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Senzaemon Nakiri was deep in contemplation, trying to understand Renz's intentions. In his previous match against Ono Sushi, Renz had performed exceptionally, concluding the shokugeki with an almost overwhelming victory.
While the Ryugin Cuisine restaurant wasn't inherently strong, the current issue stemmed from Ferran Adria's sudden arrival as an instructor, guiding the students in the sophisticated use of molecular gastronomy.
In terms of skill, Ferran Adria surpassed Sadamori Ono and even Gin Dojima. Renz's challenge against him was incredibly difficult. A shift in mindset, aiming for a surprising victory despite limited skill, was a viable
option.
However, Renz's surprising tactic still felt like a narrow defeat. Even if he had depicted a simple peace dove in his previous dish, Renz might have secured the win.
After all, one side represented innovation, while the other relied on a conventional, established approach. Renz held a significant advantage in this regard.
First, momentum builds; then, it wanes; finally, it exhausts. Renz's current spirit was likely to be affected by this dish he hadn't executed perfectly.
Just then, Renz, who had been thoroughly reprimanded by Erina, approached from the other side.
A significant part of this loss was due to Renz's attitude.
It wasn't that he couldn't win; he simply chose the most
challenging path to victory.
This heavily depended on his overall performance.
If you asked if he still dared to compete, he probably would.
But there was no need now, as Erina genuinely wanted him to win. Not that Erina wished Renz to win for her, but rather she believed Renz should use his skills to prove himself, at least to challenge her grandfather's perceptions.
Senzaemon Nakiri had always been concerned about the God's Tongue. From an elder's perspective, he certainly didn't favor Renz and Erina's union, primarily because Renz hadn't married into the Nakiri family, which left Senzaemon Nakiri feeling insecure.
If Renz could perform well and ease these concerns, Erina would breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Yet, Renz insisted on improvising. While Erina loved the painting and the concept of the dish, it didn't mean she didn't want to win.
"Extreme 'Verbal Abuse,' Exquisite Experience."
Renz was speechless from the scolding. Now, fully aware of his mistake, Renz decided to focus for tonight's reward.
"Ms. Moriyama, I have a young prot gwho would very much like to taste Master Ferran's work," Senzaemon Nakiri turned and whispered.
It was natural for Ferran Adria to be dissatisfied. In this shokugeki, without Ms Moriyama's unexpected intervention, he wouldn't have drawn; he would have decisively won.
Furthermore, he held strong reservations about Ms Moriyama's professionalism, believing that a perfectly refined competition had been ruined by an incompetent judge.
This was Ferran Adria's perspective.
However, this couldn't be blamed on Ms Moriyama. Renz's dish had an excellent texture, and Ms Moriyama's judging was based purely on who tasted better.
There was nothing wrong with this approach.
Cooking is fundamentally about who creates the most delicious food.
If Ferran Adria's dish could maintain both its professional integrity and its deliciousness, this situation wouldn't have arisen.
Upon hearing Senzaemon Nakiri's words, Ms Moriyama was tactful. She understood that Senzaemon Nakiri was offering a graceful exit.
She also realized that Ferran Adria was expressing his displeasure, but Ms Moriyama was equally irritated.
She felt Ferran Adria was being overly pedantic.
Moreover, why couldn't she comment if the taste was 'bad'? If his dish had been delicious enough, Ms Moriyama wouldn't have given her vote to Renz.
Just then, a refined and handsome young man hurried over from the other side. "Headmaster, something interesting seems to be happening here? Master Ferran, long time no see!"
Erina and Renz both turned their gaze towards him.
It was Asahi Saiba.
Joichiro Saiba's disciple, and also Azami Nakiri's son, making him Erina's half-brother.
However, his background was rather unconventional; he was an illegitimate child, so his identity had remained a secret. Currently, most people only knew Asahi Saiba as Joichiro Saiba's disciple.
Senzaemon Nakiri, wishing to avoid leaving a negative impression on the surrounding customers, had already briefed Asahi Saiba on the situation.
Asahi Saiba, being astute, immediately greeted Ferran.
Asahi Saiba had a culinary career in the United States, and Ferran Adria also had experience traveling there.
The two had previously discussed cuisine.
Now, encountering a familiar face, Ferran Adria smiled.
"Mr. Asahi, are you the new judge for this shokugeki?"
With Asahi Saiba as the new judge, Ferran Adria felt
much more reassured. From a professional standpoint, it would be difficult for any errors to occur this time.
"Yes," Asahi Saiba replied with a smile. "I mainly wanted
to experience my junior brother's cooking."
Junior brother.
Renz recalled that, according to the typical timeline, he was Joichiro Saiba's unofficial disciple, so 'junior brother' wasn't incorrect.
"Junior brother?" Ferran Adria chuckled. "So this is your junior brother. His culinary ideas are quite novel; I still appreciate his concepts."
"But, it's getting late now."
"Let's wrap this up quickly so I can go back and rest,"
Ferran Adria said, feigning a 'tired' expression.
"The culinary journey is still very long."
"You must take it slowly."
Ferran Adria's words once again conveyed his displeasure. In a shokugeki, especially in a formal Japanese competition, Renz's improvisation felt like an insult.
This kid was too arrogant.
Ferran Adria's remarks also served as a mild warning. He didn't believe he would lose the second round rematch, and his tone carried a hint of condescension.
Erina rolled her eyes, seemingly saying, "Look at the foolishness you've done."
Erina didn't deny Ferran Adria's skill, but she didn't believe Renz would lose. After all, Renz's "world's number one" title held significantly more weight than Ferran Adria's. Others ranked below Renz might not necessarily be weaker than Ferran Adria.
It was just that Ferran Adria had the advantage of being a pioneer in his era.
As a result, Renz not showcasing his full potential in the first round had given Ferran Adria a boost of confidence.
No, even the public judges could discern the difference in taste, and this person still believed he could win decisively that was something Erina hadn't anticipated.
Renz's expression was grave.
The dish for this rematch would be a decisive blow, and theoretically, this creation had not yet appeared in this era.
He was not going to give Ferran Adria any more opportunities.
"Can we begin?" Renz simply asked.
Senzaemon Nakiri nodded. He suddenly sensed a shift in the atmosphere; Renz, who had been quite lively earlier, had abruptly become very serious.
"I will first confirm the readiness of both contestants," Senzaemon Nakiri stated again.
"Mr. Ferran Adria, are you ready?" Senzaemon Nakiri inquired, addressing Ferran Adria, who was still conversing with Asahi Saiba in another direction.
"Ready," Ferran Adria affirmed with a nod.
"Then, the second round of the match, after the first round's tie, begins!" As Senzaemon Nakiri's words fell, Renz immediately entered his focused state.
If he wasn't improvising, he would prepare dishes he had made before, which would be effortless to execute.
The dish Renz was going to create this time was
"Exquisite Black and White Go Board."
This was still a dessert.
Its exterior featured a Go board base, the board itself crafted from cake, with the primary focus on the black and white Go pieces resting upon it.
Inside each piece, molecular gastronomy equipment was
utilized to create candies of varying concentrations and recipes, each offering a distinct flavor.
Each piece appeared to be a black or white Go stone, yet in reality, every single one offered a different taste.
In terms of aesthetics, this was also a beautifully structured and elegant creation. It's worth noting that the original concept for this piece was a 'cake' dish intended for Senzaemon Nakiri's birthday celebration.
It was meant for a birthday wish, as Grandfather Senzaemon Nakiri particularly enjoyed playing Go.
However, this cake dish had only been prepared at home and had never formally been presented, because every time the old man had a birthday banquet, he was the one who cooked.
Renz and Erina were kept out of the kitchen.
The reason was simple: the old man wanted the young couple to taste his cooking.
This meant Renz hadn't had a chance to use it until now, but it was indeed a very well-developed, complete dish.
Most importantly, the black and white Go pieces placed on top, while appearing uniform from the outside, would undergo a 'chemical' reaction when dropped into warm water, transforming into distinct 'beverages'.
The flavors could also be discerned by their colors.
This dish's maturity lay in its use of plating design, overall unity, artistic quality, and the most challenging aspect of molecular gastronomy its visible variability making it almost a pinnacle work of molecular gastronomy.
The aspect of variability, often in molecular gastronomy, is something that many times only the chefs themselves can observe at the kitchen workstation. After the finished product, many dishes don't visibly display their variability, or only subtle intriguing aspects are discernible.
Renz directly allowed the tasters to initiate this 'magic' effect themselves.
This kind of dish, if presented in a professional competition, or even the finals of The BLUE, could be considered a surefire winning dish.
Renz using it here wasn't just overkill; it was a clear demonstration of his intent to leave no room for his opponent, bringing forth his absolute best.
This level of respect was so profound it could be described as an "I'm your fan" gesture.
It's important to remember that when facing individuals they deeply respect, such 'fans' often strike the hardest, sometimes inadvertently leaving their admired subject utterly defeated.
Renz's meticulous movements bordered on the extreme; the handling of sugar truly demanded immense precision.
Many chefs are imprecise about sugar during cooking, largely because they rely solely on habitual measurements, unable to precisely control the quantity, relying instead on approximate intuition.
Renz used a small measuring device.
He meticulously placed the exact amount of sugar he needed. Too much would affect the taste, and too little would also compromise it.
Too much would be overly sweet, too little would be bland. When the amount was just right, Renz could actually eyeball a spoonful and get the weight accurate.
However, at this moment, it was about minimizing the error rate, showing extreme caution.
Now, let's discuss the types of sugar.
Among the commonly used types of sugar, there is refined white granulated sugar, simply called sugar, which consists of granular crystals. Based on crystal size, it is classified as coarse, medium, and fine. The largest market supply is fine granulated sugar, produced from sugarcane or sugar beets.
Its characteristics include high purity, low moisture, and few impurities.
Domestic granulated sugar has a sucrose content higher than 99.45% and moisture lower than 0.12%.
Coarse granulated sugar, however, is a major taboo in preparing sugar-based dishes, as it has low purity, many impurities, and high moisture content.
For cooking, especially for high-end food, soft white sugar, rock sugar, slab sugar, and honey are typically
used.
In the culinary process, the selection of sugar is extremely strict, particularly for dessert dishes, where the quality of sugar almost dictates the success or failure of the dish.
The simplest way to identify good sugar is that it should appear crystal clear and pure white. Secondly, it should have a subtle, clean sweetness when smelled, not pungent or unusual. Finally, it should feel fine and smooth to the touch, with no clumping.
The most crucial indicator of genuine sugar quality is that it dissolves instantly in water.
Sometimes, Renz had to admit that superior ingredients significantly enhanced a dish. Excellent ingredients, in the hands of a skilled chef, possess the ability to transform the ordinary into something magical.
The ingredients prepared by Totsuki Academy naturally had impeccable quality, which made Renz's preparation process as smooth as a fish in water.
Renz reached out and cut generous amounts of banana, dragon fruit, and papaya into chunks, then placed sago in cold water and slowly simmered it until its white core became transparent.
This dish demanded considerable energy and time.
The creation of that variable effect was the most challenging aspect. It also required using molecular gastronomy tools to combine these fruits and sugar, condensing them into tiny, Go-like sugar beads. The surface then needed to be encased in a capsule-like shell made of special material, decorated to resemble black and white Go pieces.
And these sugar beads, compressed and spherified by the tools, upon contact with warm water, would be dissolved by the heat, and their special material capsule-like outer shell would melt, releasing their original compressed 'core' into the warm water.
At this point, with a brief stir, a sweet, drinkable beverage was formed. However, if Renz messed up these sugar beads, even slightly, the consequences would be severe.
The transformed drink might lack sufficient concentration, leading to a distorted flavor.
Therefore, the difficulty of this process was paramount.
Renz was truly giving his all this time.
Making this dish required absolute focus; even a momentary lapse of attention could lead to an error.
Fortunately, it was Renz at the helm.
If the recipe were given to other chefs to execute, they might be overwhelmed by the pressure halfway through.
Even those who weren't overwhelmed by pressure, if there was even a tiny flaw, the dish would suffer a devastating failure.
Up until now, the belief that sustained Renz was entirely the most primal human desire.
If the reward was just one time, he wanted to turn it into a whole box.
A box, not much, actually just eight sets.
Someone who regularly performs calisthenics certainly wouldn't lack this basic physical endurance.
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