Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"Is it a type of flaky pastry? It tastes pretty good. After being baked over charcoal, it becomes even more fragrant and crispy."

The sugar filling melts at high temperatures, releasing syrup the moment it's about to open. It's sweet and crispy, but it gets too hot when it's fresh out of the oven.

Bai Yuan gasped for breath as he savored the delicious sugar-coated sesame seed cake.

It must be said that after this period of cooking and selling, Soma Yukihira's skills in making sesame seed cakes have improved significantly.

The most obvious difference is in the flatbread dough; the outer shell is thin and crispy, with a texture similar to soda crackers, which is so much better than the first time!

With the improved taste, the interpretation of the filling becomes even more accurate.

Especially the preserved vegetable and pork sesame flatbread, you can clearly see the connection between the flatbread and the meat, which has a light black date color.

This is the result of lard and dried plum vegetables seeping out from the crust, giving it an extremely rich aroma, which is also the key to attracting customers.

"This guy must have put a lot of effort into kneading the dough. Besides, he must have made a lot of adjustments to the temperature inside the oven according to the thickness of the crust to ensure that the crust is crispy but not burnt, and just right."

As Bai Yuan swallowed the last bite of the preserved vegetable and pork sesame seed cake, he nodded to himself, thinking that this sesame seed cake was already at the level of a near-special grade.

It is truly remarkable that it has been elevated from a basic first-class dish to this level in just half a month.

This guy must have spent a lot of time researching in private, otherwise he wouldn't have reached this level.

"qualified."

Bai Yuan murmured a sentence in his heart.

After finishing his thoughts, he walked toward the next student and soon stood in front of the girl whose makeup he had previously criticized as being too excessive.

This guy is still selling glutinous rice balls, but now he has a small menu in front of him with combinations of glutinous rice balls. It looks like business is good.

"However, I didn't look closely that day, but now I see that this girl is indeed very pretty. Even without makeup, she can still attract a lot of male customers."

I noticed that most of the customers at the girl's stall were male. They were all smiling and watching her wrap mochi. They would only say a few words to her occasionally and then be overjoyed and obediently pay up.

"Is she really that sexually repressed...?"

Bai Yuan couldn't help but complain, but it's true, this guy looks exceptionally pure when dressed normally, with a kind of white moonlight beauty.

No wonder she captivates so many people; she's even more alluring without makeup than with it!

Bai Yuan thought to himself, "This is her job. Even if we try to force her, we can't change the reality. So let her do what she's good for."

"A cheese and fruit mochi."

After quickly finishing the sesame seed cake in his hand, Bai Yuan lined up and went to the girl's place.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

The girl didn't recognize him immediately, but she acted quickly after hearing his request.

First, pinch off a large lump of mochi from the mochi bowl and spread it out in your palm. Then, place mascarpone cheese and plenty of cream at the bottom.

The filling consisted of fresh seasonal fruit pieces. Bai Yuan watched as she placed mango, strawberry tips, and blueberries inside one by one until the filling was bulging and could hold no more before finally wrapping it up with difficulty.

"Okay, that's 800 yen. Thank you for your patronage."

After putting the banknotes into the girl's box, Bai Yuan, wearing disposable gloves, left the stall with the mochi and then took a big bite.

The cool, silky cheese filling melts in your mouth, as light as a cloud, yet with a rich milky aroma.

The slightly salty and slightly sweet cream cheese balances the sweetness, bringing a richness similar to cheesecake, but with a smoother and more delicate texture.

Immediately afterwards, the fresh, sweet and sour aroma of fresh fruit suddenly bursts forth.

The honeyed sweetness of mango, the slight tartness of strawberry, and the fruity aroma of blueberry burst with juice between your teeth, instantly diluting the heaviness of cheese and bringing a bright and vibrant sensation, as if a summer orchard is blooming in your mouth.

The outer layer of soft and chewy mochi skin carries a subtle sweet aroma of glutinous rice and rice milk, and its slight elasticity makes chewing a delightful experience.

In addition, the mochi is sprinkled with shredded coconut, which brings a touch of tropical flavor and makes the overall taste more complex.

"It's quite satisfying to have a bite in the summer, but it gets a bit greasy if you eat too much. The portion is a bit too big. It would be better if the price was lowered and the portion size was reduced."

Feeling the coolness on her tongue, Bai Yuan mentally marked her as qualified.

This mochi is of second-class quality.

"I also remember that kid's donkey meat sandwich..."

While he was thinking, Bai Yuan arrived at the donkey meat sandwich stall, bought a donkey meat sandwich, and then headed to other stalls, his main goal being to eat wherever he went, so his hands were never empty.

It is worth mentioning that.

After half a month of training, no dish on site was below the second level. In fact, many students who were originally hovering around the second level chef level produced first-level dishes, or even mid-level first-level dishes.

"It seems that given enough time, even a novice chef can elevate the quality of a dish by focusing on it."

So, let's see how the little guys in the world of culinary disasters are doing.

After inspecting the area where Totsuki Academy was located, Hakubuchi arrived at the other half of the area.

Because members of the "dark cuisine" community gathered here, the vendors who originally clustered together in the area have all gone their separate ways.

It wasn't that members of the Dark Cuisine world used violence to coerce them, but rather that with these guys around, their dishes simply couldn't be sold.

Although the number of visitors to Xingxiang Square has increased significantly during this period, the most crucial factor in attracting customers is still the taste of the food.

In addition, there's the speed of cooking.

They've been operating in this square for so long that they've developed a retirement mentality, and their cooking is slow and tedious, lacking any real effort.

The laziness of that time, if applied to the present, would be the cruelest reality.

Whether it's the quality of their cooking or the speed at which they prepare it, they are far inferior to these young lads around them.

Faced with this situation, all they could do was change locations; otherwise, staying there all day without making a sale would be a waste of time.

Some eager learners even bought dishes from members of the "dark cuisine" community, wanting to see just how good they were, only to be utterly defeated.

From quality to cooking speed, their superiority is overwhelming, leaving them with no way to surpass them.

Some people even crossed the center line and went to the other side, where the Totsuki Academy students were, to buy things, hoping to see if they could take over the market there.

The final conclusion is that it is not an option to fight them head-on.

Fortunately, they managed to get some useful information through connections: these guys would only stay at Xingxiang Square for fifteen days.

Fifteen days later, this place will once again belong to them.

With the mindset that this failure would pave the way for future success, they left.

"Buy two get one free! Don't miss out! Freshly baked old-fashioned bread, as well as the most classic honey bread rolls."

"Super unbeatable takoyaki, one is equivalent to six! It includes a whole octopus, as well as high-end ingredients such as lobster and abalone. If you don't like it, you don't have to pay! Come and try it, come and try it!"

"HaiBaWang Burger! Freshly made handcrafted beef burgers. I ground the meat last night, guaranteed fresh and delicious. If you don't like it, I'll give you your money back!"

As soon as he entered the area where the Dark Cuisine World was located, Bai Yuan heard a cacophony of hawking, a kind of bustling atmosphere that was absent in the Totsuki Culinary Academy area.

"It's actually quite good."

Feeling the lively atmosphere of the scene, Bai Yuan nodded inwardly.

Compared to those who grow up in academies and receive elite education from a young age.

These people are undoubtedly more authentic and better meet the needs of the general public. That's why the customer flow here is more than 1.5 times that of the neighboring place.

Without hesitation, he started buying from the first stall, purchasing one dish from each stall to assess the skill level of this year's Black Food Cuisine members.

After all, those who are sent here to participate in the assessment are all elites among the reserve force, and they will basically become official members of the Dark Cuisine World in the future.

This time, as long as you can get a top ten ranking, you can obtain the title of an official member of the Dark Cuisine World, which is the promise given by Bai Yuan.

"It's quite creative to use so many kinds of expensive ingredients to make takoyaki."

However, simply piling on ingredients without considering their pairing is undoubtedly the work of a third-rate chef, and a sure way to get a bad review.

"The offal tastes pretty good, it's pressed until it's very tender and flavorful. Even though the whole stall only sells offal, it's rare to be able to do one thing so well. Having a clear plan makes him a good guy."

"Freshly fried tempura? This guy is probably the same as Xiaohui, but his control of the heat is good, and his timing and technique are also very accurate. He's barely passable."

While tasting the food, he gave his evaluation, his arrogant tone and haughty attitude causing many people to show their dissatisfaction, but they didn't say much.

After all, the world is full of wonders, and although such guests are few, they do come occasionally. Getting fixated on arguing will only cause you to miss the opportunity to cook.

Since the leader has closed for the day and allowed the customers to go down to the lower levels, they must seize this opportunity to make a final push for a top-ten ranking.

Because only by achieving a top-ten ranking can one succeed.

Only then can one be considered a true member of the dark cuisine world.

However, a small number of people looked at Bai Yuan's back with thoughtful expressions, and at the same time, they made corrections to their dishes according to his suggestions.

There are many intelligent people in this world.

Those who could recognize Bai Yuan's identity were among the members. They remained silent, only nodding slightly when he looked over, their eyes revealing excitement.

Seeing this, Bai Yuan nodded slightly. He said a few more words when commenting on the dishes, which they treasured and decided to follow his advice.

"Cao Liang's Fried Chicken Legs".

Suddenly, Bai Yuan stopped in his tracks, staring at the stand-alone stall in front of him. His expression visibly froze for a moment before he quickened his pace and stepped forward.

"200 yen for a fried chicken leg, and only seasoned with salt and pepper? Does this extremely simple dish defeat a rich and diverse one? That's interesting."

Standing at the very end of the queue, Bai Yuan observed the stall owner, Cao Liang, as he moved forward, and soon discovered the key to its popularity.

The product is simple but fast-paced, with large quantities and delicious taste, making it suitable as a substitute for staple food. Many people will buy a bag when they are strolling around the square and preparing to go home.

"Give me a fried chicken leg."

It's called fried chicken leg, but it's actually chicken wing drumsticks; otherwise, it wouldn't be so cheap.

However, if you really want to compare the wing root to a chicken leg, that's not a problem, since the wing root is indeed a chicken leg, just the front part.

"Alright, this is a serving of five fried chicken legs. The price for five fried chicken legs is 1000 yen. Thank you for your patronage."

The cost of a chicken leg is 40 yen. With the addition of salt, pepper, oil, and other ingredients, the final cost is about 50 yen.

The regular price is 250 yen, while the price for a single item is 200 yen when bundled together. Due to consumers' desire for a bargain, more customers tend to buy in bundles.

That means a profit of 150 yuan and a 4x points bonus.

Cao Liang earns 600 points for every fried chicken leg he sells, and 3000 points for selling 5 at a time—truly a huge profit!

And because the fryer is very large, he can fry seventy or eighty pieces in each batch.

Each batch of fried chicken legs takes only ten minutes to cook, and often the next batch is ready as soon as the previous batch sells out.