Jin Yu Lou, in terms of both its decor and prices, attracts only wealthy families. However, apart from a few individuals like Gu Xingzhi who are fond of gold and jade and are unconventional in their tastes, most wealthy families are refined and elegant.
Nowadays, restaurant dishes are named in a realistic way, describing the ingredients and cooking methods in the name. However, they are mostly like deep-fried small yellow croaker or crispy pork tenderloin. While not particularly elegant, they are not too straightforward either.
Jin Yu Lou is something else, calling it "Big Pork Knuckle"... at least call it "Braised Pork Knuckle"!
That's fine, really. At worst, you can treat it as a bit of wild fun, or at least a unique feature.
As Gu Yaoniang thought about it, she said, "Second Uncle is probably used to doing honest business. In Jinyulou, he also wants to give more value for money and increase the portion sizes."
But who are the people who come to Jin Yu Lou? They are all people who are not short of money. For these people, the last thing they need is practicality.
They didn't come to Jin Yu Lou for the food; they came for status. You might think you were giving them a good deal, but they felt Jin Yu Lou wasn't as prestigious as it used to be, so naturally they stopped coming.
Moreover, the powerful and wealthy like to order a table full of dishes for the sake of presentation when they dine. But the current emperor dislikes wasting food, so they dare not be extravagant.
"If you increase the portion sizes, they can still eat the same amount; the more you give, the more food they'll leave. It might even leave them with the impression that Jin Yu Lou's food is mediocre. If they ever have another banquet, they probably won't think of Jin Yu Lou again."
As Gu Xingzhi listened, his initially nonchalant expression gradually became serious.
"So what do you think Jin Yulou should do now?"
"Why not use larger cups, plates, and bowls, but still serve the same amount of food as before?" Gu Yaoniang thought seriously for a moment, and was about to speak again when a waiter knocked on the door, brought the food to the table, and quietly left.
The aroma of the dishes immediately filled the room, but Yao Niang frowned as she looked at the dishes on the table.
On the table were three meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, and a soup, arranged haphazardly and in a somewhat chaotic manner. Gu Yaoniang found it distressing to look at, but unfortunately, she hadn't brought her armbands with her today, making it extremely difficult to prepare anything.
Seeing her troubled expression, Gu Xingzhi assumed she was dissatisfied with the food. But seeing that it looked no different from usual, with excellent color and aroma, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Gu Yaoniang quickly glanced at Gu Xingzhi's sleeves and saw that he was wearing a trendy narrow-sleeved deep-sleeved robe today. As if she had grasped a savior, she hurriedly said, "Second Uncle, help me!"
He then directed Gu Xingzhi to place the corn sweet soup in the center of the round table, and arranged the other six dishes around it in a pattern of one meat and one vegetable. After Gu Xingzhi had arranged them, he adjusted their positions slightly.
After doing all this, Gu Yaoniang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Gu Xingzhi couldn't help but laugh: "You were just like this when you were little. When you were learning to eat, all the other children were fidgeting and making a mess of the table. But you would sit up straight and make sure the bowl was straight and the table was clean before you would eat."
"But it looks more comfortable this way," Yao Niang pouted. "Second Uncle, don't you think it looks more appetizing this way?"
Seeing that Gu Xingzhi remained silent, she continued, "Think about it, if you saw a banquet table that was beautifully arranged, had a pleasant name, and tasted delicious food, wouldn't you be happy?"
Gu Xingzhi frowned and nodded, but then asked, "Do you have a good solution?"
Gu Yaoniang was taken aback. She could see the crux of the problem herself, so why couldn't her second uncle, a businessman who traveled all over the country, think of this?
His face showed distress, as if he was racking his brains for a solution but dared not speak out.
Qiao Niang, who was standing to the side, could no longer hide her laughter and burst out laughing.
"Yao Niang, Second Master is just teasing you." He then glanced sideways at Gu Xingzhi.
Gu Xingzhi shook his folding fan and pretended to sigh, "Qiao Niang, you always like to undermine me."
Gu Xingzhi already knew that after Jin Yu Lou was renovated, the names of the dishes, the menu, and the table setting all had to be changed. But unfortunately, he had gone to Yongzhou at the time, and then to Qingzhou to bring Yao Niang to Shuojing.
Qiaoniang was managing things alone in Shuojing. However, the Gu family business was also busy with other matters, leaving her unable to attend to everything. Although she had made plans, she had not been able to train the shop assistants, and so it had been delayed until now.
Now, everything else is fine, but the name of this dish just doesn't seem elegant enough, which is giving the two of them a real headache.
Although the Gu family's business was large, it mostly dealt in rice, flour, oil, grains, cloth, and raw silk—nothing that required a fancy name. The two men, by nature, disliked affectation and could only offer praise to others; they themselves were incapable of writing a single sentimental poem.
Even when he mingled with high-ranking officials and nobles, and saw them reciting poems about flowers and the moon, lamenting the passing of spring and the coming of autumn, he felt they were very refined. But as to what exactly made them refined or how they were refined, he really couldn't say.
Coming up with an elegant name for the dish has really stumped these two owners.
After saying that, Qiaoniang introduced the dishes on the table to Yaoniang.
Nowadays, it has a long history for wealthy and powerful families to incorporate fruits and flowers into their dishes. Jin Yu Lou's signature dish, braised pork knuckle, includes their uniquely made preserved plums. The pork knuckle is greasy, while the preserved plums are sour and salty, making them a very suitable combination.
The fried pork ribs are made from the middle rib section, coated in egg and flour, and fried until golden and crispy, which is quite tempting. Another dish is steamed shad, which is topped with minced scallions, ginger and garlic after steaming, and then hot oil is poured over it, making it incredibly fragrant and delicious.
The three vegetarian dishes were blanched bok choy, pan-fried tofu, and stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar, all served in a conical bowl of the same color.
The large bowl contained Jin Yu Lou's most popular soup among the young ladies—sweet corn soup. The soup was smooth and creamy, the corn kernels were plump and crisp, and the yellow and white egg drop soup, poured in before being stirred, was faintly visible. The soup melted in the mouth, with a refreshing sweetness.
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