Chapter 877: 877

“Hello, Head Chef Cao . ” Yuan Zhou nodded his head and greeted him .

“I’m so sorry . The dishes in the kitchen really need to be made freshly so that you can eat them directly once you come . Even a minute later or earlier isn’t good . So I didn’t go to the gate to welcome you . ” Cao Zhishu explained hurriedly while walking over to him .

That’s right . According to Cao Zhishu’s understanding of courtesies, he usually went downstairs to the gate and welcome the guests in person .

But coincidentally, there was a signature dish that needed to be freshly cooked . Therefore, Cao Zhishu didn’t go downstairs to welcome Yuan Zhou in order to bring the best taste of the dish and to let Yuan Zhou eat the best taste .

“Never mind . The dishes matter more . ” Yuan Zhou had never taken offense about these trifles . Having been apologized so solemnly, he naturally didn’t feel anything wrong in his heart .

“Head Chef Yuan is magnanimous . This way, please . Go to bring the appetizers . ” Cao Zhishu first said to Yuan Zhou smilingly and then instructed the waiter who stood at the side .

“Thank you,” said Yuan Zhou .

“Don’t mention it . When the appetizers are served, I still need to go back to the kitchen in person to check the cooking . Just don’t blame me for being unable to accompany you to eat,” Cao Zhishu burst into laughter and said readily .

Yuan Zhou indicated that he had been eating alone for several years .

A friendly exchange wasn’t necessarily a real match . Such a degree of courtesy was just right .

“Of course not . It’s really not bad to taste dishes alone . Since it’s quiet, I can taste them attentively,” Yuan Zhou shook his head and said seriously .

“People all say Boss Yuan doesn’t care about trifles . You really turn out to be so,” said Cao Zhishu .

This time, Yuan Zhou didn’t answer him, but just nodded his head . Then, he followed Cao Zhishu into the separate room .

As soon as he entered the room, he saw a traditional Chinese painting of mountains and waters right in front of him . It was obviously the mountain referred to by the name of the separate room, Mount Longmen .

It was quite a poetic ink painting . Judging from the quality, it must be a work of a great master .

It’s really an enjoyment to eat and appreciate the painting at the same time . My restaurant is comparatively simpler, just a place for eating without so many useless things . Yuan Zhou thought secretly in the heart .

As a matter of fact, Yuan Zhou didn’t think of the two paintings in his own restaurant, People Passing by A Small Restaurant and This Is Life . Although the number of his paintings weren’t as many as in Shu Restaurant, they were much more expensive .

“Kou Kou”

Cao Zhishu had just introduced the menu today when the door was knocked .

“Come on in,” Cao Zhishu stopped talking and Yuan Zhou answered .

Then, two waiters, one male and the other female, came in . They were both dressed in Han Chinese Clothing, more specifically, Duanda1 .

The male waiter carried the tray at the side while the waitress carried the dishes out and then laid them on the table one by one . When all the dishes were laid on the table, the waitress opened her mouth and said .

“Here are six cold dishes . Please take your time and enjoy the meal,” after saying that, they walked back out of the room slowly . They didn’t report the name of the dishes as Yuan Zhou wasn’t the customer and it was actually an exchange . Therefore, they omitted this procedure .

“Thank you . ” Yuan Zhou nodded his head and then sat down .

“Head Chef Yuan, I’m not going to disturb you tasting the dishes . I will go to the kitchen to prepare the hot dishes and then serve them up,” said Cao Zhishu .

“Um . Please don’t close the door . ” Yuan Zhou nodded his head and then instructed .

“No problem . ” Cao Zhishu grinned broadly and nodded his head and then went out .

As soon as he entered the room, Yuan Zhou realized that if the door and curtains were open, he could see the inside of the kitchen directly .

With his sharp eyes, Yuan Zhou could easily saw the kitchenware placed neatly and the kitchen range as clean as if it were brand-new in the kitchen as well as the busy chefs inside .

Since Yuan Zhou could see the kitchen clearly, the people in the kitchen could also see how Yuan Zhou ate them . In this way, they could understand each other mutually .

And this was also the most important reason why Cao Zhishu chose this room .

Yuan Zhou acknowledged this of layout very much . He also felt Cao Zhishu was really cunning .

“He’s really crafty and slippery . No, I should say he’s a clever and sensible chief chef . ” Yuan Zhou watched Cao Zhishu walk out and then muttered inwardly .

Of course, Cao Zhishu was also quite satisfied with Yuan Zhou telling him proactively not to close the door .

This Head Chef Yuan is so straightforward and candid . A good guy! Cao Zhishu thought inwardly and then walked into the kitchen .

After all left, Yuan Zhou turned to look at the dishes . Six plates of cold dishes were laid out on the table in the shape of flower petals .

However, the amount of each dish was so small that one could finish it with only two mouthfuls . They were all exquisite but little in amount .

The shape and appearance of each dish varied with the variety of the dish inside .

For example, the Dried Tofu Stirred With Wild Mushroom . The plate was just an emerald green leaf with its veins clearly seen .

In the emerald green plate, the brown and white diced Dried Tofu was served up along with some dark brown little mushrooms, which looked appetizing .

Besides, every dish was very small . With such a little amount, they could both whet his appetite and let him be able to taste the following dishes . This was the correct way to eat cold dishes .

Yuan Zhou didn’t wait anymore . He took out his own chopsticks from his inner pocket and started to taste them one by one .

“Let me eat this Dried Tofu first,” said Yuan Zhou .

The advantage of his taste-free chopsticks was that they could stop different tastes from mixing up even if Yuan Zhou reached for different dishes . It was simply good news for Yuan Zhou who had such sensitive taste sense .

Otherwise, it would be too inconvenient to change chopsticks for a different dish and would affect the enjoyment of eating .

“The appetizers are dominated by slightly numbing, slightly hot, and slightly sour tastes . Besides that, the sourness seems to be fruit acid, just like the taste mainly used in Guizhou Province . ” Yuan Zhou tasted it very carefully .

Yuan Zhou could clearly see the whole kitchen, but didn’t see any waiters . Therefore, he was truly surprised when somebody carried a hot dish into the room right after he finished the cold dishes .

After all, Yuan Zhou had just eaten up the cold dishes by then and immediately, the hot dish was served up . The timing was awfully impressive

Of course, a person as unflappable as Yuan Zhou just maintained his composure . He nodded his head with an easy grace and then looked at the new dish .

“This is the specially-made Soft-fried Banzhi by our chief chef . Please take your time and enjoy . ” The waiter signaled the dish with his hand . Then, he backed out of the room slowly until he disappeared at a place Yuan Zhou couldn’t see .

Yuan Zhou refrained himself from craning his neck to find how that person appeared and disappeared .

“Is it something to do with the architectural structure?” Yuan Zhou tilted his head slightly, but still couldn’t see the waiter who had served up the dish just now .

“This observational ability is really good . ” Yuan Zhou turned back and muttered inwardly . He had barely finished the cold dishes when the new dish was served up .

“Soft-fried Banzhi? Isn’t this a course enjoyed by that great painter, Chang Dai Chien?” Yuan Zhou happened to know this dish .

He got to know this dish because of the extinct dish rewarded by the system, Mushroom Roasted Chicken Tail .

The Mushroom Roasted Chicken Tail was Chang Dai Chien’s favorite dish . Therefore, Yuan Zhou read through his life conveniently and got to know this great painter also liked eating .

Moreover, it was said that Chang Dai Chien’s culinary skills were even better his painting abilities . As known to all, Chang Dai Chien’s painting ability was held in esteem to be No . 1 in the recent 500 years by Hsu Bei Hong . When he traveled to western countries for pleasure, he was even regarded as the “Painting Brush Of The East” .

Apart from that, he enjoyed equal popularity with Picasso . They had a common title of “Chang Dai Chien In the East and Picasso in the West” . One could imagine how outstanding his painting competence was .

But even so, somebody once said that Chang Dai Chien’s culinary skills were also quite supreme . He not only knew how to eat well but also knew how to cook .

“Does the dish have the taste of the painter, Chang Dai Chien?” Yuan Zhou looked forward to this dish very much . He took up the chopsticks and reached straight towards the Soft-fried Banzhi .

EMPTY

[0] Banzhi(扳指), a jade thumb ring