Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 260 - 179: Invisible Clash—The Sakura Chef Stunned by the Buffet (Part 2)

"Watch your words, he is a well-known chef after all. It's crucial to have basic courtesy. Some thoughts can just stay in your head; don't embarrass the Great Xia People."

"Alright, alright, it's just us here anyway, nobody can understand us."

Lucas casually brushed it off and heard him ask what foods that Sakura Girl bought, lifting his head to recall carefully.

"First, she definitely bought quite a few boxed meals, since all we sold last week were boxed meals."

"If we go back another week... I'll check the videos on my homepage, everything should be recorded there, and she has probably tried most of the foods."

"Well, it was pointless to ask, who knows what ingredients she'll bring tonight, let's just adapt to whatever comes."

This was his first time meeting a guest from Asia, and being a fellow head chef, he couldn't afford to be careless. He had to uphold the reputation of his country well.

The Sakura People's palate tends to be mild, focusing on the natural flavors of the ingredients themselves. Their cooking methods are extremely simple, often just using soy sauce or salt and sometimes miso.

There are also some heavy flavors, like in ramen broth which is quite strong, curry rice sauce can be considered heavy too, and the modified mapo tofu is a very popular dish as well.

Since it's a custom menu, it has to start with the guest's taste preferences; you can't just make anything arbitrarily.

With a rough idea of Sakura Country's cuisine style in his mind, he had some idea, but the rest depended on seeing the ingredients and discussing once the person arrived to decide what dishes to make.

Nagishiro Sho appeared promptly at the restaurant entrance at six-thirty.

Just as he expected, there was a considerable number of diners already queuing at the door.

He wore a mask and a sun hat, dressed casually, looking just like an ordinary person, casually standing at the end of the line.

As more and more diners came downstairs, he grew increasingly curious about what delightful breakfast awaited him.

Six fifty.

The restaurant doors opened, accompanied by the pleasant sound of wind chimes, and two beautiful waitresses began letting people in.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Before dining, we need to register and verify your room number and name to avoid any accidents affecting others' dining experience. Thank you for your cooperation."

The process went smoothly with the few people in front, and when it was Nagishiro Sho's turn to register, Dais discreetly raised an eyebrow.

"Mr. Nagi from Room 1001, welcome to dine with us."

As the man walked away, Dais immediately took out a walkie-talkie from her waist: "Chef, target suspected to be a Sakura Chef has appeared, name registered as Nagi, wearing a black mask, facial features look very Asian."

"Great, thank you."

Upon receiving the message, Lin Chen quickly shifted his gaze to the entrances on both sides of the green plant wall and soon spotted a slender, short man with a mask walking towards him.

That height, that aura, and that peculiar name.

It must be him!

Unlike the Great Xia People, the Sakura People don't like to give themselves English names. Even Kimchi People sometimes give themselves an English name for easier communication.

The Sakura People's names inherently have an English phonetic style, so they usually just use their own names openly.

When he spotted Nagishiro Sho, the man simultaneously noticed him.

Their eyes met in mid-air and sparks flew.

Nagishiro Sho smiled and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

His original purpose for coming here was to meet the Great Xia chef; he never intended to hide his identity, nor was there a need to.

Finding a nearby table, he flipped the sign on the tabletop to indicate it was taken so no one else would take it, and hurriedly walked towards the food counter to see what delicacies were available.

Lucas was still stationed by the desserts section, continuously serving up bowls of fruit jelly and red bean soup, keeping an eye on the cold dish section nearby as well.

"Would you like a bowl of our chilled natural plant jelly, sir? And sweet, velvety osmanthus red bean soup, both are our signature desserts." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Seeing the man approach, Lucas plastered a commercial smile on his face and loudly promoted.

Natural plant jelly?

Nagishiro Sho paused, recalling the thing Ai frequently brought home for a while.

Upon closer inspection, it really was!

Without much hesitation, he grabbed a tray, took a bowl of each dessert, and headed back to put them down before returning to the line for more.

Red beans are also popular in Sakura Country's desserts, but it's rare to find them cooked into such a thick soup; they are usually whole and paired with rice cakes.

The golden dried petals scattered on top released an unfamiliar fragrance, piquing his curiosity about the flower species he hadn't encountered before.

After placing the two bowls of desserts down, he grabbed his tray and returned to the appetizers section by the dessert area. The lids of four serving chafers were open, making the distinct differences immediately obvious.

The quantity of Caesar salad and spinach salad wasn't much, just enough to cover the serving chafer, while the two kinds of cold dishes beside them were piled into small mountains, so full that they'd spill over with a slight nudge.

No doubt, these must be Great Xia cold dishes!

The verdant celery paired with tender yellow and bright yuba, beside it, the colorful Northeastern mixed salad, just their presentation far outshined the two Western salads beside them.

As a head chef, he could tell at a glance where the differences lay between the two, and sparks of understanding flickered in his eyes.

"Subarashii, indeed one must explore to draw inspiration; I haven't even formally met the chef, and I've already learned a lesson."

Looking at the two types of Western salads alone, there was nothing wrong with their pairing or color, meeting high-end restaurant standards.

But when compared to these two Great Xia salads, due to differences in color, ingredient pairing, and flavor profile that differed from most diners' salad impressions, it would unconsciously invoke intense curiosity.

On one side was food available anywhere, and on the other was something completely novel; anyone would choose to try something new.

In a buffet, since diners determine the quantity, they wouldn't worry about waste, so foreign diners would still be willing to try new things under such conditions.

If sold as a whole portion individually, the effect might differ significantly.

"Impressive, impressive! To think of leveraging the buffet system to create pure Great Xia cuisine to attract diners, and clearly the dishes were carefully selected to fit salad characteristics."

While marveling, he added two portions onto his plate, and the Western salads nearby weren't an exception, adding a couple of leaves to taste as well.

Moving further along, steaming strips of spicy pepper beef and stir-fried bean sprouts came into view, followed by seafood fried rice and stir-fried noodles, both piled into towering heaps, indicating their popularity.

Moreover, as he was gathering food, Lin Chen had already begun preparing new dishes, with ingredients flying up and down in the iron wok as his wrist moved, blazing flames roaring in the pan, setting off waves of heat.

"Here it is!"

"The unique cooking technique of the Great Xia chef seen in the videos!"

The bright flames reflected in his eyes, his face under the mask filled with excitement.

A closer look revealed that what was being cooked was the seafood part of the seafood fried rice he had just scooped, and a full pot of white rice was already prepared nearby.

Instinctively, he lifted the plate to his nose for a sniff and detected a faint, unfamiliar aroma.

It resembled charcoal-grilled skewers but was slightly different.

Carefully observing Lin Chen's movements for a while, he was content only after the entire wok of fried rice was ready and returned to his seat to start enjoying the food.

From stepping into the restaurant to now, it took merely seven to eight minutes, yet he felt like he had experienced a cultural baptism.

Whether in terms of ingredient selection, variety pairing, or the culinary art, this Great Xia chef was top-notch in every aspect, delving into an entirely new field he had never encountered before.

As he contemplated, a spoonful of fried rice entered his mouth.

"?!"

The unexpected flavor made him widen his eyes in disbelief, staring intently at the vividly clear and enticing seafood fried rice on his plate.

The hint of charcoal-grilled aroma was immediately amplified several times upon tasting.

The rice appeared glossy and rich but was actually incredibly dry and fragrant; the seafood taste was intense, complemented by a slight fermented acidity from pickled vegetables, stimulating his appetite in just one bite.