The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Dong Jun Tian didn’t expect Tang Jian to come today, planning to change the originally booked Mid-Autumn Festival feast into a three-course meal.

Actually, there’s nothing much about a customer changing their order at the last minute. As long as the kitchen can keep up, they can change it if they want.

The key is that the three-course meal is different from other feasts.

Though it’s called a three-course meal, in reality, each course has to be accompanied by four intermediate dishes, followed by a staple, and four kinds of dim sum.

The full feast consists of three major dishes paired with twelve intermediate dishes.

Moreover, the ingredients used are ones that Qianlima doesn’t normally use and must be pre-ordered several days in advance. The kitchen has to handle both the purchasing and preparation to ensure successful cooking and serving on the customer’s day of arrival.

Dong Jun Tian didn’t initially want to agree to this, but since Tang Jian came in person, he had to give a response; there was no getting around it.

So, he looked at Yao Shi: ”This is really tricky, but I have a good relationship with Old Tang. See if it can be arranged, otherwise just do as he says.”

Yao Shi, having worked with Dong Jun Tian for many years, could tell from his tone that the problem was being passed onto him.

Although Yao Shi managed the kitchen at Qianlima, the real boss was Dong Jun Tian.

Now that the boss had asked him to resolve the matter, he couldn’t shirk it. He had to come up with a way to smooth this out immediately.

Yao Shi called a waitress over and asked her to adjust the order at the front desk.

Tang Jian’s order was for 6:30 tomorrow evening, coincidentally in room 209.

After confirming the order’s timing, Yao Shi said to Tang Jian, ”This feast is hard to change. The three-course meal is a major affair, and the ingredients need to be prepared in advance. We’ve already prepared all the ingredients for tomorrow’s orders, and last-minute procurement won’t give us enough time to cook!”

Upon hearing this, Tang Jian’s face immediately darkened.

Dong Jun Tian also fell silent. Earning money from acquaintances is troublesome; it’s more work and harder to refuse.

For a moment, the room fell silent.

Yao Shi didn’t expect that in booking this feast, he’d come across an old friend of Dong Jun Tian.

Previously, Yang Zhifang had insisted on having Zhao Meng serve personally, using Dong Jun Tian’s connection to pressure him.

Now, here came Boss Tang.

This group is really hard to please!

This is what it’s like working for others.

If it were in a music restaurant, he’d already have a hundred ways to handle the situation smoothly.

As the atmosphere was about to become tense, Dong Jun Tian’s old habit kicked in. He had just hinted not to accept this, now he was giving a look that said: if it doesn’t work, just agree.

Yao Shi was so frustrated he felt like his liver was hurting.

After a while, Yao Shi said, ”How about this, President Tang, the dishes in the three-course meal aren’t fixed. If we can’t get some ingredients temporarily, we can make substitutions. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that this table will be both festive and plentiful, how about that?”

Dong Jun Tian nodded and said, ”Yao Shi makes a good point. After all, a clever housewife can’t cook without rice. If the ingredients aren’t fully prepared, even if we want to do it, we can’t. Let’s do this: have him help you design it, check the menu tomorrow, and if you’re satisfied, we’ll go with that!”

At this point, Dong Jun Tian had to step in and speak up.

Yao Shi had already done a great job smoothing things over. If he didn’t say anything now, the discussion about the feast could end poorly.

At this point, Dong Jun Tian suggested, ”By the way, we haven’t eaten yet. Let’s have them make two sample dishes from the three-course meal in advance for you to try. If you’re not satisfied, you can change them on the spot.”

Tang Jian thought about it, found the approach agreeable, and nodded in approval.

Yao Shi went back to the kitchen to ponder for a bit.

The three-course meal does have its intricacies: usually starting with seven cold platters, followed by a starter soup, then braised knuckle, sweet and sour rice...braised chicken chunks, meatball soup, ending with a sweet and sour soup.

Things like buns, braised meat in a pot, braised knuckle, and cold mixed dried bean curd sticks need to be prepared a day in advance.

As for the others, the restaurant does have some ingredients and can cobble together two dishes on short notice.

Yao Shi was reluctant to agree to change the feast mainly because the scale of the three-course meal was too large, causing delays.

Once this order was taken, one cooking station would be tied up for nearly two hours, unable to rotate orders.

Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival; there’s no need to imagine how busy it will be.

Dong Jun Tian was also concerned about this.

After all, someone like Tang Jian coming to dine, given the relationship, even if he insists on paying, he’ll definitely want a discount in the end.

There’s no joy like earning money from regular customers!

Business is about profit.

It’s an unavoidable thing.

Yao Shi picked through the current ingredients and isolated some courses from the three-course meal.

After all, there were only two people dining, Dong Jun Tian and Tang Jian—four dishes and a soup would suffice.

Mustard vermicelli, braised fish, braised ribs, sweet and sour peanuts, braised sea cucumber squid soup, with sweet and sour rice as the main course.

Primarily, buns from the three-course meal couldn’t be made on time by the white case group.

Yao Shi was about to start cooking when he suddenly remembered something, so he handed the order slip to Fu Yu.

”You’ve cooked these dishes before, right?”

Fu Yu glanced over and nodded: ”I have.”

They weren’t any of the restaurant’s special dishes, just ones occasionally ordered by customers, nothing too difficult.

Yao Shi said: ”Alright, then you take this order.”

Fu Yu didn’t think much of it; Yao Shi instructed, so he complied.

Yao Shi had an assistant go fetch a pound-and-a-half grass carp.

While the assistant handled the fish, Fu Yu began heating the pot to braise the ribs.

On one side, ribs were in the pot, while on the other, the assistant had the fish ready.

Fu Yu started by making a dish of sweet and sour peanuts, which was sent out by the food runner.

Then he began cooking the braised fish.

As the braised fish was plated, in the private room, Dong Jun Tian and Tang Jian were chatting as they ate the sweet and sour peanuts, which were so appetizing that when they felt hungry, the aromatic braised fish was also served just in time.

It was unclear if it was because they were hungry or if the chef’s skills were indeed excellent. The fish was cooked with tender, flavorful meat, salty and fragrant, and its glossy red color was very appetizing; it left a lasting impression after one bite.

Then the braised ribs were served.

After eating a lot of meat, a bit of oiliness was inevitable, so a dish of mustard vermicelli was brought up.

A bite of cool vermicelli cleared away the oiliness.

Just as their appetite was settling down, the delicious sweet and sour rice was brought up.

Tang Jian finished with a bowl of steaming braised sea cucumber squid soup, and with a satisfied burp, turned to Dong Jun Tian and praised, ”Chef Yao’s skill is truly unmatched! Speaking of this braised fish, during the holidays, my family often has it, both local and from elsewhere, and I’ve eaten plenty, but none match up to this one! Delicious, excellently cooked!”

Dong Jun Tian, feeling proud, laughed and said: ”Indeed, Yao Shi’s skills are authentic.”

At this moment, Gao Wenjing knocked and entered: ”Boss.”

Noticing it was Gao Wenjing, Dong Jun Tian saw she hadn’t come in further, clearly having something to say, so he bid Tang Jian a greeting and followed her out of the private room.

In a low voice, Gao Wenjing reported: ”Boss, President Li has arrived, and since Chef Yao is not in the kitchen, how should we arrange this?”

Dong Jun Tian was taken aback and asked: ”Where did Yao Shi go?”

Gao Wenjing replied: ”Chef Yao left with the procurement officer half an hour ago.”

Dong Jun Tian was suddenly surprised: ”He left half an hour ago? Then who cooked this meal?”

The food runner nearby answered: ”It was Chef Fu.”

Dong Jun Tian was stunned; so it was Fu Yu who had cooked the dishes?