God of Cooking – Chapter 285

Translator: Hwarang    Proofreader: Arocks141, Flowingcloud

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<Step by Step (4)>

 

If you are reading from a pirate or aggregator site, please read from the translator’s site: yado-inn (dot) com I have to put the link like this or else the bots will remove it, sorry 🙁

Deborah was Deborah. It wasn’t a criticism but a compliment. Regardless she was a veteran with years of experience. No, even the term veteran would not do her justice as her understanding of cooking was deep.

Jo Minjoon was able to quickly tell that her skill had not faded but was just hidden. Especially when she helped out with the main section. Her skills showed why she has received a branch restaurant of Rose Island.

‘A level 9 cooking isn’t just for show.’

Although he rapidly reached level 8 cooking in a short amount of time, there was still value in the cooking level. Allen who had a cooking level of 8 was a judge at the Grand Chef. He also received two stars at his ‘Olive Island restaurant’.

It was an interesting thought. Deborah who was a level 9 chef had a hard time maintaining even a 1 star, while Allen who was a level 8 chef achieved a 2 star and was on his way to achieving the third star.

‘What makes the difference. It can’t be the judges of the Michelin.’

Things will definitely be subjective. For a long time, Michelin was Euro-centric since many judges had their roots in French cuisine, so they were criticized a lot. But the star rating system prevailed from the past. Food is all a matter of preference, and no critics can give a right or wrong answer on which food is better.

Nowadays some say that Jo Minjoon can be the absolute benchmark. Since many believed that he had the absolute taste. In reality, Jo Minjoon knew that their expectation would not come true.

‘There are cooking points, but it does not encompass all of the cooking.’

Deborah’s cooking was a clear example. Her cooking score was not bad at all but comparing the cooking score to the real taste of her food, it wasn’t something amazing.

“Minjoon, can you put the final touches on the vegetable symphony? I don’t have time to put the onion on the vegetable.”

“Yes.”

Jo Minjoon gave a short response. In the kitchen, it was better to get short answers. Once short answers become a conversation, most of the attention will be diverted away from the hands and eyes bringing down the completion rate of cooking. Some may say that it may be overly perfect, but cooking had to be perfect. No customer wants a mistake in their dish.

Deborah’s demi-chefs started staring at Jo Minjoon’s work and were amazed. He wasn’t just filling an onion with vegetables. Rather than filling it up, he was raising it like a tower. This was no easy task since finding the balance was a very difficult thing.

It took a lot of practice for them to get used to this. However, Jo Minjoon was stacking the vegetable as if he had been doing this for a long time. He had to because all of Rachel’s decorations were never ordinary.

Jo Minjoon wasn’t just good at decoration. He easily handled his pan while checking his surroundings, he could also tell how well a clam or fishes are seared without even flipping it.

‘…he did not become famous through luck.’

Other demi-chefs praised him. Many other chefs also gave similar praise to Jo Minjoon. There were some who believed he was a genius who transcended everything since they knew how difficult cooking could be. One can’t say talent has no impact on cooking since there are times when effort cannot catch up to talent.

And Jo Minjoon was someone who put in great effort. Some would wonder what sort of life he had to live to have that sort of talent at his age.

“I’m taking out the Langoustine”

“Oh, um, yes.”

The demi-chef responded back to Jo Minjoon in a dumbfounded way while taking a step back. Jo Minjoon took out the Langoustine and removed the skin.

‘…I hated touching langoustine in the past.’

He didn’t react to it anymore; he could say that he has truly become a chef. But that thought didn’t last very long. He made a vermouth sauce out of vermouth wine and sugar and poured it on the oyster. He topped the oyster with caviar and edible flowers and garnished it with flower-shaped lemon. The demi-chef looked at it and smiled.

“It seems like customers today will leave smiling.”

**************

“It is fine to eat before the movie. What if you have to use the bathroom later?”

“Don’t worry. There is a secret menu only for people that buy movie tickets from this building. Pre-theater menu. It is a light three-course, so I won’t be full.”

A man replied to the woman’s question with a smile. While sitting down he looked at the Rose Island sign.

“To tell you the truth, we are not here to watch a movie. We came here to experience what a Michelin restaurant is.”

“You should have just made a reservation there. Rather than reserving a movie.”

“Making a reservation here is much harder than reserving a movie. It is much easier to get a movie ticket and meal voucher at the same time. But the competition is high, and the tickets get sold right away.”

The part about coming to the movie to eat at Rose Island wasn’t a lie. As a server approached, his expression was brighter than any other moment that she had seen.

There was nothing more difficult than talking to an excited man. Whether he was just stating non-sequitur facts or just giggling, she just had to sigh and hold it in. The distance between the tables was large, so it was difficult to listen in to their conversation. Whether her ears were keener today or he was speaking in a louder voice, she was able to listen to what others were saying.

“…something is different about today. The tastes are more vibrant compared to the last time.”

“It’s not like the menu has changed… but something does feel different. This mousseline sauce was originally jus de veau… but now it’s saffron.”

“Now I see it. Also, they used cauliflower instead of potato. Pan-fried scallops in saffron. It is typical since saffron goes well with seafood.”

“Well. Can you really call it typical?”

‘Are they food critics?’

The woman kept her ears sharp when listening to the professional and complicated conversation. She wanted to listen in to the conversation that others were having about the food at the restaurant. Of the two guys, the blonde spoke first.

“It is not common or uncommon to mix saffron with mousseline. It’s a taste that I recognize. But this is not like chef Deborah to take a risk.”

“Risk?”

“What is the reason that this place was criticized? There are no novel recipes and they even try to avoid typical ones. It is not for the customers. They cook as if they were wary of the critics. I wouldn’t complain if the taste became better because of the critics, but it feels too congested doing too many things. It feels as if they are cooking with both hands tied to their back.”

“That is true. That is the reason why I am starting to dislike chef Deborah’s cooking. The cues. It seems like she gave up her pride and her abilities in cooking. Rather, I should say she became so greedy that she couldn’t fit all of that greed into her plate. It pains me to eat sometimes. But thankfully it’s not bad this time.”

“I don’t know. In the recent news, Rachel Rose is in town with a food truck. If she is visiting this restaurant …”

The blonde man looked towards the direction of the kitchen. Unfortunately, it was not an open kitchen so they couldn’t check who was in there. The man with black hair who was sitting across him said.

“If that is true, then it is sad. I hope Rachel is not in that kitchen. It is more fun watching Deborah spreading out her wings.”

“Anyway, this is a good dish. Since they were so focused on commerciality, many dishes came out being neither artistic nor commercial. But now it seems like they hit a jackpot.”

“But the question is can they maintain it?”

“Let’s trust them. We became critics to enjoy food not to fault it.”

The blonde man laughed at the black-haired man’s response. Since she was so busy listening to other people’s conversation the first dish was already at her table. Zucchini was cut thinly like a lasagna dressed with olive oil, salmon roe, and salsa sauce, and on top that was a white langoustine meat that seemed soft and fresh.

The woman drooled as she put the langoustine and zucchini on her fork and ate it. She silently tasted what she ate. The first thought was that it was good. There wasn’t much to discuss. The crisp moist taste of langoustine watered her mouth, then came the sweet taste of the zucchini and olive oil which mixed with the moist taste before dissolving.

The salsa sauce on the top was just like a light cloth. The sauce didn’t dictate the flavor, it just enhanced the flavor of zucchini and langoustine, making the individual flavor the sauce. It was something that she never tasted before.

She looked at the man wondering what sort of reaction he would have, and it looked like he was so happy that it couldn’t be described with words. Although they visited hundreds, maybe even thousands of restaurants together, this was the first time seeing such a reaction from him.
‘Besides being good… it is really entertaining.’

This was the first time she thought that cooking could be fun. It might be fun watching a calorie challenge, food challenge, or even mixing of different ingredients. But this was a different kind of fun.

Flavor. How complex flavor can be. How beautiful and novel it can be. The dishes in front of her were telling her that dishes she ate until now were not everything that the world has to offer. It was a form of expression.

“At this rate, we might not remember what was in the movie.”

“Of course, we won’t.”

The man answered in a firm voice. Soon after they finished the first dish, the next dish arrived. It was a veal’s rib cooked in oil of autumn spices, juniper berry, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, with sauteed mushroom and potato steamed in rosemary and turmeric.

This dish left a completely different flavor. It wasn’t extraordinary. It wasn’t novel either. But this dish showed what it means to be simple and pure. Some wonder why others eat a young calf that has been ripped away from its mother. But this dish allows one to understand that cruelty. The veal oil was both complex and simple. It was as if it was a spice itself.

The man spoke in a reluctant voice.

“I crossed off one task from my bucket list. To taste the best dish in the world. I was a bit worried because of the rumors that said that the dishes from this place are difficult to understand.”

“… but it was not very difficult. No, although some flavors might be a bit complex, but there is only one answer. That it was good.”

The woman let out a breath. It was a sigh of disappointment as the meal slowly came to an end, less food on the plate and her stomach full.

“So, this is why Rose Island is so popular.”

If you are reading from a pirate or aggregator site, please read from the translator’s site: yado-inn (dot) com I have to put the link like this or else the bots will remove it, sorry 🙁

<Step by Step (4)> End.