Kanna's voice rang out at the opportune moment. A knife and fork had appeared in the girl's hands at some point, and she waved them while shouting, appearing full of energy. Those around her seemed to be infected by her, and their hunger surged.
"Alright, alright, go sit over there. I'll bring your food right away."
Raising his hand to ruffle Kanna's head, Hoshino Sora turned and returned to the kitchen. Kanna felt her hair being messed up, a bit helpless, and a look of distaste appeared on her face.
But she didn't dislike it; in fact, she was even a little happy inside.
After Hoshino Sora left, the waitress proactively stepped forward and seated the group at a large table. The next moment, Hoshino Sora came forward, carrying meticulously prepared dishes, followed by a line of serving waitresses.
"This is today's limited dish, Honey-Glazed Ham."
A bright red, honey-glazed ham was brought to the dining table. As the cover was lifted, a rich, sweet and savory aroma wafted in all directions—an extremely appetizing scent. Looking at the perfectly shaped ham, the women who had just taken their seats couldn't help but swallow.
"This uses Jinhua ham. After opening the package, it's soaked and scraped in lye water, then brushed with white wine and sprinkled with a small amount of Sichuan peppercorns before being steamed. That's just the first step of the dish."
Seeing the women salivating over the honey-glazed ham, Hoshino Sora smiled and began to explain how the dish was made. The ham used needed to be perfectly square, and steaming it allowed it to become firm and flat.
Simply put, steamed ham can return to its original shape. The muscle fibers, after being rehydrated, will expand and reorganize, returning to their state within the pig's body.
This is a very famous old dish.
While steaming the ham, glutinous rice is also steamed. The glutinous rice is dry-steamed in a bowl for 40 minutes, then 'big oil' and water are added, and it's steamed for another twenty minutes. The cooked glutinous rice is then seasoned with a little salt and a small amount of honey, then kneaded and mixed.
This is to give the glutinous rice a simple base flavor, while also increasing its stickiness and creating a flowing texture.
This glutinous rice is both sticky and delicious!
After all this, 20 grams of pine nuts are added to enhance the texture and flavor of the glutinous rice. Then, lotus seeds that have been soaked in water, de-headed, and de-cored are added and mixed well, then set aside.
"The combination of sweet and savory is the ultimate deliciousness!"
With a hint of emotion in his voice, the deliciousness of the dish spread in his mouth. The saltiness of the ham, and the sweetness of the honey glaze and glutinous rice intertwined and complemented each other, with the honey glaze being a combination of sugar and honey.
It's similar to stir-frying sugar for color, but it's not stir-frying sugar for color. The honey glaze emphasizes that the sugar isn't over-fried, and the overall taste is sweet, whereas stir-fried sugar for color isn't. This is the most fundamental difference between the two!
"And this glutinous rice, its sweetness spreading in the mouth, paired with the savory depth of the ham, is simply amazing!"
"It's inherently salty meat, but it's also drizzled with a layer of honey glaze made from honey and rock sugar, creating a unique flavor that is sweet with a hint of saltiness, and salty with a hint of sweetness. This collision between the lips and teeth brings joy and leaves no room for complaint."
On Anz Ul Gown's table on the other side, there was also this dish. He was currently tasting it with Rimuru and others, commenting as he ate. The burst of delicious flavors on his tongue was an experience he had never had before.
For the first time, he felt it was truly wonderful for humans to have a sense of taste!
"What a wonderful feeling! The stickiness of the honey and glutinous rice seems to turn into a Serum, flowing and gliding over the skin, just like Anz Ul Gown's hands delicately…"
"Cough, cough!"
Before Yalbede could continue, Anz Ul Gown coughed heavily twice, his expression becoming a bit awkward. After a moment, he continued to savor the honey-glazed ham in front of him. He had to admit that the dishes at this restaurant were all of a very high standard.
Not only was this dish delicious, but other dishes such as Dongpo Pork, Roasted Lamb Leg, and Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs were all classics among classics. Although they were all Oriental dishes, their deliciousness was enough.
In addition, Hoshino Sora's barbecue was also superb! Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth. Both meat and vegetables were cooked to perfection. Paired with a cold, clear beer, the taste was simply incredible!
For a time, Anz Ul Gown and Yalbede had already forgotten their purpose for being there, completely immersed in enjoying the food. The feeling of the dishes being chewed and swallowed in their mouths was simply too wonderful!
They were in heaven!
Everyone's faces were beaming with happiness, especially Kanna, who was so stimulated by the delicious food that she was almost on her back!
She ate the fastest and the most. When she came to her senses, she had already devoured most of the dishes in front of her. Fortunately, Hoshino Sora had prepared extra portions for her, otherwise, it wouldn't have been enough.
One guest after another entered the restaurant, and the restaurant, which was originally only for Gourmet Manor residents, became lively with the addition of these guests.
Even though it was eleven o'clock at night, the first floor of the restaurant was already packed, and no one wanted to leave early!
Gradually, the second floor was full of people, and so were the private rooms on the third floor. This large-capacity restaurant was filled for the first time.
It was truly packed to capacity, with guests everywhere, and everyone's faces were beaming with smiles, healed by the delicious food. Even the kitchen felt the increased pressure.
Fortunately, these guests did not arrive all at once, but came in batches, so although their pressure increased significantly, it was still within manageable limits.
Time passed, and at midnight, everyone gradually left, but even until closing time, there were still twenty or thirty guests in the shop. They packed up the delicious food from the restaurant to take to their friends.
"It's finally over. What a trial by fire!"
Feeling her slightly trembling hands, Mito Ikumi couldn't help but exclaim, then let out a long sigh of relief. This was much more tiring than she had imagined!
"Indeed, today's intensity was greater than usual, but only with such intensity can we make progress. I can clearly feel my coordination slowly improving."
"That's right, during the cooking process, there was a moment when I felt a sudden inspiration, and then, the speed of my cooking significantly increased. It felt as if a deity had possessed me!"
"Do you all feel that way too?"
The women in the kitchen chattered away, confirming each other's gains, their faces filled with surprise. They hadn't expected such astonishing results on the first day.
"Hoo…"
Compared to the women's excitement, Hoshino Sora was leaning tiredly against the counter. He was undoubtedly the one who exerted the most effort in this kitchen.
Simultaneously managing ten iron woks, each preparing a different dish, he was fortunate to have infinite stamina, otherwise, such high-intensity work would surely lead to some health issues.
"Master, a hot towel."
Looking at the rather tired Hoshino Sora, Merchant Xingchen, with eyes full of concern, handed him a hot towel. Because her master said her skill level was not enough and she still needed to learn, she had done nothing but serve dishes tonight.
Of course, serving dishes was also a skilled job, especially with so many customers, but compared to the exhaustion of the others, she was truly much more relaxed.
Now, apart from a slight panting, she was still normal.
"Thank you, Xingchen is still the best to me, unlike these heartless ones who only care about their own progress and don't come to care about me."
He applied the hot towel to his face, wiping off the sweat, and felt completely refreshed. Hoshino Sora stood up, stretched his body, and then reached out to ruffle Merchant Xingchen's small head.
"What do you mean? We're tired too, you know."
"Exactly. But Hoshino-kun is indeed amazing, one person is worth ten. Can you teach us this method so we can share the burden with you?"
Tadokoro Megumi said from the side. She also felt sorry for Hoshino Sora, but she didn't act until Merchant Xingchen went up to him.
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