Capítulo 12: Mysterious Chef
Chinese cuisine has many culinary styles.
Similarly, Western cuisine is also divided into French, British, Italian, German, American, and Russian cuisines!
Although the Shunkatei is a Western-style restaurant, many of its signature dishes fall into the categories of French and Italian cuisines.
This is probably because Sonoka's Shunkatei is the best at these two types of cuisine, right?
After exchanging pleasantries, Sonoka prepared her best dish, Marseille fish soup, for Erina to begin the tasting process!
...
Marseille fish soup is a famous French seafood soup. It is beloved by diners for its delicious taste and unique texture due to the use of various fish, shellfish, and spices.
Looking at the Marseille fish soup, the first thing that catches the eye is the golden fish meat, thinly sliced and emitting a faint fish fragrance.
The fish quickly becomes tender in the hot pot, intermingling with ingredients like olive oil, onions, and garlic, releasing a tantalizing aroma.
Next, attention turns to the colorful shells. They stack upon each other in the pot and slowly open up after being heated, revealing the tender meat inside!
Even more interesting is that the meat, under the heat, starts to contract, releasing a rich seafood aroma.
Moving closer, a captivating fragrance of thyme, Italian parsley, and bay leaf fills the air from the hot soup.
Finally, the addition of creamy adds a smooth and rich flavor to the entire soup, creating a charming Mediterranean scene!
In this portrait, Erina not only sees the noble colors and aromas unique to French cuisine but also senses Sonoka's love and pursuit of cooking!
...
"It's amazing."
"To have such authentic Marseille fish soup here is quite rare."
Lost in the experience, Erina couldn't help but exclaim.
She then picked up the chopsticks and started tasting.
How should this dish be described?
At first, it had a rich and distinct taste.
The tender fish melted in the mouth while the shellfish brought a rich seafood flavor and a slight crispiness.
Just one bite almost made Erina unable to stop!
Following the swallowing was the rapid spread of the flavors of herbs and spices throughout her mouth, adding depth and complexity to the dish.
Lastly, with the addition of cream, the entire mouthfeel became even smoother and richer, as if giving a perfect ending to the Marseille fish soup!
...
Before long, a vague and ethereal image started to form in Erina's mind.
She transformed into a small fish swimming freely in the vastness of the ocean, surrounded by colorful coral reefs and different groups of fish, playing hide and seek!
Curious, Erina began swimming with the fish, dancing gracefully in the ocean like a nimble spirit.
Ultimately, in the embrace of the ocean, she found a reverence for life and a passion for nature!
"Hmm!"
"Although there are some flaws."
"For example, it is true that the oysters need to be thoroughly cooked. However, they were slightly overcooked, affecting the texture."
"But there's no such thing as a perfect dish in this world. Some shortcomings are normal, as long as they're not too extreme."
"Senior, you can create such an authentic French dish, I... I really admire that!"
Perhaps Marseille fish soup's taste and flavor might not conquer the god's tongue, but it allowed Erina to truly appreciate the unique pleasure of French cuisine.
And for this reason alone, Sonoka's Marseille fish soup won her favor!
...
"Really?"
"I'm glad to satisfy you."
Sonoka Shunkatei, upon hearing Erina's praise, responded with a soft smile.
"Senior, I heard... your Shunkatei is about to close?"
Staring deeply at Sonoka, Erina pondered carefully the taste of the Marseille fish soup.
Her confusion deepened.
"Close down?"
"How's that possible?"
Sonoka was momentarily stunned at such an absurd statement, but then, with a sigh, she rapidly dismissed that false information.
"However, it's a fact that the Shunkatei's business has been declining day by day over this past month!"
"At first, it was a Japanese cuisine restaurant next door."
"Due to mismanagement, it was transferred to a young man a month ago."
"He then transformed it into a tavern from its previous state!"
"At first, no one paid much attention to this, as the tavern's business hours didn't overlap with the Shunkatei's daytime hours."
"And his tavern offers commoner-style cuisine, which is in stark contrast to our elite cuisine philosophy!"
"However, no one could have foreseen."
"Within just a few days, the tavern emerged as a standout on the food street!"
As she spoke, Sonoka's mind couldn't help but conjure up a somewhat blurry figure.
He was handsome and always exuded an elegant charm, absolutely devoid of any "thuggish air".
Sometimes, he stands at the tavern's door and simply lighting up the signboard can deeply captivate Sonoka from a distance!
Of course, his background is still shrouded in mystery.
For a whole month, nobody knew his identity or which culinary academy he graduated from.
There were vague indications that he once told customers he was from a "greater culinary nation": China
Yes, he's a Chinese person.
Besides that, no one knew anything else!
"Tavern?"
Upon hearing Sonoka's explanation, both Erina and Hisako looked at each other, sharing mutual bewilderment in their eyes!
"That tavern is indeed an interesting place."
"Many nearby people say that currently, the tavern only has one owner, without any head chef, assistant chefs, waiters, or any other staff."
"Even a cashier responsible for handling payments is completely invisible."
"But even so, due to the owner's exceptional culinary skills, this place has people going crazy for it!"
"Erina, can you believe it?"
"A skewer costing less than 100 yen is considered by many to far surpass our Shunkatei's 100,000-yen French foie gras dish!"
"What? Common food can defeat noble cuisine?"
At this, Erina's sharp eyes were filled with incredulity!
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