Chapter 116 (Chapter 116 in table of contents)
"Brother Zhang, try this crispy pork. I've never had pork that's been seasoned so well and fried so crispy."
"Xiao Chen, have a bite of this shredded beef. You'll never believe how tender and delicious it is."
"Hey! This sour fish soup is amazing! You guys should have a bite right away. The waiter was right, food tastes best when it's hot. You've come too late."
Inside the private room, only Su Hang's voice could be heard urging the food to be eaten. The photographer, Brother Zhang, and the director, Xiao Chen, were so engrossed in their meal that their mouths were glistening with oil that they barely had time to talk.
Su Hang took a few bites while filming, but Zhang Ge and Xiao Chen could only watch and couldn't do anything, which was incredibly torturous.
Therefore, during a break in filming, Su Hang suggested that the three of them eat a few bites to fill their stomachs before continuing to film. He thought that Brother Zhang would not agree, because Brother Zhang is a very dedicated person who always insists that life and work should not be mixed up.
Xiao Chen was definitely more than happy to accept this; Su Hang even saw him secretly swallow his saliva several times.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Su Hang made the suggestion, Brother Zhang and Xiao Chen both agreed in unison.
Brother Zhang glanced at his watch and muttered to himself, "No wonder I'm hungry, it's lunchtime. In that case, let's eat a couple of bites and then continue filming."
Xiao Chen nodded frantically: "Yes, yes, yes!"
Although they had eaten other things before coming to film, seeing a table full of delicious food and Su Hang eating so heartily, he couldn't resist any longer.
Today, Su Hang doesn't seem like a proper TV host; he's more like a mukbang streamer.
The three quickly reached an agreement and happily began their meal. The camera was still working diligently beside them; Brother Zhang was probably too excited today, as he forgot to turn it off while eating.
After everyone had eaten their fill, Xiao Chen was the first to realize something and weakly reminded them, "Brother Su Hang, shouldn't we stop eating? Aren't we here to film a show today?"
Brother Zhang was engrossed in eating and didn't respond.
Su Hang said, "We just recorded for more than ten minutes, don't worry, eat your fill and then continue. People need food to survive, where else can you find such good steel?"
After thinking about it, Xiao Chen felt that Su Hang's words made sense, so he continued eating.
After eating around again, still feeling a little uneasy, Xiao Chen spoke up again: "Brother Su Hang, won't it be difficult to take pictures now that we've eaten like this?"
In the past, when recording videos of finding restaurants, the dishes on the table were always kept relatively intact, as this made the video look more aesthetically pleasing.
Su Hang picked up the serving chopsticks and scraped the food to cover the missing parts, then laughed and said, "We're not eating much, so covering it up is fine."
Xiao Chen felt this wasn't quite right, because it seemed like Song Ji's portions were small, but in reality, the portions of Song Ji's dishes were quite generous.
Brother Zhang was still engrossed in eating, as if he hadn't heard what they were saying.
With two votes to one, Xiao Chen conceded defeat and continued eating.
But he was still thinking about work. Seeing that most of the food on the table had been eaten, he finally spoke again with a worried look: "Brother Zhang, Brother Su Hang, let's stop eating, I'm scared..."
The show "Food Detective" has been running for almost a year, and this is the first time such a situation has occurred. Su Hang is quite indulgent when it comes to food, but he usually eats after filming.
Brother Zhang is the oldest and most steady person. He has always been the one in charge of them, but today even Brother Zhang has fallen for him.
Xiao Chen is really scared; he's worried that this episode of their show won't be a complete disaster.
Su Hang laughed: "What are you afraid of? You're just worrying unnecessarily."
Brother Zhang suddenly sat up straight, burped, took a sip of water, and clapped his hands: "Alright, back to work!"
They looked like they had eaten their fill and were finally ready to go to work, but the food on the table was almost gone.
Xiao Chen had a bitter face.
Su Hang picked up the menu: "Let's order a few more dishes. Song Ji's food is really good. We've come all this way, so let's try more."
Brother Zhang responded enthusiastically: "Do you have braised pork? I'd like to order one. I quite like braised pork, but most restaurants make it too greasy. The first bite is okay, but after a couple more bites it gets too salty. Song Ji's should be better."
This reflects Brother Zhang's immense trust in Songji's cuisine after trying other dishes.
Su Hang ordered a serving of braised pork and then saw the lotus root soup that cost 68 yuan a serving. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of lotus root soup was so expensive. He decided to try it.
Pang Ru received the message about adding dishes to the private room and immediately relayed it to her colleagues.
Shen Hui exclaimed with delight, "They must be very satisfied with the food at our restaurant! They just ordered five dishes, which should be more than enough for three people!"
Even someone as composed as Shen Hui couldn't help but imagine the scene of Song Ji appearing on television after hearing this good news—it was truly something to be proud of.
He Zhi couldn't hide his smile, but he was also a little uneasy: "Xiao Ru, did you see them finish that plate of fish-flavored eggplant when you went in?"
He Zhi was the only one who made that dish, and he was very worried that if his dish was in stark contrast to the manager's, then there would be no point in him continuing to work as the sous chef.
"They ate almost all of their dishes, Chef He, don't worry!"
He Zhi wiped his chest and let out a long breath, then said to Song Xinran somewhat embarrassedly, "Manager, I'll have to trouble you to continue making the next two dishes."
Although Song Xinran said that the "Food Detective" crew visited unexpectedly and she preferred to experience the treatment of ordinary diners, they all knew that these guests were not ordinary people, so how could they not pay more attention to them?
“Okay.” Song Xinran readily agreed, as these two dishes were originally her responsibility to prepare anyway.
Seeing everyone bustling around, both surprised and anxious, she felt a warmth in her heart and wanted to smile. The staff genuinely cared about the restaurant's reputation.
When Zou Xiaoguang returned from delivering food, the door to the private room was still closed. Pang Ru immediately told Zou Xiaoguang what had happened, to which he responded with a few frantic exclamations: "I'm dizzy! I'm dead!"
"Really? Really?" Zou Xiaoguang asked eagerly, "You're not kidding me, are you? Are they really food detectives? Did they really come to our store?"
Pang Ru smiled calmly: "Of course it's true. Stop acting like a lapdog. You're an employee of Songji now, and your words and actions represent the image of Songji. Calm down. This food detective came to us on his own, we didn't pay him to come."
Pang Ru slightly raised her chin and calmly and mysteriously finished speaking.
Seeing Zou Xiaoguang's surprised and shocked expression, she felt secretly pleased. Her reaction when she first heard the news was similar to Zou Xiaoguang's, and now she could imitate Shen Hui's behavior and pretend to be one too.
Pang Ru was unaware that Shen Hui was imitating Song Xinran.
Zou Xiaoguang paced back and forth a few times, finally calming his excited mood. His gaze kept glancing towards the private room, and he secretly clenched his fist. He knew that Food Detective was a conscientious program, and it was truly worth the countless text messages he sent at so much expense.
After the lunch rush, the number of diners in the restaurant gradually decreased. Amidst the subtle scanning of the staff, the door to the private room finally opened slowly.
Zou Xiaoguang silently exclaimed in his heart, "Ah! My idol!"
But then he remembered what Pang Ru had said about them representing Songji's image, so he suppressed his excessive excitement and tried to treat the three members of the production team as ordinary customers.
Su Hang didn't expect the meal to last so long (and be filmed). When he came out, all the other customers in the restaurant had left, and only the staff were left.
"Hello, where is your manager? Can we film some footage of the kitchen preparing and cooking dishes?" Su Hang asked.
Shen Hui maintained her high level of professionalism and smiled, saying, "Our manager is in the kitchen right now. I'd like to ask him to talk to you in detail."
Su Hang nodded: "Thank you for your help."
Su Hang was very satisfied with the footage shot in the private room. When he came out, the staff in the store were very calm. Unlike when he went to shoot in other places, they didn't all crowd around him. Although Su Hang felt a little strange, the atmosphere in this scene was more comfortable and he could shoot the footage he wanted more efficiently.
Even Zhang, who was carrying the camera, couldn't help but relax a little. He glanced around and realized that Song's Private Banquet Restaurant was something special, with both its dishes and service being outstanding.
Although this restaurant is not located in a bustling commercial area, the owner's ingenuity perfectly matches people's impression of high-end dining.
The owner must be a seasoned veteran in the restaurant industry.
This wasn't just Zhang Ge's idea, but also Su Hang's and Xiao Chen's, so they were a little taken aback when they saw Song Xinran.
That's too young.
Song Xinran smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, teachers. I am the manager of Songji Restaurant. My surname is Song. Welcome to our restaurant for filming."
She spoke little, but her gaze and tone were sincere, neither overly warm nor cold.
When Su Hang met her gaze, he paused for a second, which was unusual for him: "Manager Song, are you the owner of Song's Restaurant?"
The boss and the store manager are different. The boss is the investor, while the store manager may just be a manager hired by the boss.
Su Hang thought this when he first saw Song Xinran, but his opinion changed instantly after hearing her self-introduction.
Sure enough, Song Xinran nodded slightly: "Yes."
Su Hang sincerely exclaimed, "Manager Song is truly young and promising!"
Song Xinran laughed, her eyes crinkling slightly. The host in front of her looked to be no more than twenty years old, and his words were quite humorous.
"I heard you're all very interested in how our kitchen works and would like to film some food preparation and cooking scenes? If it's convenient now, please come with me."
She got straight to the point, and Su Hang said "thank you" before following her into the kitchen.
Su Hang has been to countless restaurants and seen countless kitchens. Basically, the kitchens they visited were relatively clean, like home kitchens. Some kitchens were filled with smoke, the range hood was inevitably a bit greasy and sticky, there were some oil stains on the stove, and dust always accumulated in the corners of the floor.
But Song Ji's kitchen is completely different. It's more like a well-organized laboratory. The floor is spotless, without a trace of oil. Different types of cleaning cloths are hung in different categories. The stainless steel stove and work surface are polished to a shine. All kinds of kitchen utensils and seasoning jars are neatly arranged.
Even Xiao Chen, who was taking notes, let out a low exclamation: "This... is too clean."
If they hadn't come suddenly, everyone would have thought that Song's kitchen was so meticulously prepared to pass the inspection, it didn't even look like a restaurant kitchen.
Su Hang remained silent, but his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil. His gaze was quickly drawn to the preparation station, where the ingredients were already cut and prepared. The beef strips were as even as if machine-cut, the eggplant strips were all the same size, and there wasn't a single bit of excess batter on the edge of the plate where the crispy pork was arranged.
Song Xinran said, "These are leftover ingredients from lunch. We'll cook them for our staff later. Our restaurant guarantees the freshness of our ingredients; every meal is made to order."
Su Hang said, "It is precisely because of this system that the dishes that can be served are unique and delicious."
He also led the photographer to shoot some footage.
Song Xinran turned her head and asked He Zhi softly, "The production team will have us cook a dish on the spot later. Why don't you cook one?"
He Zhi seemed incredulous, and after a couple of seconds of stunned silence, he shook his head frantically: "No, no, I'm not good enough, store manager. You go, I... I still have a lot to learn."
Song Xinran said, "The opportunity is rare. Chefs who can appear on TV will at least double their value."
He Zhizheng knew this, which is why he didn't dare to go easily: "Manager, you go ahead. I need to learn and accumulate more experience now. I'll go when I have the chance later."
Song Xinran nodded: "Okay."
He Zhi pursed his lips tightly, suppressing his emotions. No joke, if he weren't in public, he would have cried!
He has been working at Rongxia Xiaochu since it opened, but when "Food Detective" visited Rongxia Xiaochu, he didn't appear on screen at all, even though he made half of the dishes that day; it was the two head chefs who appeared.
He had only been at Song Ji for a few days, and most of the dishes the crew ate today were prepared by the manager, yet the manager was willing to give him a chance.
At this moment, He Zhi was deeply shaken. He had definitely made the right choice in coming to Song Ji!
However, it was Su Hang who finally suggested, "Manager Song, could the chef please make the braised pork again? We want to film some of the stir-frying process."
The braised pork was made by Song Xinran, so naturally she was in charge of making it.
However, when Su Hang saw her standing in front of the stove in her chef's clothes, his eyes widened slightly.
What? The manager of Song Ji's restaurant is actually the chef?
Su Hang subconsciously turned his head to look at Brother Zhang, who also looked incredulous. It was Brother Zhang who had asked to see the cooking process of this braised pork.
As a loyal fan of braised pork, Brother Zhang believes it is an unparalleled delicacy, perfectly fatty yet not greasy. This word sounds simple, but it is extremely difficult to make.
Brother Zhang also harbored a secret desire to learn the technique and make it at home, but when editing the footage, he would cut out the corresponding scenes according to the chef's requirements.
"I didn't expect Manager Song to also be a chef," Su Hang said with a smile.
He Zhi couldn't help but speak, his tone extremely proud: "The vast majority of the dishes you ate were made by the manager. The manager is undoubtedly a culinary god!"
Song Xinran paused slightly in her hand holding the spoon. Saying these things in front of the production crew is too exaggerated.
She turned her head and smiled, "Cut that sentence out."
If this were shown on TV and seen by so many people, they'd definitely say she was just peddling her own wares.
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