He had come to Jingzhou to settle some personal matters. However, he had coincidentally seen on Zhang Zuting's Weibo that there was a decent private kitchen here. That was why he had decided to give it a try.
In the end, the current situation was a little unpleasant.
"Then, can I make a reservation tonight?" The young man tried to maintain his demeanor.
The waiter said apologetically, "I'm sorry, sir. Someone has booked the entire restaurant tonight. Considering the time it takes to deliver the ingredients, you can make a reservation tomorrow night or the day after tomorrow."
The young man was completely speechless. He looked at the waiter and then looked at the menu. He resisted the urge to complain and casually ordered two dishes and a soup.
"That's all for now." The young man handed the menu back.
"Okay, sir. Please wait a moment." The waiter gave the order and left with the menu.
The young man took out his phone and wanted to search for this shop on the review website, but he couldn't find it. The map on his phone didn't even have the location of this shop.
Not only that, but there was also a small sign on the table with a warm reminder: "In order to better appreciate the taste of the ingredients, please do not take photos!"
There were so many good dishes on the menu, but they all needed to be pre-ordered. The dishes that didn't need to be pre-ordered were all regular home-cooked dishes, and they were all extremely expensive …
"… Could it be that I've encountered a scam?"
The more the young man thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong with the shop.
His name was Xue Zhebin, the only son of the coal boss, Xue Yuanqing. To put it simply, he was a second-generation rich kid. He was high-profile and flamboyant, just like his father. He never refrained from displaying the image of a nouveau riche in front of everyone.
Xue Zhebin was very rich. Naturally, he had eaten in many private kitchens. He also knew that most high-end private kitchens inevitably had some strange rules.
However, it was rare to see a restaurant with so many rules.
What annoyed him even more was the waiter's attitude. He always said a few useless words in a polite manner. It was better not to say anything.
If it wasn't for the fact that the restaurant's interior design was indeed very high-end and that it had received Zhang Zuting's strong recommendation, he might have already slammed the table and left.
Speaking of which, it was mainly because his father, Xue Yuanqing, was a fan of Zhang Zuting's movies and had treated Zhang Zuting to meals a few times. That was why Xue Zhebin followed Zhang Zuting's Weibo and happened to see the information about this private kitchen.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come looking for him.
"Let's wait a little longer. If the food doesn't taste good, I'll definitely expose this place on Weibo!"
Xue Zhebin's principle was to kill a good person, so he decided to wait and see.
If these two dishes were acceptable, then make a reservation for tomorrow night or the day after.
After more than half an hour, the two dishes that Xue Zhebin ordered were served.
A dish of Longjing Prawns, a dish of Braised Pork Pagoda, and a soup, chrysanthemum tofu.
The quantity was small, but the price was not cheap at all.
"The dishes aren't slow at all."
Xue Zhebin knew that the Braised Pork Pagoda was a dish that required more time. Not only did it have to be cut, but it also had to be steamed. Half an hour was already very fast.
While waiting for the dishes to be served, he also ate a little of the heart and side dishes. The taste was very good, and it could be considered as slightly alleviating the anxiety of waiting for the dishes to be served.
"Whether it's a scam or not, we'll find out soon."
Xue Zhebin looked at the two dishes served by the waiter.
He had ordered Braised Pork Pagoda and Chrysanthemum Tofu on purpose because he knew very well that these two dishes were a great test of the chef's knife skills and techniques.
"Hmm? Not bad? "
Just looking at the appearance of these two dishes was enough to make one's eyes light up!
The Braised Pork Pagoda required the chef to cut the entire piece of meat layer by layer from the outside to the inside. The knife must not break, and the thickness must be uniform. Finally, it would be cut into long, neat slices, and then placed in a special mold, layer by layer, to form the shape of a pagoda.
As for the Chrysanthemum Tofu, it required a piece of soft tofu that was as soft as butter to be cut vertically and horizontally a hundred and eight times. Then, it would be cut into thin threads of uniform thickness, and not a single thread could be broken. Placed in a bowl of water, it would look like a chrysanthemum flower blooming.
Xue Zhebin ordered this dish and soup mainly to see if this restaurant lived up to its name and whether it was a scam.
As for the Longjing Prawns, it was mainly because he was worried that the Braised Pork Pagoda and Chrysanthemum Tofu would not taste good, so he ordered a home-cooked dish as a guarantee.
However, what surprised him was that the Braised Pork Pagoda and Chrysanthemum Tofu actually exceeded his expectations!
These two dishes mainly tested one's knife skills. A first-rate chef could only achieve perfection after decades of hard work.
What's more, there was no limit to these two dishes. Take the Braised Pork Pagoda for example. The thinner it was cut, the more layers it would have. Normally, it would only be considered qualified to be Braised Pork Pagoda if it was cut to nine layers. However, the dish that was served was already cut to seventeen layers. From the looks of it, it had already crushed the commonly seen Braised Pork Pagoda.
Xue Zhebin could not help but pick up his chopsticks and taste the prawns.
The prawns were tender and smooth, and they also had the fragrance of Longjing. Although this dish cost almost three hundred yuan, Xue Zhebin felt that it was worth it.
That was because he had eaten this dish in a very good Chinese restaurant in Hangzhou before. The taste was very similar to this one!
Then, he tried the Braised Pork Pagoda and Chrysanthemum Tofu. The taste did not disappoint either. Everything was just right!
Coupled with the warm and comfortable dining environment, Xue Zhebin felt that he had really misunderstood this restaurant.
To make these dishes, they would definitely have to invite a gold-medal chef who specialized in Hangzhou cuisine from afar. Jingzhou would definitely not be able to hire such a person.
More importantly, there were not only Hangzhou cuisine on the menu. There were many other dishes too!
In that case, hiring just one chef would definitely not be enough.
Such a chef could not be hired without money. After all, he could earn quite a lot at a high-end local restaurant. What's more, it was close to home. Who would be willing to travel all the way to Jingzhou?
It was a huge expense to keep so many chefs on the payroll.
Could he earn it back?
Previously, Xue Zhebin had thought that the dishes on the menu were a little expensive. After tasting two mouthfuls, he realized that they were not expensive at all. In fact, they were a little cheap.
Could he really earn back his capital?
The main thing was that this restaurant was too unknown. There was not even a signboard at the entrance, much less any publicity or advertising. Even now, Xue Zhebin did not know what the restaurant was called.
It was lunchtime now. Yet, Xue Zhebin was the only customer in such a huge restaurant.
Wasn't this a pure loss?
Xue Zhebin looked at the dishes and then at the smiling waiter waiting at the side. Then, he looked at the elegant dining environment, the high-end chairs, and the cutlery.
"Could it be … that there's some kind of illegal activity going on here?"
Xue Zhebin immediately became alert.
However, on further thought, it did not seem right.
The key was that this restaurant was not an empty shell. Although it did not have many customers, the food it sold was genuine. Although the prices were a little high, it was still within a reasonable range.
From all the signs, this restaurant was simply not well-known. There were no other suspicious points.
"I'll come again tomorrow and see how the dishes here are that require pre-order.
If they can maintain this standard … I'll really have found a treasure! "
…
In the back kitchen of Ming Yun Private Kitchen …
Lin Canrong asked the waiter nervously, "How is it? Are you satisfied with our dishes?"
The waiter nodded. "Yes, they seem very satisfied."
Lin Canrong heaved a sigh of relief.
That's good!
There had not been many customers during this period. Only seven or eight customers had arrived since the day before yesterday.
However, some of them had been scared away after taking a look at the menu. Some had asked around for a long time and realized that many of the good dishes required pre-order. Thus, they had left as well.
Only two or three people had really stayed to eat. However, they had ordered very common dishes. Although it was obvious that they were satisfied with the taste of the dishes, they probably would not return in the short term.
That was because the prices were too expensive. Obviously, it was beyond what they could afford.
It was obvious from the dishes they had ordered. The cheapest vegetables here cost fifty to sixty yuan. Even if they had all ordered common dishes, the average spending would be more than a hundred yuan.
In Jingzhou, one could eat many good things at this price.
Therefore, even if the chef was skilled and the ingredients were better, and the dishes were much more delicious than those found in restaurants outside, it was still beyond what most people could afford.
However, Lin Canrong had his eyes on Xue Zhebin the moment he entered.
It was obvious that this person was not short of money.
Xue Zhebin's order also proved this point. He had ordered more than three hundred yuan of Longjing prawns and more than two hundred and sixty yuan of Golden Pagoda Pork. This meal easily cost six to seven hundred yuan.
If this customer, who didn't lack money, was satisfied with these dishes, then it meant that Clear Cloud Private Kitchen had hope of becoming popular!
After all, Ming Yun Private Kitchen was not dealing with ordinary people. It was dealing with ballers. The feedback of ballers was the most important.
After hearing that this customer was satisfied with the dishes, Lin Canrong heaved a sigh of relief.
He was now the branch manager. He no longer cooked personally. However, he had personally interviewed, selected, and poached the chefs in the kitchen with a lot of money (of course, he had spent Boss Pei's money). Now that the dishes had been approved, Lin Canrong naturally felt proud.
"Branch Manager, the customer has paid the bill and left. He even made a reservation for dinner tomorrow!" A waiter ran over excitedly to report the good news.
"Very good!"
Lin Canrong's heart was finally at ease.
Previously, Boss Pei had told him not to worry too much about publicity. Lin Canrong had been a little worried.
However, he had seen people coming in one after another recently. There was even such a rich baller coming for dinner. That meant that the publicity work had been progressing in an orderly manner!
Indeed, everything was going according to Boss Pei's plan.
Next, as long as they followed Boss Pei's instructions and carefully prepared every dish and service, Ming Yun Private Kitchen's rise to fame was just around the corner!
Ming Yun Private Kitchen's chefs and waiters were instantly filled with energy.
…
…
"Achoo!"
Pei Qian sneezed. He rubbed his nose as he put down the controller.
He looked at the time. It was almost five in the afternoon.
He had to welcome Qiao Liang to Ming Yun Private Kitchen tonight. At the same time, he had to comfort his broken heart.
After being abused for a day, Pei Qian really wanted to see how Teacher Qiao was doing.
He arrived at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
Pei Qian quietly walked up to the second floor and observed Qiao Liang, who was sitting in the corner.
Qiao Liang's face was livid. He was staring intently at the screen, his hands gripping the controller tightly. From time to time, his body would lean to the side as if he was playing a sensual game.
Suddenly, his body trembled, and his entire body froze.
The screen had turned gray.
Qiao Liang's expression changed from shock to frustration, from frustration to despair, and finally from despair to confusion.
He placed the controller on the table and looked up at the ceiling slightly. It was as if he was doubting life and the meaning of his existence.
Seeing Qiao Liang's expression, Pei Qian felt much better. His mouth was full of smiles.
I did not waste my money!
Inviting Teacher Qiao to Jingzhou was indeed the right choice!
At first, Pei Qian was very worried. He was not a masochist and did not know if he could persevere in Repent and be Saved.
If he didn't manage to clear the game in the end, he would have to lower the difficulty or postpone the sale. Wouldn't that delay his plans?
However, now, Pei Qian found the motivation to persevere. That was Teacher Qiao!
No matter how tough it was, as long as he could see Teacher Qiao suffering more than him, Pei Qian would be filled with motivation!
After all, Pei Qian still had a Pudu when he played the game while Teacher Qiao could only use an ordinary weapon to dance on the tip of a knife.
Therefore, things like happiness were mainly based on comparison!
Pei Qian felt that he had never been this blissful before.
()
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