Chapter 123: Braised Pig's Trotters Return.
Sister Zhou and Sister Tang smiled and agreed, then got to their tasks.
As usual, Sister Zhou first took a wet cloth, wrung it out, and wiped the table, then started sweeping and mopping the floor.
Sister Tang came early to help. She's been coming to help quite a bit lately and has already developed a tacit understanding with Sister Zhou.
First, they take a large plastic basin to the kitchen's sterilization cabinet and move out sets of bowls, chopsticks, and teacups. After filling the basin, they bring it out to the dining area and place it in the bowls, chopsticks, and teacups section. Then, they repeat the same process to move more washed and sterilized bowls, chopsticks, and teacups.
The two of them had just come into the restaurant from outside, and even though the wooden door was closed briefly, they were the ones who knew the situation outside best.
The boss was absolutely right to let them rest yesterday and recharge for today, which is likely to be the best day for business, including the upcoming seven-day National Day holiday.
Even when business was good a few days ago, it usually wasn't until a little after 10:30 that a decent crowd would start queuing outside the restaurant. Earlier, it was just a few people waiting outside.
But what they saw when they walked from the end of Surrey Street to this side was a long queue already formed in front of the restaurant. Groups of people were gathered together, forming a long line. Everyone was either looking at their phones or chatting, talking about the various braised meats that the restaurant would be selling that day, with braised pig's feet being the most anticipated.
Judging from the chat content and accents, many of them were people from other places who came specifically to try the delicious food.
Among the crowd, many of the people at the front were familiar elderly men and women who often ate at Gu's Private Kitchen. Sister Zhou had a lot of dealings with them, and the elderly men and women loved to chat, so she knew that these long-time residents of Suli Street wanted to join in the fun on this festive and special day.
Or perhaps they were attracted by the restaurant's return of braised pig's feet, braised beef shank, braised chicken, and braised duck; otherwise, why would they bother to join in the fun?
Fortunately, although there was a long queue outside, most of the customers were customers who followed the rules and did not block the restaurant entrance directly. Instead, they stood in two separate queues on either side of the entrance, forming a winding, horizontal line. This did not obstruct the progress of passersby or cause any obstacles to pedestrians or nearby shops.
Knowing everything that was happening outside, Sister Zhou and Sister Tang were full of energy, striving to clean the dining area thoroughly and prepare everything that needed to be done, so as to leave a good impression on the customers who would be dining later.
Time quickly came to eleven o'clock, and the wooden door of Gu's Private Kitchen opened precisely on time, revealing the smiling faces of the customers who had been waiting in line for a long time.
Sister Zhou and Sister Tang stood on either side of the entrance to greet customers. The first seven groups of customers were led directly into the dining area to sit down. Sister Tang served these customers in order to take their orders, while Sister Zhou stood at the entrance with the number slips and distributed the queue numbers.
We can probably accommodate about twenty-five tables at noon; we know that number all too well.
The slips of paper in her hand dwindled rapidly. When she was finally empty, Sister Zhou said apologetically to the young man in front of her, "I'm sorry, we've run out of numbers. Please come back tonight or another day. Thank you!"
The young man looked on in disbelief: "What? There are no more numbers? Does your restaurant only serve this many people at lunchtime? Today is National Day! Can't you add more ingredients to increase the capacity? Even if we have to wait a little longer to eat, it's okay!"
The crowd behind him erupted in a cacophony of voices and discussions.
"They're all gone already? I came here early this morning to queue, but I'm still a bit late!"
"Gu's Private Kitchen is great in every way, but they only serve a small number of customers during lunch and dinner. I thought I could manage to get a number by arriving ten minutes before the restaurant opened today, but I couldn't even get a number!"
"I came all the way from out of town. I took a plane after get off work last night and landed at 2 a.m. I arrived at the restaurant at 10 p.m. but I didn't expect there to be so many people already queuing up. I thought I wouldn't be able to get into the first group to eat or get a number, but at least I'd have a chance to eat if I got a number. Now I'm completely out of luck with braised pig's feet."
"If you ask me, it's already this hard to queue in the morning, it'll only get harder in the afternoon. And those braised pig's feet are only available for a limited time today. I can't take it anymore, the more I think about it, the more my head aches, I feel like crying..."
"Now I just hate that Gu's Private Kitchen is a private kitchen, and the number of customers it can serve each day is limited. With so many tables available, when will we ever get to eat there?"
"..."
Sister Zhou had anticipated this scene. It's always frustrating for customers to come to dine but not be able to get a number, and if customers have come from afar, their anger will only double.
That's why she asked Sister Tang to take orders from the customers dining in the restaurant, while she stayed here to deal with the customers who might get agitated.
She raised her voice: "Everyone, please be quiet for a moment and listen to me!"
The crowd at the entrance had already split into two distinct groups: one group consisted of customers who hadn't gotten a number and were filled with disappointment and a bit of resentment, while the other group consisted of customers who had gotten a number and had already lined up again, smiling and looking forward to the salty and fragrant braised meat they were about to eat, while also glancing over with a bit of curiosity to see what was going on.
As Sister Zhou spoke, they all looked over, curious about how the staff at Gu's Private Kitchen would handle such customer complaints.
To be honest, Sister Zhou couldn't possibly offer to increase the amount of ingredients or the number of customers; the restaurant only had so much braised meat available, that was a given. All she could do was sincerely apologize and explain, trying her best to get more customers to understand the restaurant's situation.
Sister Zhou: "I know many of you have come from afar, and many have been looking forward to this meal for a long time, even queuing up early. On behalf of the restaurant, I am very grateful for your patronage, trust, and support of Gu's Private Kitchen. We know that there will be more customers today due to National Day, and we have done our best to increase the amount of ingredients we purchase to accommodate more customers. The number of tickets we are issuing now is also a reasonable number after we have considered the amount of ingredients we can accommodate. We are very sorry that we cannot entertain you all who have come from afar, please understand."
"Our restaurant also prepares the same amount of ingredients for dinner as we do at lunchtime, so please come early to queue up. In addition, during the seven-day National Day holiday, our restaurant will serve fresh and delicious dishes every day. Please follow our Gu's Private Kitchen official account, where we will announce the dishes for the day at 10:00 AM. Stay tuned."
Sister Zhou doesn't have a high level of education. In the past, her job was to serve dishes and even wash dishes. It was only after coming to Gu's Private Kitchen and serving customers from all over the country that she gradually improved her ability to handle unexpected situations.
What she said might not be particularly elegant or professional, but it was the best she could do.
The customers' complaints were just a momentary outburst of disappointment and anger. Now, after hearing the staff's sincere words, they know it's true, and Gu's Private Kitchen has done its best.
For a moment, I didn't know whether to blame myself for arriving late and not being able to get to the front of the line, or to blame the people ahead of me who were already dining in the restaurant and the friends next to me who had taken numbers for arriving too early and lacking manners...
However, it is a given fact that they will not be able to enjoy Gu's private kitchen dishes at noon, nor will they be able to eat the delicious and fragrant braised pig's feet.
The more carefree customer waved and said, "It's alright, we know you've done your best. We've always loved Gu's Private Kitchen and wanted to have a meal there. We'll come again this afternoon!"
The quieter, more introverted customer forced a smile, turned, and left.
Whether they would just pick any restaurant on Surrey Street for lunch or go to a more well-known one, nobody knew.
Seeing that the problem here was solved, Sister Zhou hurried back to the dining area to serve customers.
Because the braised pig's feet, braised beef shank, braised chicken, braised duck, and braised vegetables are all braised in advance, Gu Qingqiu and Wang Meiyu can start cutting and plating the meat according to the menu after the customer's order is placed under the glass window.
The food was served incredibly quickly today. Sister Zhou and Sister Tang kept a close eye on the glass window, and as soon as the bell rang, they came over to serve the dishes.
At the restaurant entrance, Chen Feng and his three good brothers looked at the thin little note in their hands and, recalling the disappointed customers who had just left, couldn't help but feel fortunate.
Chen Feng: "Luckily we didn't oversleep today and came early to queue up and get a number. Otherwise, I can't imagine how uncomfortable we would be now. I don't want to experience this feeling of running away for nothing."
Wu Yuanyang: "Yeah, I'd rather sleep a little less in the morning and come here early to wait. Otherwise, if I don't get to eat the braised pig's feet that I've been looking forward to for so long, wouldn't this trip be a waste?"
Tao Mu: "Indeed, all the suffering I endured yesterday on the bus for ten hours was for nothing."
Miao Junsheng: "In short, thank you so much! Thank you for getting up early today to queue up at Gu's Private Kitchen! I also have to remember the ten-hour bus ride yesterday. I'll take a picture while we're waiting to eat and post it on my WeChat Moments!"
Chen Feng's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "That's a good idea!"
They were college students from Huining City in the neighboring province. Since their families were all in the north, none of them went home for the National Day holiday. So they decided to come to Jiang City to eat Gu's Private Kitchen, a restaurant they had been craving for a long time.
They got hooked on Gu's Private Kitchen too late; they only discovered this restaurant with its abundant and delicious dishes in September. Once they saw it online, they would come back for more. Based on the principle that if their brothers suffer, they shouldn't suffer alone, and if they suffer, they should suffer together, Chen Feng and his entire dormitory were tempted by the dishes of Gu's Private Kitchen and were thinking about eating there.
Unfortunately, their courses were quite demanding, and they had limited time on weekends. It was also difficult for them to scrape together the money to come to Jiang City for meals and entertainment. So they agreed to come back during the National Day holiday to enjoy the delicious food.
Looking back now, I still feel incredibly lucky. On my first day of dining here during the National Day holiday, I stumbled upon Gu's Private Kitchen's signature braised meat dishes, which were even available for a limited time.
They searched online for Gu's Private Kitchen's notes from around May Day and the tempting food pictures posted by netizens in the comments section. The more they looked, the happier they became, always thinking that the braised pork that so many people were looking forward to returning must be delicious.
They couldn't get high-speed rail tickets, but they were still unwilling to change their plans. They were determined to come to Jiang City to eat Gu's private cuisine, and were willing to take a bus even if it meant getting stuck in traffic on the highway for a long time.
It turns out that traffic jams on the highway are really tough. I arrived at the hotel in Yunjiang District of Jiang City at 3 a.m. last night. This morning, I had to rely on willpower to get up. After a quick wash, I came to queue up without even having breakfast.
While they were queuing, Chen Feng went to the steamed bun shop on this street and bought a few meat buns and four cups of soy milk to share. He ate them to fill his stomach and make sure he didn't feel uncomfortable, so he could save room for a big lunch.
Now they are only thankful that they had the willpower to get up early and queue up, otherwise there would definitely have been four more of them among the disappointed crowd.
The four of them were queuing up, chatting casually while looking at their phones. The aroma of braised meat wafting out was making their mouths water, and their stomachs were rumbling excitedly.
Chen Feng and his three companions tried to cover it up, afraid that the people queuing around them would hear them; they didn't want to become the center of attention.
They kept their heads down, silently playing on their phones, pretending the gurgling sound wasn't theirs. After a while, the gurgling sound occasionally echoed from the queue, and everyone got used to it.
Chen Feng said in a low voice, "It seems everyone is as tempted as we are. With Gu's Private Kitchen being this delicious, the slurping sound must be a common sight on this street at this time of day."
Tao Mu: "That's true. It's normal to be tempted by the smell of such delicious meat, especially since we didn't eat much this morning. There's no need to hide it." After saying that, he straightened his back, as if it were perfectly normal for my stomach to rumble.
Wu Yuanyang and Miao Junsheng shook their heads with amusement, taking the matter lightly and no longer feeling restrained.
Time passed quietly, the sun drew ever closer, and it grew hotter and hotter, but Chen Feng and his three companions remained calm and unperturbed. The only time their enthusiasm would flare up was when the group moved forward.
Finally, Zhang Feng heard the pleasant voice calling out the number on the slip of paper in his hand from the shop assistant. He happily raised the slip of paper, waved it, and shouted, "Here it is! Here it is!"
Then, the three of them, including Tao Mu, almost ran to the shop assistant and, guided by her, sat down at a small table for four under the air conditioner in the dining area.
The clerk smiled and said, "Please take a look at the menu on the wall and see what you'd like to order. We also have Tieguanyin, Pu'er tea, barley tea, chrysanthemum tea, and lemonade. Which would you like?"
The four of them had already decided what to order after seeing the daily menu posted on Gu's Private Kitchen's official account on Xiaohongshu. Chen Feng, acting as the representative, said, "Let's have one of everything on the menu. The braised pig's trotters should have the 'Four Golden' variety, and for tea, we'll have a pot of Tieguanyin. Thank you."
"Okay, please wait a moment." Sister Zhou replied with a smile, and hurriedly ran to the cashier to print out the order form. She first pressed one copy at the glass window and then brought another copy to the customer. Then she took four sets of bowls, chopsticks, teacups, and washing tools, and brought over a pot of Tieguanyin tea.
The entire set of movements was quick and smooth. After the staff left, Tao Mu couldn't help but praise, "It's amazing! Just by watching the staff's movements, you can tell that this restaurant is of a very high standard. At least it's comfortable and reassuring to watch."
Unlike some restaurants that, despite their great reputation, take forever to order tea after you're seated, and when you ask, they apologize profusely for the long wait and promise to do it again next time.
Wu Yuanyang smelled the various aromas of braised meat wafting from the surrounding tables: "The smell here is much more intense than what I smell while waiting outside the restaurant. I'm so excited just thinking about being able to eat Gu's Private Kitchen, which I've been craving for so long."
“Who isn’t?” Chen Feng laughed. His eyes were fixed on the menu on the wall, feeling that the handwritten words on it had more charm than the menu notes they had seen on Xiaohongshu that morning.
Today's menu:
Braised pig's feet: 68 yuan (88 yuan including the "Four-Point Gold" version, only eight servings available).
Braised beef shank: 58 yuan;
A combination of braised chicken and braised duck costs 58 yuan.
Braised vegetarian dishes are 38 yuan (including lotus root, potatoes, kelp, dried tofu, etc.);
Seaweed and egg drop soup, 38 yuan.
Miao Junsheng couldn't help but smile at the thought of eating braised pig's feet, braised chicken, braised duck, and braised vegetables later.
The four of them chatted as they rinsed their bowls, chopsticks, and teacups, then poured themselves a pot of Tieguanyin tea. After only two or three cups, the waiter brought over a plate of braised pig's feet.
On a large, oval-shaped white porcelain plate, you can find braised pig's feet that look and smell delicious. The pig's feet are cut into pieces and stacked together. They are marbled with fat and lean meat, and have a rich, oily color. The skin at the bottom looks very chewy and soft.
Then there's a large piece of braised pig's feet, which looks to be the essence of the whole dish. The thick skin of the pig's feet is shiny and red, and the large chunks of pig's feet meat underneath are also braised to a rich color and aroma, making it look incredibly tempting.
Tao Mu picked up his chopsticks: "Brothers, stop looking and start eating, that's the most important thing!"
"good!"
"Let's eat!"
Chen Feng picked up his chopsticks and immediately took a piece of pork trotter to eat.
The first bite releases an even richer, more fragrant braised flavor. The pork trotters are tender and juicy, with a savory and flavorful taste. Another bite reveals a mix of lean and fatty meat, making them even more tender and juicy. The released oil adds to the meaty aroma, resulting in a flavorful yet not greasy texture.
After chewing and swallowing, he took a big bite of the remaining half of the pig's trotter on his chopsticks, along with the skin, and ate it into his mouth. This time, the taste was different again.
The braised pork skin is soft and chewy, with a bouncy texture like eating jelly. It's full of collagen and has a slightly sticky feel. It's even more delicious when eaten with pork trotters that have a good balance of fat and lean meat.
Even after finishing the meal, his mouth still felt a little sticky, and the lingering aroma of the braised meat filled his mouth. Chen Feng exclaimed, "This braised pig's trotter is indeed delicious! No wonder it's Gu's Private Kitchen's signature dish. It tastes a million times better than the pig's trotters from regular fast food restaurants. The texture of the pig skin alone is incredibly soft and chewy, full of collagen, and it's truly bursting with flavor!"
Miao Junsheng also picked up a piece of pork trotter to try, and he enjoyed it very much.
He laughed and said, "You call this the 'lip-sticky feeling,' right? This pig skin really does taste delicious, with a strong gelatinous texture. Even the fatty and lean pig's feet have a sticky feel. After eating it, your whole mouth feels sticky."
Tao Mu chimed in, "If that's the case, then this braised pig's trotter is comparable to fish maw soup; it has the same satisfying, lingering texture. Hehe, Lao Miao, you've used that word well!"
Miao Junsheng smiled and said, "This isn't something I made up; it's just a professional term to describe this feeling: sticky in the mouth but smells delicious."
Wu Yuanyang: "This word is really good. Pig skin is the best part. I think the pig's feet are also delicious. When they are braised to the right consistency, the lean meat is tender and not dry, and the fat is oily but not greasy. They are salty and flavorful enough. They taste even better when dipped in the braising sauce."
After saying that, he picked up a piece of pork trotter with his chopsticks and started eating.
Not wanting to be left behind, Chen Feng and the other two also picked up a piece of pork trotters to eat.
After finishing another piece of braised pig's trotter, Chen Feng suggested, "If braised pig's trotters are this delicious, this 'Four Golden Spots' must be even more fragrant. Let's hurry up and try it while it's fresh out of the oven."
Tao Mu nodded: "I think it's a good idea."
Wu Yuanyang and Miao Junsheng both nodded, looking forward to this slightly more expensive piece of Four-Point Gold. Just looking at its color and aroma, it was much more tempting than ordinary pork trotters.
Since there were no knives and forks, Chen Feng and his three roommates discussed it and decided to simply use chopsticks to cut the four-point gold into four pieces. Anyway, the four of them were so close that they didn't care about such things and were too lazy to ask the waiter to bring a pair of serving chopsticks.
Only when he used his chopsticks to poke and pick up the four pieces of golden meat did Chen Feng truly feel how soft, chewy, and bouncy the oily, reddish-brown pig skin was, jiggling like a fluffy flaky pastry.
Tao Mu exclaimed in disbelief, "Without a doubt, the skin of this four-point gold pig is much softer, stickier, and more juicy than the skin on the pig's feet. One bite and your mouth is full of collagen!"
Wu Yuanyang couldn't help but swallow as he watched the snow-white oil overflowing from the Four-Point Gold dish as it was picked up with chopsticks: "If braised pig's feet are the signature dish of Gu's Private Kitchen, then this Four-Point Gold dish is definitely the signature dish among signature dishes!"
Miao Junsheng: "That's for sure!"
Chen Feng used chopsticks to poke into the large chunk of meat under the skin of the four-pointed golden pig. He could feel some resistance, but he could easily pass through with a little force. The four-pointed golden pig was indeed well-braised.
The four pieces of pork, which were larger than the palm of their right hand, were divided into four pieces of roughly the same size by Chen Feng after he squeezed and poked them. They were stacked there, with everything that should be there, and it was very fair.
Chen Feng: "Alright, everyone eat."
As soon as the words were spoken, four pairs of chopsticks rushed toward the white porcelain plate, each grabbing a small piece of gold.
There's a certain unspoken understanding between them; at least for now, the four pairs of chopsticks haven't come into contact or started fighting, each with its own objective.
Chen Feng picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and immediately put it to his mouth to eat, making sure to keep it in the bowl on the table. He didn't want the meat to slip off the chopsticks and fall off the table if he took a bite; it wouldn't matter if it rolled off the table, but if it fell to the ground, he would be devastated.
The first thing he bit into was the tempting, jelly-like pork skin, which was soft, chewy, and savory. Just as Tao Mu said, it was full of collagen, with a strong sticky feeling. It was fatty but not greasy, and even quite delicious.
Chewing and swallowing such a large layer of pig skin is incredibly satisfying; it definitely tastes better than the skin from regular pig's feet.
These four pieces of pork were cooked in a very flavorful and tender sauce. Just now, when Chen Feng bit into the pork skin and gently pulled it apart, the fatty and lean meat wrapped around the skin separated from it. Now, when he picked them up with his chopsticks, some of the sauce dripped into the bowl.
He ate heartily. The lean meat was cooked until tender and fell apart when he bit into it, while the fatty meat was fragrant but not greasy. Eating it together with the lean meat balanced the taste, making it even more tender, savory and salty.
Chen Feng ate bite after bite, and the piece of gold he was holding with his chopsticks became less and less, until finally the chopsticks could no longer hold it and it fell directly into the bowl.
He picked up another bite and ate it. Because it was braised until it was soft enough, he could swallow it without chewing it much, leaving only a salty and fragrant taste of the braising liquid in his mouth.
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