At this time, Little Zhao became the center of attention for a short period of time. Master Cheng stared at him, Cao Zhishu stared at him, and even Meng Meng looked at him curiously. She had been watching the whole process of Master Cheng trying to become his disciple, yet Master Cheng had refused.
If this Cao Zhishu wasn't lying, then what kind of ability did this young man called Little Zhao have that made Boss Yuan take a fancy to him?
Everyone wanted to be the center of attention, and Little Zhao was the same. But this wasn't the right time. Looking at Cao Zhishu's encouraging gaze, Little Zhao felt like dying.
To be honest, Little Zhao didn't dare to tell the truth anymore. He could only say, "Well, Head Chef Yuan and I used to work in a three-star hotel. Back then, I was the sous-chef, so I learned a lot."
But as a handyman, Yuan Zhou was very fast at washing dishes. Therefore, Little Zhao hypnotized himself that he had learned a lot by washing dishes quickly.
Master Cheng clicked his tongue and muttered, "What good luck."
Cao Zhishu wanted to be polite, so he tried his best to restrain his expression. However, his smugness still leaked out. He patted Little Zhao's shoulder and then, although he seemed to be talking to himself, he was actually talking to Master Cheng.
He said, "Little Zhao's culinary skills are quite good. After all, he was taught by Head Chef Yuan when he was young."
In Meng Meng's little head, she had already imagined a scene. Little Zhao had been learning from Boss Yuan. After Boss Yuan left, Little Zhao felt that there was nothing left to learn and thus left the restaurant as well. Coincidentally, he became the disciple of his current master.
Little Zhao revealed a forced smile. He was feeling bitter, but he didn't say anything.
Having gained the upper hand, Cao Zhishu stopped pestering Engineer Cheng and focused on watching Yuan Zhou cook.
But Yuan Zhou was very fast. By the time Cao Zhishu looked at him, Yuan Zhou had already put away the wok and was scooping rice.
"Head Chef Yuan sure is fast. It has only been five or six minutes," Cao Zhishu looked at the time and lamented.
"Of course." Engineer Cheng said proudly.
"I'm not praising you," Cao Zhishu snapped.
"Because Boss Yuan cooks a lot of dishes every day. Every dish is cooked very quickly, but they are super delicious." Meng Meng whispered at the side.
"The Spicy Boiled Fish is so fast. Do you think it's stir-fried vegetables?" Little Zhao craned his neck to take a look and ridiculed.
Engineer Cheng did not reply and directly ignored him. He looked at Yuan Zhou politely and was ready to help.
However, Yuan Zhou didn't ask for help. Instead, he personally carried the tray over.
"Your Spicy Boiled Fish and plain white rice. Please enjoy," Yuan Zhou said as he brought out the dishes and rice.
"Thank you, Head Chef Yuan," Cao Zhishu said.
"You're welcome." After saying that, Yuan Zhou stood still and openly watched Cao Zhishu eat.
That's right. Yuan Zhou had always looked at people this way. Since it was an exchange, he would seriously observe the reaction of the customers.
"Head Chef Yuan's dishes are all very beautiful," Cao Zhishu said.
That's right. None of the dishes cooked by Yuan Zhou weren't beautiful in appearance.
For example, the Spicy Boiled Fish in front of them. Yuan Zhou used a fish-shaped bowl. The lower part of the bowl was sharp and narrow, like the belly of the fish, while the bottom part was shaped like water.
The back of the fish was opened, revealing the white and tender fish meat inside. Pieces of sparkling and translucent fish meat glowed with a bright red oil luster. Occasionally, some chopped green onions and minced garlic were sprinkled on the fish meat. Naturally, some chopped dried chilies were also included.
Even now, the surface of the fish was still bubbling. This was caused by the hot oil that had just been poured on the fish meat. The hot oil immediately stimulated a strong fragrance, causing people to salivate subconsciously.
"Head Chef Yuan, you are so considerate. The placement is so meticulous." Cao Zhishu's culinary skills were also very profound. Even when he smelled the fragrance, he didn't eat it immediately. Instead, he leaned back and said.
Indeed, the placement of Yuan Zhou's plain white rice was also very meticulous. The rice bowl was round and the crystal clear rice grains were piled up inside. From a distance, it looked like a fish playing with pearls.
Little Zhao looked at it and had to admit that the presentation was indeed very beautiful.
"I'm going to start eating," Cao Zhishu said solemnly.
"Please." Yuan Zhou reached out his hand and made a gesture of "please", without saying anything more.
"Ding." Cao Zhishu picked up his chopsticks and directly reached for the tofu inside.
That's right. Yuan Zhou's Spicy Boiled Fish had tofu inside, while Cao Zhishu's dish was crispy bean sprouts.
When tasting the Spicy Boiled Fish, one naturally had to start from the side dishes.
Some tofu could be stewed to become more tender and smooth, but at the same time, it was very difficult to pick it up. It was a test of one's ability to use chopsticks.
Cao Zhishu picked up the tofu carefully with his chopsticks. But the moment his chopsticks touched the tofu, he found that the surface of the tofu wasn't as tender as he thought it was. Instead, it gave off a slightly tough feeling.
"It's slices?" Cao Zhishu was a little surprised. But he did not say anything and prepared to taste it first.
Normally, the tofu used in Spicy Boiled Fish was in the form of chunks and would become tender and smooth after being cooked. On the other hand, the slices of tofu would break easily during the cooking process and were very difficult to pick up.
"Hiss, it's hot," even though the tofu had been cold for a while, Cao Zhishu still felt the tofu was scalding in his mouth. Therefore, he couldn't help but say.
But right after he said that, Cao Zhishu immediately shut his mouth and started to taste the tofu.
The moment the tofu entered his mouth, it was so hot that he couldn't help but shrink his tongue. But right after that, a spicy fragrance swept over him like a storm. The fragrance entered his throat and made him unable to resist chewing.
The moment his teeth touched the tofu, it immediately broke. At the same time, the freshness of the fish rushed into his throat.
"Um?" When Cao Zhishu tasted the taste, he couldn't help but stare with his eyes wide open. He couldn't even hide the astonished expression on his face. He quickly swallowed the tofu and immediately picked up a piece of fish and stuffed it into his mouth.
It was rare to see Cao Zhishu, who always paid attention to etiquette, so impatient. Not only was Little Zhao surprised, even Engineer Cheng's gaze shifted from the dish to his face.
The moment the fish entered his mouth, it wasn't the tender and smooth texture that wrapped around it. Instead, it was a pungent garlic taste and a fragrant chili taste. As it had just come out of the pot, Cao Zhishu could only keep it in his mouth for the time being. But the smooth fish seemed to be alive, constantly stimulating his taste buds and making him want to take a bite.
He couldn't bear it anymore. After biting into the fish, the freshness exploded in his mouth. The fish seemed to be moving on its own as it slid down his throat and into his stomach.
Cao Zhishu felt that he hadn't chewed enough and had already swallowed the fish. Therefore, he picked up another piece and put it into his mouth.
"It actually seems to be alive." Just like last time, Cao Zhishu swallowed the fish. His expression was very complicated and his hands were placed on the table for a long time without moving.
Yuan Zhou had concluded that the sixth taste of Spicy Boiled Fish was alive. A good Spicy Boiled Fish was one that people couldn't get enough of, always wanting to eat another piece.
"So there's actually a sixth taste of Spicy Boiled Fish. There really is a sixth taste," Cao Zhishu muttered to himself.
"Master," Little Zhao had a bad premonition when he saw his master like that. Therefore, he couldn't help calling out.
"Little Zhao, we lost the fish." Cao Zhishu looked at Yuan Zhou with a complicated expression. A friendly exchange was a mutual understanding. Generally speaking, there was no winning or losing. But this time, Yuan Zhou's Spicy Boiled Fish had directly made him feel the difference between winning and losing.
"Master, what are you talking about? Spicy Boiled Fish is the signature dish of our restaurant. Just the history alone is more than 100 years old. How can we lose?" Little Zhao first felt that he didn't hear it clearly. After a short pause, he said discontentedly.
"After combining the five tastes of Spicy Boiled Fish, the sixth taste, alive, appears, not to mention other aspects, it has already surpassed us." Cao Zhishu sighed and said, "The outside world is praising Head Chef Yuan as a culinary genius that only appears once every 50 years. But from what I see today, he has already become a grandmaster."
When he saw his master staring at Yuan Zhou instead of looking at him, Little Zhao recalled the past and immediately exploded. He pointed at Yuan Zhou and started rambling, "Impossible, absolutely impossible. How can our signature dish lose to an odd-job worker like him?!"
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