The Land of Honey truly lived up to its name. As Xu Milu walked through the town, the sweet fragrance filled her nostrils. Passersby nodded to her, their faces beaming with happy smiles.
It is said that the quickest way to understand the local customs and culture of a place is to find a local restaurant and taste its delicious food.
Xu Milu also had a lot of Platinum, the currency used in the food world. On the recommendation of a passerby, she went straight to a small shop with flowers and candy in front of it.
The store entrance has a strong sandy landscape feel, with countless small wicker baskets filled with candies and blooming flowers exuding a sweet aroma.
The entire store is built around a four-story-tall cactus, which looks beautiful and magical.
"By the God of Food, welcome to our restaurant! What would you like to eat, sir? Today's specialties are butter cheese croissants and honey cake. Would you like one?"
A soft greeting rang out, and Xu Milu lowered her head to see a woman who was barely up to her waist.
The woman was petite, and the menu she held made her appear even more delicate.
She looked somewhat older, her long dress had a touch of the Sand Kingdom style, her hair was wrapped in a thick veil, and she had a gemstone nose stud. She was always cheerful when entertaining guests.
Are they dwarves?
Xu Milu found it amusing; this was only the second time she had seen a non-human creature.
"You must be a guest from out of town. Half of the territory of the Sand Kingdom belongs to our dwarf race."
The female dwarf handed over the menu with a smile, seemingly already used to the curious glances from others.
"I'm sorry, I used to live in Phuket, I didn't mean to offend you."
Xu Milu opened the menu, but the abstract text on it gave her a headache, so she simply ordered a signature set meal as recommended by the female dwarf.
...
...
While waiting for her food to be served, Xu Milu finally had a chance to take a closer look at the restaurant's decor.
The restaurant is a typical family-style restaurant, with each table separated by trumpet-shaped bar stools. A sliding bamboo door separates the kitchen from the dining area, where two male dwarfs can be seen working enthusiastically.
Countless dark green vines hung down from the roof. The proprietress picked one out and cut it open with her small knife, and a golden liquid fell into a clear glass.
The shop was full of customers, mostly dressed as mercenaries, with glasses filled with golden liquid in front of them, laughing and shouting loudly.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! Here's what you ordered: butter ice cream croissant, pan-fried pork chop, cheese and green fruit ham, fluorescent berry chocolate lava cake, cream jelly shrimp, and cactus drink!"
The dwarf woman, balancing a rickety plate, placed it accurately in front of Xu Milu, smiling as she reminded her:
"You can have more butter and cheese croissants if you want!"
One of the mercenaries joked, "Naya, you've never been this gentle with me before!"
"You're not a young and pretty lady anymore, but this child looks a lot like me when I was young!"
"Hahaha, Naya's bragging again—"
The shop was bustling with activity, but Xu Milu didn't join in the conversation. Instead, she took a deep breath and enjoyed the food in front of her.
Croissants are named for their shape, which resembles cow horns. The crust of a croissant, baked with butter, is brownish-brown, while the inside is soft and porous.
This shop has a unique approach: freshly baked croissants are cut in half and filled with a generous amount of ice cream. With one bite, the outer crust is warm and crispy, while the inside is cold and sweet, creating a wonderful "hot and cold" sensation.
The cheese, green nut, and ham plating is rustic, with a thin slice of ham at the bottom, topped with a layer of salty cheese, and finally sprinkled with some green nut bits before serving.
Xu Milu picked up a small piece of green nut with her fork and tasted it carefully. She could only taste a very delicate nutty flavor with a hint of sweetness, somewhat like the flavor of pistachios.
Take a bite with a slice of ham, and the rich, oily flavor of the dried ham, the slightly salty taste of the cheese, and the juicy richness of the nuts all blend together, filling your mouth with a delightful sensation.
The cactus drink is a golden liquid that flows from the vines, which appear to grow from the cacti that grow against the house.
Xu Milu leaned closer to smell it and was surprised to smell a scent similar to malt. She took a small sip, and the rich bubbles immediately burst in her mouth, carrying the fresh fragrance of herbs and trees.
It tastes a bit like fruit beer from Earth.
The pan-fried pork chop was the most unremarkable of the dishes. The fried pork chop was a bit greasy, but fortunately there was cactus drink, so it was still edible.
Xu Milu was most interested in the creamy shrimp jelly and the fluorescent berry chocolate lava cake, so she stared at them for a while longer.
"Jelly shrimp is a specialty of our Sand Kingdom. You can't find it anywhere else. It only grows in the dark chocolate waters and is a seven-star delicacy."
Seeing that Xu Milu's cup was empty, the proprietress skillfully cut another vine to refill it:
"Jelly shrimp die very easily after being caught, so they are usually cooked with cream. First, cut the cactus into small pieces, add cream and milk, then add celery powder, pour in the jelly shrimp and stew together, and that's the creamy jelly shrimp soup in front of you."
Xu Milu scooped it up with a spoon and put it in her mouth. The aroma of salted cream filled her nostrils. The soup was thick and had a special milky flavor, but no fishy smell at all.
The most wonderful thing is the cactus pieces in the soup. After being stir-fried, they have a refreshing cucumber aroma. With a gentle sip, the sweet cream melts on the tongue.
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