Perhaps because the restaurant wasn't busy, the food arrived quite quickly.
Leading the way was a cold appetizer platter, consisting of three dishes: jellyfish salad, osmanthus glutinous rice lotus root, and soy-braised beef.
The portions weren't large, but the plating was exquisite, and the tableware was quite high-end. In terms of presentation, it was passable.
Xu Yanxia picked up her chopsticks and sampled each of the three cold dishes, unable to help but frown slightly.
Lu Jingming noticed this and said, "If there's any issue, feel free to tell them directly."
He also felt this cold platter was somewhat lacking. Not to mention anything else, even those few slices of soy-braised beef fell far short of what Xu Yanxia had made last time.
As soon as he finished speaking, the general manager, who was personally pouring water for them, quickly nodded and said, "Miss Xu, please speak freely if there's anything we need to improve."
Xu Yanxia spoke candidly, "The jellyfish is fairly fresh, probably made today, but the marinating time was too short; it hasn't fully absorbed the flavors. It could actually be prepared the night before and kept fresh in the refrigerator—that would make it taste better."
"The glutinous rice lotus root is acceptable. But the soy-braised beef wasn't cooked long enough; the tendons aren't tender yet. It's not very flavorful and is a bit tough to chew."
"Oh... alright."
The general manager probably hadn't expected her to speak so professionally. He nodded somewhat sluggishly, looking a bit stunned.
The two servers delivering the dishes also exchanged skeptical glances, as if saying—isn't she just a street vendor? How can she sound more authoritative than a head chef?
However, shortly afterward, when Xu Yanxia tried the Crispy Fried Milk-Scented Pomelo Peel dish, her critique became even more professional—
This dish is a local traditional specialty. It uses tender pomelo peel. After removing the outer green skin, the peel is repeatedly soaked in water until all bitterness is gone, then gently simmered with rock sugar and milk until the fibers are tender and fully infused with the broth. Finally, it is coated in batter and deep-fried. It should carry the pomelo's delicate citrus fragrance and the creamy aroma of fresh milk.
"But yours simply follows the method for fried milk custard, making a pomelo-flavored milk pudding and frying it. It's essentially not the authentic dish."
Of course, few restaurants serve this dish nowadays, and probably not many customers have tasted the authentic version. Your method generally wouldn't be noticed, but it would make customers think it's just pomelo-flavored fried milk custard and not worth the price on the menu.
"After all, pre-made fried milk custard is everywhere now, costing less than ten yuan. Most restaurants making it fresh in-house dare to charge at most eighty to a hundred yuan, while you're selling it for over three hundred. To be blunt, wealthy people aren't foolish either."
After she finished, Lu Jingming beside her nodded lightly in agreement.
Based on the taste of just these two dishes today, he himself wouldn't want to bring clients here to eat.
Hearing her words, not to mention the two servers, even the well-experienced general manager was now nodding with a serious expression. "Yes, yes, you are absolutely right. We will definitely make proper improvements."
As he spoke, new dishes arrived at the table. Xu Yanxia took a sip of water and continued tasting.
The chicken used for the White Cut Chicken is good quality, but it was slaughtered yesterday. Also, the heat control during poaching was a bit too high; the chicken fat was rendered out, so it lacks that fragrance and silky-tender texture.
The braised beef brisket in a clay pot is overall quite good, but the batter coating is slightly too hard, while the beef inside is very tender. The texture isn't uniform. Next time, try adding a bit of low-gluten flour when mixing the batter; that will make the fried coating softer.
"Okay, okay."
The general manager was already frantically typing notes into his phone's memo app, afraid of missing any point she mentioned.
"The Crispy Roast Suckling Pig also tastes good. Apart from the portion being a bit small, it basically justifies the price. But the Typhoon Shelter Crab is still a bit bland,"
Xu Yanxia said. "The crab quality is fine, and the stir-fry technique is on point. Just increase the seasoning ratio a bit."
"Understood, understood."
By the time the general manager had noted down all the points she mentioned, they had finished tasting all six dishes on the table. Unexpectedly, the servers brought two more dishes.
The general manager smiled apologetically beside them and said, "It's rare to have President Lu and Miss Xu visit. I specifically asked the kitchen to prepare two extra servings of our signature dishes. Please don't hesitate to offer your guidance."
Alright, since they were here today specifically to taste the food, Xu Yanxia sampled these two dishes as well: Abalone Sauce Sea Cucumber and Thick Soup Fish Maw.
This sea cucumber had been soaked for too long; it noticeably shrank when heated, making it difficult to absorb flavors. You can still taste its inherent fishy flavor. Furthermore, this sauce is a real failure—it's nothing more than oyster sauce and water with MSG, thickened with starch. As a representative local restaurant, your standards shouldn't be like this.
"The Thick Soup Fish Maw tastes pretty good, but there's too little soup. The selling point of this dish is the soup. For a price of over six hundred per serving, you should at least provide ample soup."
Xu Yanxia smiled. "My comments today might be a bit blunt, but they're my genuine impressions. Please excuse me."
"No, no, you are too polite,"
the general manager said, his face flushed. "Your feedback is extremely valuable. We will definitely strive to improve."
"Mmm."
Xu Yanxia nodded with a smile.
Lu Jingming, sitting beside her, spoke up, "Miss Xu is a consummate professional in the industry. If you truly want to keep this place going, make proper improvements. The most important thing for a restaurant is undoubtedly the food. Preparing the dishes well is more important than anything else."
"Yes, yes, yes,"
the general manager nodded repeatedly again. "We will certainly remember. We hope you will both honor us with your presence again. We will strive to deliver a result that satisfies you both."
"That would be best."
Lu Jingming gave a slight nod.
Seeing that the meal was pretty much finished, the two got up and left Jiu Shan Restaurant.
Once there were no longer any bystanders around, Xu Yanxia summarized her thoughts to Lu Jingming. "As an established, major restaurant, they still have a solid foundation and a certain prestige. Especially since they offer many traditional dishes that are hard to find elsewhere nowadays—that's a significant advantage. If they can refine the flavors of their dishes and appropriately adjust their prices, I think they should be able to make a comeback."
"Mmm."
Lu Jingming nodded. "Many industries haven't been doing well over the past two years, and consumers have been trading down. It's necessary to adjust prices appropriately. Let's wait for them to improve a bit, and we'll come back and try again in a few days."
"Agreed."
Xu Yanxia nodded, then casually said to him, "President Lu, you can head back to the company first. I still want to go buy something at the MixC mall over there."
Oh?
Lu Jingming glanced in the direction she pointed and asked curiously, "Buying clothes?"
"No."
Xu Yanxia didn't hide it from him and smiled. "Aunt Zhang has always taken good care of me. I want to buy her a gift."
—Housekeeper Zhang was stern on the outside but warm-hearted. Ever since Xu Yanxia arrived at the Lu household, she had often cared for her like an elder, especially reminding her to change clothes and helping her with her hair that morning.
For Xu Yanxia, who had grown up without a mother, this was very heartwarming.
Unexpectedly, Lu Jingming opened the car door for her and said, "Then I'll go with you. Get in."
