This time, the dishes came out especially fast. Just as a hot dish was being placed on the table, in a flash, another deep wide white porcelain bowl was brought out.
The first to be served was a plate of fresh mushroom and cuttlefish eggs.
The texture was smooth and tender.
Yu Han particularly liked the side dishes—yam and white jade mushrooms. The yam was soft and sticky, countering the oiliness.
Paired with the cuttlefish eggs, it was particularly perfect.
However, what intrigued Yu Han the most was the wine-braised eel that came out later.
Because of its exceptionally rich nutrition, eel has long been known as "soft gold in water" and "ginseng of the water."
Yu Han had eaten it before, but usually grilled, steamed, or braised in soy sauce.
This wine-braised preparation in front of him was something he was tasting for the first time.
As he leaned in, he first noticed the intense aroma of the wine, seemingly more fragrant and mellow than the previous dish of wine lees fish.
And when he reached out with his chopsticks, he watched the long strip of eel, the flesh pulling apart like an accordion, stretching long before suddenly breaking.
It was visually quite striking!
Yu Han sighed inwardly!
Not only is Chef Fu skilled in cooking, but his knife skills are also superb!
Yu Han, quite experienced in eating eel, knew the eel meat is thick and the skin very resilient, so he aimed his chopsticks directly at the eel skin.
A piece of rich, tender eel was picked up and placed in the bowl. Tasting it, the slightly sweet sauce soaked into the soft eel meat, providing an extremely satisfying sensation.
Wine-braised river eel was indeed quite good!
Moreover, perhaps due to a unique kind of wine used, the eel was dense and full, and though it felt resilient when picked up, it melted in the mouth.
What impressed Yu Han the most, however, was the soup.
The rich fragrance of the wine was intoxicating, the wine taste sweet and mellow.
Even someone like Yu Han, who usually drank beer, could tell that the wine used in this braised fish was something special.
After several sips, he only felt slightly tipsy, just right; the alcohol had a very gentle nature.
The entire dish, which Yu Han savored slowly, was aromatic, warming to the heart.
This dish was wonderful!
Who would have thought that eel braised with wine would be so fragrant!
At this moment, the service staff approached again.
"Sir, the millet crab is ready!"
The server placed a large round plate on the table.
A wide white porcelain bowl sat atop, with a complete crab shell set on the side, paired with something that looked like a twig but was actually a chocolate-drawn branch, complemented by tender green celery leaves.
But what immediately caught Yu Han’s eyes was the crab presentation inside the bowl, made with intact crab meat forming a crab shape.
This dish, regardless of taste, was already astonishing due to the creativity of its presentation.
"Wow! This crab is beautifully dismantled!"
Yu Han looked up upon hearing the voice and saw a middle-aged man in his forties leaning over to observe the dish in front of him.
When the man saw Yu Han looking, he gave a friendly smile: "Brother, this dish looks really good!"
He then turned to ask the guiding server, "What did he order?"
Yu Han’s table was conveniently close to the aisle, so the server took a step to look, but couldn’t immediately name the dish.
The server seemed surprised, staring at what looked like a seafood porridge main dish, looking puzzled: "This..."
Although she had only been working at the restaurant for two months, as a server, she was expected to know the service routines and all menu items and beverages by heart.
But this dish...
It wasn’t on the menu!
Such a distinctive dish, had she seen it before, she would certainly have remembered.
This is crazy!
The server fumbled but couldn’t answer at all.
Yu Han laughed and said, "This is called millet crab, an old-style dish from this place, not on the menu."
The middle-aged man was evidently surprised: "Oh? Not on the menu? Then how did you order it?"
Yu Han explained, "While I was ordering, I happened to meet two elderly gentlemen. Hearing their ordering sounded great, I went with their meal setup."
The middle-aged man nodded: "I see."
With that, he glanced at the other dishes before Yu Han.
Aside from an eel dish and a pot of soup, the rest had been eaten up.
The middle-aged man, quite intrigued, asked, "Are all the dishes you ordered old-style?"
Yu Han replied, "Yes!"
The middle-aged man smiled and said, "I guess they must be really good!"
Yu Han ordered four dishes and a main dish, and having eaten this much alone, it showed how delicious the dishes were.
The middle-aged man turned to the server and asked, "Can you prepare another meal set just like this one for me?"
Then quickly added, "Of course, include the dishes I ordered earlier, along with these."
The server looked over at Yu Han’s table number and promptly answered, "Of course!"
As they were talking, someone else came over.
The server turned her head to see, ready to step aside but stopped her motion upon recognizing the person and greeted with a smile, "Chef Yao!"
Yao Shi was talking with someone while walking, turned his head upon hearing the voice, gave the server a nod, and then noticed the middle-aged man next to him, his pupils instantly shrinking!
"Chef Kang!"
The middle-aged man before him looked rather unassuming, but in their circle, whoever mentioned the head chef of Three Flavors Inn, Kang Guijie, everyone knew him!
This seasoned chef had a symbolic significance in the province’s culinary field, he was very famous and quite capable.
Yao Shi had previously had the chance to dine with Kang Guijie at the same table, but due to being in different locations, they had never had the chance for in-depth conversation.
Never did he expect to meet this big figure in his own restaurant!
Kang Guijie also recognized Yao Shi.
Although they had met only once, the circle of notable, successful colleagues was closely knit, and they all had heard of each other.
Especially since Yao Shi was talented and carried himself with impressive demeanor, leaving a deep impression on others.
"Ah, it’s Xiao Yao!"
Kang Guijie greeted Yao Shi jovially.
Yao Shi was known to be the head chef of Qianlima Restaurant, a fact well-known within the circle.
Kang Guijie was in Bei’an for some matters today, and intended to stop by Qianlima for a meal, not planning to alarm Yao Shi.
Yet, by coincidence, they happened to meet.
Yao Shi was exceptionally skilled in personal relations.
He personally invited Kang Guijie into Private Room 401 and proactively helped with the ordering.
"Chef Kang, you came at the right time. We just received a new batch of salmon, and were planning to add it to our New Year menu soon. I’ll have a dish prepared for you to try."
Kang Guijie appeared to be in his forties, but was actually over fifty.
In front of him, Yao Shi was a junior.
Kang Guijie appreciated the gesture and accepted the offer, but seeing Yao Shi about to continue ordering, he quickly stopped him: "Xiao Yao, no need, I’ve already ordered earlier, don’t overdo it."
Yao Shi was taken aback: "Oh, alright, but what about your favorites?"
Mentioning favorites, Kang Guijie chuckled, "I ordered a set meal right from someone else. That young man was eating an old-style dish from your place, apparently not on the menu anymore. But they looked quite good, so I decided to try them."
Yao Shi was visibly surprised: "Old-style dishes?"
The server accompanying them quickly added, "It’s the meal order from Table 15 in the first-floor dining area, four dishes and a soup."
Taking advantage of the conversation between the customer and Yao Shi, the server promptly contacted the order staff to add the dishes.
Upon receiving the information, the order form for Table 15 was soon sent over.
Yao Shi, intrigued, asked, "What dishes were ordered, let me see."
The server quickly handed it over.
Yao Shi took a look and was momentarily stunned.
The dishes ordered...
Indeed showed high taste!
They were all once popular specialty dishes in their restaurant, though they had recently been taken off the menu.