"Welcome!"
"This Meatball is too delicious!"
"The shrimp aroma is so rich, and the water chestnuts completely eliminate the slight greasiness! It's absolutely fantastic! Who on earth came up with such a delicious dish? They are truly a genius!"
"Indeed! And to be able to get bamboo shoots of such high quality this season, the owner of this restaurant must be an extraordinary person!"
"Don't just focus on the Meatball; the soup in this coconut shell is also exceptional! It's clear, fresh, and sweet, with an endlessly lingering aftertaste that makes you want more. It's truly a masterpiece!
I heard there was a highly praised restaurant here and didn't believe it at first, but I never expected it to be true. Such culinary skill could easily earn a star rating even at the WGO!"
His words were full of admiration. A gourmet wandering around Neon spoke with a look of pure bliss. Having visited so many restaurants, this one was absolutely the most delicious he had ever tasted!
No exceptions!
Especially the Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head recommended by the restaurant today! The taste was truly incredible, with an endless aftertaste that made him feel utterly blissful!
And not only was the Meatball delicious, but the soup used to steam it was also exceptional!
High-quality old hen broth, combined with the unique flavor of the coconut shell, the most essential tastes of the two ingredients collided, making one exclaim, 'This is impossible!' with every bite!
However, this was reality; such a dreamlike soup truly appeared before their eyes, and its taste, naturally, was beyond words—supremely delicious, with all the freshness of the ingredients concentrated within it.
Then there was the steamed Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head. The steaming method maximally ensured the tenderness of the shrimp, the crispness of the water chestnuts, and the freshness of the bamboo shoots, paired with softened pine nuts—truly a masterful touch!
He was not the only one expressing such praise. Whether they were regular customers or new ones, upon tasting this Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head, which was extremely close to a Golden-tier dish, they all looked as if they were about to pass out.
Those who knew understood they were enjoying gourmet food at a restaurant.
Those who didn't might have thought they were having some absurd party.
"Welcome back next time, you small fry."
At the entrance, Tohru and Kitagawa, dressed in maid outfits, bowed very gracefully to the departing guests. Under Kitagawa's conscious guidance, Tohru's sales techniques had become increasingly proficient.
Although she occasionally blurted out, "You lowly fellow, small fry, trash," it was always mistaken for lines spoken by a cosplay character.
This led to some unsuspecting customers looking excited, even wanting her to scold them more, standing at the entrance to listen, revealing expressions of pleasure when they heard the insults.
It was truly a level of perversion that would make a pervert feel like a pervert.
Looking at the customers who left with excited faces after being scolded, Tohru's face showed a thoughtful expression. Then, as if she had acquired a new skill, she would occasionally blurt out such a phrase.
"Don't come next time, you small fry human."
And the people being scolded, upon seeing Tohru's beautiful face, their originally somewhat angry expressions instantly softened. One had to admit that being good-looking certainly had its advantages.
Hoshino, naturally, was unaware of what was happening at the restaurant entrance.
At this moment, he was fully concentrated on making the Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head, grasping every detail of the cooking process, while also contemplating how to elevate this dish further.
For a moment, there was no answer. Pine nuts enhance the aroma, water chestnuts cut through richness, bamboo shoots add flavor and texture, and wet starch increases viscosity. This dish had already reached its peak in all aspects.
He scooped a piece of the Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head with a spoon, put it in his mouth to chew, and closed his eyes to savor it. All the flavors harmonized perfectly in his mouth, and the pine nuts had softened after steaming.
This allowed them to enhance the dish's aroma without affecting its texture.
"Insufficient resilience."
After eating three Xianxia Chunshun Lion Heads in a row, Hoshino opened his closed eyes and softly uttered a sentence, as if golden light emanated from within them.
At first, he didn't feel anything, but as he chewed more deeply, he could clearly feel that the Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head lacked staying power, and the overall flavor profile was too uniform.
Simply put, there was no change in rhythm.
It sounded very metaphysical, but it was the truth. Thinking of this, Hoshino divided the Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head filling into three bowls and then worked on them with different degrees of force.
First, the innermost part: he worked it vigorously, his palm stirring frantically in the basin. Soon, the color of the filling changed, noticeably deepening a few shades.
Next was the middle part. It also needed to be worked, but to a lesser extent than the innermost part. By analogy, the outermost layer needed even less working.
Of course, less working was relative to the innermost layer of the Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head. For the current dish, even the outermost layer, which was worked the least, had much better texture and resilience than at the beginning.
But it was still not enough.
Looking at the Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head before him, which exuded a golden glow, Hoshino still wasn't satisfied. Although this was already the highest quality Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head he had made so far, he still felt something was missing.
So, while attending to customers, he continuously adjusted the proportions, striving for perfection to the greatest extent possible. And with such high-intensity practice, the golden glow of the Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head Hoshino brought out each time surpassed the previous one.
In the end, at the moment of plating, the entire Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head sparkled with golden light, looking as if it had been gilded!
However, shortly after the dish was plated, this gilding quickly faded. By the time it was served to the customers, the Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head looked no different from the original.
But Hoshino alone knew he had succeeded!
Looking at the strange Fresh Shrimp hovering in mid-air, the boy's smile was bright. It was a giant shrimp with a water chestnut for a head, bamboo shoots for a body, pine nuts for a tail, and fat for its feet, its form clearly visible!
However, unlike a few hours ago, this shrimp was noticeably much larger, and its eyes were full of Smart. As soon as it appeared, it freely roamed in mid-air, appearing extremely lively!
Moreover, this giant shrimp was no longer a fictional entity composed of aroma, but a genuine Soul Shrimp! It looked incredibly real; one could almost reach out and touch it. This was completely different from the aromatic phantoms seen with the Spice Equation!
Looking at the dish before him, Hoshino involuntarily swallowed, but he still resisted the urge to immediately dig in and continued with the cooking.
Unfortunately, if he made even a tiny mistake in any small detail, the level of the dish in his hand could not break through to Golden, and the Food Spirit attached to his right arm showed no movement whatsoever.
Speaking of the Food Spirit, that little guy had been sleeping on his right arm for over a month. The last time it came out was when he made Golden Fried Rice for the first time, and then it was now.
Does it have to be a Golden-tier dish to show signs of waking up?!
This little thing is even pickier than he is!
Thinking of the scene just now, Hoshino couldn't help but speculate.
Just now, he only felt his right arm slightly warm. That little guy actually transformed directly into a swimming dragon, and even his arm entered the Golden-tier dish to roll around and add flavor!
And honestly, after that little commotion, the phantom in mid-air looked much more majestic!
From this, Hoshino speculated that the Food Spirit talent was only interested in the highest-grade gourmet food. Other gourmet dishes, no matter how well made, would not interest it or evoke any reaction.
Of course, it might also be that the stimulation of the Golden-tier dish caused it to suddenly awaken? And then it can be used normally...
Well, he was overthinking it.
Looking at the Food Spirit that had returned to his arm to sleep, Hoshino's expression revealed a hint of helplessness. Its presence was simply too low; it only showed its head during periodic breakthroughs.
His gaze turned to the Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head beside him. After the Food Spirit's rolling, its aroma had increased by about ten percent. Don't underestimate this ten percent; this kind of unconditional improvement is terrifying!
If it's at a bottleneck in the dish's tier, it could completely achieve a leap in class!
The downside is that it's inconsistent; when he wants to use it, he can't, and when he doesn't want to, it often pops out on its own.
Thinking of this, Hoshino shook his head and continued to concentrate on cooking. This time, he paid attention to every detail and finally made another Golden-tier dish.
Relying on such abstract things is not very realistic; only strength is the best backing!
Time passed bit by bit, and soon it was evening again. As the last customer left the restaurant, the chefs all went home to their respective families.
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