Based on the rankings from the previous rounds, Xu Yanxia's dishes were the first to be evaluated in this round.
Unsurprisingly, after tasting her Kung Pao Diced Rabbit and creative Sweet Steamed Pork with Sticky Rice, Mr. Qiao was the first to express his admiration.
"Director Xu's creations continue to maintain a superb standard. I can't find a single flaw in these two dishes. The Kung Pao Diced Rabbit has the standard lychee-like sweet and sour flavor with a scorched chili finish. This kind of seasoning is extremely balanced, which is rare in itself. Whether it's the diced rabbit, the peanuts, or the other side ingredients, each has its own distinct texture. It's absolutely perfect!"
"I especially want to praise this Sweet Steamed Pork! It's rich but not greasy, melting right in the mouth. Whether it's the meat, the rice, or the red bean paste, there is a hint of fruity fragrance shining through. It is the best fruit-infused dish I have ever eaten!"
"I hope you can launch this in your brand's restaurants. I dare say it will definitely be very popular. I already can't wait to eat it a second time!!!"
With that, he gave the first five-point score of the day.
Applause erupted off-stage, and Xu Yanxia hurried to express her thanks.
But before she could even open her mouth, she saw Chef Chang, the local female master chef sitting next to Mr. Qiao, immediately give her a thumbs up.
Using her distinctive local dialect, she said, "I have to praise this. These two dishes have absolutely grasped the essence of our Sichuan cuisine perfectly! The color, aroma, presentation, and taste are all fantastic!"
"The diced rabbit even has special decorative cuts scored into it. Such meticulous craftsmanship is really rare nowadays. The Sweet Steamed Pork is also arranged in a standard lotus base; it tastes fresh and cuts through the richness. The concept is simply beyond words! It maximizes the characteristic of our Sichuan cuisine to elevate the commonplace into elegance! Moreover, you are a girl, which proves that our female chefs are not inferior to anyone else in the slightest. I must give a perfect score!"
Saying so, she followed suit and gave the second five-point score.
The whole audience was amused by Chef Chang's straightforward nature. Xu Yanxia also quickly bowed in gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Chef Chang! In the current culinary world, there are indeed fewer female chefs than male chefs, especially those who can reach the master chef level. Chef Chang, you are my role model!"
"And thank you to Mr. Qiao as well. I will definitely take your suggestions to heart, and I hope to invite you to taste it again when there's an opportunity!"
Right after, the other two judges also gave five points, and Xu Yanxia bowed again to say thank you.
However, just as she finished speaking, Master Jin, the "Imperial Chef," suddenly asked the new judge, Dr. Feng, in a conversational tone, "I heard Dr. Feng also majored in food science. Did you know our Director Xu beforehand? Are you two alumni, perhaps?"
"An old fox is always an old fox!"
Ye Shu, who was off-stage, couldn't help muttering to Xiaozhen, "His own skills are inferior, so he tries every means to throw dirty water on others. Look at his passive-aggressive attitude!"
"Exactly,"
Xiaozhen, who usually had a good temper, also couldn't help but snort with laughter. "This is a judge invited by the show's production team themselves. Everyone just met him today. What is he trying to insinuate here? He should be thankful that this show is fairly just. Otherwise, if our Xiaoxia wanted to pull strings in the dark, she would have kicked him out first!"
...
Turning the attention back to the stage, Dr. Feng immediately replied in Mandarin with a slight Hong Kong and Taiwan accent, "Today is my first time meeting everyone, including Director Xu. I did not know any of the guests beforehand."
"That's right,"
The host also quickly and humorously stated, "Our Dr. Feng grew up abroad and completed his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He is currently not an alumnus of Director Xu's. Of course, if Director Xu plans to pursue further studies in the future, we can't rule out the possibility that the two of you might become alumni."
As the host's voice fell, Xu Yanxia followed up playfully, "The food science program at Wageningen University ranks among the top in the world, and it is indeed a place I look forward to immensely. I hope to have the opportunity to become Dr. Feng's fellow alumni in the future."
"Then I'll welcome you on behalf of my alma mater in advance."
Dr. Feng smiled politely and made a point to explain to everyone, "Actually, my scoring criteria are very simple. Making good flavors using healthy ingredients is enough. For example, in these two dishes just now, there were no chemical additives, yet they managed to present the flavors of the food in a very reasonable and excellent way to everyone. That is why I gave a perfect score."
With that, he smiled at the camera and put the microphone down.
Off-stage, Ye Shu couldn't help but let out a wow to Xiaozhen, "He's so emotionally stable. The more I look at him, the more he seems like my ideal type. What should I do?"
Xiaozhen teased her, "Then go for it! After the recording is over, go ask for his number and give it a try. Maybe it will actually work out!"
...
As the two joked around, the public jury also gave Xu Yanxia their scores, bringing her total to ninety-eight points.
Next, it was time for the next group's scoring.
Because of their poor performance in the previous stop, Jin Jiexiang's group suffered a disastrous defeat in their scores. Currently ranking second was Brother Song's group.
Today, they continued down the path of late-night street food, making Spicy Hand-Shredded Roasted Rabbit and Pomegranate Fermented Rice Iced Milk.
The taste was quite good, but because the chili on the roasted rabbit was a bit too heavy, it masked many of the other flavors. As a result, out of the four judges, two gave four points and two gave three points. Combined with the public jury's scores, they finally received eighty-three points.
In fact, this was considered their normal level.
However, the following group, Jin Jiexiang's, was a bit surprising. Whether it was the Tangerine Peel Rabbit Meat or the Loquat White Fungus Soup, there were surprisingly no obvious flaws, earning them a score of ninety points.
Right after that, it was the turn of today's challenger guest, Brother Xiaoxie from a local internet-famous restaurant.
"Hello, judges. Welcome to our Brocade City. The two dishes I made today are both signature dishes of our restaurant: the Internet-Famous Diving Rabbit and Iced Strawberry Milkshake."
After his introduction, Xu Yanxia followed the show's procedure and tasted the food along with the other guest judges.
Actually, when he was cooking earlier, she had already smelled a strong scent of artificial flavoring and industrial additives.
Now, the reaction on the tip of her tongue told her that her judgment was absolutely correct. The additives in this dish were outrageously strong.
So strong that many of the judges had already started coughing on the spot.
"This Diving Rabbit is a bit too spicy,"
Mr. Qiao frowned and said, "I thought the Hand-Shredded Roasted Rabbit made by Brother Song and his team earlier was a bit spicy, but this one is even fiercer than that!"
"You might not have heard, sir, but our restaurant's Diving Rabbit is all about being numbingly spicy and satisfying. We use our local specialty Seven-Star Peppers..."
"No, no,"
Before Brother Xiaoxie could finish his sentence, the straightforward Chef Chang interrupted him, "Kid, your spiciness is only on the surface, and the aftertaste is empty. It's obviously not the heat of Seven-Star Peppers. Also, this meat is a bit too tender. Tell me honestly, did you add meat tenderizer?"
"Absolutely not, chef!"
Brother Xiaoxie still tried to argue, "We marinated this with egg whites and starch. If the heat is controlled well, it will naturally be tender!"
"No matter how tender, it's impossible to be so tender that there's absolutely no fibrous texture left."
Dr. Feng suddenly spoke up. "This is a clear sign that papain has been added. In addition to that, your dish contains excessive amounts of monosodium glutamate, as well as disodium 5'-ribonucleotide."
He paused, looking over at the staff members on set, and asked, "Excuse me, could someone help me translate? I'm still not entirely sure of the Chinese names for these chemical additives."
However, since these were specialized technical terms, the staff members all looked completely bewildered.
Seeing this, Xu Yanxia, a fellow food science major, stepped in to translate for him. "In China, papain is called papaya proteinase, which is commonly known as meat tenderizer. The Chinese name for monosodium glutamate is sodium glutamate, which is what we usually call MSG."
"Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide is known domestically as flavor nucleotide disodium. It is a type of flavor enhancer that is meant to be used together with MSG."
