As the final round of scoring for this competition, the next showdown was between the two teams' soups and staple foods.
After a period of intense and busy preparation by both teams, it was once again time to present their dishes.
This time, the Decui Restaurant team changed their strategy, yielding the opportunity to serve first to Xu Yanxia and her teammates.
They did not decline, generously and confidently presenting their freshly cooked dishes on the display table.
"This time, Director Xu and her teammates present to you the Matsutake Mushroom Soup and Four Joy Steamed Dumplings."
As close-up shots of the two dishes appeared on the large screen, the host began to read the introduction written by the veteran food critic, Bajin:
"The Matsutake Mushroom Soup is stewed with several kinds of mountain delicacies, including matsutake, bamboo fungus, and lion's mane mushroom. It clears away greasiness and highlights the rich aroma of the wild fungi. It is not only a representative nourishing soup in state banquets but also the best palate-cleansing soup after eating heavily flavored dishes."
"The Four Joy Steamed Dumplings are a traditional Chinese dim sum. The four fillings of sea cucumber, sea urchin, beef, and diced celtuce symbolize the four blessings of fortune, prosperity, longevity, and happiness arriving at the door. The shape is exquisite, auspicious, and perfect."
As soon as the words fell, a chorus of "Wow!" echoed throughout the audience.
The image on the large screen was incredibly pleasing to the eye. The clear and translucent mushroom soup was served in a white porcelain bowl, garnished with a bright red wolfberry. It presented a poetic Chinese aesthetic, like red plums on white snow reflected in a clear spring—exceedingly elegant.
The Four Joy Steamed Dumplings, shaped like four-petaled flowers, looked like plump, auspicious blossoms. Their four corners were perfectly symmetrical with smooth lines. Through four small, translucent skylights, the four colored fillings inside were visible.
The black sea cucumber, yellow sea urchin, pink beef, and tender green diced celtuce looked like four different colored gems inlaid on white jade, visually delightful and festive.
"These steamed dumplings are just too beautiful!!!"
Even the host couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "I truly envy our esteemed judges today! Our live audience is already drooling!!! Please, everyone, make sure to tell us in detail how it tastes after you try it, alright!!!"
"No problem!!!"
The judges smiled and gave the host an OK gesture, then eagerly began to taste the food.
"The dumpling skin is made of hot-water dough; it's flexible, soft, and chewy without sticking to the teeth. The filling combination is also excellent!"
The judges dutifully relayed their experiences one by one, "Fresh and tender, bursting with juice, perfectly seasoned, and incredibly rich in texture!"
"Exactly! The savory meat, the aroma of the dough, the umami of the seafood, and the refreshing crunch of the diced bamboo shoots are all harmoniously balanced! It's not greasy at all, absolutely delicious!!!"
"The matsutake soup is also wonderful—fresh, mellow, and soothing. Each type of mushroom retains its unique texture. It's very comforting to drink."
"Yes, it has a very pure and mellow umami flavor. The placement of this soup is especially brilliant. After having wagyu beef, mutton, and squab—such heavy main courses—drinking a bowl of vegetarian soup like this cuts through the richness and leaves you feeling refreshed and clear."
"This shows that these young people not only know how to cook but also deeply understand banquet pairing. Very impressive!"
...
Perhaps spurred by the judges' endless praises, the dishes from the Decui Restaurant team were soon finally placed on the display table.
"Alright, after tasting the staple food and soup from Director Xu's team, the judges will now taste the creations from Chef Zhao's team—"
The host began the introduction as usual, "As the saying goes, 'When the jar is opened, the savory aroma wafts to the neighbors; even Buddha would abandon meditation and jump over the wall to get a taste.' The soup from Chef Zhao's team is the world-renowned Premium Buddha Jumps Over the Wall! Made with over a dozen precious ingredients like top-grade abalone, sea cucumber, fish maw, and dried scallops, it is slowly simmered over low heat. The soup is as thick as honey, gathering the best of mountains and seas in one jar. It is one of the pinnacle masterpieces of Chinese culinary arts."
"The Black Truffle Abalone Rice is a classic high-end Cantonese mixed rice. Its ingredients can be called the ceiling of staple foods! Slowly simmered in a premium fresh abalone broth to absorb the flavors, and enhanced with the aroma of authentic French black truffles, it is savory but not greasy—a truly soul-satisfying bowl."
As the host finished speaking, the live audience admired the appearance of the two dishes, and the judges began to taste them.
"This Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is well-stewed. It's not easy to achieve this level of thickness in just half a day. Overall, it hits all the marks for freshness, aroma, richness, and mellowness. The various ingredients blend together quite well. It's a solid Buddha Jumps Over the Wall."
"The Black Truffle Abalone Rice is also decent. You can taste that the ingredients are all excellent. The aroma of the black truffle is very dominant, the texture of the abalone is appropriate, and there are no issues with the firmness of the rice or the flavor of the sauce."
...
Seeing the judges say this, Zhao Yanting and his teammates finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Even though it was the final round and they were already trailing the opposing team by twenty-six points, it was important to note that the ingredients used by both sides in this round were not on the same level.
The cost of their jar of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall alone was countless times higher than the opponent's pot of vegetarian mushroom soup.
And the bit of sea cucumber and sea urchin in the Four Joy Steamed Dumplings couldn't even compare to their abalone and black truffles.
If the judges knew their stuff, they should give them a high score based on the ingredients alone!
...
Unfortunately, however, things did not develop as they expected—
"Looking solely at the dishes in this final round, neither side's creations have any obvious flaws, and the flavors are all up to standard," a professional judge spoke up. "But if we look at the entire menu presented by each team today, it's obvious that Little Xu's team had much better pairing."
"Their two cold dishes were chicken and goose webs; their two hot stir-fries were pork tenderloin and wagyu beef. Their elaborate main courses were squab, mutton, yellow croaker, and vegetarian shark fin, finally ending with a mushroom soup and four-color steamed dumplings. There were no repeated ingredients. Poultry, pork, beef, mutton, fish, mushrooms, and seafood were all present—it was a very perfect and comprehensive combination."
"On the other hand, looking at Chef Zhao's side, the cold dishes were duck meat and duck webs; the hot stir-fries were wagyu beef and lobster; the elaborate main courses were sea cucumber, mandarin fish, and winter melon. Sea cucumber, abalone, and lobster appeared again in the spicy blood stew, and now these ingredients have shown up yet again in the staple food and soup. For one, it gets rich and tiring to eat, and secondly, it's too monotonous."
Exactly.
As soon as this was said, both the judges and the audience nodded in agreement. Through the entire presentation, their dishes were basically all abalone, lobster, and sea cucumber—people were frankly getting sick of hearing about them!
The famous director chimed in, "I feel the same way. Especially since our theme today is the New Year's Eve dinner. First of all, in a traditional sense, the New Year's Eve dinner represents our harvest over the past year. Naturally, the richer the variety of ingredients, the better the symbolism."
"Secondly, this show is going to be broadcast right before the New Year, which is perfect for giving the general audience some inspiration for their own New Year's Eve dinners. If the whole table is covered in abalone, lobster, and sea cucumber, how many families can actually afford it, or even want to eat it? It's not as good as Little Xu's menu, which has chicken, fish, pork, and beef. This Four Joy Steamed Dumpling, in particular, fits the occasion perfectly!"
"Yes, exactly!"
As his words fell, Xu Yanxia and her teammates immediately nodded their heads in agreement.
The spokesperson, Bajin, immediately responded to the director, "Thank you for your approval, sir. What you just said is exactly our original intention in arranging this menu."
"These dishes are not only visually appealing and delicious, but most of the ingredients are affordable for ordinary families. In terms of taste, audiences from both the north and the south can generally enjoy them. If we can provide everyone with a little inspiration for their New Year's Eve dinner during the Spring Festival and make everyone's holiday happier, that is what we want to see the most."
"Yes, I can tell you put a lot of heart into this!!!" The prominent director gave them a thumbs up.
Next came the scoring moment for the final round.
"Now, judges, please pick up your voting devices and score the final round of dishes for both teams!"
As the host's voice fell, numbers flashed on the large screen again. The production team played a tense drumroll to set the mood.
Until a certain moment, the flashing stopped, the drumroll ceased, and the numbers on the large screen froze at 100 to 95.
The entire venue erupted in cheers.
The host announced in a high, bright voice, "In the final round, Director Xu's team and Master Zhao's team scored one hundred and ninety-five points, respectively. Adding the scores from the previous three rounds, the total scores for the two teams are 395 and 364!"
"Therefore, the grand champion of this season's One City, One Flavor is..."
"Director Xu and her team members!!!"
Amidst the host's deliberately drawn-out, passionate trailing voice, the audience burst into thunderous applause.
Xu Yanxia was hugged in the center by her teammates, jumping up and down in celebration.
"We did it, Captain!!!"
"We really won the championship!!!"
Her teammates screamed with joy.
Xu Yanxia laughed as well.
Immediately after, the production team presented them with the championship trophy.
The host then invited Xu Yanxia to give an acceptance speech. In truth, this result was expected, so Xu Yanxia wasn't overly emotional as she took the microphone.
But regardless, she had successfully accomplished a major milestone, which was highly worth celebrating.
She let out a long sigh of relief, then looked at the camera lens and the entire audience, saying, "First of all, I want to thank every member of our team, including those who are not in front of the camera right now, my assistant Shushu and my makeup artist Xiaozhen. It is because of everyone's unity and companionship along the way that we made it to today."
"Recording this show up to this point, a journey of nearly two months, to be honest, it really wasn't easy. But it also gave me the opportunity to appreciate the beautiful landscapes along the way, taste the diverse and colorful cuisines of various regions, and meet so many judges who truly understand food."
"Most importantly, it gave me the opportunity to share my understanding of food with the vast audience. So, I am also very grateful to the production team and all the judges. Everyone has worked so hard!"
"Of course, finally, please allow me to thank my family."
Saying this, she looked at her friends and family in the audience and smiled, "Thank you to my grandparents and aunt who raised my brother and me; thank you to my sister-in-law who never left us during the hardest times; and I also want to thank my husband, and my mom and dad."
"Thank you for your understanding and support all along the way. I love you all!!!"
As her voice faded, the venue erupted in applause once again.
She saw that her family members had tears in their eyes.
And right after, she saw her husband, Lu Jingming, dressed in a casual suit, rise from his seat. Holding a vibrant bouquet of red roses, he walked down from the audience step by step and stepped onto the stage.
With a warm smile, he walked right to her side.
