Chapter 123: The Roast Duck Food City Opens!
Once the culinary competition was over, the rumors that the Lin Family Culinary Academy was a place that took money but didn't provide services were dispelled.
It is said that after that day, Zhang Dalang went to find Liu Min, and the two had a big fight. Their crying and cursing attracted many onlookers. As for what happened afterward, Lin Yao and the others had no time to find out.
The renovation of Lin'anfu Restaurant has been completed, and preparations for its reopening are proceeding at a rapid pace.
After much thought, Lin Yao gave the restaurant a straightforward name – Baiwei Food City.
The opening day was an auspicious day carefully selected by Lin Yao in her search for a suitable person.
As dawn broke, Ah Zhu and several apprentices set up a frame at the door and hung up two strings of firecrackers. Su Niang led the people to tie the red silk flowers they had made in advance to both sides of the door frame, creating a festive atmosphere from afar.
As soon as Chen Shi (7-9 AM) arrived, crowds gradually gathered at the street corner.
Many of the diners had come specifically because they had heard that the combined restaurant, which had been renovated into an oddly shaped structure, was about to open. There were also merchants from the surrounding area who came to join in the fun. Before long, a crowd had gathered outside the entrance of Baiwei Food City.
Lin Yao, dressed in a newly made light red brocade dress, stood inside the door looking at the crowd outside and signaled to A-Zhu to light the cannon.
With a crackling sound, sparks flew from the firecrackers, and red paper scraps danced in the air like snowflakes, as cheers erupted from the crowd.
As soon as the firecrackers stopped, Ah Zhu raised the gong and struck it three times loudly, "Clang! Clang! Clang!"
"Dear neighbors and customers!" Ah Zhu's booming voice echoed through the street corner, "Today, our Baiwei Food City is officially open for business!"
He deliberately kept everyone in suspense until the commotion subsided before announcing the special offers, "What do we have in our food court? From snacks to desserts to main dishes, everything is fresh! Have you heard of savory pancakes, pan-fried buns, roasted chicken frames, and chicken biscuits? We also have egg burgers and hand-pulled pancakes that you haven't tried before. Everyone, come and have a go!"
An apprentice mingling in the crowd chimed in, "Hey buddy, what kind of special offers are there for the opening?"
Ah Zhu laughed even harder and announced loudly, "Good question! For the first three days of opening, everything is 20% off! Even better—everyone who makes a purchase will have a chance to win a big prize, guaranteed!"
These words immediately caused a stir among the crowd, and he quickly raised his hand to calm them down. "The grand prize is a full refund! Even if you win the smallest prize, you'll get a five-cent voucher that you can use next time you come!"
Those who were hesitating and watching at the door were instantly tempted.
"20% off plus a lucky draw! Come in and check it out!"
"Anyway, it's not a loss, so it's good to try something new!"
Amidst the murmurs, the crowd surged through the gate like a tidal wave.
As soon as they stepped into the Baiwei Food City, everyone was amazed by the sight before them.
Baiwei City was designed by Lin Yao with reference to the layout of modern food courts.
Unlike the typical octagonal tables in restaurants, this place is divided into neat stalls. Wooden signs in front of the stalls display the names and prices of the dishes, and bamboo lanterns hanging overhead are painted with various food patterns, making it a delightful sight.
What's even more surprising is the appearance of the stall owners.
Everyone was wearing matching short jackets of various colors, and their hair was neatly combed, making them look clean and tidy.
Before the opening, Zhao Niangzi inspected each stall one by one, redoing her styling if her appearance was not neat, and wiping down any dirty stalls.
Most of these apprentices were doing business for the first time. They had practiced their greetings to customers several times last night. Although they were so nervous that their palms were sweating, they were all giving it their all.
Lin Yao even required all stalls to offer tastings, so each stall had a person holding their own food and promoting it.
"Look, sir! Here's a freshly baked egg burger. Please have a taste!" Liu Fan said, holding a white porcelain plate and offering it to a customer as he approached.
The egg burger on the plate was steaming hot, its golden tortilla glistening with oil.
The customer took a bite, and the crispy outer layer mixed with the tender egg immediately made his eyes light up: "Delicious! Give me two!"
A long queue had formed in front of the roasted chicken rack stall not far away. The apprentice in charge of selling the chicken rack held a freshly roasted chicken rack in one hand and handed out small samples in the other, shouting loudly: "Spicy and salty, the more you eat, the more flavorful it becomes! Samples are free, buy only if you like it!"
The diners who had just tasted it nodded repeatedly, took out their copper coins, and shouted, "Weigh me a pound!"
Customers come and go, stopping from time to time to sample the food and place orders.
A queue had formed in front of the raffle box next to the counter.
Because of the prize-winning system, everyone who participated in the draw was very satisfied. Even those who only won a five-cent rebate coupon carefully stuffed it into their pockets.
The entire Baiwei Food City was bustling with activity and filled with lively chatter.
However, Lin Yao had no time to appreciate the bustling scene downstairs.
She's in the kitchen working on her new dish for today—roast duck!
She first placed the cleaned duck on the table, then firmly grasped the base of the duck's wing with her left thumb and forefinger, letting the duck's back rest against the back of her hand. She hooked her little finger around the duck's right leg to stabilize its shape, and with her right hand, she pinched the duck's beak and pulled its neck straight at an angle. She then made a precise small cut on the outside of the neck, cutting off the airway and draining the duck's blood into a bowl. Her movements were swift and efficient.
As soon as the water on the stove boiled, she picked up the duck by the leg and put it into the pot. With her left hand, she kept pulling the duck's feet to make it float in the boiling water, while with her right hand, she used a wooden stick to repeatedly stir the duck's body to ensure that all the duck feathers were soaked.
After a short while, take it out and soak it in clean water. Carefully remove the fine feathers, then cut a small opening under the left wing, reach in and take out the internal organs, esophagus and food sac, and remove the duck tongue. Finally, neatly chop off the feet at the joint.
The apprentice who was helping out watched intently, and couldn't help but gently bite his tongue. When he felt that his tongue was still safely in his mouth, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
With the expansion of the new store, there was an inevitable shortage of manpower, so Lin Yao recruited a new batch of apprentices.
"Bring the prepared reed stalks," Lin Yao ordered without looking up.
The apprentice quickly handed over the pre-cut reed stalks. She took them, aligned the forked ends with the three-pronged bones of the duck's breast, and gently pushed to fix the "duck support" in place. The originally slightly flat duck breast instantly bulged up.
"This way, after simmering the duck in broth, it won't shrink and will look better," she explained casually, before rinsing the duck inside and out three times with clean water to ensure it was free of impurities.
Next comes the crucial step of applying the skin.
Lin Yao used a hot hook to firmly hook the duck's neck, quickly rolled the duck in the boiling water, and immediately lifted it up, causing the pores of the duck's skin to tighten instantly.
She took some honey, diluted it with water according to the ratio, and carefully wiped every part of the duck's body with her fingertips dipped in the honey water, not even missing the gaps under the wings. Then she hung the duck in a ventilated place to dry, and the honey water formed a crystal film on the duck's body.
The oven was already hot. After the smoke dissipated, in order to make the duck meat crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, Lin Yao first stuffed a four-centimeter-long reed into the back door of the duck as a blockage. Then, she poured in the seasoned broth with salt and MSG through the incision on the side of the duck until it was 80% full.
She hung the ducks from the top of the oven, covered the fire opening and the lid, and watched the heat with her apprentice.
During the roasting process, Lin Yao would occasionally observe the color of the duck through the oven opening and adjust the hanging position of the duck according to the fire color to ensure that it was heated evenly.
Fifteen minutes later, the roast duck was ready, and the apprentice rushed forward to help.
The freshly roasted duck is a bright reddish-brown color, with a glossy, oily skin that makes a crispy sound when touched.
Lin Yao removed the duck's cork, catching the flowing, rich broth. She then split the duck in half lengthwise, cut it into rectangular pieces one centimeter wide, and arranged them in the original shape on a plate lined with lotus leaves, filling the air with fragrance.
The enticing aroma wafted down to the first floor. Many diners, who had already eaten their fill, couldn't help but ask the nearby staff what this smelled like after smelling this unique fragrance.
The person who was stopped and questioned was Liu Min's underling, Liu Zheng.
Today was the first day that Sister A set up her stall, and Liu Zheng found it interesting, so he came to lend a hand. He was young, but very clever. He puffed out his chest and said in a clear voice, "That's the shopkeeper making a new dish! I guarantee you've never seen this dish before. It's a signature dish that only our Baiweilou has!"
The diner, amused by the young man's precocious manner, began to wonder, "You've eaten here? You're not kidding me, are you?"
The child wasn't angry. He sighed like an adult, "This money isn't mine anyway, so why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, come up to the second floor at noon and order a roast duck. You can listen to a story while eating the roast duck. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" After saying that, he shook his head in delight.
Liu Zheng wasn't lying. Before opening, Lin Yao had been figuring out the temperature for roasting duck. Unlike later generations where the temperature could be precisely controlled, the ovens they used now could only be used by feel.
Therefore, before the opening, everyone ate a lot of roast duck, and from being amazed at the beginning, they eventually became numb to it.
When Lin Yao finally made the roast duck that met her requirements, everyone who tasted it praised it repeatedly.
The diners' attention, however, shifted from the roast duck to something else: "Can you listen to audiobooks on the second floor?"
Liu Zheng nodded, his chubby face full of anticipation. "Mr. Wei's story is so interesting!" He had only heard half of it yesterday, and today he was eagerly waiting to hear the rest.
When the man asked the question, the diners around him also perked up their ears to listen. Upon hearing that the second floor not only offered food but also audiobooks, they were immediately intrigued.
When lunchtime arrived, quite a few guests came to the second floor.
The customer from the morning also arrived, and as soon as he sat down, he ordered the roast duck that he had been craving all morning.
The customer who kept asking Liu Zheng questions in the morning was Manager Lu from the Lin'an Silk Shop. As soon as he entered, he found a good spot near the storyteller and, as soon as he sat down, he shouted, "Waiter! Bring me a serving of your manager's newly made roast duck!"
The newcomer, Zhang Tiezhu, responded: "Sir, you have excellent taste! Our roast duck is Manager Lin's new signature dish, but it's quite a generous portion, costing four hundred coins for a whole duck. If you're alone, half a duck will do, costing two hundred and twenty coins, which should be just enough!"
Roast duck is difficult to make, so Lin Yao does not intend to take the low-price route. Therefore, the price is not low. She instructed the waiters to make sure that the price of roast duck is clear to the customers, so that some people would complain about the high price when they pay the bill.
Manager Li leaned back in his chair, waved his hand magnanimously, and said, "Four hundred coins is nothing! Bring me a whole one, along with two side dishes and a pot of good tea!"
Several customers who had just sat down at the surrounding tables were tempted by this, but four hundred coins for a duck was a bit expensive for them. They decided to wait and see what people thought of the duck after they ate it before making a decision.
A moment later, the waiter brought out the roast duck.
Fresh lotus leaves line a white porcelain plate, and a roasted duck, its skin glistening with oil, is arranged in its original shape on the plate, its color a deep reddish-brown. As soon as it gets close to the table, the rich aroma of meat mixed with the subtle fragrance of lotus leaves wafts over.
Shopkeeper Li's nose twitched immediately, and he exclaimed repeatedly, "It smells so good! It smells so good!"
Zhang Tiezhu smiled and introduced, "Please enjoy your meal, sir. This roast duck should be eaten while it's hot, as the skin is at its crispiest."
Manager Li couldn't wait to pick up a piece of duck skin. As soon as it entered his mouth, it made a crisp sound, and the aroma of the fat exploded in his mouth, but it was not greasy at all. He then took a bite of the duck meat that was attached to it. The meat was tender and juicy, and the salty and savory flavor was very good.
He chewed a few times, swallowed it whole, and then picked up another piece and put it in his mouth.
Seeing how much he was enjoying his meal, the customers at the next table couldn't help but swallow hard. They immediately called out to the waiter, "Give us half a roast duck too!"
At first, some people suspected that Manager Lu was a shill and hesitated to place orders.
As the surrounding diners continued to serve their roast ducks, the aroma filled the air, and the praises were endless. Those who had been watching couldn't resist their cravings and wanted to order one to try, but were told that the roast ducks were already sold out. They could only watch with regret as others enjoyed their meal.
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Author's Note: Writing is hard work, please add this to your favorites~ [starry eyes]
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