Chapter 22 Black Char Siu, Passion Fruit Sour Beef Soup, Hand...
Shen Mengmeng opened the food delivery app, went to the errand service page, entered the address of Gu's Private Kitchen and the company, and the errand fee displayed was 28 yuan, which she paid without hesitation.
Since she didn't know what meat dishes Gu's Private Kitchen had today, and since Chuntang had said that the restaurant's menu was based on the ingredients they purchased each day, and that the customer reviews on Dianping (a Chinese review platform) were all outdated, she asked someone to run an errand to the restaurant to check the menu and then call her to decide what to order.
After placing the order, Shen Mengmeng put down her phone and continued working on her computer, so that she wouldn't feel uncomfortable eating the delicious food if she hadn't finished her work when it arrived.
So, at lunchtime, in addition to the customers eating in the restaurant, two delivery riders wearing yellow uniforms also arrived at Gu's Private Kitchen.
The two parked their cars one after the other and looked at each other. Wang Bai asked, "Are you also running errands to buy food for others?"
"Yeah, you too? I deliver to office buildings around here," another rider said.
Wang Bai nodded: "I'm delivering to the Yungang New City area. This restaurant looks pretty good, which is why someone specifically asked a deliveryman to come and buy the food."
“Yes, it’s one of the few restaurants that doesn’t offer delivery,” another delivery rider said.
Many restaurants in the catering industry have now opened online stores on food delivery apps, such as Xiaohuangrenjia or Xiaolanrenjia. After all, most people don't really want to go out to eat these days, so there are more people ordering takeout. Many restaurants have more online orders than dine-in customers.
Time is money. After exchanging greetings, the two looked at the menus and called their employers.
Wang Bai clicked on the back-end page to contact the customer, and the call was quickly connected: "Hello, I have arrived at Gu's Private Kitchen. I will now read out the menu to you."
After hearing the response on the other end of the phone, he continued, "We have black char siu, passion fruit sour soup beef, and salted egg yolk chicken wings, all of which are 58 yuan a serving. Hand-torn cabbage is 28 yuan a serving, and handmade fish ball soup is 58 yuan a serving. In addition, a bowl of white rice is 3 yuan, and a takeout box is 6 yuan."
After reading it, Wang Bai was surprised himself. Who would have thought that the restaurants on Suli Street, an old street that seemed to have low spending power, would be so expensive?
He would never come to eat unless it was a group meal, let alone ask someone to run errands to buy food for him to eat for lunch.
As expected, people who can work in Yungang New City are capable.
After hearing the menu for Gu's Private Kitchen over the phone, Shen Mengmeng was quite conflicted. Although she was disappointed that there weren't any of the dishes that Ji Jian Chuntang had recommended, the dishes sounded pretty good today.
She'd had the black char siu at other restaurants before, and it was pretty good. The passion fruit and sour beef soup sounded very appetizing, perfect for this hot and humid weather. The salted egg yolk chicken wings could be ruled out for now; although they sounded good, she really couldn't eat any more.
Vegetables seem to be a must-have, and I'd also like to have some handmade fish ball soup. Just thinking about how refreshing it would be to have a sip of soup when my mouth is dry after eating so much delicious meat and vegetables, and handmade fish ball soup is a rare treat. She bought two pounds of handmade fish balls from the coastal area last time and still savors the memory.
Since you're calling it an errand runner, let's have a nice meal.
After thinking it over, Shen Mengmeng said, "Could you please order me some black char siu, passion fruit sour beef soup, hand-shredded cabbage, and handmade fish ball soup? Remember to get the receipt. I'll pay you back at the back later."
Goodness, they ordered so much. Wang Bai thought to himself, thinking that it was probably for a large group of people. Anyway, he was just doing his job for the money: "Okay, I'll upload it to the window for you later."
After hanging up the phone, Wang Bai asked the clerk to take the food the customer had ordered, to pack it up, and to get the receipt and invoice. Then he found a place to stand and wait at the door.
There were chairs at the entrance, but they were all occupied by customers waiting in line to eat, so there were still several customers standing.
Wang Bai leaned against the wall to the right of the restaurant entrance, scrolling through his phone to see if there were any suitable errand-running orders to take.
The same rider who had been standing there earlier came over and said, "My employer ordered everything on the menu. He even ordered two servings of dishes like black char siu and passion fruit sour beef soup. It was quite a big order."
Actually, getting this kind of order isn't great; the distance is short and the delivery fee is low, but it's difficult to carry a lot of items. However, he remained calm about it. These days, the competition among delivery riders is fierce; getting twenty or thirty orders a day is already quite good.
Wang Bai smiled and said, "My customers have ordered quite a lot too."
The two stood there talking while waiting for their takeout meat and vegetables, their stomachs rumbling from the aroma of the meat wafting from the shop.
Another rider exclaimed, "No wonder these customers still call for delivery even when there's no takeout available. It smells so good! I just ate several homemade meat buns before I came, and now I'm actually a little hungry."
Wang Bai smiled helplessly: "I was planning to get some fried noodles after finishing this order, but now that I smell this aroma, I might not find the fried noodles so appealing later."
He still had to complete orders all by himself, and even though he was really craving something, he didn't feel like going in to order a dish. He was just thinking about bringing his family over to try the food when he had a break.
Interestingly, while they were waiting, they noticed a man who seemed to be just passing by and kindly advised the customers waiting at the door.
"It's so hot outside, and there are so many people in the restaurants, I don't know how long we'll have to wait. I've been a long-time resident of Suli Street, and the noodle shop across the street is pretty good. You can go there and eat. The noodles have soup and are affordable, isn't that great?"
Even though the customers waiting in line were a little impatient, they were still stubborn and shook their heads in refusal.
"Uncle, thank you for your kindness, but we came here specifically for Gu's Private Kitchen. We'll be fine later."
"Yes, we came to Suli Street just to eat Gu's Private Kitchen. If we want to eat noodles, we can eat them anywhere."
"I've been craving Gu's Private Kitchen ever since I ate there once. Since I'm already here, I'll be free later. Thanks, brother."
The man could only give an awkward smile, wave his hand and say it was nothing before walking away.
Wang Bai and the other rider exchanged a glance, both knowing that the man was most likely sent by the noodle shop across the street.
They've been running errands for years, and many of their orders are for restaurants. Plus, they've heard a lot about what other restaurants do in competition, so the trick they just used is child's play.
A little while later, the shop assistants brought them takeout bags one after another. The difference was that Wang Bai carried one large bag, while the other rider carried two large bags, which contained six boxes of white rice alone.
After they paid by scanning the QR code, the store clerk also gave them the receipt and invoice.
Wang Bai and another rider each got on their bikes, rode out of Suli Street, said goodbye, and went their separate ways.
In Yungang New City, Shen Mengmeng focused on her work while occasionally checking her phone for messages. As she saw the riders upload invoices and receipts and the distance on the map began to shrink, she became increasingly excited.
Perhaps it was the anticipation that motivated her. She finished her morning tasks ahead of schedule, sent the document she had written to her colleague, and then opened the map on the order page of the food delivery app on her phone, where the distance had been shortened to 300 meters.
She immediately locked her computer, stood up, grabbed her phone, and left the office to wait for the elevator downstairs.
It was rush hour, and even with four elevators in an office building, things were running very slowly. After waiting for two fully loaded elevators, the delivery driver called.
She answered the phone: "Hello, yes, just wait for me at the main entrance. I'm waiting for the elevator to come down now."
Finally, the elevator arrived, and Shen Mengmeng squeezed in and found a place to stand.
Fortunately, the fifth, sixth, and seventh floors of the office building are the canteen, where many colleagues from the group eat lunch. So after the fifth and seventh floors, the elevator is much less crowded, and the space is more spacious and the air is fresher.
As soon as she got out of the elevator, Shen Mengmeng ran to the main entrance to pick up her takeout. Because delivery drivers are not allowed to enter the office building, there are takeout lockers set up at the main entrance, where delivery drivers can wait for special requests.
"The last four digits are 7594." Shen Mengmeng called out, and someone immediately responded. She took the large bag of takeout, thanked them with a smile, and turned to walk back.
Wang Bai looked up at the towering office buildings. These three office buildings, standing side by side, were famously located in extremely valuable locations, and were used by elite professionals.
He lowered his head to hide the envy in his eyes, then rode his electric bike into the endless stream of traffic.
Shen Mengmeng took the elevator back to the fifth floor. Even if people don't get their food here, many bring their own lunch or order takeout to eat in the cafeteria. Generally, you can't eat in the office area.
Of course, many people also gathered together to eat at restaurants outside.
She found a table in the corner, sat down, put the takeout bag on the table, untied the knot, and took out boxes of meat and vegetables.
She crumpled the bag up and placed it aside, weighing it down with her phone. Shen Mengmeng opened each box lid and was instantly tempted by the colors inside.
The black char siu pieces were neatly arranged in the box, stacked in two layers, with distinct layers of fat and lean meat, slightly reddish-black in color, and drizzled with a dark brown, oily sauce that was still slightly runny.
The takeout box, resembling a soup bowl, contained a good amount of broth, with three refreshing lemon slices and plenty of passion fruit pieces floating on top. The beef slices were slightly curled up, half-hidden, and the soup was a rich, golden color. Upon opening it, one could almost smell the sweet and sour aroma in the air.
The hand-torn cabbage looks like each piece is a different shape, glistening with oil, and garnished with red chili peppers. The green and red colors are very pleasing to the eye.
Another soup bowl was filled with white fish balls floating in it, each one round like a small ball. Golden egg skin, dark seaweed, and scallions took the opportunity to swirl around each fish ball, creating a fragrant aroma.
Shen Mengmeng couldn't hold back any longer; her long-suppressed appetite finally erupted, and her stomach rumbled with ravenous hunger.
She resisted the urge to pick up her phone again and took a picture of each dish, so good that it could be posted on WeChat Moments without any editing or filters.
She couldn't care less about that right now. Putting her phone aside, she picked up her chopsticks and ate a piece of char siu.
The char siu has a rich, savory-sweet flavor, and it's soft and chewy. The fatty parts aren't greasy, and the lean parts aren't dry, all with a delicious roasted aroma.
She couldn't resist picking up another piece to eat.
Shen Mengmeng had eaten black char siu from other restaurants before, and it tasted pretty good, but the syrup brushed on the char siu was inevitably a bit bitter, which undoubtedly reduced the taste of the black char siu.
However, the black char siu at Gu's Private Kitchen doesn't have this problem. The syrup coating the perfectly marbled pork belly is sweet and salty, with a subtle seafood flavor, and no bitterness whatsoever. Even after you've finished chewing and swallowing the black char siu, a lingering sweetness remains in your mouth.
Perhaps because it's been roasted, the black char siu has a soft and chewy texture with a slightly charred and firm feel, making it more flavorful.
Looking at the row of black char siu in the lunchbox, the sauce drizzled on it glistening and oily, and savoring the taste from earlier, Shen Mengmeng regretted not ordering rice as well.
Otherwise, pouring such tempting sauce over white rice would make every bite a savory-sweet meaty experience—how blissful that would be!
She ate several pieces of black char siu without getting tired of it, but Shen Mengmeng still reached for another dish, passion fruit sour soup beef.
The dark brown beef slices have slightly curled edges, and when you pick them up, you can see the golden broth dripping back into the soup bowl. When you put them in your mouth, you can taste a richer sweet and sour flavor with a touch of freshness. The beef slices are tender and chewy, and the flavor is even more fragrant with the sweet and sour taste of passion fruit and lemon.
After eating two slices of beef, Shen Mengmeng used the disposable spoon provided to scoop up a spoonful of the rich, golden broth and drank it.
The broth is more sweet and sour and rich, with the sweet and sour flavors of passion fruit and lemon blended together, and there are subtle other sweet and sour notes.
She savored the taste, but unfortunately, she wasn't a chef who knew the flavors of ingredients. After thinking for a while, she scooped up another spoonful of soup and stirred the food at the bottom of the bowl. When she saw the red chunks of fruit floating on the surface, she realized that it was the sweet and sour taste of tomatoes.
The soup made by simmering the three ingredients together is sweet and sour, appetizing, rich and mellow, and leaves a lingering aftertaste.
She picked up several more pieces of beef to eat, and this time, upon closer inspection, she found they were slightly spicy, which made the beef taste even better.
The spiciness wasn't very noticeable under the cover of the sweet and sour flavors, but Shen Mengmeng really enjoyed the surprise of finding a subtle spiciness after chewing the tender and chewy beef, which was full of sweet, sour, salty, and savory notes.
She ate the two meat dishes in turn, enjoying herself immensely and immersing herself in the delicious food, oblivious to the curious glances that kept coming her way.
Those around who happened to smell the sweet and sour aroma were quite curious, wondering what delicious food the female colleague at the corner table was eating. They could tell just by the smell that it wasn't meat or vegetables sold in the cafeteria.
They went from curiosity to envy, but because they didn't know the restaurant, they were too embarrassed to ask: "Hello, what's the name of the restaurant you ordered?"
But in such a large dining hall, there must be someone who recognizes Shen Mengmeng, and coincidentally, someone happened to pass by and saw her.
Of course, what first attracts you is the sweet and sour aroma. Looking over, you first see the pork belly with its crystal-clear, black agate-like appearance, with distinct layers. Yellow lemon slices and yellow-green passion fruit seeds are mixed together with the pork slices floating slightly, creating a rich and tempting color.
Huang Li and An Xin were both full, but for some reason they were tempted again. Their tongues twitched involuntarily, and they wanted to ask the people who were so happy to enjoy these delicious meat dishes which restaurant had bought such good meat dishes.
But as soon as she looked at the person sitting at the table, she was shocked: "Mengmeng! It's you!"
Shen Mengmeng looked up when she heard the voice: "Have you all eaten?"
The two people in front of me are from the same office and regular lunch buddies. We don't usually run into each other in the cafeteria, so who knew we'd bump into each other today?
Huang Li nodded: "I'm full. Mengmeng, which restaurant did you order the meat dishes from? We were all drawn by the aroma as we passed by."
An Xin nodded frantically: "Yes, yes, they all look so delicious."
Shen Mengmeng smiled and said, "I ordered Gu's Private Kitchen, which is located on Suli Street. However, they don't offer delivery, so I had a delivery person run over to buy it for me."
Feeling it was a bit odd that she was sitting while her two colleagues were standing in front of the table, she invited them, "Why don't you sit down for a bit?"
The two were so engrossed in their work that they forgot all about their earlier plans to go back to the office and scroll through their phones, and sat down without hesitation.
Huang Li asked in confusion, "This is the first time I've heard of this restaurant, but the dishes look quite high-end, and they smell delicious. It definitely lives up to its reputation as a private kitchen. Mengmeng, how did you find out about this restaurant?"
An Xin sighed, "These days, it's really rare to find a restaurant that doesn't offer takeout, except for some big restaurants."
"I saw the recommendation on a blogger I follow. The food photos looked so tempting that I couldn't resist after craving them for a few days, so I asked a delivery person to buy them and bring them to me," Shen Mengmeng explained.
Huang Li nodded: "No wonder, these kinds of hidden gem restaurants are usually discovered by bloggers. Your meat dishes do look really photogenic. If I saw them, I'd probably be tempted to go and eat there too."
Anxin's eyes were fixed on the other two dishes on the table. The crisp, tender hand-torn cabbage, garnished with red chili peppers, looked glistening with oil. The plump fish balls floating in the soup bowl were surrounded by golden egg skin and black seaweed. Everything looked so delicious.
She glanced at it a few times and quickly looked away, afraid that Mengmeng would think she wanted to eat it.
Shen Mengmeng did notice Huang Li and An Xin's subtle glances at the meat and vegetables on her table.
She had a good relationship with the two men; they would chat and laugh together in the office and also complain about their boss and some senior colleagues in a small group chat.
If we happen to bump into each other, she'll just continue eating as usual, without feeling embarrassed.
But she did order too much meat and vegetables today. She was thinking that if she couldn't finish them, she could save them for dinner. She was in a really good mood and was eager to share the deliciousness of Gu's Private Kitchen. Moreover, the restaurant also provided four pairs of chopsticks with the food.
So, Shen Mengmeng said with a smile, "Why don't you two try these meat dishes? I can't finish them all by myself anyway."
Despite secretly hoping for it, Huang Li felt a little embarrassed when she heard this: "Why don't you eat it yourself, Mengmeng? We can go to Gu's Private Kitchen next time."
An Xin pursed her lips, unable to utter a word of refusal.
Shen Mengmeng generously said, "It's alright, we happen to have chopsticks too, why don't you try them?"
She took two pairs of chopsticks out of the bag and handed them to the two of them.
Huang Li and An Xin exchanged a glance and happily accepted the gift: "Then we won't stand on ceremony."
Huang Li said, "I'll get you some beef jerky when we get back. My mom bought it when she traveled to the north. It's really delicious."
An Xin said, "I have some mung bean cakes, they're super authentic. My husband brought them back from his business trip. I'll give you some to take home for your uncle and aunt to try."
Office relationships are all about reciprocity, and Shen Mengmeng smiled and agreed.
Huang Li and An Xin could no longer resist and started eating the tempting meat dishes.
The beef slices burst with a rich, sweet and sour flavor, even more fragrant and intense than the aroma. The beef was tender yet chewy, with a savory and slightly spicy undertone. Before I knew it, it was gone.
The black char siu is just like black agate. It might be a little cold and the syrup on the surface might be a bit sticky when you bite into it, but it has the unique salty and sweet aroma of char siu. It's soft and chewy when you bite into it, and the combination of lean and fatty meat makes it very delicious. The lean meat won't be tough and the fatty meat won't be greasy. It only has the dry aroma of roasted meat.
The two colleagues were clearly captivated by the food, indulging in the black char siu and beef slices. Having already eaten quite a bit of meat, Shen Mengmeng then reached for the hand-torn cabbage with her chopsticks, picked up a piece, and began to eat.
The cabbage tastes very refreshing. The addition of lard during cooking makes it more savory and smoother. It has a slightly spicy flavor with a hint of vinegar, which makes the cabbage even more refreshing and gives it a touch of sweetness.
This is a very good vegetable dish. Shen Mengmeng couldn't help but exclaim that it was indeed worthy of being a restaurant recommended by Ji Jian Chuntang. It was truly a high-quality restaurant.
She ate quite a bit of hand-torn cabbage, and when her mouth felt a little dry, she turned her attention to the only dish of handmade fish ball soup.
Fortunately, Gu's Private Kitchen is considerate enough to provide a few small soup bowls for customers to serve soup.
Shen Mengmeng patiently scooped soup into the small soup bowl with a small spoon. This disposable spoon was different from the thin and transparent spoons in ordinary fast food restaurants. It was very sturdy and looked to be of good quality. When she scooped the soup, it did not wobble as if it was about to break at any moment.
She scooped out about eight-tenths full of soup, along with some egg skin and seaweed. Shen Mengmeng put the spoon into the small soup bowl and first used her chopsticks to pick up a fish ball to eat.
That's why handmade fish balls are said to be high-quality. They're bouncy and smooth, very elastic, and full of the fresh aroma of fish. Every bite is substantial, and you can tell from the first taste that these fish balls are high in fish.
Unlike the fish balls you buy at the market, which are so floury that you almost think you're eating dough balls, and whose fish flavor makes you wonder what they're made of.
Delicious, very delicious!
After finishing a fish ball, Shen Mengmeng nodded to herself and then handed two unused small soup bowls to her two colleagues: "You should also try this handmade fish ball soup later. These fish balls are truly pure and authentic."
Huang Li swallowed the black char siu in her mouth and nodded: "Okay, thank you Mengmeng."
An Xin ate another piece of beef and said with a smile, "Mengmeng, you're so kind."
The two of them actually restrained themselves, only eating two or three pieces of black char siu and beef slices to satisfy their crazy burst of appetite, but they were too embarrassed to finish Mengmeng's lunch.
He then scooped up some soup and a fish ball to eat, and then nodded repeatedly.
"Mengmeng, these fish balls are absolutely authentic! They're so bouncy, smooth, and tender, with a wonderful fishy flavor!"
"Yes, these fish balls taste like they're full of fish meat. I wouldn't say they don't contain any flour, but there's definitely not a lot of it. They taste just like the fish balls we get at those roadside stalls by the sea. No, I feel like these fish balls are even better. They only have the fresh taste of fish and no fishy smell."
Shen Mengmeng ate another fish ball and nodded in agreement: "It's really delicious. This handmade fish ball soup can be listed as a must-order dish in Gu's private kitchen. It's rare to see such delicious fish balls."
She lowered her head and took a sip of the soup, which combined the savory aroma of fish balls, the eggy fragrance of egg skin, and the refreshing scent of seaweed.
The slightly charred egg crepe soaked up the broth, offering a pleasant chewiness and an eggy aroma. The seaweed was smooth and delicate, also carrying a fresh seafood fragrance—it was delicious.
After Huang Li and An Xin ate one fish ball, they desperately tried to suppress their urge to eat more, as they were already quite grateful to have even one fish ball.
After enjoying their soup, they sat and watched Mengmeng eat, trying to find topics to chat about, and even made plans to go to Gu's Private Kitchen together sometime.
Shen Mengmeng ate until she was completely full before reluctantly putting down her chopsticks. Apart from finishing the hand-torn cabbage, she left a lot of the other three dishes. She closed the takeout box lid again, put it in a bag, and got up to take the chopsticks and spoons to the nearby trash can to throw them away.
After tying a knot in the bag, Shen Mengmeng and Huang Li Anxin took the elevator back to the office.
Upon arriving at the office, Huang Li and An Xin returned to their workstations and brought beef jerky and mung bean cakes for Shen Mengmeng.
Other colleagues, seeing this, asked Shen Mengmeng what she had done to make them so generous. Shen Mengmeng and Huang Li Anxin generously shared Gu's private recipes.
Their sincerity piqued the curiosity of their colleagues in the office. Just how delicious must Gu's Private Kitchen be to warrant such praise from people who have said it's delicious and have a long list of good food?
In any case, Shen Mengmeng and Huang Li'anxin were both satisfied with their lunch break, and even found it easier to sleep during their afternoon nap.
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