Chapter 100 Oyster Omelet and Stir-fried Cabbage with Vinegar.
Liao Xiaolu ate three abalones, two pieces of chicken, and a lot of fish maw.
She's a foodie, so at times like this, she naturally eats more expensive things that she doesn't usually get to eat. Fresh, plump abalone and high-quality fish maw are all good things, while tender and juicy chicken is naturally pushed to the back of the list.
It has to be said that the portion of this abalone, fish maw, and chicken dish is really generous. Needless to say, the chicken is so big that the casserole bowl is almost entirely filled with golden-brown cooked chicken.
At first glance, the abalone appeared to have about five pieces on the surface. However, as I ate deeper and scooped it out with a spoon, I discovered that there were actually eight abalone pieces hidden underneath. This is a very generous amount for a meat dish priced at 58 yuan.
There were quite a few pieces of fish maw. You could see some on the surface when it was first served, and as you ate, you could also find some more underneath. At that moment, you would happily and purposefully pick up a piece of fish maw and put it in your mouth to eat. It was incredibly blissful.
She pushed her bowl next to the casserole bowl and used the spoon that came with the abalone, fish maw, and chicken dish to scoop up the rich, golden broth and pour it into her bowl.
After scooping out most of the soup, Liao Xiaolu put the spoon back into the clay pot bowl, and carried the bowl and soup to the table in front of her. Judging that it wasn't very hot, she picked it up and drank it directly.
This broth is soaked with the collagen from the Sichuan peppercorns, the seafood flavor of the abalone, the savory aroma of the chicken, and the savory flavor of the simple seasonings. The taste is rich and the aroma is intense, with an even more sticky texture that leaves your lips and mouth feeling sticky. Drinking it brings a special sense of happiness and satisfaction.
Liao Xiaolu drank it with great relish, taking a sip, savoring each sip, swallowing it slowly, and then taking another sip.
After drinking most of the bowl of rich, fragrant soup, she felt as if her entire life had been elevated.
Liao Xiaolu smacked her lips and couldn't help but call out to the person across from her who was only eating abalone, chicken, and fish maw: "Don't just focus on eating the meat, try this soup, that's the essence. It's really no worse than stewing fish maw directly."
"Okay, I'll give it a try," Qian Lezhan replied with a smile.
He filled a large bowl with soup for himself. Just by looking at the golden color of the soup with oil floating on top, and the fact that the ingredients were so good, he knew it would taste good.
He picked up the bowl and took a sip. His mouth was filled with a rich and fresh flavor. The seafood flavor of abalone and the fresh flavor of chicken intertwined. The fish maw was particularly sticky. The taste lingered in his mouth, and he couldn't help but savor it after each sip.
For a moment, I couldn't tell whether the original apricot and pork lung soup was better or the abalone, fish maw, and chicken soup was better.
After finishing the bowl of fragrant soup, Qian Lezhan couldn't help but praise, "You really know how to eat! The essence of this dish is indeed in the soup. It's a real treat to drink."
“That’s right!” Liao Xiaolu replied smugly, raising her chin slightly.
Her slightly smug expression was especially adorable to Qian Lezhan, who couldn't help but coax her, "It was definitely the right choice to eat out with you today. Your idol has good taste, but you have even better taste! This restaurant has been open for several months now, how come we only discovered it now? We've missed out on so many delicious meals."
Liao Xiaolu smiled, revealing her dimples: "Of course my idol has good taste. Fans follow their idols' lead, so of course they also have good taste!"
Speaking of what happened next, she was a little annoyed, but she had sorted out the logic by now. "We've been so busy with work lately that we haven't had time to go out on dates. We've been eating at the same few restaurants, and we haven't thought about trying anything new. When we browse Xiaohongshu and Weibo, it's all based on big data recommendations. We haven't been specifically looking for information in this area, so of course we haven't seen it."
"That makes sense, no wonder she's the famous detective Xiaolu!" Qian Lezhan joked.
He sincerely reflected, "We've both been quite busy lately and haven't had much time to go out. One of my projects has just finished, and whenever you have time, we'll try to discover some new restaurants and try them out."
Liao Xiaolu stretched out her right hand and shook her index finger: "No, no, no, I've decided that I'll come to Gu's Private Kitchen to eat more often from now on."
"The restaurant updates its menu every day, so there are always fresh dishes to eat, which keeps things interesting. And just looking at today's delicious dishes, you know that this restaurant must be very good and worth coming back to eat at."
Qian Lezhan thought so too, so he readily agreed: "Okay, then we'll come here to eat often from now on."
As soon as he finished speaking, the shop assistant came over and served an oyster omelet.
A large, golden-yellow round pancake, even bigger than the one used to hold the steamed pork, was laid out on a white porcelain plate. However, it wasn't a pure golden-yellow pancake; it also contained some dark gray pancakes. You could see small oyster omelets wrapped inside. Some Hunan-style vegetables were sprinkled on the center of the pancake as a garnish.
Qian Lezhan recognized the oyster omelet and explained, "This oyster omelet is made by mixing sweet potato starch batter and frying it. The egg mixture is poured on top in the latter half of the frying process, which adds aroma and makes it look nicer. I've seen some tutorial videos that use duck egg mixture and some use chicken egg mixture, so I don't know which one this oyster omelet uses."
Liao Xiaolu nodded to indicate that she understood: "So it was made by mixing sweet potato starch batter and then frying it. I was wondering why it didn't look like a plain egg pancake. I didn't expect you to know so much. Have you secretly eaten some behind my back?"
After she finished speaking, she immediately asked a question in the style of Xiaolu.
Qian Lezhan smiled and said, "How could that be? I just saw it while browsing short videos. I was thinking of going to the food street with you sometime, maybe we could find some oyster omelets. I didn't expect to be eating them here before we even went to the food street."
Liao Xiaolu replied, "Sure, let's go to the food street again later and see if we can buy oyster omelets. Then we can compare them and see if the ones at the food street are better or the ones at Gu's Private Kitchen."
After saying that, she said with great anticipation, "Let's try this oyster omelet, but I don't think I can tell whether it's made with chicken eggs or duck eggs."
Liao Xiaolu poked at the large, golden round cake with her chopsticks, picked up a small piece, and ate it.
The outer crust of the round cake is crispy, especially the edges, which are crispy and fragrant. As you eat inside, in addition to the crispiness of the round cake, you can also taste the freshness of the oyster inside.
Although the oysters are small, they are very fresh and sweet. They have a strong seafood flavor, are tender and smooth with a slight chewiness, and are bursting with sweet juice.
Presumably due to pre-seasoning, the oysters not only taste naturally sweet but also have a salty and savory flavor.
She took another big bite, and this time, in addition to the crispy texture of the round pancake, she could also taste the flavor of eggs and the soft and glutinous texture of sweet potato flour. Then came the tender and delicate oyster omelet. With each bite, she could taste the sweet and savory juices of the oyster omelet and feel the salty and savory flavor hidden within.
After finishing the small piece she had just picked up, Liao Xiaolu immediately reached for another piece with her chopsticks. This time, she picked up a larger piece with more oysters inside.
She took a big bite, savoring the crispy exterior and tender interior of the oyster omelet. The round pancake was crispy with the unique soft and chewy texture of sweet potato starch batter and the aroma of eggs. The oyster omelet was a perfect blend of salty and sweet, very fresh and fragrant, and incredibly tender to the bite!
Qian Lezhan also thought the oyster omelet was delicious. The omelet really lived up to the word "omelet" in the name of the dish, and it was baked to a very crispy texture, especially the edges of the omelet which were very charred and fragrant.
The pancake has a soft, savory flavor from the sweet potato starch batter, as well as a rich egg flavor.
He felt that the restaurant must have poured duck egg liquid onto the oyster omelet and fried it together. It tasted a little different from the usual fried egg pancakes, but it was still very fragrant.
Each oyster omelet, wrapped in a crispy yet soft pastry, is delicate and smooth, incredibly fresh and juicy, as if you can taste the breath of the distant sea from the overflowing sweet juice.
He ate two oyster omelets in a row before saying, "No wonder I often see people buying oyster omelets at food streets online, and there are also many bloggers making tutorial videos on how to make oyster omelets. It shows that there is a lot of demand from netizens."
"This oyster omelet is so delicious! It's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside! Coating the oyster omelet with sweet potato starch batter and frying it together definitely makes it more fragrant than frying it with flour. The sweet potato starch batter is soft and chewy when you bite into it, which complements the fresh and delicate oyster omelet perfectly."
Qian Lezhan happily shared his discovery: "I think this oyster omelet is made with duck egg liquid, because it tastes quite different from the usual fried egg pancakes."
“That must be duck egg liquid. I also feel that it tastes a bit different from the egg pancakes I usually eat, but it’s quite fragrant.” Liao Xiaolu nodded in agreement with his conclusion.
She exclaimed, "When I used to go out for barbecue and order grilled oysters, I just hoped the oysters would be as big as possible. I was thinking that the oysters in this kind of fried oyster omelet would be small and not very tasty, but I didn't expect them to be so fresh and sweet."
Qian Lezhan nodded: "It's better to use small oysters for oyster omelets. How many palm-sized oysters can this plate of omelets hold? If we pick up a small piece to eat, we might not even be able to pick up a single oyster, and the taste won't be as good."
“Indeed, and the oysters are really fresh today!” Liao Xiaolu said.
Qian Lezhan said, "I feel that the dishes here are all very fresh. The pork lung soup with apricot kernels and sweet almonds, as well as the steamed pork with rice flour and the abalone and fish maw chicken, all used very fresh and high-quality ingredients. Combined with the chef's excellent skills, the dishes naturally taste especially delicious!"
"No wonder this restaurant is so popular online!"
Liao Xiaolu nodded in agreement, then hurriedly said, "Oh no, I forgot to take pictures!"
She quickly took out her phone, turned on the camera, and snapped a few photos of the dishes and soup on the table.
Qian Lezhan was a little taken aback: "Didn't you need to compose the shot or find the right lighting? You just snapped away like that?"
"No need. I only realized why people online say that the dishes at Gu's Private Kitchen look good from every angle, no matter how you photograph them. They say that composition and finding the right lighting are all for dishes that don't look their best," Liao Xiaolu said, looking back at the photos she had just taken.
Upon hearing this, Qian Lezhan thought to himself that composition and finding suitable lighting were things that should be applied to restaurant dishes other than those from Gu's Private Kitchen.
He initially thought it was just his girlfriend exaggerating because of her idol-like image and the deliciousness of the food. But after seeing the photos on her phone, he realized just how photogenic the dishes were; they looked great even in casual snapshots.
Qian Lezhan laughed and said, "It's pretty good. You don't need any skills to come here to eat and take pictures. When you post them out with the topic of your big star, a lot of netizens will be envious of you."
"Hehe, that's what I was thinking too. We're eating at the same restaurant that Shuyi ate today. Who knows, Shuyi might have also ordered some food to be delivered to her hotel right now. Just thinking about it makes me happy." Liao Xiaolu said this with a big smile, her happiness level soaring.
Qian Lezhan chuckled and shook his head, thoroughly enjoying his girlfriend's happy expression. He urged her, "Stop laughing, hurry up and eat your oyster omelet, it won't taste as good when it gets cold."
"Okay, I understand." Liao Xiaolu stopped looking at the food photos in her phone's album, put down her phone, picked up her chopsticks again, took a piece of oyster omelet, and continued eating.
She savored the crispy exterior and tender interior of the oyster omelet, tasting the soft and chewy texture of the pancake, the aroma of sweet potato flour and eggs, and the sweet juice that overflowed when she chewed the oyster meat. The tender and delicate oysters mixed with the pancake were so delicious to chew and swallow.
Normally, pan-fried foods can easily feel greasy if you eat too much of them, but Liao Xiaolu didn't feel that way at all. She just thought the oyster omelet was the most delicious thing ever, and she wouldn't get tired of eating it no matter how much she ate.
Qian Lezhan also enjoyed the meal very much, feeling that the oyster omelet could be included in his twenty favorite dishes, along with the pork lung soup with apricot kernels, steamed pork with rice flour, and abalone and fish maw chicken.
As for the four dishes that were originally among the twenty but were squeezed out, Qian Lezhan didn't even bother to think about them, and nobody cared.
They kept eating because there was only one dish left: stir-fried cabbage with vinegar. They didn't have to worry about eating too much and not being able to eat better meat dishes later. They quickly finished off most of the large plate of oyster omelets.
Qian Lezhan and Liao Xiaolu put down their chopsticks almost simultaneously, leaned back in their chairs, and took a deep breath.
Liao Xiaolu shook her head, feeling both annoyed and happy: "I really ate too much at noon, but I had a great time. Oh well, I'll eat as much as I can while it's fresh, and I can always skip dinner."
Qian Lezhan patted his bulging belly and sighed, "It's been a long time since I've eaten this much, but I can eat again after resting for a while."
He looked at the steamed pork with rice flour and abalone, fish maw and chicken soup that were still left on the table, and a small portion of the soup with apricot kernels and pork lung was still left. Even though he was almost full, he still wanted to eat.
Liao Xiaolu restrained herself slightly, glanced at the meat dishes on the table and said, "I'll pass, I'll just have some stir-fried cabbage with vinegar later."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the waiter brought out a dish of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar.
The white porcelain plate was filled with chopped cabbage, which, after being stir-fried, had all the edges stained with a dark brown color and glistened with oil.
Liao Xiaolu could already smell the sweet and sour aroma of vegetables wafting in the air, which immediately whetted her appetite. However, her stomach was too full at the moment, so she had to resist eating later. She simply talked to Qian Lezhan to distract herself.
Qian Lezhan looked at the stir-fried cabbage with vinegar and wanted to eat it, so he chatted with his girlfriend to pass the time.
After saying just a few words, Liao Xiaolu felt a little more free time in her stomach, so she immediately picked up her chopsticks and ate some stir-fried cabbage with vinegar.
Upon tasting, you immediately experience a sour vinegar flavor, but it's not so sour that it makes your mouth feel numb; it's just the right level of sourness.
It's not just a sour vinegar taste; you can also taste a hint of saltiness. The cabbage is cooked until soft and tender, and when you bite into it, you can taste the sweet juice that comes out of the cabbage. The taste is surprisingly good.
Liao Xiaolu couldn't resist and picked up another bite of the stir-fried cabbage with vinegar. The salty and sour flavors combined with the sweet aroma of the cabbage made her mouth feel quite appetizing. The more she ate, the more her stomach felt like it was digesting, and she felt much more comfortable, so she could continue eating.
After chewing and swallowing the stir-fried cabbage in her mouth, Liao Xiaolu couldn't help but say, "This stir-fried cabbage is quite good. The sourness is just right, which is easy to accept and can also stimulate the appetite. It's perfect to serve it as the last dish. I feel my appetite has been rekindled as I eat it."
Qian Lezhan had just eaten a bite of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar. He doesn't usually like sour food, but he found this dish quite delicious.
The first taste of the stir-fried cabbage is the sourness of vinegar, followed by the salty aroma from the stir-fry. After chewing, you can taste the fresh sweetness of the cabbage, with a slight crispness, and the juice that overflows is also very sweet.
He nodded and said, "The taste is indeed quite good. I felt a bit full when I was eating, but after eating a bite of the stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, I felt much more comfortable and my appetite was stimulated."
"That's good. Eat as much as you can. These kinds of vegetables don't taste as good when you take them home and cook them again," Liao Xiaolu said.
When the two of them go out to eat, they usually pack up meat and vegetables to go. Vegetables are generally eaten on the spot, as they tend to turn yellow if left out for too long.
Qian Lezhan replied, "I know, you should eat more too, we can eat slowly."
The two chatted and ate stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, which was quite appetizing with its sweet and sour taste. Occasionally, they would also eat a slice of steamed pork or a piece of chicken.
Humans have unlimited potential when faced with delicious food. In addition, they slowed down their eating speed, giving their stomachs enough time to digest, and the two of them actually finished a whole plate of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar.
I picked out all the abalone from the abalone and fish maw chicken dish and ate them all. Abalone that has been left out for a long time will taste much worse when reheated.
The same goes for the oyster omelet; the remaining half was cut in half with chopsticks by Qian Lezhan and shared with his girlfriend.
As for the remaining half plate of steamed pork with rice flour, fish maw chicken, and pork lung soup with apricot kernels, we asked the staff to bring over a takeout box to pack them up and put them in a takeout bag, intending to take them home and reheat them for dinner.
The two didn't linger. Knowing there were many people queuing outside for their food, they immediately picked up their takeout bags, got up, went to the cashier to pay, and left the restaurant.
Thinking about the bill he had just paid, and comparing it to the sumptuous and delicious meat dishes he had for lunch, Qian Lezhan couldn't help but exclaim, "Gu's Private Kitchen is simply a treasure trove of a restaurant! No wonder it's so popular online; the price-performance ratio is just too high!"
“Yes, each dish on the menu looks expensive, but compared to the quality of the ingredients and the taste, it completely blows away those high-end restaurants.” Liao Xiaolu wholeheartedly agreed.
Qian Lezhan invited her, "We can come here to eat often in the future. Anyway, the menu is updated every day, so we can always have fresh dishes every time we come!"
"Sure, sure, but we need to come early. I don't want to wait in line!" Liao Xiaolu said, thinking of the customers waiting in line at the restaurant when she came out.
The worst thing is coming all the way here only to find that the restaurant has run out of ingredients and won't give you a number. That's truly disappointing.
Qian Lezhan smiled and agreed. The two walked hand in hand to the street in Suli, hailed a taxi, got in, and told the driver, "To City Light Plaza."
They had already arranged to go shopping and watch a movie at Chengguang Plaza after lunch.
It's too hot at midday, and taking the bus or subway is quite troublesome. Taking a taxi is much more convenient.
Sitting on the bus, Liao Xiaolu picked up her phone and started posting on Weibo.
Normally, editing photos would take a long time, but the dishes at Gu's Private Kitchen are so photogenic that it saved her all that pre-production work; she could just edit the captions now.
It took her about ten minutes to edit the text alone; it was a rare long post for her since she started using Weibo. After setting up the pictures to post, Liao Xiaolu skillfully added relevant hashtags and supertopics related to Yang Shuyi and published the post.
[Xiaoshuangchenlu: It's another beautiful day. Wishing @YangShuyi baby happiness every day and joy forever!]
Yesterday I saw that @杨书仪宝宝 went to Gu's Private Kitchen for dumplings. I happen to live in Jiangshi, and I was planning to go there last night to have the same dumplings as you, but I suddenly had to work overtime and couldn't go. Luckily, I was able to eat there today. I wanted to share this joy and deliciousness with you (sending flowers.gif)
We set off around 10 a.m. today and arrived before the restaurant opened. As soon as it opened, I rushed in and luckily got to sit in the same spot that @杨书仪宝宝 sat in yesterday. I even had my boyfriend take a picture of the seat from the same angle (happiness.jpg)
Today, Gu's Private Kitchen didn't have dumplings; it was a proper meal with a full table of dishes. The food was very fragrant and delicious, and I personally felt it was even better than those in high-end hotels. The experience was excellent. As expected, @YangShuyiBaby has great taste, and we are enjoying this good meal with you!
First up was the apricot and pork lung soup. The broth was milky white and rich, with a mellow and intense flavor. The aroma of almonds and pork lung blended together perfectly, while the addition of figs and jujubes added a touch of sweetness. This soup is known to soothe the lungs and relieve coughs, and I already felt very refreshed after drinking it. This first dish alone won over my boyfriend and me; we really enjoyed it.
Steamed pork with rice flour is tender, savory, and melts in your mouth. It's rich yet not greasy, with the aroma of rice and meat permeating each other and filling your mouth with every chew, making it incredibly satisfying. Take a serving of the accompanying steamed bun, stuff a few slices of steamed pork into the slits, and the sauce and oil from the pork will soak into the bun, creating a wonderfully satisfying texture with every bite. Nothing in the world tastes better than this!
Abalone and fish maw chicken is also a delectable dish. Just looking at the rich, golden broth glistening with oil tells you how high-quality the ingredients are; all the essence has been extracted and infused into the broth. The casserole bowl is generously filled, containing eight abalone pieces alone. The abalone is firm, springy, and intensely flavorful. The chicken is cut into even chunks and cooked to a golden brown, with a slightly crisp skin and tender, juicy meat that's also quite savory. Because of the high-quality fish maw, both the abalone and chicken pieces have a slightly sticky texture when soaked in the broth. The fish maw pieces are cooked until they're chewy and tender, bursting with collagen, truly offering that "lip-licking" sensation—it feels much more delicious than just fish maw soup!
This was my first time trying oyster omelets, and to be honest, it was quite novel, and the taste didn't disappoint. This dish is made by coating small oysters in a sweet potato starch batter and frying them together. The pancake is also drizzled with duck egg liquid before frying, giving it a golden-brown, incredibly crispy appearance. It truly lives up to its name – crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The pancake itself is very crispy, especially the edges, which are very caramelized. Each bite offers the soft, chewy texture of the sweet potato starch batter and the aroma of duck egg. The oyster omelets are fresh and delicate, savory and flavorful while also showcasing the sweetness of the oysters. When you chew and taste the overflowing oyster juice, you can vaguely sense the flavor of a distant seaside.
Actually, my boyfriend and I were already quite full by this point, but when the waiter brought out the last dish, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, we had a renewed appetite. After resting for a bit, we continued eating.
The whole plate of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar was made with chopped cabbage, its edges completely coated in a dark soy sauce and glistening with oil—it looked incredibly tempting. The initial vinegar flavor was strong and fragrant, just the right level for locals in Jiang City to appreciate. This was followed by the savory and salty flavor of the seasonings, and the cabbage pieces were crisp and refreshing, releasing a sweet and juicy juice. The entire dish was a delightful appetizer, a perfect ending to lunch.
@Yang Shuyi Baby, I don't know if you had Gu's Private Kitchen for lunch. If you did, I'm so glad to have eaten the same thing as you. If not, then I'll share my feelings and joy with you.
Thank you so much for introducing me to Gu's Private Kitchen, this hidden gem of a restaurant! My boyfriend and I both love their food, and we've promised to come back often. (heart emoji)
Same seating arrangement.jpg Almond and pork lung soup.jpg Steamed pork with rice flour.jpg Abalone, fish maw, and chicken.jpg Oyster omelet.jpg Stir-fried cabbage with vinegar.jpg
@YangShuyi @YangShuyiStudio @Gu'sPrivateKitchen
-Yang Shuyi Super Topic]
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