Chapter 196: Dragon Soaring Over the Seas

[Congratulations, you have unlocked the 70th entry in your collection.]

[The food entry you unlocked is: Agrocybe Aegerita and Squab Soup.]

[Food Rating: 90/100 [Excellent].]

[As the rating is Excellent, the reward is multiplied by 4.]

[Congratulations, you have received a cash reward: 800,000.]

[Congratulations, you have received a special reward: Beverage products from companies under your name receive a +2 rating.]

[Congratulations, you have received a special reward: Mushroom products from companies under your name receive a +1 rating.]

[Congratulations, you have received a recipe reward: Agrocybe Aegerita and Squab Soup Recipe.]

…

Li Xiao’s eyes lit up when he saw the system notifications.

The food rating scale only went up to 100, so a +2 rating was a fairly significant reward.

If he could get a +10, it would boost a food’s rating by an entire tier.

After Li Xiao and the other two finished their soup, the final dish—no, to be precise, the final four dishes—were brought out.

Dragon Soaring Over the Seas: an eight-pound Australian lobster, prepared in four ways.

They were Australian lobster sashimi, lobster with yi mein noodles, steamed lobster, and butter and garlic baked lobster.

On an enormous round platter, the four different lobster preparations were laid out, each quietly occupying its own distinct section.

Li Xiao took out his phone and took a wide shot of the platter, capturing all four preparations in one frame.

Seeing the four different lobster preparations, the livestream chat immediately erupted with discussion.

“Something’s not right. Didn’t they say this Australian lobster was eight pounds? How come it looks like so little food???”

“I’ve heard that chefs are always pilfering ingredients. Looks like it’s true.”

“I know how it goes. Out of twenty shrimp, the plating station takes two, the wok station takes four, the garnish station takes two, and the food runner takes two.”

“Haha, half the shrimp are gone before it even reaches the table.”

“That’s an exaggeration. At most they skim a third.”

“No wonder when you order a pound of shrimp at a restaurant, it always feels like you only get a few ounces!”

…

Li Xiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry seeing these comments, so he quickly debunked the rumors.

“Calm down, everyone. How old are these rumors?”

“Nowadays, any halfway-decent restaurant wouldn’t dare do something like that.”

“That’s because kitchens are now full of cameras. Diners in the front of the house can see everything the chefs are doing in the back.”

“A lot of places have open-plan kitchens with floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Customers can see everything that’s going on, so how could the chefs possibly sneak a bite??”

“Of course, I can’t say it never happens. At some smaller, less reputable places, you’ll definitely find some shady business going on.”

“But really, instead of worrying about them skimming a little off the top, you should be more concerned about restaurants swapping out your seafood.”

“Swapping fresh seafood for stale seafood, or expensive for cheap—that’s what happens all the time.”

“So, after you’ve picked out your seafood, you should try to mark it in some way.”

“For example, break off one of the lobster’s antennae, make a mark on the fish’s tail, or just kill the seafood right after it’s been weighed. That way, they can’t pull any tricks.”

“As for why this lobster looks like a small portion, the reason is simple. An eight-pound lobster seems like a lot, but once you remove the shell and prepare the meat in four different ways, there’s significant loss. That’s why you feel the portion is small. Honestly, the fact that there’s this much meat proves the chef did a very meticulous job processing it.”

In the livestream chat:

“The streamer is too naive. Even if you kill it on the spot, those black-hearted capitalists will just swap it with a dead one from the freezer. After all, the freshly killed one can still be kept for a little while.”

“Learned something new! From now on, I’m marking my seafood after I pick it!”

“A lot of stores have rigged digital scales. You can bring a bottle of water with you or weigh your phone to check.”

…

“Alright, that’s enough anti-scam tips for today. Let’s try this Dragon Soaring Over the Seas and see how it is.”

Li Xiao’s gaze shifted from his phone screen back to the exquisitely arranged Australian lobster sashimi in front of him.

This dish wasn’t just a treat for the palate; it was a beautiful work of art.

The lobster meat was gently stacked, its layered colors resembling a range of rolling peaks, so beautiful you couldn’t take your eyes off it.

He gently picked up a paper-thin slice of sashimi. He tasted it directly, without any seasoning, to fully experience the food’s authentic flavor.

The slice melted in his mouth, releasing the lobster’s natural, pure, and delicate sweetness, immersing Li Xiao’s taste buds in the essence of the ocean.

Every inch of the lobster meat exuded a faint, salty aroma of the sea, perfectly balancing its sweetness and delivering a refreshing and satisfying tasting experience.

There was absolutely no fishy taste, a testament to the chef’s superb preparation skills, which preserved the sashimi’s purest flavor.

The freshness of the Australian lobster made every bite radiate with its essential umami flavor.

The lobster sashimi had a slightly crisp texture, but because it was sliced so thinly…

…the crispness didn’t last long, giving way to a sweet, soft, and tender sensation.

‘Though, in my opinion, slicing the lobster sashimi this thinly is a bit unorthodox.’

‘But every chef has their own presentation style, so you can’t just say that slicing it paper-thin is wrong.’

So, he picked up a second slice of delicate, snow-white lobster sashimi.

But as he lifted the second slice, his chopsticks paused in mid-air for a few seconds.

He had keenly noticed that this slice of sashimi on his chopsticks was considerably thicker than the first.

His brow furrowed slightly. ‘Knife skills aren’t about slicing as thinly as possible. It’s usually about precision and uniformity.’

‘After all, if a plate of sliced meat has both thin and thick pieces, when you cook it, the thin ones will be done while the thick ones are still raw.’

‘The thin pieces will be too salty, while the thick ones haven’t absorbed any flavor.’ Li Xiao couldn’t help but feel a big question mark form in his mind.

However, out of his trust for Li Garden, he said nothing.

‘I don’t believe Li Garden’s kitchen would let a chef with such poor knife skills prepare a dish.’

This time, he dipped the sashimi in soy sauce and wasabi, and the taste was equally excellent.

The subtle saltiness of the soy sauce and the sharp heat of the wasabi further accentuated the sashimi’s sweetness, making the overall flavor even more vibrant and sweet.

Then he picked up a third slice of sashimi. This one was noticeably thicker still.

Li Xiao put the third piece back down and used his chopsticks to gently move around the remaining slices.

The thickness of the sashimi slices increased progressively from front to back.

After a moment of thought, he immediately understood. He had fallen into a trap of habitual thinking.

The varying thickness of each slice wasn’t because the sashimi chef had poor knife skills; it was done intentionally.

The different thicknesses were meant to give the diner a variety of textural experiences.