Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

Hojo Miyoko stood beside Tadokoro Megumi, her eyes filled with inquiry as she looked at Wada Munemasa, clearly sharing the same thoughts.

"Pistachio sauce, chili peppers, garlic, sea urchin, and broth. After the garlic slices soften, add butter. This is an ingredient that appears very frequently in Western cuisine."

Megumi Tadokoro muttered to herself, her mind filled with images of ingredients from the recipes, and she began to simulate how they were prepared.

"When the pasta is cooked to medium-rare, add the base sauce and stir well, then add a generous amount of mozzarella cheese..."

"After cooking, brush a base sauce onto the plate, then use a fork to twirl the prepared spaghetti and place it on the left side of the plate. It's a very standard dish."

After watching the whole process, Megumi Tadokoro and Miyoko Hojo separated and went to their respective cooking stations, starting to work almost at the same time.

Following the same steps and at roughly the same speed, Tadokoro Megumi and Hojo Miyoko finished the pistachio and sea urchin pasta in less than ten minutes.

"Please taste it."

At the same time, the dish was pushed out, running alongside the dish prepared by Wada Munemasa.

From the outside, the three pistachio and sea urchin pasta dishes are exactly the same except for the amount of pasta used; they look like they were copied and pasted!

"It looks pretty good."

Even though they looked down on students like Totsuki who came from a sheltered environment.

However, when he saw Tadokoro Megumi and Hojo Miyoko presenting the pistachio sea urchins that far surpassed the presentation of his apprentices, Wada Munemasa's expression still froze slightly.

These two guys in front of him seemed different from the incompetent good-for-nothings he had imagined.

"The taste should be about the same."

Compared to Tadokoro Megumi's reserved demeanor, Hojo Miyoko was quite arrogant at this moment, because she was certain that her cooking was no less impressive than Tadokoro's.

Judging from the process of the other party making this dish, she could sense that Wada Munemasa's strength was at most at the initial stage of Special Grade, and he was among the weakest.

With her current skills, although she can't reach the Special Grade level, she can still make Special Grade dishes relatively easily if she puts in her best effort.

If the two were to have a food battle, her opponent's chances of winning wouldn't necessarily be much higher than hers. After all, she's young, imaginative, and capable of winning by surprise!

"We'll have to wait until we try it to know for sure."

Hearing Hojo Miyoko muttering to herself, Wada Munemasa said something with a dark expression.

He didn't want the two of them to cook well, because that would make his previous targeting of them a joke and would also affect his reputation in the kitchen.

Instead of rushing to taste the food, he bent down, raised his hand and gently fanned the air in front of him, sniffing the aroma.

The combination of roasted garlic slices and chili peppers creates an incredibly intense, smoky aroma, which is then gently enveloped by the nutty, oily fragrance of pistachio butter.

The creamy aroma of melted butter intertwines with the unique marine sweetness of sea urchin, creating a rich top note that is both salty and warm.

"The taste is perfect, which means the cooking time was just right. These two are really something!!"

You can judge a lot by the aroma, such as the quality of the food.

One of these two dishes is of the highest grade, and even if the other isn't, it's still the pinnacle of first-class cuisine—both are top-tier.

To be able to cook a dish to the level of a master chef after only looking at a recipe once—what incredible talent!

If he had such talent back then, how could he have wasted ten years before starting to work in the kitchen, and now, at over forty years old, he has barely become a master chef?

Envy and jealousy intertwined in my mind, finally turning into a soft sigh.

"Congratulations, you can start working at the stove tonight. You'll be paid the highest wage for temporary workers."

If the other party has such strength, it would be unreasonable for him to block them from participating in the cooking, and the people below would not be convinced.

As a head chef, it is very important to have the ability to distinguish right from wrong and to reward and punish fairly.

Otherwise, people might elevate you to great heights, or they might send you crashing down into utter ruin; the balance needs to be carefully managed.

Use your fork to twirl the pasta into your mouth. The slight tingling sensation from the chili flakes first stimulates your taste buds, followed by the caramelized sweetness of the garlic, which then balances the spiciness.

The rich nutty aroma of pistachio jam intertwines with the savory flavor of broth, while the sweetness of sea urchin provides a subtle undercurrent, giving the dish a profound oceanic quality.

Finally, the creamy aroma of butter and cheese slowly finishes the meal, leaving a hint of the salty and savory flavor of Parmesan cheese and the refreshing sweetness of lemon zest, as if a gentle breeze is blowing from the southern Italian coast.

"The spiciness of chili peppers, the aroma of garlic, and the sweetness of sea urchin are delicately balanced by the oiliness of pistachio sauce."

The richness of the cheese did not overshadow the delicate flavor of the sea urchin; instead, the creamy aroma enhanced its sweetness, much like the coexistence of intense sunlight and cool seawater.

"This is their first time making something like this, yet they've achieved this level of quality..."

After devouring both servings of pasta in a flash, Wada Munemasa wore a melancholy expression; the taste was even better than he had imagined.

Both pistachio and sea urchin pasta dishes were of premium quality, but the one made by the blue-haired girl was slightly more delicious.

This is only the first time it has been made.

It took him three whole days to master this dish, and it took him half a lifetime to bring it to its current deliciousness.

Although he could quickly master a new dish with his current skills, it's impossible for him to reach the top rank on his first try.

This requires extraordinary talent!

"Great! We can finally start cooking!"

"We should have done this a long time ago; we wasted two days washing dishes."

Upon hearing Wada Munemasa's words, Tadokoro Megumi and Hojo Miyoko showed excited expressions, then turned around to face each other and raised their hands to give each other a high five.

"Ahem, please give us a copy of the recipe first. We need to learn it before we start serving the meal."

Seeing Tadokoro Megumi's happy smile, Hojo Miyoko coughed twice, her face slightly flushed, and withdrew her raised hand, speaking to Wada Munemasa in a serious tone.

"Kira, go and get the recipes that are locked in the safe. You should have the key."

He was willing to accept defeat. Since the two chefs in front of him were indeed capable, he wouldn't mind having two more chefs at Hanasaki Western Restaurant.

"Yes, master."

The young man, whom Wada Munemasa called Kira, glanced enviously at Tadokoro Megumi and Hojo Miyoko, then jogged toward the safe in the corner of the kitchen.

Five minutes later, Megumi Tadokoro and Miyoko Hojo casually found two chairs and sat down side by side, looking at the restaurant's menu and studying it page by page.

"It's almost time, let's go check on Xiaohui and the others."

After glancing at the time on his phone, Bai Yuan finished the remaining coffee in his cup in one gulp, then got up and left the coffee shop.

Thirty minutes later, he stood at the entrance of the [Hanazaki Koyuki] Western restaurant. Hanasaki Chiyuki was already waiting there and waved and smiled as soon as she saw him.

"This way, this way, I'll personally take you in."

The girl's voice was as clear as a silver bell. Upon seeing this, Bai Yuan immediately went over and smelled a pleasant scent on her.

"Are you wearing perfume?"

"My hair was a bit too oily at noon, so I washed it. You're probably talking about the smell of the shampoo. It smells nice, right? I like the smell too."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's question and realizing that he had noticed her little scheme, Hanasaki Chiyuki smiled and then explained in a low voice.

Washing your hair before meeting a guy is the greatest respect a girl can show him.

"Ah."

Bai Yuan nodded slightly and said no more.

At this moment, all he wanted to do was quickly taste the food at this restaurant and then see how Megumi Tadokoro and Miyoko Hojo were working.

"You deadbeat straight man, would it kill you to say a few more words?!"

Upon seeing this, Hanasaki Chiyuki couldn't help but curse inwardly, while her brain raced, trying to come up with a topic that would interest the other person.

"Speaking of which, our shop is most famous for Parma pizza. Almost every customer orders one. You can try it later."

Since Bai Yuan specifically chose their restaurant, it proves that he is a food lover. Talking about related things might bring up common topics.

"Parma pizza? That's a classic Italian pizza. Do you know what the hardest part of making pizza is?"

"What is it?"

Seeing that Bai Yuan was indeed intrigued, Hua Qiqian blinked and asked curiously. She really didn't know this, since all she knew was how to eat.

"The pasta, the sauce, the cheese, and even the meat on top can all be bought in the market, and the quality is very good."

This one dough, in particular, requires the chef to get up very early in the morning to make. How it's rolled out and the technique used to prepare the pizza before baking all greatly influence the final taste.

Bai Yuan began to speak eloquently, his eyes seemingly sparkling with light. In his field of expertise, he unconsciously wanted to say more.

"I see."

Hanasaki Chiyuki responded by looking at him with an adoring gaze.

That kind of gaze is most likely to arouse a man's protective instincts.

Do you know the characteristics of Italian cuisine?

Suddenly, Bai Yuan changed his way of asking questions.

"I don't know, can you tell me?"

Hanasaki Chiyuki shook her head slightly, then asked.

"Italian food? Let me think..."

To put it simply, it's a combination of my mother's cooking skills and the temperament of the land!

They eat pasta like it's their main meal, drink tomatoes and olive oil like it's water, and use ham and cheese to build houses. The best part is that the slow-cooked meat sauce takes at least three hours, but every bite is bursting with the sweet taste of sunshine!

The pizza crust is so thin it's translucent, the meat sauce noodles wrapped around meat chunks are like fireworks exploding in your mouth, and the desserts always have a hint of lemon liqueur.

The key point is, those guys can chat for three hours straight over a meal, the clinking of cutlery and glasses is more effective than an alarm clock! After all, in Italy, going hungry is a minor issue; missing out on the last piece of tiramisu with family is the real deal!

At the end of his words, Bai Yuan smiled.

One of his students was an Italian boy, and his lively personality clearly showed the Italian passion for food.

"You described it so vividly, it's like a painting is coming to life on paper. Based on my experience of growing up eating Italian food, you're absolutely right."

After listening to Bai Yuan's explanation, Hua Qiqian's eyes lit up. She was clearly surprised that he knew so much about food. Could this guy be in the food industry?

If that's the case, then wouldn't the two of them be a perfect match?

Thinking of this, Hanasaki Chiyuki couldn't help but swoon, her mind filled with images of the two of them going on dates to various restaurants, with Bai Yuan patiently explaining the origins of these dishes to her.

"This is the private room I booked for you. We use a one-person-one-table system here, a completely private environment. You can do whatever you want here."

The private room features burgundy red velvet sofas and hand-blown glass chandeliers hanging from the dome.

The long wooden table is topped with Tuscan granite, and the gilded tableware with grapevine patterns reflects a soft amber light, making it look elegant and sophisticated.