With the combined efforts of Gustave and Tom, the dishes ordered by the Red Hair Pirates were quickly prepared, and Luffy was called to the kitchen to help serve the food.
The first three cold dishes served were braised beef shank, beef skin jelly, and tofu with scallions.
The Red Hair Pirates began tasting the three appetizers. The braised beef shank was perfectly chewy, the meat beautifully braised, and with the bright red oil dipping sauce, one couldn't help but want another bite after finishing the first.
Next was the beef skin jelly. When picked up, it was springy and bouncy, tasting somewhat like gelatin but with a unique texture that surpassed ordinary jelly.
Looking at the beef skin jelly dish, Lucky Roux, the Red Hair Pirates' cook, finally couldn't contain his curiosity:
"Luffy, do you know how to make this dish? I've never seen anything like it before."
How would Luffy know? All he did was eat. If you wanted to ask about recipes, you were definitely asking the wrong person.
Seeing Luffy's confused expression, Lucky Roux realized he'd approached the wrong person. Luffy clearly wasn't someone who could cook.
Next came the tofu with scallions. The combination of white and green was visually pleasing.
Because the tofu used was silken, it felt cool and melted in your mouth, requiring almost no chewing.
Next to arrive were the meat dishes Luffy had helped order and the vegetarian dishes recommended by Gustave.
When the Braised beef shank was served, Luffy visibly swallowed his saliva looking at the dish. This was his absolute favorite.
Shanks noticed Luffy's expression and knew he genuinely loved this dish, so he invited Luffy to join them at the table. Unexpectedly, Luffy declined, saying:
"Uncle Gustave told me that if you want to be a hero, you must have your own principles. I'm working as a waiter right now, so I can't just accept a guest's invitation to eat at their table!"
Shanks smiled hearing this. He hadn't expected Luffy to resist such temptation. He truly was a good kid.
Looking at the enticing color and fragrant aroma of the Braised beef shank, Shanks' nose twitched as he picked up his chopsticks, eager to try this dish Luffy had been craving.
But as soon as he inserted his chopsticks, Shanks discovered the beef shank was unexpectedly tender. With just a gentle push, an entire piece of meat came away.
When he put it in his mouth, an incredible meaty aroma rushed straight to his head. He expected to chew, but instead experienced the same melt-in-your-mouth texture as the earlier tofu and scallions—except this was meat! This was a revelation for Shanks.
Several more dishes arrived in succession. Though all tasted excellent, Uta was still waiting for her "flowers."
After a dish of fried ribs was served, Uta finally received the dish she'd been anticipating.
The first was pumpkin flower egg soup. As soon as it arrived, Uta eagerly scooped a full bowl with her spoon. However, she forgot the dish had just emerged from the pot, and burned her hand when trying to lift the bowl.
Seeing this, Shanks burst out laughing. It was rare to witness Uta embarrass herself.
At this moment, Uta pouted and clasped her hands, indicating she was very angry. Only then did Shanks, the doting father, remember that when Uta was angry, the consequences were serious.
"Uta, I was wrong! I shouldn't have laughed at you just now. Look, I've cooled the soup for you. Come drink it!"
Shanks ladled another bowl of soup, blew it cool, and begged Uta's forgiveness.
But Uta had no intention of forgiving Shanks. Instead, she snorted and turned her head away.
Shanks had no choice but to employ his trump card. He took a sip of soup himself, then sighed:
"Boss Gustave's cooking is truly exceptional. This soup is so delicious—after one sip, I immediately want another!"
Uta was still a child, after all. Hearing Shanks' tempting description, she couldn't help but turn her head back. To her dismay, Shanks had already finished the soup he'd just cooled for her.
There was no choice. Although Uta was angry, seeing Shanks' expression, she knew if she didn't drink it now, she'd miss her chance. So Uta picked up the bowl she'd originally scooped, used a spoon to take a small amount, and carefully cooled it.
When she tasted it, the soup was as delicious as Shanks had claimed—the best soup Uta had ever experienced in her life.
The next dish served was fried roses. Uta picked one up with her fingers, sprinkled some salt and pepper on it, then opened her mouth and took a bite.
The bite produced a satisfying crunch, followed by the salt and pepper flavors flooding her mouth. After eating the entire rose, she could still feel the unique sweetness of the flower blooming on her palate.
Uta absolutely loved these flower-based dishes.
To satisfy the Red Hair Pirates' substantial appetites, Gustave had specially prepared two rice dishes—roasted pepper and tomato mixed with grilled eggplant, and mapo tofu.
The roasted pepper, tomato, and eggplant method was simple: just mixing vegetables roasted over charcoal fire together. However, these basic ingredients and straightforward technique created an extraordinary flavor.
As for mapo tofu, it was a famous dish that needed no explanation.
As soon as these two dishes were served, the Red Hair Pirates members consumed bowl after bowl of rice. Before long, an entire large steamer of rice was finished.
"Boss Gustave, please bring more rice!"
"Not only are your dishes delicious, but even the rice tastes different from what we usually eat. I really don't know how you prepared it!"
Seeing the rice was finished, Shanks immediately ordered another portion.
To make rice truly delicious, ordinary methods simply couldn't achieve this level.
The rice at "Bamboo Staff Bistro" wasn't like regular rice that was steamed directly with added water, but was steamed in wooden steamers.
First, you needed to soak the rice for about an hour, then pour it into a pot and parboil it. When the rice was slightly undercooked, you removed it and drained the water.
After draining, you poured it into wooden steamers, added water, and steamed it again. Rice prepared this way would have distinct, separate grains and full fragrance. It wouldn't become hard even when cooled, and the taste was incomparably superior to rice cooked directly with water.
Only with rice steamed in wooden steamers and paired with Gustave's dishes could the Red Hair Pirates consume bowl after bowl so enthusiastically.
But eating alone wasn't enough—Shanks and the others ordered several bottles of wine, naturally supplied by Makino's tavern.
Drinking and eating meat—this was life!
The meal lasted until evening. Looking at the clean bowls and plates on the table, Gustave knew the Red Hair Pirates must have been thoroughly satisfied with their meal.
So Gustave approached Shanks and said with a smile:
"That'll be three hundred thousand Berries, please."
"How much?" When Shanks heard this figure, he thought he'd misheard. How could one meal cost 300,000 Berries?
"Shanks, in addition to the originally ordered dishes, you also added a whole roasted lamb and several side dishes."
"With all this food and wine combined, plus my cooking expertise, is there any problem with a price of 300,000 Berries?"
Gustave continued asking with a smile. Although he was smiling, somehow his words carried a tone that brooked no refusal.
Honestly, over thirty dishes plus drinks totaling 300,000, considering their appetites were larger than ordinary people's, this price was genuinely reasonable!
After hearing Gustave's explanation, Shanks recalled the flavors still lingering in his mouth and said:
"Very fair! Boss Gustave runs an honest business!"
Then Shanks reluctantly extracted 300,000 Berries from his pocket to pay for the meal.
This meal had truly satisfied both host and guests!