"Taste of Gourmet Food" is being added...

Chapter 36 "Taste of Gourmet Food" Increases

Hanging up the phone, the manager returned to the main hall and came before Zhen Xiaoqiu and the others, his smile even brighter.

"You've all worked hard. My surname is Wang, I'm the manager of Da Long Feng Restaurant."

"For filming a food program, Da Long Feng Restaurant fully supports you. Our boss just said he'll send our best chefs to make Da Long Feng's most signature dishes. Of course, all expenses are on the house."

"Please follow me to our Emperor's Private Room. First, let me introduce Da Long Feng Restaurant. We specialize in Cantonese cuisine, but we've also absorbed some dishes from other regional styles, such as Teochew, Hu, and Zhejiang cuisines."

The manager led the group into the building while introducing the restaurant. Soon they arrived at the most luxurious private room, the Emperor's Private Room. The decor was lavish, truly like a palace.

"Da Long Feng Restaurant excels in preparing 'bird's nest, shark fin, and abalone,' following an aristocratic route. Every dish is held to strict, even exacting standards. Our chef team consists of top masters from Hong Kong."

The cameras were set up, lights turned on—three in total, covering all angles.

Dishes arrived one after another. The photographers snapped away at each plate. Jiang Hao's only requirement was to make them look as stunning as possible.

What he wanted here was "stunning!"

A stunning opener to hook people, and to set up the contrast for later.

The traditional serving order is "cold before hot, meat before vegetable, savory before sweet, fine before coarse." If abalone and shark fin share the table, the fin usually comes first, with abalone following close behind, not too far apart.

Cold platters, soups, stir-fries, main courses, greens, dim sum, fried rice, fruit—when the greens arrive, it signals all dishes are served.

Jinhua Jade Tree Chicken, slow-boiled nourishing soup, shark fin soup, honey-glazed char siu, braised pork brain with gastrodia, baked lobster in superior broth, Official Grade Abalone, Coconut Sugar Bird's Nest.

Every dish was beautifully plated and fragrant. Zhen Xiaoqiu and the staff couldn't help secretly swallowing saliva. They also estimated the table must cost tens of thousands.

A chef in a tall toque walked in. Manager Wang quickly introduced him: "Everyone, this is our Da Long Feng head chef, Chef Dai. He'll introduce the dishes to you."

Chef Dai gave a slight bow, a reserved smile on his face. As his eyes swept over the table, he suddenly froze—he spotted a familiar face.

Stephen Chow.

Jiang Hao had been following the filming crew, staying quiet and almost invisible. No one had noticed him. Chef Dai had met Stephen Chow before, so he recognized him at once.

Chef Dai's mind churned. Why is he here? This is Boss Wu's restaurant. Boss Wu ruined Stephen Chow's catering business. They're definitely enemies. Coming here today—this can't be good.

But there were important matters at hand. Several cameras were aimed at him. He couldn't dwell on it. After a slight bow, he said, "Everyone, please taste the first dish: Jinhua Jade Tree Chicken. Since ancient times, there's a saying: 'No chicken, no feast.' Chicken sounds like 'auspicious' in Chinese, symbolizing good luck, warding off evil, and celebration. So we start with chicken."

"This dish uses premium tender chicken, paired with cured ham, and garnished with choy sum. 'Jinhua' refers to the ham, 'Jade Tree' to the choy sum. The colors are rich—red, white, and green in harmony."

"Please, everyone, have a taste."

The dish was portioned out. Jiang Hao picked up a piece of chicken and put it in his mouth. It was tender, fragrant, and incredibly smooth.

Delicious. Great.

Ding~ Collected one "Taste of Gourmet Food." Collector, keep up the good work.

Jiang Hao's heart stirred. The system screen appeared before him. He checked the task progress bar and saw a sliver of green added, with "Completion: 1%" displayed.

Jiang Hao was pleased, but he knew his purpose here. He dismissed the screen, put down his chopsticks, spat out a tiny chicken bone, and looked at Zhen Xiaoqiu. "This dish is indeed delicious. 'No chicken, no feast.' Jinhua Jade Tree Chicken—good meaning, good omen."

Manager Wang beamed at the compliment, nodding at Jiang Hao. Chef Dai, however, couldn't help twitching at the corner of his eye. He had a feeling trouble was coming.

He hoped he was wrong.

Too bad.

Sometimes intuition is spot-on. Just as he finished the thought, Jiang Hao spoke again: "Too bad, I can only give it a failing grade. It's far from a true 'Jinhua Jade Tree Chicken.'"

Manager Wang's smile froze. He looked at Jiang Hao.

Zhen Xiaoqiu knew it was her turn as the straight man. With a tone of surprise, she asked, "I thought it was delicious. How is it failing?"

Jiang Hao wore a warm smile, ignoring Manager Wang's sour expression. He spoke to the camera: "Jinhua Jade Tree Chicken—the best chicken is a tender Wenchang hen. Wenchang chicken is plump and meaty. But this chicken clearly isn't Wenchang."

"This dish should be deboned." Jiang Hao pointed at the bones on the table. The implication was clear. The cameraman obligingly zoomed in on the small bones.

"'Jinhua' naturally means Jinhua ham. Don't tell me this is Jinhua ham." Jiang Hao picked up a slice of ham and waved it in front of the camera. The cameraman quickly recorded it, then panned to Chef Dai's increasingly awkward face.

Setting down the ham, Jiang Hao picked up the chicken head and chuckled. "The chicken head and phoenix tail—the head is the most important part. And you used a carved carrot. The whole meaning of the dish is ruined. That's the biggest markdown."

"So, I give it a failing grade." Jiang Hao sat down.

Manager Wang's face turned sour. He looked at Jiang Hao, then at Zhen Xiaoqiu. "Miss Zhen, who is this?"

Zhen Xiaoqiu smiled. "Manager Wang, this is the guest judge our food program invited to score the dishes. Since we're ranking the top ten restaurants, we're all amateurs. We needed an insider to hold things up."

Chef Dai leaned in and whispered a few words to Manager Wang. Manager Wang's expression shifted. He looked at Jiang Hao with wariness and hostility, then nodded and said quietly, "You handle things here. I'll go inform the boss."

He realized now that something was off.

Manager Wang turned and left the room. Jiang Hao knew exactly what he was going to do, but he wasn't afraid. Right now, he was just a freeloader. Even if Boss Wu showed up, he couldn't do anything to him.

Filming continued.

"Let me introduce this dish: Fresh Crab Meat Braised Sea Tiger Fin. We use top-quality shark fin, processed through soaking, boiling, and braising. The fins are translucent and tender, with a delicious taste, chewy yet crisp, rich but not greasy."

"Please, everyone, have a taste."

Jiang Hao took a spoonful.

Ding~ Collected one "Taste of Gourmet Food." Collector, keep up the good work.

The task completion had increased to 2%.