Everyone with Su Chen had already eaten a portion, so Shang Mingke simply gave the two newly fried servings to Wang Peixing. "Manager Wang, Boss Su highly recommended this. Please, have a taste."
Wang Peixing smiled and nodded, but after closing the car door, he casually tossed the fried dough onto the seat. "Let’s go. Back to the restaurant."
The two cars returned to the Cuihua Building, one after the other.
Stepping back into the time-honored restaurant, Su Chen paused for a moment before the one-star Michelin plaque on the wall, then continued walking.
"It’s not that I look down on Michelin, but I feel like too many restaurants chase after it these days. They’re really getting their priorities backward."
"It’s considered a universal standard in the industry. Hard to say if it’s actually useful, but it definitely attracts more customers," Shang Mingke said.
Of course, he said this out of Wang Peixing’s earshot.
Su Chen lowered his voice. "Old Shang, one day when we’ve made it big, I’ll create a Delicious rating system too, haha!"
Su Chen was only joking, but to his surprise, Shang Mingke looked completely serious. "Boss Su, I eagerly await that day!"
The group returned to their private room, which had already been cleaned spotless. The restaurant was much less crowded now.
Su Chen had just sat down.
A waiter came in, carrying several new, unwrapped sets of clothes over his arm.
"President Shang, Boss Su."
"Manager Wang said that if you all don’t mind, he invites you to the kitchen. That way, if there were any shortcomings in tonight’s dishes, he can correct them in a timely manner."
’Holy crap!’
Just as Su Chen was about to refuse, Shang Mingke accepted. "Alright, we’ll be right there."
After the waiter left,
Su Chen leaned over the table. "Old Shang, you just love to stir up trouble, don’t you? Manager Wang is clearly angry!"
Shang Mingke feigned innocence. "Is he? He just wants us to go have a look, don’t overthink it~"
’So that’s his game!’
Su Chen lightly slapped the table. "Old Shang, I see it now. You’re trying to set me up! The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife, and you can’t feel it?"
"Boss, what’s there to be afraid of? If he throws down the gauntlet, we’ll pick it up! The whole Delicious crew is here today, we’re not scared!" Bai Xiaobo chimed in at this moment.
He Shuting, not quite grasping the situation, added, "Yeah, Boss! The whole crew is here. If he really dares to challenge you, we’ll help you chop vegetables!"
"I can help too!" Zhang Li chimed in, afraid of being left out of the excitement.
Su Chen looked at his employees.
’You idiots are picking a terrible time to act up!’
While they were talking, Shang Mingke had already put on the clean white chef’s uniform and matching hat.
He actually looked the part.
"Old Shang, you’ve completely let yourself go!"
Su Chen let out a sigh, as if having made a monumental decision. "Looks like I’m going to be utterly humiliated today!"
The current situation was not good at all.
Su Chen knew his own limits better than anyone.
Shang Mingke thought Su Chen was some kind of hidden master and was trying to force him to show off his skills so he could brag about it to Lu Yongliang later.
And don’t even get him started on the idiots from Delicious. They were like newborn calves unafraid of a tiger, actually thinking they could go head-to-head with the Cuihua Building’s kitchen staff.
’You guys can’t even chop a damn onion properly, where do you get this confidence!’
’A Special-Grade Chef... what does a Special-Grade Chef even entail?’
That was a chef a whole level above Liu Ahbao. In a few more years, that’s the kind of chef who’d be cooking at the National Guest House.
’What the hell gives me the right?!’
Su Chen pulled on the uniform as well. "When we go in later, everyone keep your mouths shut. Watch and learn, you hear me? We’re not cooking today!"
Liu Ahbao grinned foolishly, his heart blooming with joy.
’Brother Shang is the best!’
’We just got to the Capital City, and I already get to see Boss Su face off against Manager Wang. How awesome is that!’
Liu Ahbao even secretly sent a WeChat message to his master, Lu Yongliang.
[Ah Bao: Master, Master! Boss Su is about to throw down with the head chef of Cuihua Building!]
DING!
[Master: For real? Quick, start a video call for me! I have to watch this. Hurry up!]
[Ah Bao: Master, wait a bit. I’ll secretly turn it on for you once I’m inside the kitchen.]
Before he could even send the message, Lu Yongliang barraged him with voice messages, each one fifty to sixty seconds long.
It made Liu Ahbao quickly mute his phone.
After changing their clothes, the group followed the waiter to the back kitchen.
The moment Su Chen stepped inside, he was stunned.
’As expected of a time-honored grand restaurant. This kitchen is more than just a step above Delicious...’
There were over a dozen stove stations alone, and Su Chen could tell at a glance that each specialty had its own dedicated station.
In a place like this, each chef was only responsible for a single step in a dish’s preparation. This ensured both the speed of production and that every single step was performed at an absolutely professional level or higher.
But...
It would also lead to a lack of cohesion in the final dish.
Every chef has a different understanding of a dish, so the same dish made by different people will be completely different.
It was like when Lu Yongliang and Su Chen competed before.
Lu Yongliang’s steamed fish had won out due to his superior knife skills, making it more flavorful.
Su Chen’s, on the other hand, excelled in overall taste. It was hard to declare a clear winner, but if the two of them were to collaborate on a single dish,
it would probably turn into a complete mishmash.
"Boss Su, this way, please."
Wang Peixing gestured for them to come to a stove. "This Kung Pao Chicken is our restaurant’s signature dish. I later improved it by adding walnuts. Let’s start with this one."
His apprentice, Zeng Ming, moved to help prepare the ingredients, but Wang Peixing waved him off. "I’ll do it myself."
Wang Peixing had no idea how many times he had studied this dish, let alone how many times he had cooked it.