Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

Chapter 88 Review

"It's definitely not just that!"

With a serious expression, Kikuchi Sonoka said in a very confident tone, "The flavors of the three ingredients in this dish blend together very harmoniously."

"However, this is not a simple layering of flavors."

Kikuchi Sonoka gently lifted her hand from the table, tapping her fingers on the surface, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Whether it's beef, bamboo shoots, or green peppers."

"The flavors of these three ingredients have not been diminished in order to maintain the overall harmony of the dish."

""

"on the contrary!"

Kikuchi Yoko's eyes narrowed, and her voice suddenly rose.

"The flavors of these three ingredients have been forcefully brought out by a rather violent method!"

""

"To be able to bring out the flavor of ingredients through vigorous stimulation while also achieving harmony in texture and taste between different ingredients is no easy feat!"

Kikuchi Enka dipped a little persimmon sauce in her mouth and savored it carefully.

"This persimmon sauce is exceptionally well-made, its rich flavor enveloping all the ingredients and setting a perfect tone for the entire dish."

"But besides the persimmon sauce that coats all the ingredients, there's another key to this dish: the intense heat throughout the entire cooking process!"

As she said this, Kikuchiko rested her chin on her hands, her expression becoming somewhat serious, and her voice lowering.

"With its frighteningly intense firepower and overwhelmingly dominant stance, it forcefully controls the texture and flavor of all ingredients, harmonizing them into a unified whole..."

'

"hehe!"

Kikuchi Sonoka suddenly chuckled, looked up at Lin Yu who was still busy in the distance, and a hint of admiration appeared in her eyes.

"This method is incredibly violent!"

"Lin Yu, it's really amazing that you dared to use it in the assessment, and you used it flawlessly."

"You've got guts!"

"However, even I have to admit I was quite shocked~"

"This firepower is intense, effective, and astonishing!"

Kikuchi Sonoka suppressed her emotions and suddenly let out a long sigh.

Wow! These current freshmen are really something else!

"I think I graduated only a few years ago, right?"

"Are the current first-year students in school really this monstrous?"

Kikuchi Sonoka's long string of self-talk made Hisako Shinoto's eyelids twitch, and she could barely maintain her composure.

Looking at Hisako Shinoto in front of her, Chika Kikuchi revealed a mischievous smile, then suddenly changed the subject.

"However, my previous assignment required that each dish must use at least two kinds of fruit, right?"

"Bamboo shoots and green peppers certainly don't count as fruits, but in this sauce, I only tasted persimmon as a fruit."

Upon hearing her mentor suddenly say such a thing, Hisako Shinoto became anxious and hurriedly tried to explain.

But before Hisako Shinto could speak, seeing her anxious expression, Chika Kiku was immediately amused.

"Junior, you're so easily teased!"

Kikuchi Yoko laughed out loud.

"You're Hisako Shinto, right? Don't be in such a hurry, don't worry!"

"I'm a graduate of Totsuki Academy, after all. I wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for you."

"Since I was invited to be a mentor for the joint residential training program, my sense of taste can't be that bad."

Hearing this, Hisako Shinoto breathed a sigh of relief, but looking at the teasing expression on Sonoko Kikuchi's face, and remembering her embarrassing state just now, she felt both ashamed and angry, and lowered her head with a blush.

"Damn it!" Hisako Shinoto muttered under her breath, "This is so embarrassing..."

'

Seeing Hisako Shinto's embarrassed and indignant expression, Chika Kikuchi cheerfully picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth with a smile.

"I can taste that inside the beef, besides the beef's own deliciousness, there is also a strange fruity aroma, which is a completely different flavor from the rich sweetness of persimmon."

"Furthermore, the beef in this dish is so tender and juicy, which is probably due not only to the short cooking time and high heat that locks in moisture, but also to the use of fruit marinating, right?"

Kikuchi Sonoka rested a finger on her chin, looking puzzled.

"I can tell that this is some kind of refreshing, mild-tasting fruit."

"However, after such intense high-temperature stir-frying, even I can only taste a hint of refreshing fruity aroma, but I can't tell what kind of fruit it is."

Kikuchi Sonoka looked at Shinoto Hisako with wide, curious eyes.

Can you answer my question?

"certainly!"

Upon hearing her instructor's question, Hisako Shinoto didn't forget her duty. She immediately suppressed her embarrassment and replied earnestly, "The fruit used to marinate the beef is kiwi!"

"Kiwifruit? No wonder!"

Upon hearing this answer, Kikuchi Sonoka gently covered her mouth, and immediately showed a look of sudden realization.

"indeed!"

Kiwifruit does indeed have the effect of softening meat.

"Moreover, the refreshing sweetness of kiwifruit pairs perfectly with the savory flavor of beef!"

With her confusion resolved, Kikuchi nods and looks at Hisako Shinomiya with admiration in her eyes.

"Kiwi fruit with beef is not a very common combination. It's amazing that your group came up with this idea."

Kikuchi Enka was clearly interested in the combination of beef and kiwi and gave it his approval.

Faced with her mentor's praise, Hisako Shinto rubbed her hands together a little shyly, but didn't hide the truth.

"Actually... this was all Lin Yu's idea!"

"I just assisted him; I didn't do anything of value."

Hearing Hisako Shinto's somewhat self-deprecating words, Chika Kiku gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"Junior, there's no need to be so self-deprecating!"

Kikuchi Sonoka tried to encourage the other person and boost their confidence.

"Have some confidence!"

"In cooking, a good assistant is extremely important! They can even influence the chef's performance and ultimately affect the quality of the finished dish!"

Hisako Shinto's emotions come and go quickly.

Encouraged by Kikuchi Sonoka and feeling the gentleness and sincerity in her words, she chuckled.

"You flatter me! I'm not as amazing as you say!"

Seeing Hisako Shinodo regain her composure, Chika Kiko shook her head with a smile.

"Really? I don't think so."

"And I believe your partner thinks the same way, right?"

Hearing this, Hisako Shinoto pouted and blurted out instinctively, "Hmph! That annoying guy wouldn't do that."

""

"certainly!"

The sudden sound from behind interrupted Hisako Shinoto's words, startling her so much that her heart almost jumped out of her throat.

In contrast, Kikuchi Sonoka, a young graduate of Totsuki Academy and the instructor for this residential training program, always seemed to have that gentle, smiling face that made people feel good and comfortable.

It's as if she'll never get angry.

Kikuchi Sonoka watched Lin Yu walk toward the podium, covered her mouth with her hand, and chuckled softly.

"So, Lin Yu agrees with what I just said?"

"Yes, Professor Kikuchi."

Lin Yu stopped next to Hisako Niito, glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and then looked at Sonoka Kikuchi, giving her a perfectly timed, friendly smile.

"Although Hisako has a bad temper and loves to talk back to me."

"What did you say?!"

Ignoring the fiery glare from Hisako Shinto beside him, Lin Yu continued, "However, purely from the perspective of an assistant, she is still extremely capable!"

"Although she can be harsh with her words, she is still willing to follow orders and do things obediently once I give them."

"He does have the attitude, or rather the awareness, of an assistant."

"Moreover, she has a good foundation in cooking, and she can complete any task assigned to her without any mistakes."

Lin Yu looked at Hisako Shinto beside him, "In short, Hisako is an excellent assistant!"

Lin Yu's string of compliments made Hisako Shinto, who was standing next to him, feel embarrassed.

"You infuriating scoundrel, why are you suddenly talking like that..."

19

Hisako Shinto, her cheeks flushed, muttered something under her breath.

Am I as good as you say...?

""

"I'm finally praising you!" Lin Yu said in a low voice. "Just listen to it."

After saying that, Lin Yu looked at Kikuchi Sonoka and bowed slightly.

"Thank you so much, Professor Kikuchi, for your encouragement and praise of Hisako. I'm sure your words have left a deep impression on her."

Kikuchi waved her hand with a grin, "Ugh! Lin Yu, just call me 'senior,' calling me 'mentor' makes you sound old-fashioned!"

"Then I'll accept your offer, Kikuchi-senpai," Lin Yu said with a smile.

"Shinobu-kun."

Kikuchi Sonoka looked at Shinoto Hisako and chuckled, "You've met a very good partner!"

Hisako Shinoto didn't speak. Because she was looking down, Lin Yu and Sonoka Kikuchi couldn't see her expression. They could only hear a faint "hmm".

Seeing Hisako Shinto's reaction, Sonoka Kikuchi suddenly smiled, then put away her thoughtful expression and looked at the dish Lin Yu was holding.

The plate was covered with a lid, completely obscuring the contents and making it impossible to see what the food inside looked like.

"So, this is the third dish that Lin Yu prepared for me?" Kikuchi Sonoka asked curiously.

"Yes!"

Lin Yu nodded.

"However, this is a dessert."

"So please try the apple stewed pork chop in front of you first, and then enjoy this dessert to finish off. The overall flavor will be more harmonious and the experience will be better."

"Okay, I'll do as you say, junior."

Thank you for your understanding!

Lin Yu stepped forward, placed the covered plate on the podium, then stepped back and stood side by side with Hisako Shinto.

"Hisa sand?"

Lin Yu called out to Hisako Shinto in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper.

"What are you doing?"

Hisako Shinoto also lowered her voice.

Lin Yu looked at her with a smile, a hint of teasing in his eyes.

"I helped you get through the checkpoint, and this is how you repay me?"

"What do you mean by that?"

Lin Yu winked at her, reminding her, "What you said before I interrupted you!"

"Don't think I didn't hear you. You're probably trying to say bad things about me, aren't you?"

Hisako Shinto glanced at Chika Kiku out of the corner of her eye and, noticing that Kiku wasn't looking in their direction, turned her head, gave Lin Yu a fierce glare, and then turned her head away.

"Isn't what I said the truth?"

Lin Yu immediately retorted with dissatisfaction, "What facts? It's clearly a slander!"

"Besides, you can't say that in front of my senior! That would damage my image."

Hisako Niito wasn't afraid at all, and rolled her eyes at him, "Anyway, you're annoying enough!"

"Are you this short-tempered in front of Erina always?"

"How could that be?" Hisako Shinoto said with an air of utter certainty. "You, comparing yourself to Erina-sama? You really think highly of yourself! Humph!"

"I just realized how sharp-tongued you are! Your sharp tongue is almost as sharp as Erina's." Lin Yu retorted without any politeness.

Hisako Niito immediately became agitated, "You're not allowed to talk about Erina-sama like that!"

"Just you wait, I'm going to tell Erina on you."

"Tch! Go ahead and sue me!"

Hisako Shinoto wasn't afraid at all; instead, she wore a smug expression.

"I'm Erina-sama's assistant, so she'll definitely side with me! She won't believe a jerk like you who only knows how to annoy her!"

Faced with Hisako Shinto's retort, Lin Yu rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Tsk, this is boring..."

'

If it weren't for the special circumstances at this moment, with the instructor still on the stage reviewing their group's cooking, Lin Yu would definitely make Hisako Shinto understand the true meaning of the phrase, "Why are the flowers so red?"

Seeing Lin Yu's discouragement, Hisako Akito felt a strange sense of joy.

"You're so infuriating, you can't argue with me, can you?"

77

The whispers between Lin Yu and Hisako Shinto were half low-pitched banter and half eye contact.

Even though Kikuchi Sonoka was right next to her on the podium, the commotion between the two of them did not attract her attention.

At this moment, her attention was completely focused on the stewed pork chops with apples in front of her.

In the center of the pristine white plate sits a meticulously seared pork chop, its exterior slightly charred, paired with an amber-colored sauce, giving it an enticing golden-brown appearance.

However, in stark contrast to its golden appearance, the cross-section of the pork chop reveals a tender pink color.

At this moment, clear gravy is seeping out from the gaps in the cross-section of the meat.

The plate is lined with thick slices of cooked apples at the bottom, topped with an amber sauce, and surrounded by very thin slices of fresh apples.

The three items surround the pork chop in the center of the plate, looking incredibly tempting.

Kikuchi Enka gently sniffed the fragrance wafting in the air.

The aroma of fruit mixed with the scent of meat wafted into Kikuchi Sonoka's nose, instantly making it feel pleasantly itchy.

Pineapple, apple, longan...

"Kikuchi Sonoka narrowed her eyes slightly, a blissful smile on her face."

"The aroma of fruit has completely permeated the pork!"