially after joining Running Man, which made him known to even more people.

In his spare time, he watches various variety shows and makes waves where he should, so as not to fall behind socially back home.

If Yuqi's brother comes, there has to be some good food arranged.

"Why, are you a fanboy?"

"Not a fan, but since he's coming, asking for an autographed photo isn't too much, is it? If it doesn't work out, I can sell it."

"That's true."

After a brief interlude, everyone quickly returned to their respective duties.

Having set up the restaurant, Dais and Elsa also went into the back kitchen to help Lin Chen and Lucas with the seafood preparation.

Though it was for their own evening street stalls and not part of their work scope, they still volunteered to help without any complaints, calling it practice and learning, to gain experience for future work.

The blue crabs were shelled, their gills clipped off from both sides, and any excess sharp shells were trimmed to avoid cuts inside the mouth while eating.

For the tiger prawns, the heads were retained while the bodies were shelled. The prawn veins were removed, only leaving the tails, making it easier to eat and brine, and aesthetically pleasing.

Salmon was so easy he could handle it with his eyes closed. Fillets were cut from both sides, belly bones were removed, and embedded bones were extracted one by one with tweezers. The fillets were then sliced according to the difference between the back and belly.

Shellfish were simple too, like scallops, Lucas could handle them himself, and the girls quickly learned after one demonstration.

As for whelks, they needed to be cooked first, and then the meat was removed using a tool; this was not difficult either.

While they helped with the ingredients, Lin Chen began preparing to mix the marinade sauce.

He quickly skimmed the recipe, finding it so simple that he doubted whether the system was tricking him.

There were no special seasonings, just the most basic ones. If there is a secret, it might lie in the proportions.

Soy sauce and mineral water in equal parts, salt, sugar, chicken essence, MSG, oyster sauce, soy paste, sesame oil, chili oil, along with a generous amount of minced garlic and cilantro, plus bird's eye chili; even cilantro roots shouldn't be discarded and can be soaked together.

This is the basic version of the sauce. If you want a refreshing taste, you can add basil leaves, vinegar, or lemon to make a Thai-style sour and spicy flavor, or you can add some wasabi (the tube kind), which also tastes great.

The sauce is one part, and the handling of the seafood is another part.

The prepared raw seafood should be soaked in high-proof white liquor for twenty minutes to kill all the bacteria inside and remove the fishy smell of seafood, but it shouldn't be soaked for too long, as the shrimp and crab will turn yellow, and the wine flavor will be too strong and hard to wash off, affecting the taste.

After soaking, rinse with mineral water to dilute the liquor and pour it out, repeating several times to ensure no wine flavor remains before soaking in the sauce.

The soaking time shouldn't be less than six hours, and it's best not to exceed twenty-four hours. It's best to consume it the same day.

Cooked pickling for shellfish and whelks can last a day or two longer, but ideally, they should be eaten on the same day. Raw ones are not recommended for testing.

"It doesn't seem too complicated, does it?"

Watching on the side, Helena and Lucinda, who were helping Jonathan roll dough balls, watched as pot after pot of seafood was soaked in the sauce, transforming from plain to extraordinarily tempting, with eagerness in their eyes.

"How long do these need to marinate, chef?"

"At least four hours; the longer, the more flavorful."

Ideally, the best crabs for raw pickling are roe crabs, those with full orange roe when cut open. But it's still summer, and it's not yet crab season.

Making raw pickles isn't difficult, as long as the seafood is fresh enough; it just requires a little more preparation time.

All the seafood was soaked just right, and the timing was perfect, slightly past six-thirty.

People began moving all the ingredients onto carts and heading to the outer hall to start preparing to cook prematurely.

"Here we go, it's starting!!"

Outside the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, several curious tourists had already arrived, standing on tiptoes to peek inside.

"I heard the head chef here can cook with flames; I wonder if it's true."

"What flames, that's just the pan catching fire; haven't you seen the video?!"

"Everyone, shut up, or leave if you don't want to watch."

Tourists at the seaside are here to enjoy a leisurely holiday, which usually involves sleeping in.

However, with the hotel's intentional promotion and many diners voluntarily uploading videos, every new guest knows that the restaurant's head chef is quite skilled. The live cooking experience is akin to a magic show, both visually impressive and delicious.

Combined with the promotional video of the restaurant's interior, with its dining areas divided by greenery creating a unique setting, it has attracted many curious tourists eager to try the restaurant's buffet service.

In such a high-class, novel environment, breakfast is only 20 euros, and lunch is only 30 euros. Who wouldn't be tempted?

This price elsewhere might only get you one or two snacks or a main course, but here it's a buffet!

With so many buffs added on, who wants to sleep in? Eating early is more important.

As the time approached 7 AM, outside the restaurant, a long line had unknowingly formed, with everyone craning their necks to peer inside.

Through transparent floor-to-ceiling windows, from certain angles, one could clearly see the blazing fire at the restaurant's center.

The orange flames flickered high and low, trembling with intensity, as if something was tumbling in the fire.

"Look, the pan really is on fire!"

"They say Great Xia's chefs play with fire while cooking. I thought it was just special effects, but it turns out to be true!"

"When does it open, I'm starving."

Inside the restaurant, just a door away, Dais and Helena were busy organizing lists behind the counter, occasionally turning to look at the crowd outside.

"Should we let them in already? If we let people in as late as yesterday, it might get crowded and dangerous again."

"I think we can. After all, the number of spots is fixed, and everyone's appetite is limited, so letting them in ten minutes early shouldn't affect the overall situation."

After a brief exchange, they quickly reached an agreement. They turned and called inside to inform them they'd be letting people in early. Helena then went over to open the main door.

"Ding-ding-ding~"

"Good morning, everyone. Welcome. Please present your room cards and register your names before dining; we will verify them. Thank you for your cooperation."

As soon as the door opened, a strong aroma of food wafted out, causing the first ten or so diners at the front of the queue to pause, then take deep breaths, with blissful expressions on their faces.

"It smells so good~"

This aroma was unlike any they'd smelled before in a buffet or regular restaurant. Others often smelled of air fresheners, with only a hint of food scent when it was right before them.

This strong aroma that greeted them as the door opened was something almost everyone was encountering for the first time.

"Yes, that's the aroma, seafood fried rice!"

"I smell green peppers; ah! My favorite green pepper beef stir-fry!!"

Many diners who got a taste of it yesterday got up early today to line up again; if they didn't seize the opportunity, who knew when they'd be able to eat it again.

The line began to move slowly, with more diners running over from the hotel, causing the queue to grow instead of shrink. Everyone eagerly awaited the delicious breakfast.

The filming Korean girls on the beach noticed the long line, showing visible anticipation and anxiety on their faces.

"PD-nim, when can we start eating?"

"I've never seen such a busy restaurant in the morning abroad, even in our country there might not be one, right?"