The strongest anime shop owner

"What is that piece of meat...!?" With Mimasaka's movement, the piece of meat was completely exposed to everyone's view. For a moment, they couldn't recognize it, since the surface of the meat had been smoked until it was golden and crispy.

"Hahahaha...!!"

"It tastes so spicy and delicious, yet it's so intoxicating..."

"A unique smoky flavor from smoked ingredients!"

As soon as Mei Zuoang dragged the meat chunks onto the cutting board, a fragrant aroma filled the air.

"..." The previously silent Ibuzaki Shun, a smoke expert, knew what the ingredient was almost instantly upon smelling it: "It's bacon!"

"Wow...that's amazing!! This piece of meat is so thick!!"

"That's amazing... Look at that cross-section! It's so shiny!"

"Just looking at it makes me hungry..."

"But... isn't it supposed to be oxtail? If he's copying that transfer student's dish... why is he using bacon?"

As Mei Zuoang quickly cut the meat open, its interior was revealed. The red and white meat surface shone with an appetizing sheen, making it look incredibly tempting.

“If bacon is used in beef stew… then there’s only one answer…” Erina Nakiri stroked her chin, looking thoughtful, but quickly made her judgment: “That’s for the garnish… He plans to use bacon as a [garnish]! Especially Soma’s beef stew… His recipe is a simplified stew, and without a garnish, just sauce and beef would be very monotonous… so a garnish is essential!! It’s said that beef stew originated in the Burgundy region of France, and the [red wine beef stew] from that region always includes a garnish. Common garnishes include [fried bread slices], [onion slices cooked in butter], [sauced mushrooms]… and then… bacon!”

If Erina Nakiri could think of these things, then surely many others present would know what they were for.

"So... he's planning to use tender, juicy bacon to make a stew!?" Yoshino Yuuki asked with a puzzled expression, since she didn't know much about this situation and could only guess at that.

"Cut the bacon into thick slices... heat and stir-fry it in butter!! His cooking technique is still as swift and precise as ever...!" This way, the exposed meat side can be fried to be crispier and more tempting. Cutting it so thick is to ensure that the inside is tender and juicy, and to prevent the entire slice of meat from becoming crispy.

"Speaking of which, this smell is just too tempting! It clearly has a smoky aroma, but it's so intoxicating... What kind of smoking materials did he use?!"

When people smell that aroma, a large number of them are captivated by it because the scent is so tempting. Regardless of how well it is made, just smelling it makes them want to eat it. Therefore, many people are guessing what kind of smoking materials were used.

"I'm using - [Morphin Tree]...!" Misaka Subaru said, as if he had understood something.

"Mu...bean tree?" Upon hearing this name, Tadokoro looked puzzled, clearly having never heard of it before.

"Do you know?" Yoshino Yuuki asked Sakaki Ryoko, who was standing next to her. However, Sakaki Ryoko shook her head, clearly not knowing what it was either.

"It's a legume shrub native to South America - a smoking material that almost no one uses in Japan..." At this moment, Ibuzaki Shun, who had been quietly standing by, said. As a smoking expert, he obviously knew about this stuff. Although it was relatively obscure, it was not surprising that no one knew about it.

Meadowfowl: Originating in Duke, BBQ is a favorite smoker in the state! This plant has a strong aroma, making it suitable for meats with a strong, gamey smell, and it also gives the meat a beautiful golden-yellow coating.

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Chapter 208 Su Luo's Actions

"That's not all... I used a secret weapon during the marinating process... [brown sugar]!" However, Mimasaka Subaru, who was clearly not finished yet, said again.

Add brown sugar and spices such as sage, nutmeg, and bay leaves to the marinating liquid, and then marinate for a week... This will enhance the flavor of the ingredients several times over!

"What on earth is going on!? How could Mimasaka know so much about smoked dishes? His skills and knowledge are almost on par with Ibuzaki's!!" Yoshino Yuuki was quite shocked when she saw this. In fact, many people underestimated Mimasaka Subaru. Although Mimasaka Subaru always copied other people's dishes, this was only what people saw on the surface. In fact, his true skills did not belong to anyone else. As for why he had such skills and still copied other people's dishes, perhaps only he himself knew.

"Damn it..." Even the relatively calm Ibuzaki Jun cursed out, whether out of self-mockery or disapproval of Mimasaka Subaru's actions, it was hard to tell.

"Cut the bacon into thick slices, then stew it until tender... Add it to the stew along with the cooked oxtail and enjoy..." Mimasaka Ang said with a smug look on his face as he prepared the dish.

"That stuff...it must taste amazing!" Many people couldn't help but drool as they heard Mimasaka say that, clearly tempted by his words.

"On the other hand... Soma doesn't seem to have mentioned any special side dishes." When Kikuchi Orchard saw this, she noticed the drawback. If things continued like this, Soma would definitely be the loser.

“He probably just thinks the side dishes are an accessory, but for stewed beef, the side dishes are absolutely essential!” Kakuzaki Taki chimed in.

When she said those words, Hinako Inui, who was standing next to her, muttered in dissatisfaction, clearly unhappy with what Taki Kakuzaki had said.

"Oh dear, is there something you're unhappy about? Huh?" Looking at Hinako Inui's expression, Taki Kakuzaki felt an urge to use violence and said to Hinako Inui.

At that moment, Mizuhara Fuyumi's words came through: "Don't forget that you must conduct the review from a fair perspective."

However, when Hayatsuda saw this, he felt a sense of unease for some reason. Although Soma hadn't let him follow him after returning from Erina Nakiri's place, something still felt off.

"Oh...isn't this Hayatsuda Mitsuru? You should really pay more attention to your passwords in the future...using your birthday as a password is way too simple, isn't it?" Mimasaka said to Hayatsuda as he passed by.

"You peeked at... my computer!?" If Hayatsuda still didn't understand what was going on after hearing this, he would really be a pig. Just thinking about it made his face turn ugly.

“Although I have many other methods, this has saved me a lot of trouble. It’s all thanks to you.” After saying this, Mimasaka took the things and left, while Hayatsuda stood there frozen, clearly not expecting this to happen.

Seeing this situation, Soma was undoubtedly in a dilemma. If he continued to act this way, it would be tantamount to admitting defeat...

"Ah...! Look!"

"That's... it's oxtail meat! What is he trying to do? Could it be...?"

When they got to this point, Su Luo took out her own ingredients, which were still oxtail meat. When they saw this, many people were dumbfounded and had no idea what was going on. Was she planning a copy contest or something?

"They're...they're exactly the same?!"

Just as everyone was speculating, Su Luo lived up to everyone's expectations. She picked up a piece of oxtail and put it in a frying pan to fry, adding clover and black pepper, just like the two of them had done before.

"Since everyone is using oxtail meat, how can I be an exception?" Looking at everyone's expressions, Su Luo spoke up. The implication was that she didn't want to take advantage of anyone. Since everyone was using oxtail meat, let's settle this with oxtail meat!

"Look, he took out a lot of bottles..."

"What's in that bottle?!"

"This...it's all alcohol!!"

"And those seem to be other ingredients."

While the oxtail was being pan-fried, Su Luo took the opportunity to prepare some other things. At this time, Su Luo took out a large number of bottles and jars, as well as some other ingredients, such as milk, coffee, lemons, etc. After taking these things out, she separated them into several piles.

"What is this little brother doing?" When Ryoko Sakaki saw this, she was really confused. If it was for stewing, no one would believe it. After all, the ingredients were too much. If they were mixed together, the taste would be terrible. So even a fool would know that this could not possibly be used for stewing.

“I don’t know what this is for, but these things seem to be used to make cocktails, right?” said Shun Ibuzaki, who was standing to the side.

"Is this... a side dish for a cocktail...? While it's common to pair steak with red wine, using a cocktail like this as a side dish... seems a bit inappropriate, considering this is beef stew in red wine, which practically serves no purpose! And..." Upon seeing Su Luo take out so many ingredients, Erina Nakiri stroked her chin, her mind quickly making its own analysis, but... there were still many things she couldn't understand. If it were for making a cocktail... it seemed unnecessary to use so many ingredients, right?

"Huh!? What is Xiao Su Luo doing? Is she going to make a cocktail?" Many people thought the same thing as Erina Nakiri. When Hinako Inui, who was on the judges' table, saw this scene, she muttered to herself.

"I think... I guess so..." Even Dojima Gin said with some uncertainty in this situation. After all, this was what Su Luo wanted to do. No matter how good someone else's cooking skills were, it was impossible for them to see through everything. Otherwise, would they still be human? I'm afraid even a god couldn't guess it all.

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Chapter 209 Improvisation

"Hey! Little Su Luo is probably too young to have even drunk alcohol, how could she possibly make a cocktail?" At this point, Inui Hinako voiced her doubts, then her expression changed, she held her cheek, looked at Su Luo with an expression of enjoyment, and said, "However, I haven't seen my Su Luo for a while, she's still so cute."

Wow! This change in thought and attitude is too fast!

"You damn Inui! Shut up! Your babbling is so noisy!!" While Inui Hinako was talking nonstop, Kakuzaki Taki, who was standing to the side, couldn't take it anymore. A big 'well' sign appeared on her forehead, and she said fiercely to Inui Hinako.

"Your noise is disturbing other people." At this moment, Mizuhara Fuyumi's voice came again.

By the way, Hyuga Koko-san, didn't you notice that Mizuhara Fuyumi's words were actually subtly referring to you?

Okay! There's no way you could possibly know that, right?

While Su Luo and Mimasaka were proceeding smoothly, Soma seemed to be in trouble. At least, that's what everyone thought. The people in the Polaris dormitory all looked anxious. As for Hayatsuda, tears were already welling up in his eyes, and he was filled with endless self-blame. After all, if he hadn't done those so-called close-up interviews, none of this might have happened. This also showed how cunning Mimasaka was, not letting go of any opportunity. He was practically omnipresent. In any case, this happened in the end, and no matter how anxious or annoyed they were, it was useless.

Just as they were getting anxious for Soma, Soma didn't look anxious or nervous at all. It was unclear whether he was prepared or had already given up. At this moment, Soma took out an insulated box, looked up at Kakuzaki Taki not far away, and said, "You're Kakuzaki Taki-senpai, right?"

"Huh?" Seeing Soma suddenly speaking to him, Taki was momentarily taken aback. Although the words were polite, there was no respect in them. Seeing this, Taki clearly wasn't going to give Soma a friendly look, and thought to himself, "What is this guy?! How dare he talk to me so casually?!"

“I heard you discussing a lot about me just now. If you have any complaints, you can talk about them after I finish cooking!” Soma said, opening the insulated box on the table. His tone was ordinary, but it seemed to carry a sense of confidence and determination, which surprised Taki Kakuzaki.

"Cheek meat! Fin meat! Beehive of a bull-tongue snake!"

"He keeps taking out different parts of meat!? And then he starts putting them into the pot one by one!?" When Inui Hinako saw this, she was clearly very surprised and confused.

"What!? What is he planning to do!?" Kakuzaki Taki was also quite surprised by Soma's sudden action.

"Ahem, fellow examiners, I will now lead you to the [Beef Amusement Park] -" Soma took out various ingredients from the insulated box and then addressed the group.

"What...what's going on?!" Hayatsuda exclaimed almost immediately upon seeing this, because he knew all too well that Soma didn't use this ingredient in his dishes, so he was confused: "He should have used only oxtail meat during the trial!"

“You’re right, Chong!” Soma answered Hayatsuda decisively, without waiting for them to ask anything, and then looked at the ingredients on the table and said, “I just picked out and bought all this meat this morning!”

"!!?"

"Huh!? What does that mean!?"

"Does that mean he has to improvise everything from now on?!"

After hearing Soma's words, the audience erupted in an uproar. To them, the answer was simply too astonishing. They didn't know whether to call Soma bold or ignorant, because almost no one would do such a thing on such an important occasion. However, considering today's match, it was a very wise choice.

Actually, this was a choice made out of necessity, since continuing to do things step by step would have been a sure path to failure.

For a chef like Soma, improvisation is probably his greatest advantage, as can be seen from the competition he participated in during his training.

Soon, Soma took action.

"impromptu!!!

Beef tongue! Boil it in water until the outside starts to harden before peeling off the skin!

For coloring, I used smooth butter and refreshing olive oil!

The cheek meat is marinated in red wine, parsley, and bay leaves, then seasoned with salt and black pepper. Finally, it's coated in wheat flour and baked.

"Beef fin meat! After stewing it in a pot, put the pot in the oven! Set the temperature to 180℃ and bake on high for one hour!!" Soma thought to himself as he quickly started making it. The whole process was smooth and incredibly fast. It didn't seem like he was improvising at all, but rather like he had already prepared how to do it.

"Huh!? Really? This was all improvised?"

"Will all this stuff taste good?!"

"He brought out other meats! It was diaphragm meat!"

Soma's entire preparation process was incredibly fast, almost like an impromptu creation. Many people don't think this is a wise choice, since it's an impromptu creation, not a tasting, and the opportunity is essentially a one-time thing.

"what!?"

"Where is that guy planning to run off to?!"

After doing all that, Soma stroked his chin and thought for a moment. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and ran towards the lounge, not knowing what he was going to do.

"What?! So you were trying to run away?" As she watched Soma run off in that direction, Kakuzaki Taki said this almost immediately, indicating that Soma had already left a bad impression on her.

"Ah, he's back again."

"Charcoal stove!?"

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Chapter 210 Another Improvisation

After seeing what Soma brought over, many people were dumbfounded. What on earth was going on?

"Oh well, it's a good thing I moved it to the lounge beforehand." After putting down the charcoal stove, Soma squatted there and started a fire.