Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

There are still empty seats on the first floor. As for why we went up to the second floor, it's because the second floor is relatively quieter, and since it's newly renovated, the overall environment is much better.

Zhou Wen also bought some green plants and placed them in some corners on the second floor to beautify the environment and purify the air.

"A bowl of those new noodles, and a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), with the crispy bun," Wu Bin said.

Many diners don't know what Tongguan steamed buns and Baiji steamed buns are called.

Most diners say the same thing: crispy steamed buns and white steamed buns.

Shi Ying nodded: "Okay, just a moment."

When the scallop and crab mushroom topping arrived, Wu Bin took a look at it.

The soup base is much bland and less flavorful than the soup base for shrimp and mushroom noodles.

However, there is a seafood aroma, though it's not very strong; you can smell it if you look closely.

Wu Bin stopped looking and started eating.

The first thing to do is drink the soup, then smack your lips and savor it.

The soup was indeed delicious, but the deliciousness was different from that of the shrimp and mushroom noodles. Wu Bin couldn't quite put his finger on why.

Besides being fresh, it's also mild, mainly because it's the natural flavor of the mushrooms and seafood.

Then I ate a scallop, which was indeed fresh and sweet, and quite large.

Crab mushrooms have the most ordinary mushroom flavor, crisp and smooth, with a natural crab meat aroma.

However, the flavor of this noodle dish was rather bland, according to Wu Bin after tasting it.

This meal wasn't particularly satisfying, nor was it terrible; it was a fairly healthy meal, but thankfully it came with a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).

After finishing my meal, I sat for a while in the air conditioning before leaving the restaurant...

……

The opinions on this scallop and crab mushroom noodle soup are really polarized.

Local diners, or those who prefer a lighter diet, absolutely adore this scallop and crab mushroom noodle soup.

However, those diners who prefer slightly stronger flavors didn't like this bowl of noodles very much, as it was far too bland.

This scallop and crab mushroom noodle soup is arguably the most controversial dish at the restaurant to date.

People who like you really like you, and people who don't like you just won't like you no matter what.

As for whether this problem needs to be solved, absolutely not.

After all, there's chili oil and white pepper powder on the table, so diners can adjust the flavor themselves if they feel it's too bland.

At noon, Shi Ying also mentioned this: "Boss, it seems that many customers are not very satisfied with the new noodles."

This is actually quite different from the situation with cold noodles back then.

Cold noodles are popular because some people aren't used to them, and as temperatures start to rise, everyone finds that a bowl of cold noodles is simply the perfect treat on such a hot day.

Ultimately, it's because everyone's expectations were too high; they wondered what the restaurant would come up with this time.

Zhou Wen also felt somewhat helpless. To say the taste was bad, it was actually quite good; it was just that some of the flavors weren't to his liking.

We can only pin our hopes on the next dish, since summer vacation is almost over and we really need a more substantial dish to wrap things up.

……

Time flies, and it's been a while since the Scallop and Crab Mushroom Noodles were first released.

Although the scallop and crab mushroom noodles were controversial a while ago, sales were actually quite good, since there are still quite a few local diners.

With only ten days left of summer vacation, Zhou Wen planned to finish the summer with a particularly impressive dish.

With crayfish and bullfrogs already prepared, Zhou Wen decided to start with fish for the last dish.

There are many ways to cook fish, such as steaming, pan-frying, etc. Zhou Wen plans to cook it by boiling, but not boiled fish, but sour soup fish.

Sour soup fish is also a very famous local specialty in Guizhou.

Since Zhou Wen and Shi Ying are now neighbors, they go to the restaurant together every morning to carry the various meats and vegetables that are delivered into the kitchen.

Then I went grocery shopping with them.

After a period of time, the Shi sisters gradually recovered their energy.

"Boss, can this new product be made this morning, or wait until noon?" Shi Ying asked, and there was a reason for it.

If it can be made in the morning, it's a staple food; if it's made at noon, it's a side dish.

"noon."

When Shi Ying heard that it was made at noon, her eyes lit up.

"What dishes are you planning to cook, boss?" Shi Ying asked.

"Fish in Hot and Sour Soup."

"Pickled fish?" Shi Ying didn't hear clearly at first.

"It's not pickled cabbage, it's sour soup," Zhou Wen corrected Shi Ying.

"What's the difference?"

"The difference is quite significant; you'll see after you eat it at lunchtime."

Shi Ying pouted slightly, feeling a little down at the thought of having to wait until noon to eat.

Shi Ying didn't dwell on it any longer: "Boss, where is this food from?"

Perhaps it was because such an opportunity was rare, or perhaps it was because becoming neighbors brought everyone a step closer, that Shi Ying asked this question.

"From Guizhou."

The two continued walking, answering each other as they went.

Shi Ying raised her head slightly, her mouth slightly open: "So it's the food from over there."

"Boss, is Guizhou fun?"

"Is all the food there good?"

Shi Ying asked several questions in a row, and Zhou Wen answered them one by one.

The two talked like this, and then they arrived at the market.

For making sour fish soup, Zhou Wen chose black carp.

As for the reason, the black carp has relatively small bones, with only one main bone in the middle.

Furthermore, its firm texture makes it perfect for cooking as fish fillets.

The price of black carp is seven yuan per catty, which is slightly more expensive than that of carp and grass carp.

Zhou Wen didn't buy much; he just bought one and planned to make it when he got back at noon.

When they returned to the restaurant, Shi Ling was already there.

There was breakfast on the table.

Once everyone had arrived, Zhou Wen made an announcement.

"The restaurant will be closed for three days in early September." Zhou Wen informed the restaurant staff of this in advance.

Even Shi Ying's eyes lit up when she heard that she could rest.

Shi Ling's lips also involuntarily curled slightly upwards on one side.

Dan Wei was so excited he almost shouted it out, but he immediately suppressed his smile because Zhou Wen was there.

Zhou Wen found it somewhat amusing at first, but he could also understand Shan Wei's situation.

There are no food delivery platforms like these now; people eat out by going out.

The restaurant is always packed with diners, and there are at least dozens of delivery orders every day.

Sometimes, when the number of orders increases slightly on weekends, there is absolutely no time to rest when we get back to the restaurant.

Although it's a high-paying job, it would definitely be unsustainable to keep working like this.