Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 239 - 169: Cumin Beef Cubes, Braised Beef Short Ribs

This thought flashed by and was just a fleeting idea.

Chef Lin could use a mysterious sauce to transform ordinary ingredients into something unfamiliar, so why couldn't Chef Jonathan use a modified sauce to create a new flavor for a salad?

With this thought, he began to look forward to the upcoming main course.

Johnny didn't bring much seafood. After all, time was limited for him, with only two lobsters, about ten abalones, and three squids.

Lin Chen looked at the two remaining squids by his side and the squid tentacles that Jonathan had left over, contemplating what to make for the second appetizer.

"Jonathan, are you still using these squid?"

"No need, you can take them all if you need!"

In Western cuisine, there aren't many ways to prepare squid, ranging from simply boiling and serving them with a salad, frying them into calamari rings, or stuffing and baking them.

Now that they weren't needed, Lin Chen decided to work his magic.

He pulled out the iron griddle from below, placing it over the stove. It was his first time using it in the restaurant; the griddle on the cart seemed to have been unused for quite some time as well.

He quickly wiped the griddle clean, poured on some oil, and began heating it.

The squid had already been prepped, with the innards and skin thoroughly cleaned.

He added some soy sauce, scallions, and ginger into a bowl, gently coating the squid to both color and lightly season them.

Once the air above the griddle started to distort slightly, he placed the whole squid directly on it.

"Sss—"

A large amount of steam rose up, and the strong, fresh aroma dispersed all around.

As the squid heated, countless small bubbles appeared beneath the thick meat, and its overall color shifted from translucent to white.

Compared to the quiet actions on Jonathan's side, it was far livelier over with Lin Chen, creating an almost holiday-like atmosphere.

Sunshine, beach, seaside, seafood.

Edward nodded in satisfaction. This preparation of squid was something he hadn't seen before, raising his expectation even further.

Lin Chen pressed the spatula down hard on the surface of the squid, releasing more juices as the squid meat turned completely white at a visible speed.

He flipped it, and pressed again.

His gaze swept over the spice cart. He picked up a can of unknown thick brown sauce and lightly brushed it on both sides of the squid, then sprinkled on some chili powder and scallions.

He made a few casual cuts on both sides and plated the whole squid directly.

"Griddled squid, please enjoy."

Faced with Chef Lin's casual presentation... or rather, the lack of any presentation, Edward had grown somewhat accustomed, ignoring it altogether.

To say nothing, even without any styling, the sheer visual impact of the whole squid was quite formidable.

With a preparation method and sauce he'd never seen before, the rich aroma was wafting continuously into their noses, tantalizing the two into drooling uncontrollably.

At this time, Jonathan finally brought over a meticulous salad, its colorful ingredients topped with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese, and vibrant, fresh vegetables, clearly reflecting the quality of a high-end restaurant.

Edward and Lamia glanced at it briefly before turning back, evidently uninterested.

It wasn't that it didn't look tasty, but this type of salad presentation they had seen far too many times, able to guess the taste at a glance.

No matter how delicious or fine something is, when consumed too often, it becomes just that.

Jonathan felt quite speechless.

Originally, he had confidently prepared a modified salad to redeem himself, but within ten minutes, the other party had already prepared two—no, three dishes, all using methods unseen in everyday life.

The most absurd part was that they didn't even plate it; they just casually placed them onto plates, yet it seemed to pique the guests' curiosity even more?

Seeing the few remaining cucumber slices on the plate, he swallowed hard.

"Well, Mr. Edward, if you don't mind, could I try this cucumber?"

"No way!!"

Edward snatched the plate and held it protectively in front of him, eyeing him warily: "I'm saving this to cleanse my palate later. Aren't you a head chef? If you want to eat, make some yourself, don't be lazy."

"Uh... right."

Jonathan awkwardly scratched his cheek, silently returning to his spot to pick up a knife, still not understanding what had driven him to crave someone else's leftovers so badly just now.

Anyway, there's still sauce left, he could ask Lin for guidance later.

"Hmm!!!?!"

Impatient Lamia couldn't wait any longer, stealthily picked up a knife and fork, sliced a thick piece of squid and stuffed it in her mouth. After just a few chews, her eyes widened again, covering her mouth in disbelief that this was even squid.

In Western cuisine, squid is usually prepared to retain its original flavor or served with a primarily sour lemon juice, but this squid dish in front of her completely shattered her notions of how squid could be prepared.

The texture remained the springy kind, but the sauce on its surface introduced a savory taste mingled with a distinct sweetness—not the sweetness of sugar, but more like a natural sweetness—combined with the mildly spicy chili powder and fresh scallions, it instantly awakened her taste buds, the more she ate, the more addictive it became.

Not so much a dish, rather more like a snack you'd enjoy with drinks while watching a game.

Edward quickly took a bite as well, and without a word, separated the two squids, "Half for you, half for me, fair distribution!"

After saying that, he even scooped the extra squid tentacles onto his own side.

Lin Chen had no interest in observing their reactions. After cleaning the griddle and setting it aside, he casually placed two iron pots on the stove, scooped about a dozen spoonfuls of oil from the container beside him, and started heating.