Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Fish Leaps Over Dragon Gate, Soaring to the Skies!
Today, Jiangyue Terrace was even more bustling than usual. Because it was the weekend, the queue had started forming early. There were forty to fifty tables waiting in line in front of the person calling the numbers. Private rooms had been booked until the evening, with almost no downtime. Fortunately, the restaurant had plenty of staff to handle the situation.
Locals nearly all made it a point to taste the flavors at Jiangyue Terrace Shandong Cuisine Restaurant. After trying it once, they loved it even more.
Ji Mingming from the University of Science and Technology also came to Jiangyue Terrace Restaurant with three dormmates.
"Mingming, you actually managed to book a private room, that’s amazing!"
"You have no idea how many people are queuing up."
"I saw on social media; so many people from our school have been checking in at Jiangyue Terrace for meals."
Lin Fang was full of admiration.
The toughest reservation to get at Jiangyue Terrace was a small private room on the first floor. With a minimum spend of over 300, there was no room charge, making it very popular. Whether or not you got a spot was purely a matter of luck. For instance, if a party of four had a turn when a small private room just cleared out, they could go straight into the room. Reservations could be made in advance but were only held for 15 minutes, after which they would be void.
Ji Mingming let out a light smile. "Yeah, I was lucky and got a reservation."
Of course, there was more to it than simple luck. Ji Mingming happened to live next to Jiang Feng, in the villa sector of Longxi Elegant Garden. Her father was a high-ranking police official, and her mother was a businesswoman. They were extremely wealthy but usually kept a low profile and didn’t live in the area. Jiang Feng had encountered her while walking his dog once, and they had a brief conversation, which was enough to get acquainted. Two days ago, they met again, and Ji Mingming asked if she could book a private room for the weekend.
Jiang Feng naturally agreed to such a small request. After all, they were neighbors.
So, when the weekend came, Ji Mingming brought her dormmates to Jiangyue Terrace for a meal. She approached the front desk and presented her number. The server checked and immediately led them inside.
The four of them were especially happy. After all, girls like places where they can take photos for social media, enjoy tasty food, and appreciate a good environment. Now that they didn’t have to queue for an hour, they were naturally thrilled.
The interior was incredibly beautiful. The overall design was modern Chinese style, boasting both modern elegance and simplicity while retaining traditional charm. Upon entering the private room, there was a round table with several wooden chairs. The room wasn’t large and felt a bit cramped, but it was exquisite, featuring all the necessary decorations.
The four women excitedly began to order. Without a doubt, the sweet and sour carp had to be ordered—it was the signature dish, after all.
Before long, a steaming hot dish of sweet and sour carp was brought to the table. Because it was prepared by Jiang Feng, the servers would explain it to the customers. Liew Mei insisted on this because she knew that for the restaurant to do well, Jiang Feng’s reputation needed to be even more valuable. Plus, it was a great way to please the boss.
When the sweet and sour carp appeared on their table, all four girls’ attention was instantly captured. The fish looked too good to eat. It was gilded all over, with a rich sauce cascading down, and its unique shape created an impression of vitality.
"Wow!" they exclaimed, slightly excited.
The female server smiled and began her introduction.
"This sweet and sour carp was personally cooked by Boss Jiang of our restaurant."
"Our sweet and sour carp is known for its ’two upturned,’ which means both the head and tail are lifted."
"The ’four openings’ mean the mouth is open, gills are spread, the belly split, and knife-cuts evident."
"The ’three heats’ are: the sauce is hot, the oil is hot, and the fish is hot."
"The ’three just-rights’ mean the sauce has the right consistency, the sweet-and-sour taste is perfectly balanced, and the fried batter is of ideal thickness."
"It tastes deliciously sweet and sour, fresh and fragrant."
"Please, enjoy."
After speaking, the server smiled and left. The four university girls were instantly dazzled and impressed.
It was their first time experiencing a dish presentation like this. The level of enjoyment was through the roof! As consumers, who wouldn’t love to feel valued?
"Wow! First time eating with such an explanation!"
"This place is really nice; I’m going to take a photo first!"
"Me too!"
"This fish looks so pretty; I almost can’t bear to eat it!"
"Hahaha, this restaurant is really good!"
They were extraordinarily excited.
Such presentations happened at every table, and the customers who listened to the content felt it was a really nice touch. The explanation took only a moment, not very time-consuming, yet it conveyed respect.
Soon after, all the dishes were served. The four young women immediately started taking photos and checking in on social media.
"Okay, I’ve taken the pictures, let’s eat!"
"Let’s dig in!"
Without prior agreement, their first choice was to try the sweet and sour carp. The fish meat in the sweet and sour carp was fried in batter that had fused to the flesh. Hence, the quality of the battered fish also mattered.
Ji Mingming picked up a piece of fish and took a bite. As soon as it entered her mouth, the sweet and sour taste of the carp instantly melted. The sourness stimulated saliva secretion, and Ji Mingming couldn’t help but salivate. With a gentle chew, the batter on the outside was crispy. After two bites, she reached the fish flesh. The fish was incredibly delicious and fried just right. Since the cutting technique was modified, the flavor had completely penetrated the fish. The sweet and sour taste blossomed in her mouth. After chewing twice and swallowing, she instantly felt a sense of comfort throughout her body.
"So delicious! So flavorful! This is much better than the sweet and sour carp I had during New Year’s!" Ji Mingming exclaimed in amazement.
"Yeah, really amazing! It looks as good as it tastes!" Lin Fang’s face was full of excitement.
Everyone was exceptionally happy. Such gourmet food had an irresistible charm for girls. The photos looked stylish, and eating it was a delightful experience. This was the ideal kind of shop. They all took turns, each having a bite. The fish and the batter on the outside were quickly devoured. The entire fish maintained its curved shape, like a sculpture. The sweet and sour flavor continually stimulated their appetites.
They chatted merrily as they dined.
"Executive Chef Jiang’s cooking skills are really good."
"I heard he’s still single. How about one of you marries him? That way, I could come over for free meals every day!"
"Dream on, I want to mooch off him too!"
"It’s up to Mingming to make a move! Mingming, go and win him over!"
"Wait until I go to the kitchen; I’ll ask Executive Chef Jiang if he wants a wife or not."
Hearing their conversation, Ji Mingming laughed and said, "I can’t win him over. If you want to, you guys go ahead."
"You can’t win him over? He might not be interested in women then!"
The four girls chatted with great joy. Girls’ topics are naturally diverse and boundless, discussing everything under the sun.
At this moment, Jiang Feng, who was frying fish in the kitchen, suddenly felt his nose itch. He didn’t sneeze, though, managing to hold it back. After all, he was cooking.
Could someone be cursing me? he wondered quietly to himself.
Jiang Feng continued to fry the fish. Fish is a tricky ingredient to handle; the most important part is removing the fishy smell. Fish without a fishy smell has an excellent taste and is delicious whether steamed or braised. Fortunately, he did the job well.
The other chefs were also busy at their stoves. Working together as one, they resembled a high-speed factory assembly line, with ingredients being chopped, cleaned, and cooked to completion. Dish after dish was prepared and served.
Working in a restaurant’s kitchen is completely different from running a street stall. Nowadays, large restaurants operate like assembly lines, where each person is responsible for their own duties, and they work together to complete a dish.
At this time, new customers entered Jiangyue Terrace. It was the new customer’s first visit to the restaurant. Upon entering, his gaze swept over the other tables, and he witnessed a stunning scene. On every table lay a golden carp, bent and beautiful, with scalding sauce still running over its body. Each fish’s shape was exquisite, like a piece of art. A single fish looked beautiful. When every table had such a fish, the collective impact was even more astounding.
Seeing this spectacle, the new customer asked the server leading him to his table.
"Excuse me, is there something special about that fish dish? Why does every table order it?"
Hearing the customer’s question, the server replied with a smile.
"That’s our sweet and sour carp, which our boss is cooking himself today at a 50% discount."
"Everyone is here for our boss’s cooking skills."
Upon hearing this, the new customer suddenly understood. He had heard of Jiang Feng’s reputation—a chef with a great personality. His cooking skills were exceptional; whatever he made always drew long lines, making him quite famous in this city. Moreover, Jiang Feng didn’t create video content or engage in personal social media. Despite this, his enduring popularity fully demonstrated his solid culinary expertise.
Soon, the new customer was seated at a table. The first dish he ordered was also the sweet and sour carp. After all, during the grand opening week, all dishes personally made by Jiang Feng were 50% off—it would be a waste not to order. Judging by the bright smiles on everyone’s faces, the dishes were clearly delicious. Before long, a dish of sweet and sour carp appeared on his table as well. The fish was positioned with a graceful bend, its head and tail raised high, like a carp leaping through a dragon’s gate. Each table had such a fish.
It seemed to symbolize Jiangyue Terrace’s own "carp leaping through the dragon’s gate," soaring to new heights. The atmosphere of the restaurant had transformed completely.