Chapter 365: Tasting the Real Song Sao Fish Soup
"Hello, I am the owner of this restaurant. Are you two in a hurry to eat?" the middle-aged man said politely.
"No rush." Zhao Xiaojing and Su Yuchen looked at each other.
"Look, you two ordered all Jiangsu and Zhejiang dishes. You must be fans of Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine, right? Not many people eat Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine here, so we have to make some dishes fresh. Especially for Song Sao's fish soup, the fish has to be bought fresh, but the vegetable market is next door, not far away.
It might take a while, is that okay with you two? We do have some Suzhou-style dim sum, so you can order them first, but I see you both are taking them to go."
"We can wait, we're not in a hurry." Zhao Xiaojing smiled happily.
As soon as he finished speaking, the waiter standing next to the boss with a serious face hurried to the front desk and said something quickly. Then the auntie sitting at the front desk immediately stood up and ran out without even taking off her apron.
"Boss, do you mainly look at physical strength when hiring waiters here? They have to run like this for every table, and their legs must be torn." Su Yuchen smiled as he watched the old lady running from behind.
"Yes, boss, isn't your signature dish Suzhou and Zhejiang cuisine? From what you said, Suzhou and Zhejiang cuisine is not the main dish of the restaurant?" Zhao Xiaojing asked.
"It was originally the main dish, but some dishes don't suit the taste here, and it would be a waste to prepare too much. For example, this Song Sao Fish Soup, if the fish is prepared in advance and not sold, it will only be a waste. Mandarin fish is not easy to raise, it will die after one day, and the taste of a dead fish is completely different from that of a live fish. We were discussing a few days ago whether to take this dish off the shelves." The boss shook his head.
"But I see there are quite a lot of Jiangsu and Zhejiang restaurants here, especially Hangzhou cuisine," Zhao Xiaojing asked doubtfully.
"Yeah, if Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine doesn't suit the taste here, why is the Hangzhou cuisine restaurant we just went to doing so much business?" Su Yuchen also asked.
The boss glanced at the takeout bag on the table and asked, "You mean the Zhang family?"
"Yes, we just went there and there were quite a few people lining up."
"That one opened early, and the food there was really great in the early years. The place was big, and the chefs were skilled. But it's been declining in recent years. Half of the good chefs have left, leaving the other half and a few apprentices to keep the place going. But after all, the brand is still there, and with its reputation, there are still a lot of people going there. As for other restaurants, either they are irrelevant, using some messed-up pre-made food, or they are like us now, unwilling to compromise on quality but at the same time compromising and starting to serve home-style dishes."
Zhao Xiaojing nodded regretfully. In fact, it was similar to the current situation of the catering industry in Jiangcheng. There were either internet-famous restaurants that became popular for a while, or old-fashioned restaurants that were particularly delicious. The small restaurants in the middle were neither good nor bad. Some of them died, some compromised, and some were still struggling in the middle.
"We have changed the menu of our restaurant four times. In the beginning, there were no home-cooked dishes. They were all Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine. After a while, customers complained that we had nothing to eat. I said, 'How many dishes are there?' They said there was nothing they could eat. They were either too sweet or too bland. There was nothing we could do." The boss spread his hands, feeling both amused and helpless.
"So that's how it is. No wonder only one-third of the menu is signature Jiangsu and Zhejiang dishes." Zhao Xiaojing understood.
"I'll give you a portion of sweet osmanthus candied lotus root to fill your stomach first." As she spoke, the aunt at the front desk went into the kitchen carrying a black bag that was still jumping. The waiter from before also came over with a tray. The boss helped to bring the sweet osmanthus candied lotus root on the tray to the table of Zhao Xiaojing and the others.
"Please enjoy your meal. I'm sorry if the dishes are slow to arrive. I won't bother you anymore." The boss bowed.
"Thank you, boss."
"I wish the boss good fortune."
The two men saw the boss off and immediately pulled out their chopsticks.
Four flesh-red, thickly cut lotus roots are stacked on a plain white plate. The seven holes of the lotus root slices are filled with glutinous rice, and the surface is covered with golden osmanthus flowers and a layer of thick, charming and crystal-clear sweet juice. When the chopsticks pick them up, the long lotus root threads are also pulled up together.
Just one look at it makes people drool.
"So sticky! So sweet." Su Yuchen exclaimed.
"The lotus root is also sweet inside, and it seems to contain honey." Zhao Xiaojing studied it while eating.
The first bite of the candied lotus root is greeted by its soft, glutinous, floury texture. Not only does it have the sweetness of the glutinous rice and the thick, juicy surface, but the lotus root's natural fragrance is also present. Furthermore, the smoothness of honey and a hint of sweet osmanthus linger faintly on the tongue. While sweet, it's a very subtle and pure sweetness.
"I saw this candied lotus root on the menu the first time I ordered it. I thought it was just average from the photo, so I decided not to order it. It seems to be priced at 12 per portion. The taste is not expensive. If it is served on a different plate, the price will go up immediately." Su Yuchen said.
"It's really not expensive. If you change to a high-footed plate, use less osmanthus flowers, and only pour sugar syrup over the lotus root slices, the price will increase by at least 20 yuan." Zhao Xiaojing immediately raised her hand in agreement.
"Make the lotus root slices smaller and take them to the private restaurant where Aunt Wen invited us last time. You can add another 20."
“What a business acumen!”
“Same here!”
Both of them are happy at the same time.
"How about adding another portion of candied lotus root to the package, which could have been priced at a 40% premium?"
"Add it, and then go back and cheat them out of 40."
While chatting and laughing, the two of them finished the four slices of candied lotus root, called the waiter to add another portion of candied lotus root to take away, and then continued to chat leisurely.
I thought the boss would come over to explain and I would have to wait a long time, but not long after I finished eating the sweet osmanthus lotus root, the vegetarian roast goose came up, and not long after I finished eating the vegetarian roast goose, Song Sao's fish soup was served.
This time, Zhao Xiaojing did not forget the convention and opened the quality evaluation module while serving the soup.
Song Sao Fish Soup: Between Level 1 and Level 2, this is one of the more delicious recipes. It's slightly overcooked, and the ham isn't very high quality.
!!!
Between level one and level two?
Since the upgrade of the quality appraisal module, which can identify finished dishes, most of the restaurant dishes identified by Zhao Xiaojing are at level three, and there are also many at level four. A restaurant that reaches level two is already a good restaurant.
Even if I were to practice diligently with the system recipes, the dishes I could make would only be between level one and level two, with most being level two. But even level two was achieved through thousands of hours of meticulous practice in the virtual space, bit by bit, polishing and honing.
Even Nie Xiuqi, who has been a chef for several years, usually makes dishes that are mostly level two, and the highest level is also level two.
But this small restaurant, which had already given up hope, could actually make Song Sao Fish Soup that was between level one and level two?
Zhao Xiaojing picked up the spoon in disbelief and took a bite immediately.
Rich, fresh, tender and smooth, this fish soup almost immediately makes one feel the difference between the real fish soup and the one made by Nie Xiuqi and Zhao Xiaojing.
"This time I got to eat the real Mrs. Song's fish soup." Zhao Xiaojing murmured.
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