Chapter 46: Unexpected Fame (3)
Chapter 46: Unexpected Fame (3)
There were two reasons Jo Minjoon did not serve the crab meat already submerged in the bisque. The first was that if the crab meat overcooked, it would lose its delicate softness, so it was best to pour the soup over it as late as possible.
The second reason was simpler: service.
The more luxurious a restaurant became, the higher its prices tended to be, and what customers paid for was not limited to the food itself. In many two- or three-Michelin-starred restaurants, the head chef would personally come out to explain a dish.
Jo Minjoon was not the only one pouring the bisque either. Kaya was helping him serve, and from the customers’ perspective, that was a pleasant bonus. Kaya was one of the most popular contestants on Grand Chef, and seeing her together with Jo Minjoon—the contestant she had recently been linked with—made things even more entertaining.
Some customers even asked the two of them to stand together for a moment. The director did not stop them. Their requests were hardly excessive, and they were conveniently providing him with entertaining footage, so there was no reason to interfere.
Naturally, the result was that both Minjoon and Kaya were exhausted.
Kaya took a short breath and looked over the tables. The customers had shown so much interest in her while she was serving the bisque that it had begun to feel burdensome. Smiling at them was not particularly difficult; back when she had worked in the market, there had been plenty of occasions when she had needed to put on a fake smile. Even so, doing it repeatedly was mentally exhausting.
And right now, Kaya felt more drained than ever.
The final customers for lunch were seated before them. Jo Minjoon and Kaya stood there nervously, and they had good reason to be tense.
Two familiar faces sat at the table.
Emily and Joseph.
Joseph was not the one they needed to worry about, though. Emily was responsible for evaluating the Blue Team—Kaya’s team—while Joseph would evaluate Jacob’s team during dinner. Alan, meanwhile, would judge the contestants’ work inside the kitchen rather than at the tables.
Emily looked at them and asked, “Can you explain what kind of dish this is?”
Kaya glanced at Jo Minjoon.
He answered calmly. “I’m going to pour the bisque over uncooked crab meat. Like this.” He tipped the hot soup into the bowl. “The aroma of the bisque will seep into the meat, while the inside should preserve the sweetness and flavour unique to crab. I recommend paying attention to that contrast. And please taste the soup first.”
Emily followed his instructions. She took a spoonful of the bisque, then tried it together with the crab meat. A faint smile appeared on her lips. She did not look completely satisfied, but at the very least, she did not appear displeased.
“It’s good. Ah, I’ll give the proper evaluation after the mission. Go and keep working.”
“Yes.”
They answered obediently, although there was actually nothing left for them to do at that exact moment. There were not even any finished bowls to clear yet.
Jo Minjoon leaned towards Kaya and whispered, “Go back to the kitchen. Chloe’s sea bass should be ready to come out.”
“Ah, okay. Got it.” Kaya rubbed the back of her neck as she returned to the kitchen.
Chloe had already finished roasting the sea bass.
“Is it ready?” Kaya asked.
“Give me a second. I’m plating.”
Chloe carefully placed each piece of sea bass over the velouté sauce, making sure that the flesh side touched the sauce while the crisp skin remained above it. There would have been no point in roasting the skin until crisp only to let it become soggy in the sauce. She finished each plate with a tiny sprig of thyme no bigger than a fingernail.
Kaya watched her work. “I’ll help. You don’t mind, right?”
“Of course not.”
As Kaya began helping, she said, “The reaction to Minjoon’s dish was good. Now it’s your turn.”
“Mmm... Now I suddenly feel pressured.”
“That’s why I told you.” Kaya grinned.
It looked slightly malicious, but that was simply how she expressed herself. Chloe was not petty enough to take offence at a girl who was not even twenty yet and still had trouble expressing herself properly.
There were twenty servings of roasted sea bass arranged across two trolleys. Chloe and Kaya began wheeling them towards the dining room just as Jo Minjoon returned to the kitchen, pulling another trolley loaded with empty bowls.
Not a single bowl had any bisque left in it.
Chloe laughed softly. “You’re the best.”
Minjoon smiled but said nothing. For a chef, there were few things more satisfying than seeing customers finish every last bite.
Yet as Chloe praised him, her own heart began beating faster. She thought her sea bass had turned out well. At least, she believed it had. But if the customers told her it was not delicious, she was not sure she could handle it.
“It’ll be good,” Kaya said.
Chloe looked at her, startled by the feeling that Kaya had seen straight through her.
Kaya avoided her gaze. “You cook well. The sea bass I had yesterday was good, and there’s no reason for you to suddenly mess it up here. I’ll bet one dollar that they clean the plate, sauce and all.”
“...One dollar isn’t much.”
“Shut up.” Kaya snorted and turned away.
Chloe laughed. “Thank you.”
No answer came back.
Maybe Kaya was not used to being thanked. Or perhaps she was sulking because Chloe had mocked the size of the bet. Chloe was curious, but she would have to think about it later. They were already entering the dining room.
“Wow, Chloe! I finally get to try your cooking. Everything you made on the programme looked delicious.”
“Thank you. I hope this dish doesn’t disappoint you.”
“Can I take a picture with you later?”
“Yes. But take a picture of the food first. I think you’ll want that more than a picture with me.” Chloe smiled brightly as she answered.
And it was not only that customer. Every time she placed a plate on a table, she met the customer’s eyes and smiled warmly.
Normally, a smile like that could easily come across as part of the job. Chloe’s did not. Everyone who saw it felt their mood brighten. Her smile was so vivid and sincere that anyone who suspected it was fake might almost feel guilty for thinking so.
She had a completely different presence from Kaya or Jo Minjoon. There was something clear and refreshing about her.
Her smile allowed the customers to relax and enjoy their meal more comfortably. Until then, many of them had been too conscious of the sheer number of cameras around them to eat naturally. Chloe’s manner helped ease that tension.
And that effect appeared in another form as well.
More precisely, it appeared before Jo Minjoon’s eyes.
[Chloe’s friendly and gentle attitude makes the customers feel more comfortable.]
[The ‘roasted sea bass with velouté sauce’ brings out the fullest extent of its flavour.]
Truthfully, he did not need the system window to tell him that much. It was obvious. If a chef approached you with that kind of expression and that kind of smile, you could hardly help enjoying the meal—unless the food itself was terrible.
Jo Minjoon muttered under his breath, “Did I just learn something new?”
“Learn what?”
The unexpected voice startled him.
He turned and found Anderson standing beside him with his arms crossed, watching the customers. Minjoon steadied himself before answering.
“I mean Chloe. The way she treats the customers... How should I put it? She’s considerate? Gentle? No, that’s not quite it. Right. She smiles at them sincerely and serves them sincerely. Just that alone completely changes the atmosphere of the meal.”
“That’s obvious.”
“Even if it’s obvious, I can’t do it very well. Smiling so brightly that the person looking at you feels better just from seeing it.”
Anderson snorted. “If there are people like Chloe, then there need to be people like you and me too. Imagine if every chef smiled like that. Customers might start preferring the mean ones.”
“That’s true.” Minjoon paused. “...But why are you here? Aren’t you in charge of a main dish?”
“I have time. I’ve already finished the preparations. Don’t ask anything beyond that. I’m not falling for a spy’s tricks.”
“You really like calling me a spy.”
Anderson did not answer.
At that moment, Kaya approached them, pushing a trolley filled with empty plates. More precisely, she was heading towards the kitchen entrance behind them.
When they both looked at her, Kaya frowned at Anderson.
“Don’t stand there like an idiot. You’re blocking the door.”
Only then did Anderson realise where he was standing. His ears reddened as he stepped aside.
Kaya passed him and said to Jo Minjoon, “If you’ve got nothing to do, follow me.”
“Why? Do you have something for me to do?”
“If I don’t, I’ll find something. Come on. And stop playing around with the Red Team’s bitch.”
“Bitch... Did you just call me that?”
“Shut up. If you don’t like it, become the head chef.” Kaya did not even look at him as she continued walking.
Jo Minjoon stared after her with his mouth half-open in disbelief before following.
“If Anderson is the Red Team’s bitch, does that make me the Blue Team’s bitch?”
“Why? You don’t like being my bitch?”
“Is there anyone who would?”
“Then I’ll make you the captain bitch.”
“What if I still don’t like it?”
“...This is insane.”
Jo Minjoon initially thought Kaya was referring to herself.
But her eyes were no longer on him. They were fixed straight ahead.
Minjoon slowly followed her gaze.
His expression stiffened too.
[Tandoori Chicken Breast]
Freshness: 87%
Origins: (Too many ingredients to display)
Quality: High (Average ingredients)
Cooking Score: 3/10
He had believed Peter could manage it.
Even if Peter made a mistake, his basic cooking level was still six. Minjoon had believed he would not repeat the same sort of failure twice.
Instead, the result was a disaster.
Jo Minjoon stared blankly at the tandoori chicken breasts in front of him. Tandoori chicken breast was supposed to be chicken coated in Indian masala seasoning and cooked properly.
(Translator’s Note: Masala — A general South Asian term for a spice mixture or seasoned blend rather than one fixed recipe. A masala may contain different combinations of dried or fresh spices depending on the dish, region, and cook. In the chapter, it refers to the strongly seasoned mixture used for the tandoori chicken.)
What lay before him could barely be called tandoori chicken.
“...How did you burn it this badly?” Kaya asked coldly.
Peter was visibly pale. He stammered as he answered, “I-I put it in the oven, but... I think only the lower heating element had been preheated. The top still looked raw, so I left it in longer, but the bottom...”
“Are you stupid? No, are you a spy? You only preheated the bottom? What were you doing without checking something that basic? You said you wanted the main dish. You said you were confident. And this is what you make? A filthy burnt chicken breast that looks as bad as your face? I almost feel sorry for the chicken breast being called this. Peter, answer me. Are you actually stupid? If you are, maybe I can at least tolerate it. Don’t just stand there with those disgusting leech-like lips shut. Answer me, you fucking idiot!” Kaya unleashed a torrent of abuse.
This time, no one moved to stop her.
It was a team mission, and everyone’s fate was on the line. Making a mistake like this at a time like this was not something they could simply laugh off as bad luck.
Peter’s brows twitched. He let out a long breath.
It would have been a lie to say Kaya’s words did not anger him, but even he understood that getting angry now would only make things worse. He forced himself to calm down and spoke as steadily as he could.
“The burnt parts... I’ll cut them off and serve what’s left. Just give me some time...”
“What? Are you insane? Did you burn your brain along with the chicken? You’re actually planning to serve this to customers? Are you trying to kill someone? Think for once. People say Indians are intelligent. I thought so too, but maybe that isn’t true? Or are you the only stupid one? No, this isn’t even about intelligence anymore. What kind of filthy human being serves a piece of charcoal to customers who came here to eat your food? Honestly, I thought I was the most shamelessly straightforward person on this programme, but apparently not. Amazing. Truly amazing.”
Peter said nothing.
He simply continued cutting away the burnt portions of the chicken breasts as though he had not heard her.
Kaya watched him for a moment, then reached out and snatched the piece he was trimming from his hand.
Peter looked at her sullenly.
Kaya clenched her teeth.
“Listen carefully. This is rubbish. And—”
She opened her hand.
The chicken breast dropped straight into the bin.
Kaya looked at him coldly.
“No chef serves rubbish on a plate.”