Chapter 72: The Roasted Flower Duck That Wishes to Ascend
Translator: OnGoingWhy Editor: Vermillion
"Young master Bu… how is the taste?"
After a while, Bu Fang was still not saying anything. Xiao Xiaolong and the others were slightly unable to bear it any longer, while Qian Bao had already impatiently opened his mouth and inquired. His eyes were fixedly staring at Bu Fang.
Master Chen folded his arms across his chest as he calmly looked on. This dish of Dry-Fried Rock Carp was his speciality. He had been cooking the dish for dozens of years and his familiarity with it had already reached a peak. Within his heart, it was already perfect.
Bu Fang lightly breathed out as he lifted up the cup of water from the table and drank a mouthful. Only then did his gaze shifted toward the others.
He indifferently opened his mouth and gave his assessment, "Compared to those dishes previously that were filled with mistakes, this dish of Dry-Fried Rock Carp can be said to be one grade higher."
Bu Fang's words instantly caused everyone to relax and Xiao Xiaolong and the others were smiling as well.
"Owner Bu actually praised this dish. Looks like the taste of this dish should be pretty good. Then we should definitely give it a try."
While thinking like this in his mind, Xiao Xiaolong immediately picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth. The savory taste of fish suddenly erupted within his mouth. The faint spiciness that spread within his mouth caused his eyes to suddenly lit up.
Xiao Xiaolong nodded and said with a smile, "This dish is indeed pretty good. It's much more delicious than the previous ones."
When Qian Bao heard those words, his eyes immediately narrowed and he could not conceal the smile on his face. Since they were all praising this dish, from his point of view, he should have won.
To be able to easily earn fifty thousand gold coins, Qian Bao's mood was feeling joyous and delighted.
"Young master Bu, if that's the case, this time… it's my victory?" Qian Bao said with a chuckle.
However, Bu Fang's reaction caused his heart to skip a beat. Bu Fang strangely glanced at him and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"I was only praising the taste of this dish. Compared to the previous dishes, this dish is indeed not bad. However, it's only not bad, but the flaws are still present."
"Hmm?" Everyone was stunned by his words.
Their gazes once again focused on Bu Fang. They did not expect such a sudden change of events from him.
"There are three steps to the cooking process of this Dry-Fied Rock Carp, right? Firstly, place the processed rock carp into a wok of oil and deep-fry until the skin wrinkles. Secondly, stir-fry the other ingredients. Thirdly, place the deep-fried rock carp and the fried ingredients into the wok and dry-fry them together."
Bu Fang slowly said. Master Chen's pupils slightly constricted because Bu Fang's analysis were exactly the same as his own cooking steps!
"Hmph! So what? Those are only the general steps. There are many meticulous processes in each step as well. Those are the important points when cooking this dish," Master Chen sneered as he confidently said.
Bu Fang nodded and pointed toward the Dry-Fried Rock Carp and said, "That's right, then I shall point out your inadequacies from the details aspect. Firstly, when you're processing the rock carp, you made cuts on both sides of the fish. You made two cuts on each side, right? This is your first inadequacy. You should've made the cuts based on the length and width of the fish. According to the length of this fish, making three cuts would be the best, with two short cuts and one long cut. This would allow the fish to completely absorb the flavor during the deep-fry and dry-fry process."
Master Chen frowned. He had always made two cuts regardless of the size of the rock carp. He was already used to it and had never thought whether three cuts would be better.
"As for how deep the cuts should be, I don't think there's any need for me to say it. Next would be the deep-frying period. Due to the problem with the cuts, the deep-frying process was longer which caused the fish to age. This resulted in the rock carp losing its tenderness… The stir-frying of the other ingredients wasn't bad since no skills were needed. Lastly, it's the problem with the dry-frying. The dry-frying time was short by a few breaths. The broth was not thick enough and the fish had not sufficiently absorbed the flavor."
Bu Fang simply said. However, his words had already caused Master Chen to be dumbfounded. At first, Master Chen was going to retort, but when he thought about Bu Fang's words, he realized that cooking in this manner might be better.
Gulp.
Master Chen swallowed his saliva. His chubby face was filled with sweat and his eyes were filled with incredulity. He thought, "Is this fellow a monster? How could he analyze so much flaws with this dish just from tasting it?!"
Xiao Xiaolong and the others were astounded as well. "Owner Bu… How amazing! He only tasted it once and was able to cause the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant's chef to be speechless."
"Ma… Master Chen… Is what he said correct?" Qian Bao's current expression was already slightly unpleasant as he asked Master Chen who was having cold sweats.
Elder sister Chun who was standing nearby was completely stunned. She did not think that this young master Bu was actually this powerful, that he could cause Master Chen to have cold sweats with a few words.
"Owner Qian… What young master Bu said is indeed correct. I've been cooking Dry-Fried Rock Carp for dozens of years and I understand very well how each step would affect the taste… What young master Bu said were aspects that I've never thought of all these years," Master Chen calmly accepted Bu Fang's advice as he sighed and said to Qian Bao.
Qian Bao went into a daze. The fifty thousand gold coins… were suddenly gone!
Bu Fang glanced at the stupefied Qian Bao, then stood up and expressionlessly walked away.
"Xiaoyi, follow me. We're going to the third floor."
"Ah… Eh? Wait for us!" Xiao Xiaolong and the others were immediately awaken from their astonishment. They hurriedly followed after Bu Fang.
Qian Bao had also recovered from his stupor and his expression was slightly unpleasant. He clenched his teeth and followed after Bu Fang as well.
Qian Bao brought the four of them to the third floor. This was the most honorable floor of the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant and was ordinarily not opened to the public.
"Young master Bu, please!"
Qian Bao had become serious as well. The previous scene had already made known that Bu Fang was not speaking nonsense and was someone with capabilities.
The surroundings of the third floor was indeed much better than the second floor. Just from entering, they could feel the dense amount of spirit energy drifting in the air. Qian Bao actually spent a huge amount of money to set up a magic formation that gathered spirit energy on the third floor!
Xiao Xiaolong and the others were utterly speechless. They had never been to the third floor and were finally able to enter due to Bu Fang. They were instantly overwhelmed by the novelty.
"Young master Bu, please have a seat. I'll get someone to serve the dishes! The third floor of the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant has only three dishes," Qian Bao said.
Bu Fang nodded. He sat down at an eight-immortal table made from red sandalwood and quietly waited for the dishes to arrive.
With a grave expression, Qian Bao left the third floor and went to instruct people to prepare the dishes.
Xiao Xiaolong and the others were curiously looking around. When facing novelties, most people would be filled with curiosity.
However, Bu Fang was sitting there without moving. His eyes were closed as he waited for the dishes to arrive.
After approximately half an hour, Qian Bao returned. A servant girl with a voluptuous body was following behind him. She was wearing a dress which barely covered her beautiful legs.
"Young master Bu, this is the supreme area's first dish, the Red Braised Spirit Pork."
Bu Fang nodded. His gaze fell on the large porcelain plate in front of them. There was a piece of scarlet and alluring pork placed on the plate, which was exuding a rich fragrance. The first impression he had was that it was fat but not greasy, and seemed exquisite and beautiful like a red jadeite.
"This is the supreme area's second dish, Sweet 'n' Sour Drunken Ribs!"
It was another beautiful and voluptuous servant girl carrying a dish. She placed it in front of Bu Fang and removed the lid. The tangerine-colored Sweet 'n' Sour Drunken Ribs was reflected in his eyes.
Bu Fang raised his eyebrows. He looked at the dish with interest as the corner of his mouth widened into a smile. Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs?
"The third dish, which is also our supreme dish, the Colored-Glass Roasted Flower Duck!"
When Qian Bao announced the last dish, his tone became much more confident and he became extremely proud. He was subconsciously revealing his confidence in this last dish.
Bu Fang narrowed his eyes as he looked at the self-confident duck with a body that seemed like colored-glass as it loftily stood on the plate. Its wing were slightly spread apart, as if it was going to flap them and fly away, while its neck was curled into a S-shape.
Bu Fang blinked and he could not help but feel puzzled… "Is, is this really a Roasted Flower Duck? Is this really not a roasted duck that wishes to ascend?"