The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Fu Yu received the order and followed the anxious food runner to the front hall.

As they left the kitchen, the food runner sighed with relief and said urgently, ”Chef Fu, can we hurry a bit? Sister Gao is still waiting.”

Fu Yu, having been a newcomer himself, understood the other person’s feelings and nodded, ”Sure, let’s go.”

The food runner felt grateful and gave Fu Yu an extra glance.

Chef Fu is really nice!

Good-looking and easy to talk to!

[Ding! You have gained +5 favorability from the NPC food runner]

Upon hearing the sudden electronic notification sound in his ear, Fu Yu raised an eyebrow slightly and continued on his way to room 104 without missing a step.

...

Room 104.

Lv Tianyi tasted each dish in turn, and the smile on his face deepened.

He remarked with some emotion, ”This is the taste! I’ve been yearning for it for over twenty years, and now I finally get to eat it!”

Wang Peng laughed and chimed in, ”Whenever you want to eat it again, we can come here anytime. Today, thanks to your influence, we got to try something new too.”

Saying this, Wang Peng pointed with his chopsticks at the dish of butterfly shrimp and sea cucumber in front of him, ”I used to come to this place often, but it’s my first time having this dish! Look at the butterfly carved from shrimp, it’s lifelike!”

Someone next to him agreed, ”Exactly, I don’t think this dish has ever been on their menu, right? I’ve never seen it when ordering before.”

Lv Tianyi said with a smile, ”When we ordered earlier, the waiter mentioned that they stopped making this dish years ago, but they made an exception for me because the owner specially instructed them. I have to thank Deputy Director Wang; without your hospitality, I wouldn’t have tasted the flavor from memory.”

Everyone enjoys hearing good words.

Wang Peng laughed heartily and said politely, ”Oh, it’s nothing. You’re the guest of honor at this welcome banquet, as long as you’re satisfied.”

After saying this, Wang Peng remembered something and turned toward the door, calling out, ”Waiter!”

While waiting for the waiter to come in, Wang Peng said, ”I asked them earlier to check with the kitchen to see if they could make the ’Mock Crab’ in the old style, but no one has responded. I have to urge them again!”

Upon hearing this, Lv Tianyi quickly said, ”Forget it, the current method is actually quite delicious. They probably changed chefs.”

Wang Peng waved his hand, ”It’s no problem. I know the owner here. If you’ve had it before, they can definitely make it. Their chefs are still the same as before; none of the old ones have left, though there are many new additions.”

Hearing Wang Peng say this, Lv Tianyi didn’t stop him again.

To be honest, he wasn’t exactly sure about the ’Mock Crab’ anymore.

Back when he dined at Qianlima, this dish wasn’t considered a main course.

When ordering, it was usually the classic seafood dishes that were prioritized, while dishes like ’Mock Crab’ were just side dishes.

Occasionally remembering it, he’d order once to try, and then quickly forget it.

His memory of the dish was mainly about its presentation and flavor.

But the impression wasn’t very deep.

However, one thing was certain: back in those days, the presentation definitely didn’t include a full circle of green broccoli.

After all, vegetables like broccoli weren’t common back then, and even simple garnishes made the entire dish look elegant.

How could it be packed densely like this?

The waiter waiting by the door felt her temples throbbing at the call.

She instinctively glanced toward the stairwell; the food runner sent to the kitchen hadn’t returned.

The customers were now calling her, likely about the earlier issue.

The waiter braced herself and entered the room.

”Hello! How can I assist you?”

Wang Peng asked, ”Hasn’t the kitchen responded yet? Can they make this dish or not?”

The waiter explained helplessly, ”The person sent to the kitchen hasn’t returned yet, please wait a moment. Our chefs are all very skilled, as long as the dish is on the menu, they can make it.”

That’s the difference between old and new employees.

Old employees, no matter how flustered inside, show no sign of it on their face.

Whenever they speak, they make sure to absolve the restaurant’s responsibility first.

Wang Peng frowned, ”How long is a moment? Go and hurry them up again, or we’ll have finished eating our dishes already!”

The waiter agreed, ”Alright, sir, I’ll go right away to urge them.”

She quickly exited the room, still standing by the door, diligently sticking to her duties.

The restaurant had a clear rule; unauthorized absence from the post would incur a fine!

The runner assigned by leadership was the food runner; she hadn’t received such a directive and wouldn’t take a step away from the door without it.

However, despite the reasoning, there was still a slight feeling of unease.

If the customer stepped out now and saw her, it would be problematic...

So, when Fu Yu arrived with the food runner, the waiter greeted him with enthusiasm, as if seeing her own father.

”Chef Fu! You’ve come!”

Fu Yu nodded and was taken into the room by the waiter.

Upon entering, Fu Yu quickly surveyed the room, discovering that all the faces were unfamiliar to him. None looked familiar.

But with more experience under his belt, his observations had improved, and he could immediately tell that the two people at the main seats exuded an aura of importance.

The one in the middle was rather slim, dressed in high-fashion attire, and appeared distinguished.

The person accompanying him, wearing glasses, was dressed in a simple business style. The clothes weren’t particularly expensive, but his demeanor suggested leadership.

It’s likely a city leader hosting friends at this table.

Remembering the food runner mentioning earlier that the boss had instructed them to attend carefully to this table of guests,

Fu Yu quickly pulled back his gaze and introduced himself courteously and humbly, ”Sorry to disturb, I’m the chef here, my surname is Fu. I heard that the ’Mock Crab’ dish from the kitchen tasted slightly different from what you had before, so I came to find out the specific difference and how we can better prepare it for you again.”

Seeing the chef suddenly entering, everyone was momentarily stunned.

No one expected Qianlima’s chef to be so young, appearing to be just in his early twenties.

Not to mention, he was quite handsome.

The others were simply surprised by the young chef’s looks, without thinking too much.

However, Wang Peng’s face immediately darkened.

What was the owner of Qianlima thinking?

Earlier, he acted quite friendly in front of everyone.

Saying that they must treat this table well since they were his friends.

But when they made a simple request, he sent such a young chef just to make a perfunctory appearance!

Everyone knows Qianlima’s head chefs, one surnamed Zhao and the other Gu, are all in their forties.

In the kitchen, anyone this young is either a prep chef or an assistant.

And now this, sending a junior over, who are they trying to placate!