Gourmet: Midnight Vending-Chapter 394 - 358: Damn, He Used Three Spoons of Evaporated Milk!
In the face of Yang Wenhua’s confusion, Chef Hu and Chef Liu both chose to remain silent.
Amidst the popularity of this internet-famous city, the two chefs reluctantly accepted their bosses’ assignment: to set up a stall at the North Gate of the Ecological Garden.
One moment, they were head chefs of renowned local establishments, dishes in high demand by tourists.
The next moment, they were just street food vendors, operating under the restaurant’s name yet looking rather ordinary.
Yang Wenhua gloated, "Could it be that you’re both here to challenge Boss Xiao Chen? Let me tell you!"
Yang Wenhua first looked at Chef Hu, "Boss Xiao Chen’s Phoenix Tail Shrimp, cooked like it’s meant for the masses, is much tastier than your signature Phoenix Tail Shrimp at Tingfeng Tower, and cheaper too! You don’t stand a chance."
Then he smugly looked at Chef Liu, "You better watch out too."
Old Liu didn’t like hearing this.
What do you mean I should watch out too?
"Phoenix Tail Shrimp, due to its special ingredients and techniques, can indeed be made into mass-cooked dishes, I’ll admit that. But what does that have to do with Huanxi Boat? We’re only here because Yangzhou Culture and Tourism invited us. Otherwise, who would bother to set up a stall here?"
Chef Hu looked at Old Liu, shocked, "You mean your restaurant didn’t pay anything for the stall?"
Exposed by a colleague, Chef Liu’s face showed mixed emotions, "You’re such a blabbermouth!"
Yang Wenhua didn’t care about this or that, "Old Liu, let me tell you, if you still think your Knife-cut Dry Tofu is amazing, I think you’re going to face disappointment today. Boss Xiao Chen is launching a new dish today, and it’s none other than Knife-cut Dry Tofu! You’ll see soon enough."
Old Liu remained indifferent.
His knife skills were among the best in Yangzhou, capable of slicing a block of dried tofu into strips of almost identical thickness at an unrivaled speed.
Even if Boss Xiao Chen could make Knife-cut Dry Tofu into a mass-cooked dish, so what?
Knife skills are not something you can just instantly acquire. You’d need at least three to five years in the kitchen perfecting them, and by the looks of that little boss, he doesn’t seem like someone who would spend that much time honing knife skills in the kitchen.
Old Liu didn’t feel panicked at all.
After boasting, Yang Wenhua proudly returned to his own stall, as if he wasn’t the one who lost the bet yesterday.
He even felt that losing the bet wasn’t shameful; instead, he was quite proud!
Back at his stall, Yang Wenhua began to get busy. In reality, Chen Mo’s stall was where Yang Wenhua had the easiest time.
His buns had been prepared in advance and were resting in the steamer for a second proof. He just needed to start the fire to steam the buns when the time came.
On the other sides, Xue Ping and Xue An’s stalls, with Chen Mo’s help, finally managed to start cooking. But when it came to controlling the heat for the Lion’s Head meatballs, the two young chefs were still struggling a bit.
The busiest had to be Huang Bo.
As soon as the stall opened, Huang Bo was already taking orders from customers.
"Chef Huang, have you mastered the essence of Boss Chen’s fried rice?"
Huang Bo puffed out his chest with pride, "Absolutely! Guaranteed to be just as good as Boss Chen’s!"
Only then did the customers nod in satisfaction, "Then let’s have a serving of fried rice~"
After all, Huang Bo was essentially free labor, and since the labor was free, Chen Mo naturally lowered the price, reducing the price of the fried rice to 88 Yuan, almost a 50% discount.
This was a relatively acceptable price, especially considering this fried rice was being served in Yangzhou. If any customer thought it was expensive, they only needed to remember: this chef making fried rice in front of them used to make Yangzhou Fried Rice at Shuyue Pavilion that cost over three hundred Yuan a serving!
Knowing this, it suddenly didn’t seem so expensive.
Huang Bo wielded the ladle and wok, following the sequence taught by Chen Mo. The way he skillfully tossed the wok while pouring chicken broth drew exclamations of admiration from the customers.
A few stalls away, Chef Hu and Chef Liu were initially displeased, but now they were rather envious.
It seems... sometimes, working for free isn’t necessarily a bad thing?
After all, Huang Bo and Yang Wenhua were riding this wave of popularity. Once the city’s craze subsides, wherever they go, they are bound to secure higher pay and status than before.
While the hustle and bustle in front of Huang Bo’s stall hadn’t ceased, a mouthwatering aroma of flour wafted from Yang Wenhua’s side!
Yes, it was the unique scent emitted when steamed buns or dumplings are cooked. This wheaty aroma awakens the primal desire for carbohydrates in humans once inhaled.
"What a fragrant bun smell!"
"Isn’t that Chef Yang from Shuyue Pavilion! Master Yang, is this the kind of Three-Piece Bun like Boss Xiao Chen’s?"
"It definitely is. Master Yang is now working for Boss Chen for free. This is Boss Chen’s bun!"
"Damn, it only costs ten Yuan each? Holy, getting one is like striking a deal!"
Yang Wenhua knew business would be good today, yet he never expected it to flourish this much. The buns had just started releasing their aroma, and countless customers immediately queued up at his stall.
"Everyone, don’t rush, please don’t rush. The buns are almost done! Guaranteed to be delicious and authentically filled with Three-Piece fillings!"
Old Hu and Old Liu exchanged bewildered glances.
Since when did our Three-Piece Bun become filled with soup?
And if that wasn’t enough, while the two prestigious local chefs were still confounded, they noticed a crowd suddenly amassing around another stall.
These endlessly flowing customers all seemed to have one clear goal: they were heading straight for Chen Mo’s food truck.
But as they prepared to queue in front of the yellow food truck, they were instantly attracted to the adjacent stalls.
