...because these dishes really weren't that delicious.
Xu Yanxia thought so too.
Obviously, the fat on the crystal pork hock hadn't been properly rendered during stewing, making it somewhat greasy as a cold dish. It had to rely on the side of mashed garlic to cut through the richness.
The mustard sauce for the conch slices was mixed decently, but the blanching time hadn't been controlled well, leaving the conch lacking crispness and a bit too tough.
...So tough that people her grandparents' age might not even be able to chew it.
The dry-fried meatballs and hibiscus chicken slices were passable, with no major flaws, but no highlights either. The ingredients tasted ordinary.
As for the wine-lees duck tongues...
It was completely made in the drunken style of the Jiangnan region and had absolutely nothing to do with Shandong cuisine.
...
To be honest, based on these few dishes, she was quite disappointed.
Looking at her grandfather beside her, he was also frowning slightly, though he didn't say anything.
Soon after, new dishes were brought to the table.
"Scallion Braised Sea Cucumber is the signature dish of our Decui Lou, and also a premier dish in Shandong cuisine," the well-dressed male waiter introduced with a smile. "Made with premium Liaodong sea cucumbers and top-grade Zhangqiu scallions, it originates from the exquisite techniques of our Decui Lou's founding master, Mr. Bao Deshun. The scallion aroma infuses the sea cucumber, making the sauce rich and flavorful."
"Nine-Turn Intestines is a true test of culinary skill in Shandong cuisine. Each piece is made from carefully selected premium black pig large intestines, harmonizing five flavors, rich but not greasy."
"Clear Soup Abalone is also one of our most sincere culinary feats. Our restaurant uses premium dried South African abalone, slow-simmered in a rich broth over a low flame without any added MSG, truly reflecting our chefs' superb skills."
"Dry-braised Prawns features wild-caught giant prawns from the Bohai Bay caught today. The meat is firm and bouncy, perfectly balancing salty and sweet."
"Wine-lees Sautéed Three Whites is a traditional old Shandong dish, using fresh grouper belly, free-range chicken breast, and premium Tianmu Mountain winter bamboo shoots."
"Our finale today is Dry-braised Large Yellow Croaker, featuring a whole wild-caught Zhoushan yellow croaker, slow-braised with diced pork belly, winter bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms. Finally, paired with our state-banquet-level cuttlefish roe soup, we hope to bring you the ultimate taste experience."
"Please enjoy your meal."
Seeing the waiter step aside after introducing the dishes one by one, Xu Yanxia, her elders, and her friends began to taste them one by one.
Immediately after, she couldn't help but feel disappointed, disappointed, and disappointed again.
Because compared to the previous dishes, the problems with these were even bigger.
Looking again at her grandfather beside her, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
She was just about to say something to the old man when she heard the straightforward Suisui ask in a low voice, "Is this Dry-braised Prawn actually Oil-braised Prawn? It tastes just like it."
Before she could speak, her grandfather immediately cleared up the confusion for her. "No, child. Dry-braised Prawn requires pan-frying the prawn until the shell is crispy and releases red oil, then adding salt, sugar, cooking wine, and a bit of soy sauce, using a low flame to completely reduce the sauce. You can't add water to thicken it at any point. It's all about the prawn being dry, fragrant, and glossy, with a crispy shell and firm meat."
"Oil-braised Prawn uses a fry-then-braise method. After pan-frying the prawns, you add a little water or broth and reduce the sauce over high heat. The sauce should be reduced until it's thick enough to coat a spoon, but not cooked dry. Some people also add a thin slurry when making it to make the finished product look brighter and more moist. It should taste juicy with tender meat. The two prawn dishes are made using completely different methods."
Even though most of the friends present today worked in the food industry, even someone like Ye Shu, who rarely cooked, basically understood after Grandpa Xu's concise explanation.
Following this, everyone couldn't help but show doubtful expressions as they looked at the plate of "Dry-braised Prawns" on the table.
Suisui scooped up some of the sauce in the plate with a spoon, frowning as she said, "Then this... isn't this Oil-braised Prawn, not Dry-braised Prawn?"
"Exactly," Xu Yanxia also spoke up. "Strictly speaking, this should be considered Tomato Sauce Oil-braised Prawns, because they added some ketchup when seasoning. After all, traditional Oil-braised Prawns don't use ketchup."
"Uh..." As her voice fell, everyone's faces inevitably showed some awkwardness. Ye Shu couldn't help but say, "Did the chef misread the ticket when making it?"
Or did they simply not know how to make it?
In Xu Yanxia's opinion, they probably didn't know how to make it.
Because compared to the currently common methods of Oil-braised Prawns and Tomato Sauce Prawns, Dry-braised Prawns was considered relatively obscure.
And in a restaurant of this scale, it would be highly unlikely for a chef to make such a rookie mistake.
However, before she could say this, the waiter standing nearby suddenly stepped forward and asked, "Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Nothing," Xu Yanxia smiled and said. "We are just discussing some culinary techniques. We don't need any service here for now, you can step out and rest."
For no other reason than that what she was about to say might not sound very pleasant. He was a staff member here, and it wouldn't be good if he got angry hearing it.
Besides, her grandfather was a very polite man of the older generation. With the waiter here, he felt too embarrassed to point out the flaws. Seeing the old man holding it in uncomfortably made her heart ache.
So it was better to send him away so they could talk among themselves.
Who knew that after she said this, the waiter paused and asked, "Pardon me for asking, but are you all social media influencers? I noticed you were filming when you came in earlier."
"???"
Xu Yanxia looked in confusion at the neatly dressed male waiter and said, "Whether we are social media influencers or not seems to have nothing to do with the request I just made. May I ask what the purpose of your question is?"
"Please don't misunderstand," the waiter immediately said with a smile. "Our restaurant has a policy that if you are here to review the restaurant and intend to profit from filming our dishes, our staff is obligated to assist you by your side."
"Assist???"
Xu Yanxia grew even more puzzled and immediately retorted, "No matter the purpose behind your restaurant establishing such a rule, you should know that no store policy supersedes the law."
"According to the Civil Code, as a consumer in your restaurant, this private room is my temporary private space, and I have the right to ask you to leave."
"Furthermore, whether we film your restaurant and how we review it falls under our lawful right of supervision as consumers. As long as we haven't entered core areas like your kitchen or taken close-up shots of other consumers' faces, it is completely legal."
"Besides, when we walked in, your restaurant didn't have any clear signs prohibiting filming, and there were other people filming as well, which means you fundamentally allow it."
Xu Yanxia looked at the person and said, "Setting aside the fact that we are just recording our daily lives, aren't any kind of influencers, and don't rely on shooting videos for profit—even if we were actually influencers doing a store review, you still have no right to make up a store rule like this."
"If someone maliciously slandered you in a video, distorted the facts, or spread rumors, you would be fully entitled to hold them legally responsible. But right now, you have absolutely no right or reason to refuse to leave the private room that I paid for."
"Uh..."
After she finished speaking, the person paused for a moment before finally leaving the private room.
