Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

Seeing Erina Nakiri's expression, Shirabuchi briefly explained the production process of Megumi Shimotadokoro.

The main difference is that lychee is added to the lion's head meatballs. The meat is stuffed into the lychee, allowing the flavors of both to blend together.

"The shrimp tail at the back is for decoration, because it turns red after steaming, which will make people more appetizing when it is placed on the table."

As the pot lid was opened, Megumi Tadokoro finished cooking.

One after another, crystal-clear little balls appeared in everyone's view, each adorned with a rosy shrimp tail and connected to the lion's head inside, creating a visually striking sight.

After finishing the meal, Megumi Tadokoro's tense expression finally relaxed.

Then, as if sensing something, he looked at Bai Yuan not far away and smiled when their eyes met.

Without much hesitation, Megumi Tadokoro strode toward the judges' table. Five minutes later, it was her turn in line, with an average tasting time of one minute per dish.

Chapter 407 Could it be that Totsuki is brewing something big?!

"This dish is quite innovative."

Looking at the dishes presented by Tadokoro Megumi, Natsumi's eyes lit up. He then looked at the other two people, who nodded slightly in approval.

"Try it."

Because there were many other contestants in line, the three of them didn't exchange many pleasantries and simply scooped up the lychee shrimp balls with spoons.

"I see..."

Huang Tian muttered to himself as he gently touched the surface of the lychee shrimp balls with his spoon, then felt the freshness and juiciness of the shrimp balls.

This should be a Guiwei lychee from Guangdong and Guangxi. The flesh is very firm and crisp, and it is juicy but does not leak easily. That's what the texture tells me.

The lychee was cleverly hollowed out, yet retained its complete spherical shape, and filled with a filling he was very familiar with—the same filling used to make shrimp lion's head meatballs, as could be discerned from the exposed portion.

Using the filling for lion's head meatballs here is quite a clever idea.

The fact that Tadokoro Megumi could come up with these ideas proves that she has a flexible mind and must have had expert guidance behind her.

Either they are exceptionally gifted, which in some ways is even more terrifying than having a master guide them, since a master is an external force, while talent is something they have to rely on themselves.

"The sweetness of the lychee is like the morning dew, blooming lightly on the tip of the tongue, and then gently enveloped by the delicious waves of shrimp meat."

The fatty bits melt slowly in the mouth at room temperature, releasing a rich, oily aroma, while the water chestnut pieces provide an unexpectedly crisp texture, creating a delightful surprise.

Chu Yun Sheng closed his eyes, his wrinkled face suddenly relaxed, revealing a smile of enjoyment. Clearly, he was very satisfied with the taste of the dish.

"The spiciness of garlic and the sweetness of onion are subtly present in the background, while the Southeast Asian flavor of lemongrass and the taste of Shaoxing wine create a wonderful resonance."

What's most amazing is that the lychee juice doesn't overpower the other flavors; instead, it acts like a skilled conductor, harmoniously unifying all the tastes.

This is extremely rare in any dish, requiring a very precise control of proportions; only highly skilled chefs can achieve this.

Huang Tian's voice rang out, "The most amazing thing about this dish is the perfect combination of lychee and lion's head meatballs, making the two not just additive, but multiplicative."

"The natural sweetness of fruit replaces the sugar in traditional lion's head meatballs for seasoning, and the freshness of seafood replaces the richness of pork. The combination is so skillful that it reaches the level of a top-grade dish. I can give it 29 points..."

Xia Tianci's voice rang out, and the dish in front of him was undoubtedly another top-grade dish, with excellent completion in every aspect.

Although it lacked a bit in the control of details, the other parts were handled very well.

"37 points. Although the creativity and taste are very good, the shrimp flavor is a bit weak. The taste is mostly lychee and other ingredients."

Shrimp were present, but they only made up a small portion, which felt a bit lacking. It would be better if the proportion of shrimp were increased.

I think you added garlic and onions too, right? All those ingredients combined probably only make up about a quarter of the total, while the shrimp makes up three-quarters. This is already a third of the total…”

When faced with good food and a talented chef, Huang Tian doesn't mind offering some pointers while tasting the dishes. After all, there's always a chance to interact with the chef in the future, and it's always good to build a positive relationship.

"29 points. I really like your dish. You actually presented a big dish like lion's head meatballs to us in such an approachable way, which has the style of a folk snack."

The drone arrived in front of the last judge, Chu Yunsheng. The man glanced at the lychee shrimp balls in front of him, then at Tadokoro Megumi with an expectant expression, and smiled as he gave her a high score.

Although this dish is only of the highest grade (one star), it is much weaker than the previous one.

But this dish suited his taste perfectly; it was practically tailor-made for street food, a style of cooking that belonged to his taste.

Because of its delicate and small size, an average person wouldn't feel full after eating three or five of these. If he saw this dish while shopping, he would definitely buy it to try and see how salty it was.

Even if the price is a bit higher, as long as it's worth the craftsmanship, he won't refuse it.

After all, good food is expensive. Even if it's just street food, as long as it tastes good, countless people are still willing to pay a high price for it.

"A total of 95 points! Another player has broken the 95-point barrier!"

As Chu Yunsheng finished speaking, the judge's excited voice rang out, his eyes filled with a unique excitement. Two masters with scores of 95 or higher had actually emerged here!

It's important to know that although the judges' criteria differ, there is one thing they all have in common.

That means that no matter how well the dish fits the theme, if the dish's quality level is not up to par, it can only be given the highest score for that level.

90 points is the limit for first-class cuisine, 92 points is the limit for near-special-grade cuisine, and 93-94 points is the range of special-grade cuisine.

A score of 95 or higher is the level that only top-tier one-star dishes can achieve.

As for Erina Nakiri's score of 98, that would be considered top-notch even among two-star dishes. As for a perfect score of 100, it's not usually thought to appear in a competition of this level.

Only those who break previous records can get this score.

In previous years, the strongest performer was a Special Grade Two-Star Chef who managed to create a Special Grade Three-Star dish by sheer luck. This kind of achievement is rare, occurring only once every ten years on the stage of the school exchange competition.

So, when they saw another 95-point score appear on the field, many spectators stood up, wanting to see who this person who made the 95-point dish was.

"Which school do these people go to? I've never seen them before, they're not in the news, I have absolutely no recollection of them..."

Some people started muttering to themselves, as Tadokoro Megumi's appearance was quite unfamiliar to them.

After all, her only notable achievement was winning first place in the Summer Selection; she hadn't participated in any other competitions.

Because they were contestants from Japan, they weren't very well-known, but some were still involved in the food scene. At that moment, they were comparing photos of themselves with Tadokoro Megumi on their phones.

"The first place winner of the Totsuki Academy Summer Selection is actually a Special Grade One-Star Chef. Even in Touhou Academy, he would be considered one of the top chefs."

Looking at the information about Megumi Tadokoro on his phone, the man muttered to himself, his face filled with shock, clearly not expecting it to be like this.

After all, although Totsuki Academy is the top school in Japan, it can only be ranked second in the entire culinary world. Every few years, a few highly talented students will emerge from there, but most of them are just average.

Furthermore, due to the elimination system, very few students graduate from Togetsu University each year, almost only one-tenth of those from other institutions. As a school, such an educational philosophy is truly shameful.

Is it time for a refresh? Another young genius has emerged from Totsuki, but unfortunately, one genius doesn't mean much, nor can it improve the rankings by much.

"Totsuki is making a big move this time! Not only has Nakiri's granddaughter created a special grade two-star dish, but now even one of the students has reached the special grade one-star level. Could it be that she also has some special talent?"

That's truly impressive. With that kind of skill, they'd be a strong contender for the top ten in any year, and to have produced two top-tier chefs in one go!

Some people not only recognized Megumi Tadokoro, but also the woman who had previously scored 98 points.

Erina Nakiri, who possesses the "God Tongue," was initially touted as a new hope in the culinary world through a massive marketing campaign by the Japanese food industry.

Although a long time has passed since that marketing campaign, many people still remember that exquisitely beautiful little girl. If you look closely at the person in front of you, their eyebrows, eyes, and hair color, isn't that the same person who was once so highly praised for their "God Tongue"?

"It's hard to say, after all, the school exchange competition tests the strength of all students."

Geniuses emerge every year, but only a handful of schools ever truly claim the championship title; this is due to the difference in student quality and education.

"What you said makes sense. The strength of an academy depends on all its students. It's useless if only one person is powerful."

Because of Tadokoro Megumi's outstanding performance, many people were reminded of Nakiri Erina from before, and then they discovered her true identity: the eldest granddaughter of the Nakiri family.

Since she is the eldest granddaughter of the Nakiri family, the academy she represents is quite obvious; it should be Totsuki Academy without any surprises! As a result, many people started talking about Senzaemon Nakiri, the strongest chef in Japan on the surface.

Of course, even though Erina Nakiri performed very well, not many people at the scene thought she could reach the championship stage.

After all, the academy's path to the top depends on the strength of all its students; having only one or two outstanding individuals is useless.

Of course, having strong players can at least help their academy improve its ranking. As long as their teammates aren't particularly weak, it's not entirely useless.

"Wait, why is that girl with the blue ponytail heading in her direction?"

Those unaware of Tadokoro Megumi's identity exclaimed in surprise as she headed straight for the area where Shirobuchi and Erina Nakiri were after stepping down from the stage.

They acted as if they already knew each other.

Those who knew the situation all looked knowing, and some even had a touch of smugness.

"I have fulfilled my mission, Master Baiyuan."

To advance to the top eight, everyone needs to score 90 points, and she scored 95 points.

Even among so many contestants, she should be one of the best, and she didn't drag down the dark cuisine world, so Tadokoro Megumi was in a good mood at the moment.

"Well done, Xiao Hui. I knew you could do it. Stuffing fresh shrimp meatballs into lychees is a really great idea."

Looking at the lively Tadokoro Megumi, Bai Yuan smiled and patted her head, then moved to the left to make room for her to sit down and rest next to him.

What is happening now further proves that she and Totsuki are in cahoots.

"Totsuki Academy has been quiet for so long, they must be planning something big, sending two special chefs up here all at once!"

"I just don't know how strong the remaining players are."

"Idiot, if the other players weren't strong enough, Totsuki wouldn't let two Special Grade players compete at the same time. After all, they are still so young and have plenty of opportunities to participate in the upcoming matches."

"A dark horse has emerged. Throughout history, it's always been the dark horse that makes a comeback that's the most interesting!"

When Megumi Tadokoro took her seat in the area where Shirabuchi and Erina Nakiri were, the entire place erupted in cheers.

Even the most oblivious person could sense the impending storm.

However, they were not nervous; on the contrary, they looked excited.

They were tired of seeing the same few colleges vying for the championship for so long, so it was good to have more new faces and make the competition more interesting.

Thereafter.

One contestant after another went up on stage.

A few contestants scored 90 points, but they were all in the early 90s.

To everyone's surprise, half of these students who scored 90 points came to Bai Yuan's side, clearly indicating that they were also members of Totsuki Academy.

"99 points! Another contestant has scored above 95 points!"

"That's Leah, I remember her, the youngest Grand Chef in France!"

"It's her? Which school is she representing in the competition? Didn't she graduate a long time ago?!"

"Because of her outstanding talent, she graduated early from Manr Academy with perfect scores in all subjects."

However, given her age, getting into another school and participating in this competition wouldn't be against the rules; in fact, it would be perfectly reasonable.