121: Chapter 121: IGO’s Reviewer 121: Chapter 121: IGO’s Reviewer Ren Xue and her tablemates didn’t have to wait long; within half an hour, nine dishes were served in three batches.
“Please enjoy—”
After serving the food, Sakamoto left with the tray tucked under his arm.
A table full of dishes, the fragrance overflowing; three Cantonese dishes, three Sichuan dishes, three Su Cuisine dishes.
Just the sight of these distinctly different Chinese dishes gathered on one table was enough to make mouths water.
“Wait, these three dishes, they’re today’s specials?” Ren Xue’s mouth watered as she eyed the three unfamiliar dishes.
Since they frequented the place, Ren Xue and Shuigu Jun could say they had tried everything on Xia’s shop’s old nu.
Aside from these three new specials, the couple had tasted everything else before.
Finally, Shuigu Jun took off his mask and swallowed, “They look delicious!”
“Cantonese specialty—Dinghu Shangsu!”
“Su Cuisine specialty—Sheep Fangzang Fish!”
“Sichuan specialty—Dry Braised Rock Carp!”
Suddenly a middle-aged man’s voice ca from behind them.
It was standard Mandarin, clear and correct.
Everyone except Shuigu Jun, Ren Xue, and a group of exchange students turned their heads in surprise, only to see a middle-aged man in a suit nodding at them slightly.
Due to its marketing, Xia’s shop typically attracted a young clientele.
The appearance of such a middle-aged man drew the curious glances of many young diners.
“Sir, are you also Chinese?” the student host Xuanxuan asked.
“Yes, I apologize for the intrusion.”
The middle-aged man handed over his business card, and the group exchanged glances.
Finally, Ren Xue pursed her lips as she took the card, glanced at it, and then widened her eyes, “Wait, Danfei Building?
I seem to recognize the na of this restaurant…”
Beside her, Shuigu Jun took a peek at the card and said with a strange expression, “Danfei Building, isn’t that the Chinese restaurant near Keisei Ueno Station?”
Ah.
Ren Xue covered her mouth, looking surprised.
Keisei Ueno Station was the tram stop at the south end of Ueno Park, very close to Ayoko Old Shopping Street, and also in Taito District.
She couldn’t help but look closely at the business card.
Qi Nan.
Manager of Danfei Building.
“Is a competitor here to challenge us?” The thought imdiately crossed Ren Xue’s mind.
The identity of the middle-aged man was too sensitive for her not to speculate wildly.
“Don’t misunderstand!”
Qi Nan apparently saw through Ren Xue’s thoughts and smiled, “I’m actually here today on an important task.”
“But I’m short on ti, so I can’t wait for another table of dishes.
Could you add a chair for ?” Qi Nan said, pulling out his wallet and taking out two large bills, placing them on the table and pushing them toward Ren Xue, “Just a small token, please accept it.”
Tycoon!
Seeing the two ten thousand yen bills on the table, the eyes of the exchange students lit up.
This al was fully covered by a tycoon!
“How could that be…” Ren Xue began to refuse, “Please, take a seat.
There are nine dishes in total, too much for us to finish anyway.”
Qi Nan shook his head, ignoring Ren Xue’s polite refusal, and turned to find a chair.
The exchange students spontaneously made room for him.
“Uh, well then, let’s eat, everyone!”
Ren Xue could only put the bills away and then rushed toward the bar, yelling in Japanese, “Waiter, another bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks!”
Sakamoto brought over the rice, “Please enjoy—”
Nodding, Qi Nan, looking at Sakamoto leaving, had a good evaluation for this mysteriously charming waiter, “Food, environnt, service.”
“These are the three items of the IGO restaurant rating audit,” Qi Nan thought, not rushing to start eating, but instead looking around the packed little shop, “The shop might be small, but the layout is tidy and organized, and moreover, the air is fresh, without any strange slls affecting the custors’ appetite.
Did they install an air-exchanger?
It seems not only that, these custors, visibly having eaten Sichuan cuisine, show no signs of sweating profusely.”
Qi Nan observed two young female custors at the next table, who ordered a plate of chili beef and a plate of spicy chicken, all Sichuan cuisine, eating delightfully and occasionally stopping to exhale hot, enticing breaths with flushed cheeks as if they were drunk.
However, looking closely, the sweat produced by their spice intake evaporated quickly in the fresh, cool air, preventing any excessive sweating.
“Delicious!”
“My God, what is this flavor!”
A group of international students, observed by Qi Nan, started eating one after another, becoming ecstatic after swallowing the food.
“It’s so tasty!” Xuanxuan, the female broadcaster, couldn’t engage with her live broadcast audience, as once she started eating, she couldn’t stop.
She was grabbing pieces of lettuce with oyster sauce and stead grouper, her cheeks bulging impossibly and her face contorting, not retaining a bit of sweetness or modesty.
Comnts quickly filled the screen, protesting against the broadcaster who forgot about her audience due to the delicious food:
“6666, demon version Xuanxuan!”
“Damn, I’m also hungry, what should I do, it’s al ti, I’m going to make a bowl of instant noodles to calm down!”
Qi Nan was the calst one at the table, scanning the group of international students, his gaze settling on Ren Xue.
She picked up a large atball, and Qi Nan, of course, recognized it—Su Cuisine, lion’s head!
Taking a bite, Ren Xue let out a soft delicate sound from her nose, a look of happiness spread across her face.
“Stead crab at atballs?” Qi Nan sniffed the flavor, not to ntion the exceptionally tender atball itself, but once Ren Xue bit into the atball, a burst of fresh crab at and roe aroma hit him, Qi Nan vaguely saw a vivid seafood market scene, “This is not river crab, but sea crab.
The quality of the crab at and roe is very high!”
“The quality of the ingredients is even higher than our Danfei Building!” Qi Nan felt a chill inside, “Such ingredients, could they be purchased from the IGO online market?
But the price…”
Qi Nan’s eyes turned toward the nu on the wall, observing the prices listed under each wooden tag, an understanding flashed through his eyes.
“With such prices, no wonder they use high-quality ingredients,” Qi Nan silently nodded.
After ntally scoring the environnt and service, Qi Nan finally picked up his chopsticks, his mind focusing on three special dishes: Dinghu Shangsu, Yang Fang Cang Fish, and Dry-Fried Rock Carp.
“Dinghu Shangsu, a famous Cantonese dish originated during the Ming Dynasty Yongli Period, with trella as the main ingredient, the cooking technique primarily involves ‘steaming,’ and the flavor belongs to the delicate fragrance category…”
As the information about the dish surfaced in his mind, Qi Nan’s knowledge of Chinese cuisine was thorough.
He calmly started eating, picking a stead trella, then adding so straw mushrooms, lotus seeds, and white fungus to his bowl, bending his head to slowly taste.
Compared to the international students at the sa table, Qi Nan ate slowly, thoroughly chewing and swallowing, and after each bite, he would pause for a minute or two to savor and evaluate.
“Absolutely exceeds the standard of a two-star restaurant’s signature dish!”
Teeming emotions churned inside Qi Nan, a hint of shock appearing in his eyes.
He managed Danfei Building, a rare IGO five-star restaurant in the Tokyo Taito District, and it was a Chinese restaurant.
Initially, Qi Nan, entrusted with the audit work by the IGO organization, hadn’t taken this little-known small restaurant nearby seriously, planning to just taste and return to Danfei Building to entertain a few famous and influential guests.
However, having truly tasted the dishes from Xia’s shop, Qi Nan found himself unable to leave and sensed a strong threat!
The signature dish of Danfei Building might compete with ‘Dinghu Shangsu,’ but what about the other dishes below the signature ones?
Moreover, ‘Dinghu Shangsu’ might not even be this small shop’s signature dish.
Similar special dishes included two more on the table!
Qi Nan took a deep breath, picked up his chopsticks again, and continued to taste ‘Yang Fang Cang Fish’ and ‘Dry-Fried Rock Carp.’
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