Chapter 166

Qing Mengzhu: [Yes, supplementing with nutrition will definitely help you sleep better. Are you going on a business trip today? If not, come over for dinner again tonight and repeat the experiment to see if it's the shrimp that makes the difference.]

Zhao Hexi replied decisively: [I'm going to see the persimmon tree today too, but I can make it back!]

Zhao Hexi: [Ah! I'm leaving now, I'll be back as soon as possible!]

Ming Chunxi passed by the courtyard, glanced at Qing Mengzhu's exposed phone, and casually handed him a sandwich. "He Xi, are you up working so early?"

Qing Mengzhu, munching on a sandwich, said, "Maybe it's because the prawns are hanging in front of us."

Ming Chunxi: "What should we do with this batch of shrimp? Sell them to the Interstellar Mall?"

Qing Mengzhu had already thought it through, "No, the price of prawns is high, but the quantity is small, so we won't make much money selling them. Let's keep them for ourselves and send the rest to the farm as our signature dish to see if we can make a name for ourselves."

Chapter 166

That afternoon, Zhou Yan called Qing Mengzhu and the others, asking them to come to the farm for dinner and help with the food tasting.

Their farm has officially opened for business and has gained a reputation in a small area. As a result, Zhou Yan has become increasingly strict with the quality control of the dishes. Every time a new dish is to be served, it will be repeatedly adjusted and Qing Mengzhu and the others will be invited to taste it.

When I received the call today, Qing Mengzhu immediately agreed and said she would try to go there as early as possible this evening.

Qing Mengzhu and the others arrived relatively early, just after 7 p. m.

Unexpectedly, there were a lot of guests today, and the staff at the farm were extremely busy. Qing Mengzhu and the others not only missed having dinner on time, but also helped with some chores.

At 8:40, Zhou Yan finally finished his work and handed over the kitchen tasks to his assistant. He then carried the dishes to the private room to have dinner with Qing Mengzhu and the others.

Zhou Yan: "Are you starving? Next time, don't wait up, eat something else earlier to tide you over."

Qing Mengzhu: "It's alright, I'm not very hungry."

Ming Chunxi: "Sometimes when we're busy, we also eat around this time."

Zhao Hexi said, "After tasting your cooking, how could I possibly eat the pig feed I made myself? Brother Zhou, don't be shy, what dishes do you want to try tonight?"

Zhou Yan: "It's all about shrimp. We've prepared five signature shrimp dishes: pan-fried shrimp with butter, Longjing shrimp, typhoon shelter-style stir-fried shrimp, Thai lemongrass shrimp, and Thai hot and sour shrimp. Could you please help us choose three of them?"

Zhao Hexi: "Wow, it sounds delicious! Is it freshly made, or is it already prepared?"

Zhou Yan: "It's ready. I'll have someone serve it right away."

Zhou Yan went outside for a walk, and Zhao Linling saw him and smiled as she ordered the dishes to be served.

The kitchen was all ready, with new dishes such as pan-fried chicken and tomato-baked fish in addition to the five dishes Zhou Yan mentioned.

Plates of still-warm dishes were served, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

It smells so good!

Every dish smelled delicious, especially since they were starving. The aroma made them want to devour the whole plate.

Zhou Yan had originally planned to give an opening speech, but seeing everyone's expressions, he decisively gave up. "Let's eat first, and then we'll summarize."

Everyone then began to taste the food according to their own preferences.

Qing Mengzhu picked up a piece of pan-fried shrimp with butter.

The farm serves high-end dishes, and the ingredients are prepared with great care. The pan-fried shrimp in butter has already been deveined, with the heads, shells, and veins removed, leaving only a large piece of shrimp meat. Because the shrimp is so fresh, the shrimp meat is curled up at this point.

Their shrimp are large enough that even if only the shrimp meat remains, it's a very big piece that's quite noticeable when held with chopsticks.

Qing Mengzhu saw that the prawns were fried to a golden brown, even with some bubbles, and her appetite was immediately whetted.

He put it in his mouth again, and instantly, the milky aroma of butter, the fresh aroma of shrimp, the spiciness of pepper, and a hint of fruity wine all melted in his mouth, layer upon layer, bringing out the shrimp's exceptional richness and deliciousness.

The best part is that the shrimp meat is already slightly charred and fragrant, but it's still very juicy and tender. The multiple textures blend together perfectly; I don't know how they do it.

Qing Mengzhu's eyes lit up with amazement. "So delicious! How was it made? It's perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside."

Zhou Yan: "Let's pan-fry at a low temperature to set the shape, and then sear the surface over high heat. Besides this butter-fried shrimp, what about the other dishes?"

Ming Chunxi: "The Longjing shrimp is delicious; you can taste the quality of the ingredients and the chef's superb skills."

Zhao Hexi: "I think they're all delicious. Typhoon Shelter Shrimp, Thai Lemongrass Shrimp, and Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp are all my favorites. I like these kinds of strongly flavored ingredients."

Zhao Hexi looked at Zhou Yan and commented seriously, "What's remarkable is that even with such strong seasonings, the shrimp's natural sweetness hasn't been masked. On the contrary, the strong seasonings make the shrimp even more appetizing."

Zhou Yan: "As chefs, we certainly can't let the seasonings overshadow the main dish. So, out of these five shrimp dishes, which three do you think should be chosen as our signature dishes?"

Ming Chunxi: "I vote for Longjing Shrimp. Butter Pan-Fried Shrimp, Longjing Shrimp, and Thai Spicy and Sour Shrimp—each dish has its own unique characteristics and can cater to different diners."

Qing Mengzhu: "Me too. We can replace the Thai-style spicy and sour shrimp with two other strongly flavored shrimp dishes, but I suggest keeping the Longjing shrimp and butter-fried shrimp. Speaking of which, I've seen other restaurants add lobster meat to their Longjing shrimp dishes. Shouldn't we consider adding some lobster meat to increase the price?"

Zhou Yan said seriously, "I did consider it before, but after adding lobster meat and tasting it again, I found that the lobster meat didn't taste as good as our prawns. The difference in taste was especially obvious when the two were put together, so I had to give up."

Zhao Hexi: "Wow, our prawns have really made something of themselves, they can even outperform lobsters."

Zhou Yan said helplessly, "Yes, we even specially selected the most expensive lobster, but we found that the flavors still couldn't be balanced. Our prawns were too dominant in flavor."

Zhao Hexi: "Then how should we price it? Such delicious shrimp should be priced at least 288 or 388 per serving, right?"

Qing Mengzhu raised her eyes and said, "No, this price is too low. Set it at 688 or 888 per serving."

Zhao Hexi was shocked. "These are freshwater shrimp! Why are they so expensive? Won't customers complain?"

Zhou Yan agreed with Qing Mengzhu's pricing, "It shouldn't be. Good ingredients are that expensive. We're positioned as a high-end restaurant, and being too cheap would actually hinder building a good reputation."

Qing Mengzhu mainly considered that the quality of this batch of shrimp had reached "Superior Grade- ", and if the price was too low, it would be better to sell it directly to the Interstellar Mall, so she thought of setting such a high price.

Everyone ate and discussed, and finally finished all the dishes.

The pond belonging to Qing Mengzhu's family is close to the town, only a few minutes' drive away. So, Zhou Yan decided to catch a small amount of shrimp every morning and keep them in the tank. If there were many customers ordering shrimp, he would go to the pond to catch them fresh, ensuring the shrimp's freshness to the greatest extent possible.

Qing Mengzhu had no objections and even asked that someone be arranged to specifically catch shrimp so that he could show the people around the pond.

--If a stranger goes to the pond to catch shrimp, he might be attacked by otters and geese, so it's not very safe.

Qing Mengzhu wasn't worried at all about whether this batch of shrimp would be popular.

He has access to the Interstellar Mall, so if all else fails, he can sell to the Interstellar Mall. The Interstellar Mall offers decent prices, so if the restaurant can't sell them here, he can just sell them to the Interstellar Mall.

Zhou Yan had some concerns. Their pricing was indeed high, and as a newly opened restaurant, their reputation might decline, leading to a downward spiral.

Therefore, Zhou Yan has been on high alert these past few days, making thorough preparations for the tough battle ahead.

To everyone's surprise, their signature shrimp dish became an instant hit, and the high price only fueled customers' curiosity.

Most of the diners who come to their restaurant are well-informed and know the approximate price of different dishes. After tasting the shrimp, most diners did not find it expensive; on the contrary, they were quite amazed by the size of the shrimp.