The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 450 The Restaurant's Strange Attitude
"Is there a problem with the waiter?"

Upon hearing Tang Yu's words, Qin Lang and the other two simultaneously showed expressions of surprise.

“I think this waiter is really nice,” Zhao Qian couldn’t help but say. “He even offered to let us order more if we weren’t full.”

"There are very few waiters like this."

“Indeed.” Qin Lang nodded. “I was even planning to give him a good review. Is there something I missed?”

"Hmm..." Tang Yu hesitated for a moment, "I can't really explain it, it might just be a gut feeling."

"When Qin Lang ordered all the expensive signature dishes, the waiter seemed a little nervous."

"When Cao Dongdong mentioned that he wanted four servings of each of the signature dishes, the waiter became even more nervous and interrupted him."

"Besides, when Zhao Qian was ordering, the waiter was also a bit nervous, but when I was ordering, he was the most relaxed."

"Zhao Qian, what did you order?" Qin Lang couldn't help but ask.

"I only ordered a few dishes that looked good," Zhao Qian said subconsciously, then realized something, "but one of them was quite expensive, it seemed to cost more than five thousand."

Qin Lang's gaze then turned to Tang Yu.

"I ordered four dishes, all under a thousand yuan."

Tang Yu marked the dishes she had ordered on another menu.

"Could it be because of the price?" Cao Dongdong looked puzzled. "The more expensive the price, the more nervous he becomes?"

"But why? Restaurants open for business to make money, right? The more expensive the dish, the more money they make!"

"I don't know about that," Tang Yu shook her head. "I'm just stating my feelings. Besides..."

"There may be other reasons why we were seated in the private box."

"You'll understand when the food arrives," Qin Lang said slowly.

In his previous life, he had worked as a head chef in many high-end restaurants and had heard about the various behind-the-scenes tricks of the catering industry.

He had already begun to have some guesses after contacting Tang Yu.

However, we need to wait for the dishes to arrive and taste them before we can confirm this.

Although Hai Ba Wang was very popular, the speed of serving food was not affected. Qin Lang and the others did not have to wait long before the first signature dish was served to them.

"Rose-baked abalone with salt, please enjoy~"

With a shout from the waiter, a plate of abalone dish placed on pink rose salt appeared before Qin Lang and the others.

"Wow!" Zhao Qian exclaimed excitedly, "It looks exactly like the picture, it's so beautiful!"

As she spoke, she couldn't resist picking up a palm-sized abalone and placing it in her bowl.

The abalone, scored with decorative cuts, was glistening with thick broth, glistening under the light. The rich, savory aroma wafted over, making Zhao Qian, who was already starving, drool.

"It looks delicious, I won't be polite!"

As she spoke, Zhao Qian gently cut off a piece with a knife and put it in her mouth. After chewing it a couple of times, she showed a happy expression. "Mmm, so delicious!"

“Indeed.” Cao Dongdong nodded in agreement, having already devoured a third of the two large abalone in front of him.

Tang Yu on the other side did not speak, but the knife and fork in her hand never stopped.

Only Qin Lang slowly put down his knife and fork after taking a bite.

He chewed the crisp, tender abalone meat, but his eyes fell on the waiter who stood there with his hands clasped.

Having received Tang Yu's earlier reminder, he clearly sensed that the other person's attention was almost entirely focused on him while they were tasting the dish. After actually tasting Hai Ba Wang's signature dish, Qin Lang understood why the other person was so nervous.

As Cao Dongdong and Zhao Qian said, the seasoning of this dish is indeed impeccable, and the chef who cooked it must have considerable culinary skills.

just.

No matter how good the seasoning is, it cannot cover up the flaws in the ingredients themselves.

Qin Lang picked up the menu, glanced at it, and calmly said, "The menu says that this dish uses Lace Abalone from Qili Bay."

"This type of abalone is known for its semi-transparent, lace-like skirt, which has a delicate and bouncy texture and a unique flavor."

"The ingredient you actually chose is abalone with a floral skirt shape."

"Although they look similar, the two have a significant difference in taste and texture. More importantly, the price of the flower skirt abalone is only one-third of that of the lace abalone."

Hearing Qin Lang's words, the other three silently put down their chopsticks.

The wrong ingredients?

The three of them didn't taste it at all!
"Bang!" Cao Dongdong slammed his hand on the table. "Call your manager over here! We need an explanation for using inferior goods!"

"Please don't be angry, sir." A bead of cold sweat slid down the waiter's forehead; he was inwardly groaning.

Although they were already on high alert because of the other party's identity as a spirit chef, they never expected that there would be a problem with the very first dish.

"I'll call the manager right away, please wait a moment."

"Regarding the issue of the dishes, our restaurant will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation!" he said, bowing ninety degrees, then gently closing the door of the private room and turning to leave.

Even Cao Dongdong and Zhao Qian noticed the problem.

"This guy must know everything about the ingredients." Zhao Qian snorted in dissatisfaction, but when she turned her head, she saw Qin Lang calmly tasting the abalone.

"...Didn't you say they were using inferior materials?"

"Using inferior ingredients doesn't mean poisoning the food." Qin Lang shook his head. "Besides, the chef at this restaurant is really good at cooking."

"This sauce-making skill must have taken at least ten years of practice."

"The flaws in the abalone's ingredients were almost completely concealed." Qin Lang paused here.

"Besides, even if I hadn't said anything, you hadn't experienced any problems with the food, right?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Dongdong and the other two immediately joined in eating.

There's no way around it, this abalone is just so delicious!

"Remember to leave one, so that they won't deny it if you eat it all."

Qin Lang gave a word of advice, then cut the abalone in front of him into small pieces and placed them on Danbao and Lala's plates.

Seeing the two little ones huddled together enjoying their meal, occasionally whispering to each other, Qin Lang's mood improved considerably.

The door to the private room reopened, and a well-dressed, refined man walked in slowly, followed by the waiter from before.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. I am Song Yu, the deputy manager of this restaurant." The man said with a smile. "The manager is currently out of town, so I am temporarily in charge of the operation of this restaurant. We have received your feedback on the issue of the ingredients, and this is indeed an area where we have not done our job properly."

"Our restaurant is willing to waive the cost of your meal and provide double compensation. What do you all think?"

As Song Yu finished speaking, the private room suddenly fell silent.

Without making excuses or being stubborn, they directly admitted the restaurant's mistake, readily waived all charges, and even offered double compensation!

(End of this chapter)