The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 196 Xu Cheng's Shock

Qin Huai is coloring the fruit.

It's 1:27 now.

Standard overtime hours.

At this time of day, the Huang's kitchen would have already started cleaning up, and the chef in charge of the staff meals had already cooked the second dish. Dong Shi would most likely shout that he wanted to eat Yangzhou fried rice and ask his brother to make him some. Dong Li would ignore him, and the helper, who never had a name, would complain about why they had these same dishes again and then neatly set the table.

The waiters outside will also take a break. The guests in the hall have basically finished eating at this time. The guests in the private rooms will eat longer, and there will be more content to chat when there are more people.

When it is almost time to get off work, the supervisor will not care too much about some waiters' slacking off. As long as they do not overdo it, they are allowed to chat with their colleagues in the corner about the latest gossip of the day, and the supervisor himself likes to listen.

But today, everyone’s situation is different.

Dong Shi was not slacking off, but was cutting vegetables diligently.

Dong Li was not in a daze, but was cutting the fruit plate for some unknown reason.

Huang Jia did not prepare special meals for Qin Huai's employees, but was cleaning the pot conscientiously.

Huang Anyao seemed to be afraid of blocking someone, so he dragged his heavy feet and moved himself and the small stool to the corner of the kitchen, sitting there in a very undignified manner.

The most incredible thing about Huang Shengli was that he was inspecting the kitchen as usual, but this point was obviously not the right one for inspection because no one had anything to do at this point.

So he focused his inspection on Qin Huai. He felt uncomfortable when he saw Qin Huai coloring the fruit, and wanted to ask Huang Shengli if he thought the color he applied today was a bit too ugly.

The same thing happened to the waiters outside, everyone was pretending to be at work.

The receptionist sticks to his post and does not insist on welcoming guests.

The waiters in each area walked around without serving dishes, pretending that there were customers when there were no customers to serve, purely for show. Every waiter had a smile on his face and stood tall, which looked a bit weird from a distance, as if it was the set of a horror movie.

At the door of Box 888, the foreman was on standby.

Xu Cheng, who ate 1/3 of a three-stuffed bun and 1/5 of a fermented glutinous rice steamed bun, felt that he had implemented the health-preserving concept of eating small and frequent meals very well today.

Just 60% full, just right.

When I get older, I am no longer like when I was young. I just need to eat until I am 60% full for the main meal. If I feel hungry, I can have some fruits and snacks in the afternoon.

Xu Cheng felt that it was time to meet this young Master Qin.

Xu Cheng stood up and said, "Xiao Wang, let's go. Huang's kitchen should be closed at this time. Let's go meet the dim sum chef Qin."

Assistant Xiao Wang, who was forced by the boss to eat 2/3 of the three-stuffed buns and 4/5 of the fermented glutinous rice steamed buns, wanted to collapse in the chair and close his eyes to rest for a while. But when he heard what the boss said, he stood up quickly and switched back to work.

"Okay, I'll make the contact!"

After saying that, the assistant walked briskly to the door and opened it for Xu Cheng. Then he saw Huang Ji's foreman, who had been waiting outside the door for a long time with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Xu, are you satisfied with your meal today? Do you want to go to the kitchen to see Chef Qin now?" the foreman asked with a smile.

Xu Cheng smiled helplessly: "Being too famous is the bad thing. You can be recognized wherever you go. Could it be that Chef Qin in your kitchen already knows that I'm here?"

"We don't know yet." The foreman said, "Master Qin is a young man, and everyone wants to give Master Qin a surprise."

Xu Cheng expressed his understanding and went downstairs under the guidance of the foreman. He said, "Indeed, I don't know where the story of the Eight Treasure Chestnut Pigeon came from. Since then, whenever I visit the store, everyone expects me to ask the chef in the kitchen to introduce himself."

"There have been fewer visits in recent years. There was a period of time a few years ago when I even doubted whether I was a professional actor. As soon as I walked to the kitchen door, I had to put on a standard smile and start acting. The extras around me also cooperated very well, and the audience loved to watch it."

The foreman was very cooperative: "There are many good horses, but few good horse trainers."

"You are willing to cooperate with the young chefs to perform this act, which can be regarded as a dream come true for the young chefs. You must perform well later. Our chef Qin used to sell breakfast in a community canteen in Shan City. In order to help him realize this dream, his colleagues in the kitchen did their best to perform for a whole afternoon. You will have to finish the performance later."

Xu Cheng was very pleased with the foreman's words. He didn't say anything, but straightened his back and showed a standard smile of a mentor.

At this moment, Xu Cheng's self-cultivation as an actor was fully demonstrated.

The assistant following behind: ...

How should I put it? He thinks his boss also likes to act.

At this moment, the kitchen has entered a state of full preparation.

Dong Shi was cutting vegetables so hard that only the shadow of the knife could be seen.

Qin Huai had just finished making the third fruit and was about to pick up the fourth fruit to paint it when he was stopped by Huang Shengli.

"No rush, take a rest first." Huang Shengli said.

Qin Huai put Guo'er down, looked around, and asked, "So will there be a staff meal at noon today?"

The food hasn’t been cooked yet at this time. I guess I’ll just have to eat something nearby later.

As a dim sum chef, Qin Huai doesn’t like to eat dim sum during meal times. He just likes to eat rice with stir-fried vegetables.

"It doesn't matter." Huang Shengli said.

Qin Huai:?
Just as a question mark popped up above his head, Xu Cheng arrived at the kitchen door.

Qin Huai was a little surprised to see a stranger entering the kitchen. He thought that the person had already walked to the door, and the helper beside him didn't stop him. But he found that the helper not only didn't stop the person, but also invited him in.

Qin Huai: ? ?

"Excuse me, is Master Qin Huai here?" Xu Cheng took two steps into the kitchen and asked while standing next to the shelf.

The voice is steady and deep, the words are clear and penetrating, so that everyone in the kitchen can hear it clearly.

Qin Huai subconsciously looked at Huang Shengli and found that Huang Shengli was looking at him with encouraging eyes, a gratified smile on his face. He nodded at him and motioned him to come forward.

Qin Huai looked at Huang Jia blankly and found that Huang Jia's eyes were full of envy. There was a strange smile on the corner of his mouth and even tears in his eyes, as if he had seen some exciting scene.

Qin Huai no longer wanted to look at other people. He was afraid that he would not be able to control his surprised expression, so he walked forward quickly and nodded: "It's me, may I ask who you are..."

Xu Cheng, who has many years of acting experience, saw at a glance that Qin Huai really didn't know him, so he switched to another acting mode and said in a slightly excited voice: "I am Xu Cheng."

"I came here because of your reputation. I just tried the dim sum you made, Master Qin, and it really lives up to its reputation. May I ask if you have time later? I would like to take up a few hours of your time to interview you and write a food review for you."

At this moment, all doubts were resolved in Qin Huai's heart.

Qin Huai showed the standard smile that everyone wanted to see, which was slightly surprised but well-restrained. Under the gaze of everyone who was pleased, envious and moved, he said the answer that everyone wanted to hear.

"Of course there is time! I am so excited that I don't know what to say for a moment. I never thought that you, Mr. Xu, would come here just for me and eat the snacks I made! There is time, there must be time!"

The excited look and words did not sound fake. According to the normal development of the plot, at this moment Xu Cheng should have patted Qin Huai on the shoulder encouragingly and said something like "I'm optimistic about you, the future is promising", "Come on" and other words to encourage the young chef.

But Xu Cheng felt something was strange.

Why did he feel that Master Qin in front of him seemed to be acting as well?

His acting skills are not inferior to mine.

Xu Cheng glanced at Qin Huai meaningfully and changed his words temporarily: "Master Qin, have you heard of me?"

Qin Huai: ...? Change the lyrics?

Yes, Qin Huai is indeed acting.

Huang Anyao had told him this story in vivid detail. The original protagonist of the story was a chef in a small shop in Siam, whose signature dish was Tom Yum Goong soup. The above lines are all translated versions.

"Of course I've heard of you, but I just heard of you some time ago. My friend admires you very much and wants to be a food critic like you. He told me a lot of stories about you, which are simply like thunder in my ears." Qin Huai said, pointing to Huang Anyao who was so excited in the corner that he couldn't control himself.

Huang Anyao: !!!

Oh my God, at this moment, Qin Huai was actually thinking about himself and actually introduced himself to his idol first.

Dad, I'm sorry, I want to make a decision that goes against our ancestors. I want to give 75% of Huangji's shares to Qinhuai!

Xu Cheng saw Qin Huai's state and knew that the chef in front of him was different from the young chefs he had met before. He knew himself, but he obviously didn't understand him. His ignorance was not pretended, so he was not excited at all. But in order to take care of his colleagues' feelings, he acted very excited.

What an interesting dim sum chef.

"Master Qin, were you making snacks just now?" Xu Cheng asked.

"Yes." Qin Huai nodded, "I made some of my specialties. Mr. Xu, are you interested in trying some?"

Xu Cheng was just asking casually, but since Qin Huai emphasized that it was his specialty, Xu Cheng felt he had to try it.

Xu Cheng is well aware that the dishes on the menu are not necessarily the chef’s best dishes.

Many times, high-end restaurants will put the most popular dishes on the menu for commercial and other reasons. But if you want to taste the best hidden menu, you have to go into the kitchen and talk to the chef face to face.

This is also one of the reasons why Xu Cheng always likes to go directly to the kitchen to find the chef.

Xu Cheng followed Qin Huai towards the cooking table, observing the reactions of the chefs around him as he walked.

Xu Cheng had been to Huang Ji's kitchen. Huang Ji had been on "Taste" a long time ago, and Xu Cheng himself highly recognized Huang Shengli's cooking skills, and he also knew Huang Jia.

In Xu Cheng's opinion, if Huang Shengli's back was not so bad and his cooking skills had declined in the past two years, with Huang Jia as his eldest disciple as his successor, Huang Shengli would have a bright future if he could stick with it for another 15 years or so. Unfortunately, there is no if.

Xu Cheng has been a food critic for so many years, he knows countless chefs and has seen many once-popular restaurants suddenly decline.

The heirs are fighting for the inheritance, the brothers are at odds with each other, and the chef is poached by another restaurant at a high price...

There is nothing new under the sun. For a restaurant like Huang Ji that went into decline because its chef was forced to take a back seat due to poor health, this is already a very decent ending.

Xu Cheng likes to come to the kitchen, not only to see the chef and try the hidden menu, but also to be the first to see the gossip.

There are many chefs in the kitchen, including chefs, apprentices, apprentices, and helpers. Each of them has a different position and status, and each of them has a different attitude towards the chef he wants to interview. Xu Cheng can judge a chef's personality and characteristics through the attitudes of these people.

Some chefs are typical good guys who are kind and gentle to others.

Some chefs are good at socializing and talkative, which annoys their colleagues.

Some chefs are lone wolves who like to work silently by themselves and do not like to communicate with others.

Some chefs are good at giving orders. They can not only cook well, but also manage the kitchen in an orderly manner.

Some chefs are tyrants. Every employee in the kitchen lives under his high-pressure rule, trembling in fear and not daring to make any mistakes.

Xu Cheng glanced at Qin Huai.

This Chef Qin must be very popular in the kitchen.

Although the harmonious relationships in Huang's kitchen are well-known in the industry, the harmony is so great that no colleague has shown any negative jealousy towards his good fortune today. This is enough to show that Qin Huai's interpersonal relationships are very good.

It seems that I can also praise Chef Qin for his good personality when writing the food review.

Xu Cheng had already conceived the manuscript in his mind.

"You don't have any food restrictions, right?" Qin Huai asked.

"Of course not." Xu Cheng said. Before he could move his eyes away from the helper's face not far away, Qin Huai stuffed a still warm fruit into his hand.

Xu Cheng looked at the fruit in his hand: ...?
Is this... an apple-faced fruit?

How can there be such an ugly apple-faced fruit?
The shape of the apple is okay, but the coloring is a little...

Xu Cheng looked at Qin Huai with some complexity.

Generally speaking, he does not make too many requirements on the chefs' plating, because some chefs are not good at plating, or more precisely, they do not have the aesthetic sense in this area. For these chefs who are not good at plating, some high-end restaurants will assign them chefs who are specifically responsible for plating, so that the dishes look better and can be sold at a higher price.

Xu Cheng felt that this was understandable.

He also knew that appearance was very important to pastry chefs. Truly high-end pastry that could be sold at a high price, such as boat-shaped dim sum and noodle dumplings, required very high levels of finger skills and aesthetics from the chef.

The shape of a snack cannot change the taste, but it can make it look pleasing to the eye.

Basically, pastry chefs will only start pursuing the shape of the dish after they have practiced their skills to the point where they can no longer improve.

Considering Qin Huai's age, Xu Cheng knew that he really couldn't blame him for making the snacks look too pretty.

Young chefs, especially young pastry chefs, must be encouraged.

but……

He understands the principle, but what is this thing in his hand?
Is this an apple noodle? ? ?
You may not be good at styling, but you can't be completely bad at it!
Master Qin, what kind of aesthetic is this? !
This color, this combination, this fruit...

If he really can't help it, he can take some art appreciation classes and learn a little bit about color matching.

It's a bit embarrassing to make this thing and sell it to customers.

Xu Cheng was stunned.

At this moment, Xu Cheng, who had written countless food reviews, suddenly felt a little speechless.

"This is a fruit." Qin Huai introduced, "It's similar in shape to an apple-shaped fruit, but it's different from a fruit."

"The fruit is stuffed with meat."

"My cooking skills are not up to par yet, and I didn't know you were coming. I'm responsible for the crust of this fruit, but Chef Huang Shengli helped me fry the filling."

Xu Cheng didn't care much about it. Everyone has their own expertise, and it's common to divide the work of making snacks.

He cares about another thing.

What are meat-filled noodles?
Meat filling and dough, is this reasonable?
Don't think that just because this thing has changed its name, I don't know it is noodles.

Xu Cheng found that he was indeed old.

When he was young, he could eat the local specialty - pickled pork with soy sauce - without changing his expression or heartbeat, and then go back to the hotel to pick his throat.

Now faced with a snack that at least looked edible, his first reaction was to question why the noodle cake was filled with meat.

It turns out that young people are more creative.

Xu Cheng smiled self-deprecatingly, picked up the heavy fruit and took a bite.

Xu Cheng couldn't laugh anymore.

Xu Cheng suddenly realized that the fruit in front of him actually had little to do with the mianguo, they just looked similar.

But when you eat it, it’s a completely new, wonderful, delicious snack that you’ve never had before.

It is the dough of mianguoer, but not entirely.

The dough has its own unique taste. It is hard on the outside but soft on the inside, especially the part soaked in gravy. It tastes very similar to delicious steamed bun skin, but it is completely different from steamed bun skin.

The hard outside and soft inside dough form a very wonderful taste when chewed together in the mouth, mixed with the juicy meat filling with the sweetness of carrots, making people feel that it must be a perfect match, a natural pair, and a seamless taste.

The dough is so unique, and the filling is the finishing touch.

When Xu Cheng ate this filling, his first reaction was that it must be a bun filling.

Delicious bun filling.

A niche bun filling mixed with carrot puree.

But the filling is well matched, and the carrot puree only plays a supporting role in it, without overshadowing the main feature, which is undoubtedly the juicy meat filling.

It’s sweet, but not that fresh, and feels like the most ordinary pork filling, carefully stewed to make the most delicious and juicy filling.

The ingredients are ordinary, but everything is the best arrangement.

What surprised Xu Cheng was that he actually tasted love while eating such a strange snack.

It was obvious that he and his wife had an average relationship, they didn't meet very often, and his wife's cooking skills were not very good, but Xu Cheng thought of the fact that he hadn't seen his wife for some time when he was eating the fruit.

The first thought that came to his mind while he was chewing was that this snack was quite good and interesting, and he should bring his wife and children over to try it.

Xu Cheng ate mouthful by mouthful like this, completely forgetting that he had already eaten a meal and was only 60% full, following the principle of eating small and frequent meals.

What about eating small and frequent meals?

Lunch is over and now it's time for afternoon tea.

Eat, you can eat anything!

Soon, the fruit in Xu Cheng's hand was gone, and Xu Cheng's eating speed also slowed down.

He ate too much.

I’m getting older and my appetite isn’t as good as it used to be.

Xu Cheng said that when he was young, he could eat six of these fist-sized fruits in one meal!
Qin Huai looked at Xu Cheng, who still had about four bites of fruit left in his hand, and thought that Xu Cheng should be satisfied.

After all, today's Guo'er achieved the best result in history thanks to the superb performance of both him and Huang Shengli.

Of course, Qin Huai felt that he did not perform beyond his level, mainly because Huang Shengli performed too well.

The way he flipped the spoon was like the god of cooking.

【Apple Noodles Grade A+】

I just don't know whether this will be impossible to replicate in a short period of time. I wonder if the A+ grade Guoer can impress Xu Cheng and make him write about Huang Ji Restaurant more times in his food reviews to advertise Huang Ji.

It would be even better if I could write about Huang Shengli or Huang Jia’s dishes as well.

Huang Shengli's back will be healed soon and he can return to work. With the promotion of "Zhiwei", Huang's will surely become a huge success and achieve greater success.

In this way, it will be worthy of everyone's hard work today.

Qin Huai looked at Zheng Siyuan and gave him a look that said your acting is really not that good, not even as good as Wang Jun.

Zheng Siyuan: Is it my fault?
(End of this chapter)