Chapter 198: New Store Opening

Next, Li Xiao’s gaze fell upon the last dish of the Dragon Soaring Over the Seas platter.

Garlic Butter Baked Lobster

The Garlic Butter Baked Lobster was also on a separate white dish, which was placed on the large round platter.

The Garlic Butter Baked Lobster was made from the lobster’s tail.

The aroma of the dish was already wafting through the air.

The lobster tail was skillfully baked, its surface sprinkled with golden minced garlic and glistening with a thin layer of butter. The entire dish looked both enticing and tempting.

The lobster tail had been split open, and the meat was removed in one piece.

It was marinated with minced garlic, sea salt, white wine, and herbs.

After marinating for ten minutes, the marinade was wiped clean.

The clean lobster tail was placed back into its shell and baked in the oven until partially cooked.

Then, the lobster was taken out, sprinkled with coarse minced garlic, and topped with thin slices of butter.

It was then returned to the oven until the minced garlic turned golden brown, at which point it was ready to be served.

Looking at the golden-brown minced garlic on the lobster’s surface, Li Xiao nodded. ‘The heat control is excellent.’

‘If the heat is too high, the garlic will burn in an instant.’

‘If it’s too low, the lobster meat underneath will become overcooked and tough.’

He used a fork to lift out the lobster meat and cut it into small pieces with his dining knife.

To Li Xiao’s surprise, this oven-baked garlic lobster was actually incredibly juicy.

The surface had a roasted fragrance, but when he cut into it, the lobster’s rich juices flowed out from the cut.

An intense, rich garlic aroma hit him, mingling with the sweet scent of the lobster, making his mouth water before he even took a bite.

“This garlic aroma is incredible. I can’t wait any longer. I’ll take a bite and then tell everyone about it.”

A whole piece of lobster meat, dripping with juices, went into his mouth.

As the large piece of lobster meat entered his mouth, Li Xiao’s eyes lit up.

‘Holy cow, this garlic flavor is explosive!’

The flavor on the outside was even more intense. The baking process had activated the garlic’s aroma, giving it a strong, roasted fragrance.

Since it had been marinated beforehand, the garlic flavor deep within the lobster meat was also very pronounced.

Although nothing else was added during the final baking, the initial marination had already infused the meat with plenty of flavor, and the high-temperature baking locked it all inside.

The tail meat is the best part of the lobster, aside from the claws, because a lobster propels itself by flexing its tail.

The tail is the most active part, so naturally, the meat is firmer and has a better snap.

[Congratulations, you have unlocked the 73rd entry in your Food Guide.]

[The new entry is: Garlic Butter Baked Lobster]

[Dish Rating: 94/100 [Excellent]]

[As the rating is Excellent, you will receive a 4x reward.]

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

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

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

[Congratulations, you have received a recipe reward: Recipe for Garlic Butter Baked Lobster]

…

“It’s wonderfully firm, very juicy, and packed with flavor. The outside has a roasted fragrance, but the inside hasn’t lost any of its juices at all.”

“The texture is unbeatable, and the garlic flavor is intense.”

“I don’t know if you’ve ever had Garden brand scallion crackers, but this garlic aroma is even more intense than the scallion flavor in those.”

“And the garlic flavor has a lot of depth. If you love minced garlic, you will absolutely fall in love with this.”

“Furthermore, the intense garlic flavor actually brings out the clean sweetness of the lobster juices.”

“All in all, it’s just plain delicious.”

“Overall, this Dragon Soaring Over the Seas platter might be a bit pricey, but it’s truly fantastic.”

“Fresh and sweet, rich and intense, fresh and sweet, rich and intense.”

“Four different preparations, four different cooking methods, yet each one perfectly expresses the unique characteristics of the lobster.”

“Sashimi, stewed, steamed, baked—every single one was handled exceptionally well.”

“This Dragon Soaring Over the Seas is great as a whole, but there are some minor details that weren’t handled perfectly.”

“For example, with the baked butter lobster, some of the very fine bits of minced garlic from the marinade weren’t cleaned off completely.”

“This caused those stray bits of garlic to burn during the baking process.”

“They could have actually rinsed the marinated lobster in melted butter to wash off those fine garlic bits.”

“Another example is the fresh lotus leaf. While it’s greener and more visually appealing…”

“…the Dragon Balls, taken hot from the steamer, are still at a very high temperature.”

“Placing the hot Dragon Balls on a fresh lotus leaf causes the leaf’s astringent taste to transfer to the bottom of the Dragon Balls.”

“And then there’s the sashimi…”

Overall, Li Xiao felt this trip to Li Garden was well worth it.

It truly lived up to its reputation as the “Huangpu Military Academy of Cantonese cuisine.” The quality of the dishes was extremely high, basically all at an “Excellent” level.

While not particularly innovative, as long as it maintains this level of quality, basically no other brand can challenge its position in the world of Cantonese cuisine.

After paying the bill, Li Xiao drove back to the university.

…

After a night’s rest, he drove to his destination bright and early the next day.

The system had previously rewarded him with quite a few commercial properties. Although they weren’t permanent, the 60-year usage rights were more than enough.

After all, in Li Xiao’s view, probably not even a tenth of most commercial districts could stay popular for more than ten years, let alone sixty.

He now had thirty properties with 60-year usage rights.

He had previously asked his assistant to compile information on these properties.

These properties varied in size, with the smallest being only forty to fifty square meters and the largest over three hundred.

The second Xihan’er Milk Tea Shop was, naturally, located in one of these thirty properties.

This particular shop wasn’t huge, but it was over a hundred square meters.

It was on the first floor of a reasonably popular shopping mall, surrounded by other food and beverage establishments.

Li Xiao parked his car in the mall’s parking lot and then walked toward the milk tea shop.

Although the grand opening was set for 10:00 AM today, the shop’s various preparations had started at 8:00 AM.

So, by the time he arrived at the milk tea shop, all the prep work was already done.

The kids were already dressed in their neat uniforms, waiting behind the counter.

Zhou Yu, Lai Chunjiao, the new shop’s manager Zhang Chu, and the old shop’s manager Huang Cuilian were also present.

Although Huang Cuilian wasn’t the manager of this particular shop, it was, after all, the new shop’s first day of business, and they wanted to be prepared for any unexpected issues.

Not only had the old shop’s manager been sent over, but Li Xiao also recognized most of the kids, who had clearly come from the original location to help out.

He had no objections to this arrangement.

‘The kids’ situation is quite special, after all. It’s best to prioritize stability and aim for a steady success.’

Li Xiao exchanged a few pleasantries with Lai Chunjiao, then quickly inspected the shop’s condition.

Thank you all for the monthly tickets and gifts. Thank you.