Then he handed a pair of chopsticks to Manager Qian, his eyes full of smiles, which made people feel very pleased.
"Uncle Qian, before you eat these dishes, please try the spicy snails we brought today. They're guaranteed to be appetizing and refreshing."
When Manager Qian saw the snails Pei Yao was carrying, a look of disdain immediately appeared on his lips.
"Isn't this just an ordinary long snail?"
Uncle Qian wasn't unfamiliar with long snails; on the contrary, it was precisely because he had eaten them that he knew they had little meat, were tough, and tasted a bit fishy.
Therefore, their restaurant doesn't even consider this when purchasing ingredients.
Pei Yao explained, "Yes, but after our secret cooking method, it tastes sour, spicy, and savory, making it very refreshing and appetizing. Uncle Qian, you might as well give it a try."
Pei Yao and Niu Qingshan, standing to the side, both had expressions of confidence in this long snail.
And this spicy snail dish is really fragrant, it has a rich aroma that is very tempting.
He raised his hand, picked one up, and tried putting it in his mouth.
Manager Qian's eyes widened instantly!
He then lowered his head and remained silent for a long time, which made the others anxious.
If it tastes good, it tastes good; if it doesn't, it doesn't.
What do you mean by keeping your head down and not saying anything?
Yunniang then brought out the grilled sea urchin and grilled scallops. Looking at Manager Qian's expression, she seemed a little confused. Was it delicious or not?
Yunniang asked, "How was it, Manager Qian?"
Niu Qingshan rubbed his hands together nervously: "Uncle Qian, is the taste alright?"
Everyone except Pei Yao looked at Manager Qian with great tension.
The two chefs were now looking at Yunniang and Pei Yao with a hint of schadenfreude.
They figured Manager Qian must have found the food unpalatable, which was why he hadn't said a word for so long. After all, they had made this long snail before, and it never tasted good no matter how they cooked it.
We're just waiting for Manager Qian's insightful commentary.
Shopkeeper Qian lowered his head and savored the delicious flavor of the spicy snails.
He admitted that he had just spoken too loudly!
Is this really the same long snail he knew? How can it taste so good?
"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!"
"How can there be such delicious food in the world?"
"It tastes very refreshing..."
"Give me another one, I haven't tasted the subtle flavors yet."
Shopkeeper Qian's eyes practically lit up as he took another one from Yunniang and popped it into his mouth.
Seeing him like this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as it tastes good...
This was the first time Manager Qian had ever tried a hot and sour dish. The fragrant fruity sourness with a hint of spiciness was very refreshing and helped to cut through the greasiness.
The dishes here are mainly light and fresh.
The dishes rarely contain other seasonings, so the flavor is rather simple.
The reason why the chef from Kyoto they hired became popular in the town was because he used spices in his cooking, unlike the local chefs.
When people get tired of eating the same flavor, they want to try something different.
However, the dish made by that chef was far less flavorful than the spicy snails in front of me.
The spicy snails in front of me have a very rich flavor.
It's not only sour and spicy, but also has a numbing sensation.
Unlike the hard and chewy whelks he used to eat, the whelks here were tender, smooth, and chewy.
Most importantly, it's refreshingly cool when you taste it, like you've had ice in it.
This made Manager Qian take a few more glances at Pei Yao. Could it be that this little girl put ice in the snail?
Because the cost of preserving ice from winter to summer was extremely high, ice was a highly sought-after commodity in that era...
Furthermore, even if ordinary people had a fortune, they couldn't buy this ice.
Only members of the royal family and officials of the third rank or above in the current court are qualified to use it. Even Manager Qian had only heard about it from the previous head chef, Manager Fang.
In the homes of some of Kyoto's powerful and influential families, a little bit of ice is used to make refreshing drinks during the summer.
It tastes icy cold.
Looking at this family in front of me, dressed in tattered clothes, they looked extremely poor.
Manager Qian dismissed this guess.
But if it's not ice, could this girl have some secret recipe?
Could it be... that she really is a descendant of the imperial chefs?
"Young lady, why does the spicy snail taste icy cold inside?"
Manager Qian, who had previously been disdainful, now spoke to Pei Yao in a much gentler tone.
After all, if this girl really is the descendant of an imperial chef, then there is hope for the revival of their Deyun Restaurant.
Pei Yao calmly explained to Manager Qian, "Uncle Qian, the reason why this spicy snail tastes icy cold is because of a family recipe passed down through generations."
Pei Yao naturally didn't tell Manager Qian directly that this stuff was made by boiling mint leaves.
They only mentioned it as a recipe.
Manager Qian naturally understood, and picked up his chopsticks to try the steamed sea bass with egg again. It was delicious! The eggs were tender and smooth, and the sea bass was fresh and juicy.
I also tried the clam-stuffed shrimp paste. The shrimp paste burst with juice in every bite, and it was incredibly fresh and delicious. There were also diced carrots in the middle, which added a crunchy texture to the shrimp paste.
Finally, we arrived at the food baked in that strange oven.
Pei Yao and the others cut off the spines on the sea urchins with scissors, so they could handle them directly.
Pei Yao picked one up and handed it to Manager Qian: "Sea urchin and roasted egg, Uncle Qian, give it a try."
This time, because the restaurant's kitchen had eggs, the sea urchin was baked with eggs mixed with the sea urchin roe, which made the flavor even richer.
It was sprinkled with chopped green onions, minced garlic, and chili flakes.
Uncle Qian was amazed once again after taking a bite.
The grilled sea urchin was very delicious, and the combination with chili peppers made it spicy and refreshing.
It also has a slightly burnt aroma, I wonder if it's because of the oven I used to bake it.
After finishing the grilled sea urchin, without Pei Yao's introduction, Uncle Qian picked up a garlic vermicelli grilled scallop himself.
He was immediately amazed once again, so much so that he didn't know how to describe it.
Quickly let Erdan and the two chefs next to him taste it too.
Erdan kept praising how delicious it was.
Even the two chefs who had previously looked down on Pei Yao were now impressed after taking their first bite of the spicy snails.
Their opinion of Pei Yao and the others changed immediately after taking their second bite of the steamed sea bass with egg. They started discussing it: "I didn't even know sea bass could be cooked like this. It tastes so much better than just steaming it."
After finishing their third bite, the two looked at Pei Yao with eyes full of admiration.
"Young lady, this dish is even better than Chef Fang's!"
Pei Yao looked puzzled, not recognizing Chef Fang. Niu Qingshan whispered an explanation from the side: "He's the head chef from Deyun Restaurant before."
Pei Yao found out immediately.
The group ate non-stop, devouring all the dishes in front of them.
Even after finishing the meal, Manager Qian was still somewhat unsatisfied.
The dishes were really good, especially the spicy snails, which were very appetizing and refreshing. I could hardly get enough of them.
Manager Qian led Pei Yao and Yun Niang to a clean spot nearby.
"Please have a seat, ladies." After saying this, Manager Qian instructed Erdan, who was waiting behind him, "Erdan, serve tea to the two ladies."
Manager Qian is a smooth operator, and his attitude towards Pei Yao and the others has completely changed.
Pei Yao found it very enjoyable to watch.
He secretly thought to himself: So this is how satisfying it is to use the tropes from wish-fulfillment novels.
No wonder readers love reading light novels!
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