The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 539 Eating so well behind my back?
"You must be tired at noon, come and have something to eat with us."

With a hint of concern in Qin Zhongguo's voice, a large plate of fragrant fried rice appeared in front of Qin Lang.

Lunchtime was over, and everyone in the kitchen could finally catch their breath.

"Everyone's worked so hard, we're nothing," Qin Lang said politely, taking the fried rice with a surprised look on his face. "This is..."

"Brother Qin Lang, you have to try this." A kitchen helper held up a large plate of the same fried rice and said with a smile, "This is Chef Qin's specialty seafood fried rice. Even diners outside can't get it!"

"Only those of us in the kitchen get to eat this as a work meal once in a while. Today, we're probably just getting a treat because of the three of you!"

As he spoke, the kitchen helper scooped up a large spoonful and put it in his mouth, a look of satisfaction on his face. "It's so satisfying to eat this on an empty stomach."

"Yes, yes, if I had known we'd have this treat for lunch today, I would have eaten on an empty stomach this morning," another kitchen helper chimed in with a laugh.

"It's not that exaggerated." Qin Zhongguo shook his head. "It's just something made with leftover ingredients and scraps from the customers' dishes."

"This isn't something you can just make casually." Qin Lang scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth, then shook his head after hearing Qin Zhongguo's self-deprecating words.

"The flavors of all kinds of seafood have been completely integrated into the rice. There is no conflict between the flavors, and the taste is exceptionally harmonious. In my opinion, this seafood fried rice is even better than the signature dishes you cook, Chef Qin."

"Really?" Qin Zhongguo was taken aback, clearly not expecting Qin Lang to say that. "Speaking of which, I have indeed been making this seafood fried rice for many years."

“I was born in Guanling City and started learning to cook when I was eleven years old. I was in contact with all kinds of seafood ingredients the most. From the beginning as a kitchen helper to later becoming a head chef, almost every day, my working meals consisted of seafood scraps left over from the diners in the restaurant.”

"It's been several decades now."

At this point, Qin Zhongguo sighed.

“Learning to cook is tiring, and working in the kitchen is even more tiring, so I don’t want to make my work meals too complicated. Simple food like fried rice is the most suitable.”

"However, such dishes are ultimately not presentable."

"That's why I've never added it to the menu."

"After all, diners have come all this way hoping to taste high-end and exquisite dishes, not just fried rice that you can get at any roadside stall."

"That's hard to say." Qin Lang shook his head. "I won the championship in the Tianhua Prefecture Youth Cooking Competition with fried rice."

"Moreover, my first food spirit is fried rice."

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at Danbao, who was standing beside him. Danbao was staring intently at the seafood fried rice on his plate, his mouth practically watering.

"Eat up, eat up." Qin Lang chuckled and gave some fried rice to Danbao and Lala. "You two have worked hard today too."

Two food spirits pounced quickly, and after taking a bite, their eyes lit up, and they both sped up their eating.

Turning his gaze back to Qin Zhongguo, who looked thoughtful, Qin Lang chuckled and said, "Chef Qin, it seems that Hai Ba Wang's menu doesn't have many staple foods."

"That's because very few people who come to such high-end restaurants eat rice." Qin Zhongguo said subconsciously, glancing at the rice cooker not far away. The large pot of rice inside was enough for at most a few dozen people, but there was still more than half left.

This is also why he likes to eat fried rice as his work lunch.

It's a shame that the rice used in high-end restaurants is of such high quality, yet the rice cooked every day is simply wasted.

“High-end seafood dishes and rice don’t really go well together.” Qin Lang shook his head, then pointed to the plate. “But if it were this seafood fried rice, I think diners might like it.”

"So, how about giving it a try?" "I think Brother Qin Lang makes a lot of sense." A kitchen helper couldn't help but chime in, "Chef, your seafood fried rice is really delicious."

"Yes, it's such a shame that only those of us in the kitchen can get our hands on this kind of fried rice," another kitchen helper said with a smile. "This kind of fried rice made from seafood scraps isn't too expensive, and I hope my family can try it too!"

As more and more kitchen staff spoke up, Qin Zhongguo's conflicted expression deepened. After a moment, he slowly nodded.

"Okay, maybe..."

"Wow! It's quite lively!" Song Pan strode into the kitchen, a bright smile on his chubby face, his eyes almost squinting into slits.

"It smells so good! What delicious food are they eating?"

"Want some lunch?" Qin Zhongguo asked casually.

"Let me try it. I haven't had our kitchen staff meals yet!" Song Pan chuckled, then turned to look at Qin Lang and the other two.

"We haven't congratulated you three on successfully advancing to the next round yet!"

In just one afternoon, the three of them easily obtained hundreds of signatures from restaurant diners on their certification cards, successfully passing the first hurdle of the food festival.

"Thank you." Qin Lang smiled. "Manager Song, how was the feedback from the diners at lunchtime today?"

"That's great!"

At this point, Song Pan perked up, her eyes lighting up. "We have more customers today than usual, but that's not the point."

"The key point is that our guests have given our food and service very high praise!"

"I feel that we at Haibawang really hope to turn our reputation around!"

Just then, a plate of seafood fried rice appeared in front of Song Pan.

He casually took it, scooped up a large spoonful, and put it in his mouth.

He's been so busy since morning, he hasn't even had a chance to eat a hot meal. This fried rice is just in time...

Ok?
This fried rice?!
Song Pan chewed twice, her eyes gradually becoming fixed.

"Qin Zhongguo, you old rascal, you've been eating so well behind my back?!"

"Who's been carrying you on their back?" Qin Zhongguo didn't even lift his eyelids. "Has someone been to our kitchen before? You always order our signature dishes for your staff meals..."

Shh! Don't talk nonsense!

Song Pan stopped the other person from speaking, feeling a little guilty. Then she secretly glanced at Cao Dongdong and saw that the latter didn't seem to care at all. She then secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I didn't expect you to have this trick up your sleeve."

He shoveled a few more mouthfuls of seafood fried rice into his mouth, then mumbled, "This is so delicious, why aren't you putting it on the menu? Tomorrow... no, this afternoon, print out a new menu and add this fried rice to it!"

It must be said that although Song Pan was a bit shrewd, his business acumen was definitely not bad. After only a few bites, he realized the value of this seafood fried rice.

Upon hearing this, a cheer erupted from the kitchen.

(End of this chapter)