Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

First, some fragrant vinegar was poured on the table. Since it was in Fujian Province, Zhou Wen also prepared peanut sauce on the table.

Then add a little peanut butter, stir it all together, and I found that the flavor I made was actually pretty good, a bit sour with a peanut butter taste.

It's somewhat like a combination of another well-known Fujian dish: scallion oil noodles and peanut sauce noodles.

Since I'm a local, I'm naturally more used to the taste of peanut butter.

That's how I finished the bowl of hot dry noodles. Finally, I rinsed my mouth with the hot water from the shop.

To be honest, this bowl of hot dry noodles for five yuan was surprisingly filling. I've also tried the five-yuan bowl of oil-splashed noodles before, and although the portion was quite generous, I still needed a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) at the end.

The diner wiped his mouth, which was covered in sauce, with a tissue.

I probably won't try hot dry noodles for a long time, but maybe I'll suddenly crave them a few days later.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with the meal, as it was a type of food I had never tried before.

As for the issue of not being able to finish the noodles at the end because there were too many and some were lumpy, diners felt that this was completely unnecessary to worry about.

Or, if it's a problem caused by the large quantity, can it even be called a problem?

Nowadays, whenever Zhouji Restaurant launches a new dish, many diners will try it as soon as possible.

That's when the situation arose where some of the hot dry noodles were left over, and some bowls even had quite a bit left over.

This situation has not occurred since the restaurant reopened.

If we're talking about how unexpected it was, Zhou Wen wasn't really that surprised.

Is it because hot dry noodles don't taste good? Of course not.

Let alone these diners, even Zhou Wen might not be able to finish that bowl of hot dry noodles.

It's fair to say that some people might not be used to the food, and Zhou Wen's portion of hot dry noodles was indeed quite large.

However, Zhou Wen still needed to think of a way to improve the current situation.

"Shi Ying, have any customers complained about the hot dry noodles?" Zhou Wen asked after closing time.

Shi Ying shook her head and said, "No."

"I specifically asked some diners, and it seems that some people are not used to the taste, and the portion of noodles is also a bit too much. However, the diners all said that the taste is okay, and no one said that the taste was bad or that they couldn't eat it."

Zhou Wen nodded slightly.

Because the sesame paste was a bit thick, Zhou Wen planned to reduce the amount of sesame paste he used and replace it with peanut butter.

Peanut butter has a smooth and rich flavor.

This way, it's fragrant but not too dry, making it more palatable for local diners or those from other regions.

At noon, Zhou Wen planned to try to make some improvements, hoping to resolve the issue by the time the store opened in the afternoon.

"Not eating at a restaurant again today?" Zhou Wen asked, looking at Shan Wei.

Shan Wei lowered his head slightly, not daring to look at Zhou Wen.

One hand rubbed against the hem of his pants, while the other hand made a grasping motion in the air, clearly indicating some panic.

"Yes, boss. I've already made plans with my friends."

Zhou Wen thought about offering a few words of advice, but ultimately didn't say anything.

He didn't ask whether she was a male or female friend, since he was just Shan Wei's boss and they didn't have any special relationship.

In the end, he simply waved and said, "Don't be late this afternoon."

"Okay, sure," Shan Wei quickly replied, feeling a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

In fact, Zhou Wen's boss, Shan Wei, actually had a high opinion of him.

Of course, this applies to both Zhou Wen and Shi Ying.

You can feel the warmth of home at Zhouji Restaurant.

Although he hadn't done many jobs or met many people, Shan Wei knew in his heart that he was really lucky to have found Zhou's Restaurant.

Zhou Wen didn't rush in. He lit a cigarette outside the door and played with the rice ball.

After finishing his cigarette, he stood there for a while until the smell of smoke dissipated before going into the store.

Upon arriving in the kitchen, I prepared to modify the hot dry noodles according to my previous ideas.

To be honest, this change, by reducing the amount of sesame paste, makes a huge difference.

First of all, the color is no longer dull and dry.

Instead, it is a light brown, shiny, and oily color.

The dough was also much easier to mix than at the beginning.

"Shi Ying, have some." Zhou Wen gave Shi Ying some hot dry noodles.

"it is good."

Shi Ying picked up a mouthful of noodles, then placed her hand under her chin as if lifting it, and began to savor it.

"Boss, it's easier to eat than this morning, and it's not as dry."

Shi Ying frowned, clearly savoring the taste, and then picked up another mouthful of noodles.

"I think it also has a bit more peanut butter flavor."

Zhou Wen nodded, it seemed that the improvements had some effect.

Zhou Wen also picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. The most direct feeling for Zhou Wen was that it was not as dry as before.

The taste might not be entirely authentic, but it's definitely more palatable.

After the improvements, it is indeed much better than before.

We'll have to see how other diners reacted after they finished eating that afternoon to find out the specifics.

The store opens promptly at 4:55 PM, but Zhou Wen usually opens about five minutes early.

People have started to gradually enter the store.

There are generally many more diners in the evening than during the day.

Shi Ying was also introducing the new hot dry noodles that were available today to the customers in the store.

The diners looked at the two sauces listed after the hot dry noodles on the menu and were a little curious.

"Does this hot dry noodles come with different sauces?"

Shi Ying looked at the spot the diner was pointing to, leaned closer to take a look, and explained, "Because some diners aren't used to this kind of sesame paste, it dries out relatively quickly, so it gets a bit dry towards the end."

"If you use sesame paste, it's the authentic original flavor, while if you use peanut butter, it's the modified version, which you might find more palatable."

"The store suggested that peanut butter would be better."

After hearing Shi Ying's explanation, the diners hesitated for a moment.

There's definitely a reason why the store makes this recommendation, but everyone naturally wants the most authentic version to be the best.

In the end, the diner still chose authentic hot dry noodles. If they really couldn't get used to it, they could try again later. Of course, the first time should be the most authentic.

The final result was almost identical to that of the diner in the morning.

For someone who has never tried sesame paste before, the first bite is absolutely delicious, and they might even question whether the restaurant's recommendation was wrong. However, after a while, it does become quite difficult to swallow.

It wasn't that it wasn't delicious, but I suddenly couldn't eat anymore. I was only able to finish the whole bowl of hot dry noodles because of the soup.

The diner patted his stomach, surprised that a bowl of five-dollar hot dry noodles was so filling, and for a moment regretted not choosing the modified version of hot dry noodles.

However, after eating this bowl, I probably won't touch hot dry noodles again for a week.