Watching the two old gentlemen getting ready to leave after ordering.
Yu Han hurriedly stepped forward to make conversation.
"Sir, I overheard the dishes you ordered just now—they don’t seem to be on the menu, do they?"
The shorter gentleman looked at Yu Han and recognized him as the young man who had been ahead of him in line.
So he nodded: "Hmm, they’re all old traditional dishes."
The gentleman came to the restaurant today wanting to taste the specialty dishes of the place, with a mind set on enjoying two authentic old-flavor dishes.
Plus, he was accompanied by a dear old friend.
He’s someone who embodies the streetwise, lively spirit of Old Bei’an, quite chatty, without the preachy attitude of some elderly people.
He was good at conversation, straightforward, but not verbose, and could quickly get friendly with anyone, drawing them in within a few words.
So, Yu Han intended to inquire about the restaurant’s classic signature dishes.
The gentleman obligingly began to introduce the dishes he ordered.
The shorter man asked, "Have you heard of wine-braised eel? Have you eaten eel before? Tried it grilled, fried, but not wine-braised, right? Tsk tsk, once you’ve had this, you’ll forget the taste of fish for three months!"
"Let me tell you, the most authentic way to eat fish, besides steaming, is wine-braising! Especially with eel, once it’s wine-braised, the flavor is simply unbeatable!"
Yu Han was extremely tempted.
The taller gentleman chimed in: "That’s right, those dishes you ordered, I love them all, especially the millet river crab, much more flavorful than any seafood porridge, and nourishing too!"
The shorter gentleman, puffing out his belly, put on an expert air: "But, wine-braised eel isn’t even the best dish here."
The taller gentleman agreed: "Qianlima’s Fortune Braised Eel Gel uses authentic oil-soaked eel gel."
Yu Han was puzzled: "Sir, what do you mean?"
The tall gentleman tilted his head to glance at the short gentleman, who suddenly laughed.
The gentleman then animatedly explained to Yu Han: "This oil-soaked eel gel is made by soaking it in hot oil for cooking. Most places won’t prepare it for you this way; using hot oil to soak it really tests a chef’s skills!"
"And those vegetable balls, only the seasoned chefs in the back kitchen know what vegetables to use and how to prepare them."
Speaking of this, the taller gentleman couldn’t help but interject: "Honestly, the Fortune Braised Eel Gel made by Qianlima tastes a bit different now. I remember when I was young, the vegetable balls in it would be snatched up as soon as they hit the table."
"The vegetable balls were tastier, even more fragrant than the eel gel!"
Yu Han was so enticed by the two old men’s words that he was nearly drooling and kept asking: "Sirs, are these dishes really that good? Are they better than the spicy crayfish at their restaurant? And the improved Great Harvest stew, is it even better than those?"
The gentleman’s smile deepened, and he happily replied: "Absolutely, I’m telling you, at any time, the classic old flavors are the most authentic, the best tasting!"
After the two gentlemen finished speaking, they followed a long-waiting server to a private room.
Yu Han was extremely tempted and turned to the server to say: "Cancel what I ordered before and just bring me what they ordered, the same set please."
The server, already mentally prepared, hurriedly looked up the order.
After Yu Han finished instructing, he thought of something and asked, "By the way, do you have a chef named Fu in your back kitchen?"
The server quickly explained: "Yes, we do have a chef named Fu, Fu Yu, with excellent cooking skills."
That matched up.
Yu Han specifically instructed: "Have Chef Fu handle my order as well, please note that down and don’t make a mistake."
The server nodded: "Rest assured."
Then, the order was directly assigned to Fu Yu.
...
During mealtime, the back kitchen was busy.
Fu Yu had just managed to break free from the grilling area and was now stuck taking orders and cooking in the Red Case District.
The server ran to the kitchen with an order slip.
"Chef Fu, an order from regular customers!"
Fu Yu nodded and reached for it: "Oh, is it a large set or a small set?"
The server quickly said: "Small set, the customer is unfamiliar, not sure if they were referred by someone, but all the dishes ordered are old style, not on the menu."
At this, the server continued: "But, judging by their conversation, they seem like regulars, just haven’t visited much in the past two years."
Fu Yu was looking over the order slip when the server suddenly added: "Oh, I overheard another customer nearby ordering the same set when I came over!"
"Those two gentlemen directly ordered your set, probably recommended by someone."
After all, the gentlemen themselves said they hadn’t dined here in the last two years, and Fu Yu’s tenure was just over a year.
Fu Yu nodded and carefully examined the dishes on the order slip.
Wine-braised eel, fresh mushroom cuttlefish eggs, fermented rice field fish, Fortune Braised Eel Gel, and a millet river crab.
Four dishes and one staple.
Indeed, it’s a small set.
Except these dishes, not to mention not being on the menu, Fu Yu had never heard of them at all.
And these dishes, being orderable, indicates they’ve indeed been sold, only that in the past two years, they’ve likely been discontinued due to low orders.
The restaurant replaced the menu twice, and these dishes were phased out.
Now, they’re remembered by an old customer and ordered once more.
After understanding, Fu Yu felt these dishes were very similar to the current offerings in the restaurant.