Without adding a single gram of butter, without using onions and celery as a base flavor, and only using a bunch of tree bark and wild grass, how could it possibly produce such an incredible sense of layering and freshness?
Pierre's hand holding the spoon began to tremble violently, and his face went from pale to flushed red.
As a professional chef, his taste buds surrendered even before his pride.
Several apprentices stood by, swallowing hard, their eyes fixed on the large pot emitting a strange aroma, but none of them dared to approach.
Laurent took a few deep breaths of the resinous air, managing to calm his rapid breathing.
He turned and strode towards today's main course—grilled bear steak.
The enormous bear steak lay quietly on the tray, exuding an imposing aura.
Su Wei walked over, took a custom-made serrated steak knife from the knife rack, and handed it to Laurent.
Cut it in the middle to check the doneness inside.
Su Wei's voice remained steady.
Laurent took the knife with both hands and gripped the handle tightly. He pressed the blade against the brownish-red crust on the surface of the meat and then pressed his wrist down sharply.
Click
The crispy crust was cleanly sliced open, producing a pleasant crackling sound.
Immediately afterwards, the sharp blade slid smoothly into the internal muscle tissue without any resistance, like dry tinder.
As the blade cut deeper, the dark red, rich juice could no longer be contained and overflowed from the cut, instantly covering the bottom of the white porcelain plate.
The cross-section of the meat was exposed to everyone's eyes.
The outer layer is fully cooked, caramelized, and crispy, while just two millimeters inside, the meat is a perfect pink and tender color.
The intense heat of 300 degrees Celsius locked all the moisture inside this barrier.
Laurent eagerly forked a thick piece of steak he had cut off, and without any hesitation, without even dipping it in sauce, put it straight into his mouth.
The moment the teeth clenched, the thick, muscular fibers of the behemoth were torn apart between them.
The scalding hot gravy, with a hint of wild fruit aroma, burst forth in your mouth.
The raw, wild flavors assault your entire taste buds.
It has no complicated red wine sauce to cover up its original appearance, and no fussy French herbs to embellish its ruggedness.
Only sea salt enhances the flavor, and applewood charcoal imparts a smoky taste.
In the air in front of Su Wei, the system panel flashed a dazzling notification once again:
[ Simple Dietary Supplementation Triggers: Breath of Berserk.]
[Effect: Ingesting large amounts of premium beast protein containing special energy causes a temporary, slight increase in blood flow to muscle fibers, greatly stimulating the consumer's deep-seated, powerful desire for conquest.]
Laurent chewed faster and faster. His cheeks flushed slightly from the increased blood flow, and a surge of heat rose from deep within his abdomen, rushing to the top of his head.
He felt as if he were not standing in the back kitchen of the Chart Room, but rather standing bare-handed on the snow-covered wasteland of Kodiak Island, gripping the throat of a ferocious beast.
He greedily swallowed the last bite of meat.
"That's amazing... it's incredible..."
Laurent's voice trembled uncontrollably, his hands pressed tightly against the table, his eyes fixed on Su Wei.
"That's the taste. This is the taste that the behemoth should have."
" Su Wei, this dish will shatter all of Charles's boring Michelin experience. You're right; with this kind of ingredient, you should abandon all embellishment and conquer it in the most primal way."
Pierre, standing to the side, was dumbfounded. Taking advantage of Laurent's pause in speaking, he couldn't bear the inner turmoil any longer and secretly cut off a small piece of meat from the edge of the bear steak, quickly stuffing it into his mouth like a thief.
boom.
The intense aroma of meat and the overpowering smell of smoke instantly filled his cerebral cortex.
He chewed the meat blankly, his face displaying an incredibly complex expression, alternating between pale and flushed, all the profanities he wanted to utter stuck in his throat by the meat juice.
Pierre caught a glimpse of two spare pieces of Japanese A5 Wagyu beef in the corner of the refrigerated display case.
Faced with this tomahawk bear steak, the two pieces of Wagyu beef that he was once so proud of now held no appeal whatsoever for him.
Seeing the completely captivated expressions on everyone's faces in the kitchen, Su Wei picked up a clean cloth and slowly wiped the grease off her fingertips.
"Chef, please prepare the dishes; the temperature is just right."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the heavy fireproof door to the kitchen was suddenly pushed open from the outside with a bang.
The door slammed heavily against the wall with a loud bang.
The front desk manager, dressed in a sharp black suit, rushed in, drenched in sweat, his tie askew, and gasped for breath, gripping the doorframe tightly.
"Chef, oh my God..."
The manager gasped.
"Mr. Charles's motorcade... has arrived."
"They've already entered, the bodyguards are clearing the area, and Mr. Charles is heading to the private box himself."
Upon hearing this, Laurent took a deep breath of the pine-scented air.
He released his hands from the counter, straightened his back, quickly straightened his slightly disheveled white chef's bow tie, and brushed the dust off his apron.
When he looked up again, the anxiety on his face had completely disappeared, replaced by the confidence of the head chef of the Chart Room.
"Let's go, my co-chef."
Laurent strode forward, opened the fire door, and turned to Su Wei with a comrade-in-arms smile.
"Take your spoils and go meet your audience."
Chapter 172 The Courage to Transcend Thirty Years
Laurent took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy door to the private room.
The thick Persian velvet carpet absorbed all the sounds of leather shoes hitting the floor.
The interior of the private room was luxurious yet understated.
Warm yellow light refracted from the crystal chandelier overhead, casting a relaxing glow in the air.
However, the atmosphere here was as tense as a fully drawn bowstring.
Charles, a billionaire banker in Seattle, is seated in the head seat of a large Chesterfield leather sofa.
His short, snow-white hair was combed extremely neatly, making him appear somewhat rigid.
His dark gray Savile Row haute couture suit was perfectly wrinkle-free.
The old man looked very energetic, leaning back in his wide chair.
His thin yet powerful hands rested casually on the handle of a pure silver lion-head cane.
In the shadows behind him, two towering black-clad bodyguards stood ramrod straight, the bulging lines of their suits outlining the holsters under their arms.
Laurent slowed his breathing, stopped walking, bowed slightly, and placed his hands naturally and respectfully in front of him.
"Mr. Charles, it's an honor to have you arrive at the Chart Room ahead of time. Shall I instruct the kitchen to begin serving you your meal?"
Charles did not answer immediately.
The private room was unusually quiet.
He tapped his index finger lightly twice on the sterling silver lion head handle, producing a dull metallic clang.
Then, Charles turned his sharp, light gray eyes, his gaze passing over Laurent's shoulder and landing unabashedly on Su Wei, who was half a step behind.
He looked the young Asian man up and down, who was wearing a custom-made black suit prepared by Laurent and had a very upright posture.
"Don't panic."
Charles spoke slowly, his deep voice carrying the imposing presence of someone long accustomed to a position of power, his words clear and forceful.
" Laurent, why don't you introduce this gentleman next to me? I suspect he's the host of this banquet... the Hunter?"
Laurent quickly stepped back to the side, bringing Su Wei fully into the center of his line of sight.
"Your intuition is always remarkably accurate, Mr. Charles."
Laurent spread his right hand, palm up, pointing at Su Wei, his tone filled with undisguised admiration.
"This is Su Wei. He is not only a professional hunter who ventured alone into the wilderness to provide you with this batch of top-tier behemoth ingredients, but also the co-chef for this dinner."
Laurent paused deliberately for a second, observing Charles's reaction, and emphasized his tone.
"The core ideas and special dishes of the dishes you are about to enjoy are all his creations."
Upon hearing this, Charles slightly tightened his grip on his cane.
He has been in charge of the flow of assets worth tens of billions of yuan for many years, and his standards for judging people are extremely strict.
In Seattle's elite social circles, explorers or wilderness guides often exude a vulgar sense of ostentation, or attempt to obsequiously present themselves in order to secure investment.
But the young man in front of me stood very steadily.
He was like a fir tree rooted in the permafrost, breathing evenly and with a steady heartbeat.
His deep black eyes showed no awkwardness or awe in the face of the powerful, nor any feigned arrogance.
Su Wei stood still, his mind racing, processing the data.