Su Qingluan was stunned for a moment, then she understood: "Could it be that Chef Xu has developed some innovative dishes?"
Shopkeeper Liang nodded hurriedly. "It's not busy now. Let him make one of our signature dishes later. It smells so good. Lately, many customers have been coming here just to eat that. There are fewer tables for other dishes."
Su Qingluan nodded.
Even if a restaurant like Hongfulou can maintain its high standard of cooking skills, it still has to introduce some innovative dishes from time to time.
After all, people always "love new things and dislike old things". No matter how good the signature dish is, after a long time, not to mention whether people will get tired of it, the fact that its skills have been stolen is enough to give every restaurant a headache.
What's more, there are no "chain franchise fast food restaurants" in this era. Most restaurants of a certain scale rely on the skills of their chefs, so if you can learn a trick or two from a master chef, you can start your own business.
Su Qingluan became a little curious now.
Food that can withstand the scrutiny of most people definitely has its own unique characteristics. This era is not like the modern era of information explosion, where you can rely on influencers to promote a dish and make it a hot and popular food. Word of mouth is essential for success.
In this case, the "word of mouth" created by taste is of vital importance.
Following the humming Liang, Su Qingling came to the kitchen and asked, "We haven't officially opened yet. Which waiter can buy me a live mandarin fish? Grass carp or snakehead fish will also be fine. I want a fish that's at least two or three pounds. It can't be too small, otherwise it won't look good and looks petty."
These three kinds of fish are all freshwater fish with delicious meat, and any one of them is suitable for making squirrel fish.
When Su Qingluan said this, Manager Liang's eyes lit up: "Qingluan is going to make a big dish today?" Compared with crucian carp and carp, two more common freshwater fish on the market, these three fish are more expensive, and they taste very delicious.
What's more, Su Qingluan also emphasized "alive", indicating that the freshness of the fish must be maintained.
Hongfulou naturally has fish-related dishes, but usually the requirements are not particularly demanding in terms of freshness or type of fish.
Unless they are gourmets with very picky tastes - of course, if you want to eat a specific species of live fish, in this era when the fishing and transportation industries are not well developed, or in Lefeng Town, a small town where the aquatic products are not particularly developed, you will definitely have to pay more silver than usual.
Therefore, the ingredients used in Su Qingluan’s dish are not cheap.
"Oh, by the way, in addition to a live fish, it is the season when peaches are on the market, so let's buy another kilogram or two of peaches." Su Qingluan added.
The so-called "Han Tao" is another name for "cherry". Su Qingluan discovered that Han Tao was not a "luxury product" that was hyped up to a sky-high price in her previous life. It was still quite common in this era.
Of course, fruits are not essential ingredients for filling the stomach like vegetables and grains. They are definitely more expensive than carrots and onions, but they are not the "premium ingredients" that only the rich and powerful can enjoy.
In a nutshell, it is a little more expensive than common vegetables, but if ordinary people want to satisfy their cravings occasionally, they can afford it.
After Su Qingluan gave this instruction, Manager Liang immediately called out to the waiter who was serving in the front hall: "Did you understand what Qingluan said just now?"
The young man was indeed clever. He smiled and bowed to Su Qingluan and asked, "From what you said, young lady, this fish can't be too small. So why not just ignore the weight and measure it by length? How long should it be?"
Su Qingluan thought about it in her mind: "If you remove the tip of the fish tail, it should be half a meter."
"Okay, just wait and see!" The boy responded habitually, turned around and went out.
Su Qingluan decided on the size of the fish, then turned around and remembered something very important: Does Hongfulou have those large oval plates?
However, Hong Fu Lou is one of the best restaurants in the area, so naturally there are those curious diners who don't care about the taste, but only choose the largest fish, emphasizing the "visual shock." Therefore, Hong Fu Lou has quite a few large plates.
Anything round, Su Qingluan can have anything she wants.
While Su Qingluan was chatting and laughing with Manager Liang, the two of them walked through the small courtyard in the middle and came to the back kitchen.
The stove in the kitchen was just being lit, and many broths needed to be cooked in advance, so several pots on the stoves had already started to simmer and emit steam.
Xu Yuanwei put one hand on his waist and held a long-handled soup spoon in the other, directing the young chefs in the kitchen to work in an orderly manner with great momentum, without noticing that someone else came in at the door.
It was when the young chef passing by the door bowed and greeted Manager Liang, then hurried away to do his own work, that Xu Yuanwei noticed the two people standing at the door.
"Wow, what a rare guest! You are so noble that you step on the humblest one. It really brings honor to my humble home." Chef Xu tapped the long handle of the soup spoon on the palm of his other hand, his face full of pride.
Su Qingluan: "..." Had she just heard this before? Or had she strayed into a loop?
He looked meaningfully at the shopkeeper Liang who was also a little dazed beside him, and the two of them couldn't hold back their laughter at the same time, leaving Xu Yuanwei confused and bewildered.
Su Qingluan and Manager Liang finally laughed enough, and then they rubbed their cheeks and covered their stomachs to explain to Xu Yuanwei that he had just performed a "replay of yesterday", which made Xu Yuanwei laugh too.
Shopkeeper Liang had laughed enough and got down to business: "Master Xu, can you ask one of the free chefs to help find those plates for the big fish? Qingluan said she'll need them for plating later."
Those plates were often nearly a meter in diameter and weighed several kilograms, and were usually placed under the usual bowls, chopsticks, and dishes. Otherwise, if they were bumped, they would fall apart.
Xu Yuanwei raised his eyebrows when he heard this: "Oh? It seems that Miss Su is going to make a big dish to show off her cooking skills!"
Su Qingluan knew Xu Yuanwei was just being competitive. He probably saw that this dish was a heavyweight, so he felt competitive. So, she smiled and asked, "I wouldn't say 'show off my skills,' but I heard that Chef Xu has been quite creative with his new dishes lately, and they've been very well received by the diners."
Shopkeeper Liang, watching the fun from the sidelines, said, "Master Xu's cooking skills are undoubtedly excellent, but Qingluan promised me that this dish of hers will be the star of the show and become our restaurant's signature dish!"
Upon hearing this, Su Qingluan turned her head and stared at Shopkeeper Liang: "Uncle Liang! Why are you still stirring up trouble here?"
She didn't say she was wronged!
However, Xu Yuanwei obviously did not hear Su Qingluan's cry in her heart, because his fighting spirit was completely ignited by Manager Liang's words.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com