After Xu Yanxia finished introducing the dishes one by one, it was time for the tasting and reviewing segment of the round.
According to the rankings, the first to be evaluated was still Xu Yanxia's team's dishes.
As the five dishes were presented to the judges and tasted one by one, a chorus of praise immediately erupted in the venue—
"Wow, this pork trotter soup is so fresh and rich! The tendons have been stewed until they melt in the mouth, the kind that just falls apart with a gentle press of the lips!!!"
The host, lucky enough to taste the Tang Dynasty imperial banquet, couldn't help but excitedly describe his feelings to the camera: "My mouth is full of a gelatinous texture, and there's a hint of milky aroma at the end. It's incredibly delicious!!!"
"This milk-brewed fish, it turns out there's stuffing inside the fish belly, my friends!!! There are water chestnuts, pine nuts, and diced fish meat. It has such a rich layered texture!"
"The fish meat is also super tender and especially fresh! And this thick soup is simply wonderful, very soft and creamy. It tastes fresh and sweet in the mouth, without any fishy smell at all, and it has that thick, creamy aroma of yam!!!"
"Can everyone hear the sound in my mouth?"
In order to convey his feelings to the audience as authentically as possible, the host specially brought his hidden microphone close to his mouth—
"The exterior of this Silk Road ancient method grilled steak has been roasted to a crispy degree, but the juices inside are still very abundant. It's the feeling of the aroma of fat and meat melting together! A super satisfying happiness of eating meat!!!"
"Wow, having a bowl of sour soup sliced noodles at this time is simply amazing! It cuts through the richness and feels so comforting. The noodle slices are smooth and chewy, and the soup is particularly fresh. The vinegar aroma isn't just on the surface; it's infused into the soup. Super delicious!!!"
...
Seeing the host's undisguised excitement as a foodie eating delicious food, Judge Qiao on the judging panel couldn't help but humorously say, "It seems the host is the most suitable to be a judge. Well said! It completely matches my feelings."
This made the host a bit embarrassed. He quickly bowed to the judges and said, "I'm sorry, teachers, please forgive me. It's mainly because I've been watching you all eat for the past few episodes, and today I finally had the honor to taste it. I'm really just a bit too excited!"
Saying that, he added to the camera, "That was just my personal feeling. Audience friends, please ignore it for now. Next, let's listen to the professional comments of the judges."
"No, no, actually your comments on every dish were very spot on!"
Judge Qiao quickly said, "Today, Director Xu's dishes are eye-catching in terms of both appearance and taste. It can be said to be a dual enjoyment of vision and taste. I think only this kind of quality can be called a prosperous Tang Dynasty imperial banquet."
"That's right,"
Chef Guo also picked up the microphone and said, "The fact that a few young people would think of restoring a grand dish from a thousand years ago is in itself a very commendable thing, especially since they restored it to perfectly suit the tastes of modern people. Furthermore, these ingredients are all affordable for ordinary people, which is excellent. I'm giving it full marks!"
With that, he gave the first five-point score.
"I also give full marks."
Judge Qiao closely followed and revealed her score, adding, "This Sushan ice cream is particularly delicious, even richer than the ice cream sold outside. Thinking that our ancestors were already eating such delicacies over a thousand years ago really makes one envious."
"Yes,"
Dr. Hui also smiled and said, "Not only is the Sushan delicious. The method for the sliced noodles is also excellent. Using spinach juice to knead the dough not only makes the color beautiful but also brings all the nutritional components of the spinach into the noodles."
"And you were very detail-oriented. Earlier, you specifically blanched the spinach before juicing it. This removes the oxalic acid from the spinach, which is great."
Xu Yanxia smiled and introduced it to the judges, saying, "From kneading the dough to pulling the slices, this sour soup sliced noodles dish was handled entirely by our Sister Gao. She is a highly experienced master of pastry and noodles. Ninety percent of the success of this noodle dish is due to her."
—That's right, during yesterday's amateur competition, Xu Yanxia was attracted by this new teammate's dumpling-making skills, which was why she enthusiastically recruited her to join.
Although this sister did not come from the catering industry, decades of cooking home-style meals had given her a wealth of experience.
At this moment, following her words, the camera quickly gave a close-up to the forty-something Sister Gao.
The slightly plump Sister Gao quickly bowed to the judges and said, "Thank you, teachers, for your liking. I never thought that my home-style cooking skills would one day make it to an elegant hall like this. I also want to thank our Captain Xiaxia and the other youngsters for their trust in me. Not only did they not mind my age, but they also trusted me completely. I am very grateful to everyone."
As her voice fell, a round of applause echoed through the venue.
Perhaps because she rarely faced the camera, Sister Gao's eyes grew a little moist. Suisui and Xiaoxian, who were beside her, quickly gave her a hug.
Xu Yanxia also smiled and put her arm around Sister Gao's shoulders, saying, "Sister Gao is too polite. We are a single entity, and among us, there is only mutual unity; there absolutely cannot be any discrimination."
"Furthermore, there is no high or low distinction between home-style cooking and restaurant dishes. As long as you put your heart into it and bring out the best flavor of the food, it is highly valuable."
"Well said."
The host took the lead in applauding her.
Off-stage, Wen Jiajun clapped and said to Lu Jingming, "Not bad, CEO. With our boss's wife having this kind of emotional intelligence, our company doesn't need to worry about its future."
"What are you talking about?"
Lu Jingming glanced at him and said, "Our Baby always thought this way."
"Baby?"
Wen Jiajun immediately let out a disgusted sound and said, "I can't take it, I need to get away from you."
Saying that, he scooted closer to Ye Shu.
...
Inside the venue, seeing the applause die down, the host looked at the final judge, Feng Yiheng, and said, "Three judges have already shared their thoughts. I wonder how Dr. Feng evaluates Director Xu's team's dishes today?"
"Excellent!"
Sitting upright in a suit, Feng Yiheng picked up the microphone and said, "Actually, I am very honored to taste such delicious dishes today. It has also given me, someone who grew up abroad, a new understanding of Chinese food. It turns out that over a thousand years ago, our ancestors were already cooking in a way that blended Chinese and Western elements. And in terms of taste, the pairing of each ingredient is extremely wonderful, excellent! So, I also give full marks."
Saying that, he also displayed his score.
It was also a five.
Coupled with the scores from the public judges later on, they achieved a perfect score of one hundred points.
After Xu Yanxia high-fived her teammates to celebrate, it was time for the next group, Jin Jiexiang's dishes.
The introduction of the dishes had already been done right after they served them earlier, but at that time, Xu Yanxia and her teammates were busy serving their own dishes and couldn't listen very carefully.
She only vaguely remembered that they were still using the gimmick of imperial cuisine, with things like Imperial Golden Gourd Chicken, Consort's Milky Soup Fish, Royal Flavor Steamed Bowl Crispy Pork, and so on.
After tasting the dishes one by one with everyone else, she knew that the other party had definitely messed up again this time.
Not to mention anything else, the Gourd Chicken was the most famous local dish in Xijing. As a chef from out of town, it was brave enough to challenge their signature dish, but to make it so poorly was just too audacious.
"The milky fish soup and the pumpkin bowl are fine, but the Gourd Chicken is a bit sub-par," local judge Chef Guo patiently pointed out the problem to them. "As the name suggests, the most important thing about this dish is to have the shape of a gourd. You have to tie the chicken tightly at the beginning, otherwise it will fall apart when steamed. Also, the heat was too high during steaming, making the meat too tender, which led to it losing its shape when fried at the end."
"...Yes," Jin Jiexiang was trying hard to save face. "You're right. The team member was a bit nervous when making it today, and I was guiding other teammates, so I didn't notice it for a moment. I apologize to the judges."
Considering his attitude, Chef Li said nothing more.
However, Judge Qiao raised another issue for him. "This steamed bowl of crispy pork is also a bit unsuccessful; the batter fell off during steaming. To be honest, I just went to eat at that famous internet-celebrity crispy pork place locally last night, and their batter was very intact. I wonder if the ratio wasn't right when you mixed the batter just now?"
"..."
Jin Jiexiang had no choice but to nod again and say, "You're right, this is indeed a problem with the batter. The new team member is not very familiar with the ratio, and we will improve in the future."
...
