The first round of scoring ended. After another intense period of preparation, the serving of the second round of dishes soon began.
"The judges will first taste the creations from Chef Zhao's team again. There are two hot stir-fried dishes: Kung Pao Wagyu Beef and Emerald Lobster."
As the judges began to taste, the host continued to read the promotional introduction prepared by the Decuilou team. "The Kung Pao Wagyu Beef uses high-quality Australian Wagyu, cooked in the style of traditional Chinese Sichuan Kung Pao. It is an exclusive and innovative dish."
"The Emerald Lobster uses meat sliced from fresh, premium Australian lobster, coated with spinach juice and starch, and stir-fried until tender and smooth. It is also a representative of new-style Chinese cuisine, highlighting the charm of high-end ingredients."
As his voice fell, the judges had just finished tasting and began to give their comments once more.
"The flavor profile of this Kung Pao Wagyu Beef is quite right. The lychee-like sweet and sour taste is very authentic, and the tenderness of the Wagyu is acceptable. The whole dish has no obvious flaws. However, there is a slight issue with the Emerald Lobster. The lobster meat is a bit overcooked, so the texture is slightly lacking and not tender enough."
"That is right. Actually, for this cooking method, Australian lobster shouldn't have been chosen because its meat tends to be tougher. Choosing Boston lobster would have been much better."
...
"Alright, thank you to our professional judges for your comments,"
Seeing that the new dishes from Xu Yanxia's team were also out of the pan, the host immediately introduced, "Next up are two hot stir-fried dishes from Director Xu's team: Coriander Stir-fried Shredded Pork Tenderloin, and Lemon Juice Marinated Snowflake Wagyu Beef."
"The Coriander Stir-fried Shredded Pork Tenderloin uses tender pork tenderloin and is cooked using the classic Yanbao technique from Shandong cuisine. It is a traditional dish with a long history that was once selected for state banquets."
"The Lemon Juice Marinated Snowflake Wagyu Beef is a new Chinese dish. It uses premium Australian snowflake beef, seasoned with lemon juice and black pepper, and then pan-fried. It combines Chinese and Western elements to highlight the quality of the ingredients."
Following the host's introduction, the live audience looked at the close-up shots from the camera on the big screen, only to see that both dishes were very pleasing to the eye.
The jade-white shredded tenderloin was consistent in length and evenly thick, arranged on the plate like scattered chrysanthemum petals. Coupled with the interspersed coriander stems, the white and green contrasted with each other, looking very bright and moist.
The Lemon Juice Wagyu was even more remarkable. After the extremely high-quality snowflake beef was pan-fried, the marble patterns between the muscle fibers became even clearer. The surface was coated with an amber-like slightly charred luster, while the middle was a tender pink color, full of juices. Just looking at it, one could imagine the texture.
Grandpa Xu in the audience nodded. "Xiaoxia's culinary skills are as good as always, and Xiaopeng's shredded tenderloin is also looking more and more decent."
"That is for sure,"
Aunt Xu whispered with a smile, "Look at the judges eating with beaming smiles. The taste definitely can't be wrong."
Indeed, watching them finish tasting the two dishes one by one, before the host could even speak, someone on the judging panel had already taken the initiative to speak up.
"This Coriander Stir-fried Shredded Pork Tenderloin is fried exceptionally well! The shredded meat is tender, smooth, and elastic. The coriander stems are just cooked through, which really enhances the flavor. Not only is the heat control spot on, but the seasoning is also adjusted perfectly. Apart from a little pepper and salt, there are no superfluous seasoning flavors. There is only a hint of vinegar aroma at the finish. What you taste is that pure meat fragrance! Absolutely perfect!"
"I agree. This is the taste of traditional old dishes from the past, which is rarely seen elsewhere now! There is nothing to nitpick about this dish. In addition, the Lemon Juice Wagyu is also very good. The texture and doneness are very spot on, and the beef fat aroma is very rich. The seasoning is only a little black pepper, lemon juice, and salt, which instantly lets one feel the aroma of the Wagyu. It really is different from ordinary beef."
Saying that, this judge also asked, "If I guess correctly, this should be at least an M5 grade Wagyu or above, right?"
"Yes,"
Bajin, who acted as the scriptwriter and spokesperson for Xu Yanxia's team, immediately replied, "Your judgment is very accurate, sir. What we are using today is Australian M9 grade Wagyu, kindly provided by the world-renowned high-end ingredient supplier, the German Meyer Group."
What, German Meyer?
Hearing this name, the knowledgeable judges all gave them a thumbs up.
However, the group of people from the Decuilou team were obviously stunned.
Others might not know, but they all knew that ever since they heard that the German Meyer Group was looking for a partner in the country, their Yayan company had been trying to win them over. How could it be that they hadn't received any news on their end yet, but the other party had actually directly provided ingredients to their opponents?
... Does this mean declaring that they are already out of the game???
Chairman Lu and his wife in the audience were also somewhat surprised.
Ms. Shen looked at her son Lu Jingming and asked in a low voice, "Did Xiaoxia... contact her mother?"
Lu Jingming explained, "They are using the samples that Meyer previously provided to us today. She did indeed say hello to Feng Yiheng, but I haven't heard her mention anything else."
So that was it.
Ms. Shen nodded gently.
The professional judges on the panel also nodded one after another and said, "The quality of good Wagyu is indeed different; the aroma is indeed richer."
"That is why the better the quality of the ingredients, the more they should be cooked in a simple way, otherwise it would be a pity!"
"So compared to the Kung Pao method of the other team just now, I prefer this Lemon Juice Wagyu."
"Yes."
...
Seeing that the judges were already enthusiastically discussing the differences in the cooking methods of the two teams, the host also spoke up at the right time, "The hot stir-fried dishes of both teams have been tasted. Next, please ask the judges to score."
As his voice fell, everyone turned their eyes to the big screen again, only to see that with the continuous jumping of numbers, the final scores settled at 99 and 92.
Needless to say, the higher score still belonged to Xu Yanxia's team.
Ye Shu and Xiaozhen, who were staying in the staff area outside the camera, looked at each other and couldn't help but smile mischievously. "This way of playing is still exciting; it directly tests people's mentality!"
"Isn't that right,"
Xiaozhen also smiled and said, "Look at that group of people from Decuilou, their faces are all wrong!"
Indeed, seeing Xu Yanxia leading her friends to bow and thank the happy judges, the large group of people from Decuilou could only follow suit and bow to the judging panel, but it was obvious that their faces were tense and not relaxed at all.
"This is just the beginning,"
Ye Shu chuckled again, and glanced at the audience section where the group of spectators sent by Yayan Company were seated, saying, "There are still two rounds of scoring left. There will be a time for them to cry."
...
The next competition would be four elaborate dishes that require meticulous effort.
The so-called elaborate dishes are those that require a lot of time and heat control, have complicated production processes, and highly test culinary skills.
This time, the judges had to wait a little longer.
In order to prevent an awkward silence, the big screen specially played some behind-the-scenes footage of the two teams during the food preparation stage this morning.
In the audience, Ms. Shen watched for a while and couldn't help but sigh to her son again, "Our Xiaoxia really has good bone structure. Look at her in the footage, she didn't wear any makeup or styling, yet she still stands out so much."
"That is because I have a good eye,"
Lu Jingming smiled quite proudly. "With such a good daughter-in-law, you and my dad should just be secretly happy."
"Then you must also pay close attention to keeping in shape," Ms. Shen told him with a smile, "so she won't find fault with you in the future."
"Of course." Lu Jingming cleared his throat. "I work out every day now."
...
After everyone chatted for a while, it was soon time to submit their work for the next round.
Even though the pressure was already immense, the people from Decui Restaurant still chose to seize the initiative by finishing early.
"For this round, Chef Zhao's team presents four intricate dishes: Scallion Braised Sea Cucumber, Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish, Braised Winter Melon in Abalone Sauce, and Supreme Mao Xue Wang."
"The Scallion Braised Sea Cucumber is one of Chef Zhao's most signature dishes in his career. It uses premium Liaoning sea cucumbers aged over seven years and Zhangqiu scallions, slow-simmered in a rich broth until fully infused."
"The Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish is a famous classic of Suzhou cuisine. Meticulously prepared with fresh Mandarin fish, it features a sweet and sour flavor and a lifelike presentation that appeals to all ages."
"The Braised Winter Melon in Abalone Sauce is a vegetable dish. The winter melon is simmered in a secret broth; it looks simple, but actually requires profound culinary skill."
"The Supreme Mao Xue Wang is our heavy-hitting trump card today. Aside from the traditional beef tripe, pork aorta, duck blood, and eel slices, we have also added high-end seafood like abalone and sea cucumber, elevating this traditional delicacy to a whole new level."
Pfft...
As the host's voice faded, the busy team members of Xu Yanxia's group almost burst out laughing.
What a Supreme Mao Xue Wang—they actually went ahead and made it?
Especially after the judges had just pointed out the flaws in their Kung Pao Wagyu Beef???
...Alright, they sure are stubborn.
Looking at the judges again, after tasting the Supreme Mao Xue Wang, they all could not help but frown.
"The other dishes are fine, but this Mao Xue Wang is truly baffling."
The master Sichuan chef spoke first, "The abalone and sea cucumber have not absorbed any flavor at all, and their texture is very tough. They even taste fishy. Why would you prepare it this way?"
"Exactly."
The executive Cantonese chef nodded in agreement, "Putting some squid in Mao Xue Wang is understandable, but not all seafood is suited for a spicy and numbing preparation. Such fine abalone and sea cucumber are completely overpowered by the spicy flavor, making it impossible to taste anything else. It is definitely a failure."
As expected, most people's tastes are normal.
Nodding silently once again, they also submitted their own team's culinary answer sheet.
