1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 283 You'll Find It Hard to Refuse Such Generous Conditions (Bonus Chapter for 585 Monthly Tickets)

The young chefs at the two tables next to Zhou Yan looked at him with envy.

He was twenty years old when he sat at the same table as the generation of advisors and received much praise.

They were twenty years old, and came with their advisor to broaden their horizons, but they hadn't even managed to become lowly laborers.

"When will my master pass on his position to me?" Lu Chuan muttered to himself, looking at Lu Xiaoji with eager anticipation.

"I think it's too early." Zheng Qiang sighed. "But you still have some hope, unlike us Kong faction, where I can only compete to become the left and right protectors in the future."

"It's alright, this is my junior brother!"

"It's alright, this is my brother!"

The two looked at each other and grinned.

This new wave of succession within the Kong school became the biggest variable in the kitchen of this banquet.

The group then sampled Snowflake Chicken Noodle Soup, a signature dish of the former Leming Restaurant. Since the unexpected passing of the previous generation's Lao Luo, no chef in Jiaozhou has been able to prepare it with such masterful skill.

Zhou Yan's Snowflake Chicken Noodle Soup was highly praised by all the masters present.

The technique of eating chicken without seeing any chicken, with a tender and smooth texture and not a single crumb, is truly amazing.

"The younger generation is truly formidable. With such culinary skills, you could easily find a place in Chengdu," Yue Guolong said, putting down his spoon and looking at Zhou Yan.

"You flatter me, sir," Zhou Yan quickly replied.

He had just picked up a piece of beef head, a golden-yellow beef head with a reddish sheen, which appeared translucent amber under the light. It trembled slightly when he picked it up, and the soup on top was thick and glossy, full of collagen.

Exquisitely crafted, like a work of art.

It has a rich and mellow aroma that is not greasy, and a fresh and fragrant smell.

The beef head meatball had a soft, chewy outer layer like tendon, tender yet firm, and melted in the mouth. One bite and Zhou Yan was completely mesmerized by the aroma.

The savory flavor explodes on the tip of the tongue, the gelatinous texture sticks to the lips, and chewing it feels like your mouth is full of collagen, with a slightly sweet aftertaste.

This is Zhou Yan's second time eating beef head soup. He had tried it once during a restaurant visit, but this should be the first time he has encountered such an authentic preparation method.

Niu Tou Fang is made with the skin from the top of a water buffalo's head, a unique ingredient that requires considerable skill to prepare.

Beef head skin itself has no fresh or fragrant flavor; it is enhanced with ingredients such as chicken broth, ham, pork hock, and dried scallops.

Simmering over low heat for five or six hours softens the beef skin, allowing the collagen to dissolve without disintegrating, and fully absorbing the umami flavor of the rich broth.

Finally, reduce the sauce until it thickens and coats the beef head skin.

This transforms an ordinary piece of beef head into a dish bursting with a unique and delicious flavor.

"The ox head stew you made is absolutely wonderful. Both the texture and the flavor have perfectly met my expectations for this dish," Zhou Yan said to Yue Guolong. It's a business transaction, after all, there has to be some back and forth.

"Want to learn?" Yue Guolong looked at him with a smile: "Go work at Rongcheng Restaurant, I recommend you. If you want to learn, I'll teach you how to make this 'Bull's Head Stew'."

"Huh?" Zhou Yan was a little confused. This kind of first dish at a banquet, even if it's not a closely guarded secret, would at least have some tricks up its sleeve, right? Why would they want to teach him right away?
"Yue Guolong, we've known each other for a long time. What are you trying to do? Try to undermine my Kong School?" Kong Qingfeng looked at Yue Guolong with some suspicion.

"Brother Kong, you're being narrow-minded. Zhou Yan is a fourth-generation disciple of your Kong school, I acknowledge that. I'm just trying to find him a good future. Rongcheng Restaurant is one of the four major restaurants in Rongcheng, large in scale, with many opportunities. Look at Yunliang, he's doing very well there." Yue Guolong said with a smile, "A talent like him shouldn't be buried in Jiaozhou. Going to Rongcheng Restaurant, there will be many opportunities, the salary will be high, and he might even have a chance to go abroad. Didn't Song Bo go to Rongcheng and show his skills, and then become famous?"

Kong Qingfeng glanced at him and nodded with a smile: "You're right, but Zhou Yan has to make the decision himself."

Xu Yunliang was about to take over as head chef of Leming Hotel back then, but this old guy tricked him into going to Rongcheng Restaurant. Of course, he's doing quite well now and has established himself at Rongcheng Restaurant.

However, Leming Restaurant lost an excellent head chef as a result, and has been relying on the legacy of the older generation of chefs from the Kong school for years.

But Zhou Yan is different. He is now self-employed and his restaurant is thriving. No matter how high the salary is at Rongcheng Restaurant, it certainly won't be as much as he earns on his own.

Yue Guolong's attempt to poach him to Chengdu is unlikely to succeed.

"Zhou Yan, what do you think?" Yue Guolong asked Zhou Yan with a smile.

"Uncle Yue, I'm sorry, but I run a small restaurant. My parents and two employees all depend on the restaurant for their wages, so I really can't leave." Zhou Yan said with a smile, "I appreciate your kindness."

"I see." Yue Guolong said with some regret, but stopped there and didn't say anything more.

After eating the beef head stew, Zhou Yan began to savor the braised meat in the jar in front of him.

Lu Xiaoji lowered her head to eat the snowflake chicken soup, but her eyes were fixed on Zhou Yan, and her expression was slightly nervous.

The dish "Tanzirou" is hailed as the "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" of Sichuan cuisine. In the open bowl in front of him, bright red broth coats small pieces of pork hock, sea cucumber, shark fin, dried scallops, and morel mushrooms, emitting a fragrant aroma.

Zhou Yan picked up his chopsticks and, with a slight effort, snapped a whole piece of pork knuckle in two. He picked up a piece; the knuckle, fried beforehand, had a tiger-skin-like skin, coated in a thick broth, and the shimmering gelatinous texture under the light was incredibly tempting. Simmered over low heat for eight hours, the pork knuckle's fat melted in his mouth, the skin was soft and tender, and the lean meat was succulent and not dry at all. The meat had absorbed the delicious broth, possessing a rich and savory aroma—the ultimate in deliciousness, a fusion of various ingredients.

After swallowing the braised pork knuckle, take a bite of the soft and tender sea cucumber, coated in rich broth. The sea cucumber, simmered to perfection, is incredibly delicious and flavorful.

Morel mushrooms are particularly good at absorbing broth, and the cooking time was well controlled, resulting in a slightly crisp texture.

Zhou Yan ate slowly, finishing the small bowl of meat in one bite.

Not even a drop of soup was left.

These are high-end ingredients that you can't usually afford to eat.

Dried scallops and sea cucumbers are quite expensive in Sichuan, which is located inland.

"This jar of meat smells amazing! It's a perfect blend of delicacies from land and sea, so delicious!" Zhou Yan looked at Lu Xiaoji and asked curiously, "Uncle Lu, how much did the ingredients for this jar of meat cost?"

Upon hearing this, many chefs cast curious glances at him.

Lu Xiaoji put down her chopsticks, straightened her back, and said with a smile, "This costs a lot. Five catties of pork knuckle, one chicken and one duck, half a catty each of sea cucumber and shark fin, as well as dried scallops, dried shrimp, ham, and ribs. All in all, this jar of ingredients alone costs fifty or sixty yuan."

"Fifty or sixty!" Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this.

Good heavens, making one batch of braised pork in a jar costs the equivalent of a worker's monthly salary of over ten years.

This only covers the cost of the ingredients.

When everyone looked at the pot of meat in front of them, they immediately paid more attention to it.

No wonder most restaurants don't make this dish. The cost is too high, and it takes too much time. If it doesn't sell well, the owner will lose money, let alone make a profit.

Lu Xiaoji was quite pleased with the shock of his colleagues and said with a smile, "We don't actually do this very often. It's usually only done when there's an important banquet like this and it's approved by the higher-ups."

"This kind of dish can't be made every day, otherwise who could stand it? It's too time-consuming and laborious. Making beef head stew is the same..."

As everyone began to chat, they ate and talked, discussing their culinary skills, and the atmosphere gradually became more harmonious.

Zhou Yan ate a lot and spoke little; he had come to broaden his horizons.

After the banquet, Zhou Yan was led to the tea room by Lin Qing. A middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes sat in the corner with a covered bowl of tea in front of him. Hearing footsteps, he turned around, stood up and said with a smile, "Hello, Master Zhou, my name is Zhuang Huayu. I was quite amazed by your braised beef, snowflake chicken soup and dry-fried rock carp earlier. I am honored to meet you. Thank you for your gracious invitation."

"Mr. Zhuang, you flatter me. My name is Zhou Yan. I am honored that you like my cooking." Zhou Yan shook hands with him, smiling, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Please continue your conversation," Lin Qing said, turning to leave and instructing the waiter to serve Zhou Yan a cup of Emei Snow Bud tea.

"Please sit down," Zhuang Huayu said.

"I wonder what business Mr. Zhuang has with me?" Zhou Yan sat down and looked at Zhuang Huayu.

Zhuang Huayu looked to be around forty-five years old. He had his hair slicked back, wore a dark blue suit and tie, and had a Rolex watch on his wrist. From his hair to the tips of his shoes, he exuded the air of a successful Hong Kong businessman.

"Chef Zhou is so young, yet his culinary skills are already so exquisite. His talent is truly amazing." Zhuang Huayu leaned back in his chair and looked at Zhou Yan with a confident smile on his lips. "I have six high-end restaurants in Hong Kong. I tasted three dishes made by Chef Zhou today, and they were quite amazing. I sincerely invite you to come to Hong Kong and become the head chef of my restaurant."

Zhuang Huayu got straight to the point, which surprised Zhou Yan. She didn't expect that coming to cook a dish would lead to her being recruited by BOSS Zhipin.

The head chef of a high-end restaurant in Hong Kong sounds quite tempting.

But he was the kind of man who had even turned down an invitation to become a partner at Duan Yuyan's restaurant, so a mere head chef position didn't even register on his mind.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Zhuang, but I am currently running my own restaurant and am not considering going to Hong Kong for the time being." Zhou Yan refused without hesitation.

When he went to Hong Kong, he was just a country bumpkin chef from the mainland, drifting aimlessly and working at the mercy of his boss.

But staying in Jiaozhou, he is the new face of the Kong school, a rising star in Jiaozhou's culinary scene, the manager of Zhou Erwa Restaurant, the founder of a century-old restaurant, and a source of family honor.

The villa overlooks the river; the parents are both alive, and there's also a lovely little sister.

This……

Need to consider?
Hesitating for even a second is disrespectful to all the hard work you've put in over this period.

"Not going?" Zhuang Huayu's smile froze. He sat up straight and looked at Zhou Yan, saying, "Perhaps Chef Zhou can listen to my conditions. If you are willing to go to Hong Kong as a head chef, I can help you with your visa. All food and accommodation will be provided, and I can offer you a monthly salary of three thousand yuan."

“I know that the best textile factory in your area only pays its workers a basic wage of thirty dollars a month. The wage I’m offering you is a hundred times that.”

"I believe you would find it hard to refuse such generous terms."

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(End of this chapter)