Chapter 255 - 247: Perfect Like a Work of Art (Part 2)

Chapter 255: Chapter 247: Perfect Like a Work of Art (Part 2)

With that, Yu Hong picked up a piece of the marinated chicken and ate it.

After taking a bite, a look of disbelief appeared on his face once again. Even though it was Chuansheng-style, the flavor was unbelievably good.

Even as a native of Zhejiang Province, he found it more delicious than anything he had ever tasted.

’This marinated chicken actually transcends the differences in palate between provinces? Making people from other regions find it absolutely delicious?’

’This is insane!’

’It seems this young owner, Li You, really has some tricks up his sleeve. He’s no simple man!’

For the first time, Yu Hong felt that Li You might truly be someone extraordinary.

Then, he said, "Master Chen, Master He, even if you two were to make this, I doubt your marinated dishes could reach this level, right?"

Both Chen Wen and He Xianfei nodded. "Indeed, we couldn’t."

Then, Chen Wen asked again, "Master Yu, what do you think of this marinated chicken?"

Yu Hong didn’t want to say it, but he had to. "Even people from my Zhejiang Province would absolutely love this. This is also a masterpiece among marinated chicken dishes."

Chen Wen laughed heartily again. "Thank you for your approval, Master Yu. And now, it’s time for you to try the Mapo Tofu here."

Yu Hong’s heart tightened. He no longer dared to show any trace of contempt. ’Even if this Mapo Tofu from owner Li You isn’t as incredible as Chen Wen claims, it must have something exceptionally unique about it. I really need to taste it carefully.’

Chen Wen waved Da Bai over and said, "Da Bai, we’d like to order a few more dishes."

"Of course. Please go ahead."

"Two orders of Mapo Tofu, two orders of Twice-cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts, four orders of Huoxiang Crucian Carp, four orders of Cabbage in Boiling Water, and five pounds of spicy crayfish. That’s all for now."

"Understood. Please wait a moment."

Da Bai turned and left.

Watching Da Bai’s departing figure, Yu Hong remarked with a sigh, "Even the robots here are so advanced. Speaking of which, do we really have robots this intelligent now?"

Chen Wen smiled. "Of course we do. Otherwise, where would Da Bai and Xiaohai have come from?"

Yu Hong nodded.

By this time, all the other customers in the restaurant had figured out the identities of Yu Hong, Chen Wen, and He Xianfei.

This made all the customers incredibly excited and thrilled.

Because everyone knew why the three senior chefs were here today.

Word had already spread among all the regular customers. Chen Wen, the executive chef of Jincheng Hotel, a five-star hotel in the provincial capital, had lost to Yu Hong, a senior chef from Zhejiang Province, in a Mapo Tofu cook-off. As a result, he had come to the restaurant to ask Li You for help.

When Chen Wen came alone last time, there were other customers in the restaurant. Those customers had learned the whole story from the conversation between Chen Wen and Li You.

The customers who were there at the time had been quite excited.

Although it was a shame they probably wouldn’t get to see a live culinary showdown between Li You and Yu Hong, the sight of Yu Hong admitting defeat after tasting Li You’s Mapo Tofu would be just as good.

So, the customers present were still thrilled and shared the news with people they knew.

In this way, the news slowly spread among all the regular customers.

Even the schoolteachers like Chu Yiwei, Lin Xin, and Zhang Qinghe, as well as the market vendors like Zhao Yu, Deng Luping, Xie Hai, and Liu Yiquan, had all heard about it.

Everyone was looking forward to the arrival of Chen Wen and Yu Hong. They all wanted to see the moment Yu Hong willingly conceded defeat.

A senior chef admitting defeat would undoubtedly prove that the owner was an incredible figure.

All the customers were very interested in anything that showed just how amazing their owner was.

Now, Chen Wen and Yu Hong had finally arrived.

And they had brought He Xianfei along too.

Most of the customers had also heard of He Xianfei. They knew he was also an executive chef at a five-star hotel and a senior chef. He had visited once before, so this must be his second time.

As for Qu Feng, no one paid him much attention.

The arrival of three senior chefs together made things even more interesting.

Amidst their excitement, the customers in the restaurant started calling or messaging their friends who weren’t there, telling them that Chen Wen and Yu Hong had arrived and to hurry over.

Many who received the news immediately rushed to the restaurant.

They didn’t want to miss such a lively and interesting event.

Meanwhile, on the second floor, Ye Shengge and Ling Xiaoru also knew that Chen Wen and Yu Hong had arrived.

They were also very interested in the situation, so they went downstairs together and found a spot to watch what was happening.

Before long, more and more people started arriving at the restaurant.

The schoolteachers like Chu Yiwei, Lin Xin, and Zhang Qinghe, as well as the market vendors like Zhao Yu, Deng Luping, Xie Hai, and Liu Yiquan, all came.

The customers who had been present when Chen Wen came alone last time also showed up.

The entire restaurant was now almost packed to capacity.

Yu Hong was a bit baffled. He asked, "Master Chen, Master He, what’s going on?"

Chen Wen replied, "The customers found out that I came to ask owner Li You for help a couple of days ago. They know the whole story. Today, they’ve all come to see the outcome."

Yu Hong gave a wry smile. "Do they all think I’m going to admit defeat after I taste the Mapo Tofu here?"

Chen Wen said, "That seems to be the case."

Yu Hong fell silent. Before stepping into this restaurant, he would have scoffed and said, ’How is that possible? These people are just overthinking things.’

But now, although he still didn’t believe he would willingly admit defeat, he decided not to make any more declarations until he had tasted the Mapo Tofu.

Because he was already certain that the Mapo Tofu here was probably something special. His confidence was shaken.

At that moment, Da Bai brought two servings of Mapo Tofu to the table where Chen Wen, He Xianfei, Yu Hong, and Qu Feng were sitting.

The Mapo Tofu had finally arrived.

All the customers perked up. ’Now we’ll see what Yu Hong has to say after he tastes it!’

Yu Hong was strong enough to defeat Chen Wen, so his skills were certainly formidable. Would he really admit defeat? There was still some suspense.

After all, the owner was only human. What he could achieve, others could theoretically achieve as well.

Chen Wen, He Xianfei, and Qu Feng were also feeling excited.

The owner’s Mapo Tofu was finally placed in front of Yu Hong.

’What will his reaction be? What will he say?’

’This is going to be good!’

The three of them fixed their attention on Yu Hong’s face.

But all of Yu Hong’s attention was on the Mapo Tofu.

From the moment Da Bai set the Mapo Tofu down, Yu Hong hadn’t taken his eyes off it.

He was stunned!

Yu Hong was a top master of Mapo Tofu. Across the entire country, the only ones whose skill with the dish was clearly superior to his were, besides Li You, perhaps only those two Special Chefs who specialized in Chuansheng cuisine.

And it was for this very reason that Yu Hong was so stunned.

Because what he saw was a Mapo Tofu that, in terms of "color" or appearance, was so perfect it was flawless.

In fact, Yu Hong had always been pursuing the creation of a Mapo Tofu that was perfect in its appearance.

Throughout China’s five-thousand-year history, all dishes have been judged on their color, aroma, and taste.

"Color" is even ranked first.

Whether a dish is delicious or not, everyone’s first judgment is made with their eyes. You decide if it looks appetizing.

"It looks so delicious," or "It doesn’t look good at all," are things people often say.

Therefore, for any chef, the "color" or appearance of a dish is always extremely important.

That was why Yu Hong had always been pursuing perfection in the appearance of his Mapo Tofu.

And he had indeed achieved a level that was quite close to perfection.

Yu Hong was very proud of this, but also a little regretful.

He regretted that it wasn’t perfect enough; it couldn’t be called true perfection.

But there was nothing to be done. True perfection was impossible to achieve.

Even if those two Special Chefs who specialized in Chuansheng cuisine were to try, he imagined they wouldn’t be able to achieve it either.

And yet, right now, a truly perfect Mapo Tofu had appeared before him.

Yu Hong was utterly and completely stunned.

His eyes remained fixed on the Mapo Tofu.

...