sbdcsierra Chapter 76 Regular Customers' Support
Chapter 76 Regular Customers' Support
This large bowl of spicy hot pot has the top slices of meat half-submerged in the soup, giving it a similar feel to Sichuan-style boiled sliced meat.
By the time the waiter brought the large bowl of spicy hot pot to the table, Mr. Wang and his entourage had already finished two plates of cold noodles.
Mr. Wang twitched his nose and couldn't help but point at Lu Yuan, complaining:
"You little rascal, Boss Lu! You've got some good stuff hidden away! So the cold noodles are just to whet our appetites, huh?"
Lu Yuan chuckled and, without saying a word, silently retreated to the kitchen, asking Aunt Li to serve the rice in advance.
Aunt Li asked in confusion, "Those guests didn't order anything?"
Lu Yuan smiled faintly: "Don't worry, it will definitely be ready in less than a minute."
Mr. Wang picked up a piece of meat, put it in his mouth, chewed it gently a couple of times, and then a look of surprise appeared in his eyes:
"Wow, not bad! I didn't expect meat to taste so good! Try some!"
"Boss Lu, get some rice!" Mr. Wang put down his chopsticks, unbuttoned the collar of his polo shirt, and prepared to dig in.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Li looked surprised and gave a thumbs up: "Boss, you're amazing!"
After Aunt Li quickly served the rice, Mr. Wang gave her a thumbs up.
"Your boss is amazing! He could even guess that!"
Although Mala Tang originated in Sichuan, its development style varies from place to place.
In Northeast China, it was modified to be based on bone broth, with sesame paste added, and served with various types of noodles.
Later generations of sesame paste lovers spread this trend throughout the country, and shops with names like XX and XXX appeared everywhere.
Lu Yuan once met a guy in Northeast China who ate mala tang with the following preference: no numbing sensation, no spiciness, lots of sugar, and lots of vinegar.
My worldview was instantly shattered, and my tastes collapsed.
After becoming a head chef, he traveled all over the country.
Only then did I realize that tastes truly vary from person to person and from place to place.
What you consider delicious might be something someone else can't stand to eat.
Food actually has strong regional limitations. Even though the eight major cuisines have been developed for so long, there are still people who don't like many of the dishes in them.
Since then, Lu Yuan has realized that there is no need to cater to everyone when cooking. It is enough to bring out the characteristics of the dishes to the extreme and satisfy the true enthusiasts.
The style of spicy hot pot in northern China emphasizes freshness and aroma, and it must be made with beef bones and old duck soup cooked on the same day. Later, it evolved into soup with old hen and crucian carp.
Moreover, the spicy hot pot in northern China is always eaten with rice. If you add noodles, it will become greasy after being soaked in chili oil.
The rice dish has a similar feel to boiled pork slices, making it very appetizing.
Mr. Wang and his entourage were all men, and they ate with gusto, their eating habits leaving the little girl next to them stunned.
At that moment, five or six simply dressed farmers pushed open the door and came in.
They left their shovels and other farm tools outside, brushed the dirt off their clothes, and then went inside.
"Boss, give us each a serving of liangpi (cold skin noodles)," the middle-aged man called out to his aunt in a simple and honest manner.
"Okay!"
Aunt Guan was very quick; as soon as she finished mixing a serving of cold noodles, a waiter came to bring it over.
In less than 5 minutes, every customer at the table had a bowl of cold noodles in front of them.
Lu Yuan had two requirements for serving food to the aunties at the mala tang restaurant:
First and foremost, cleanliness and hygiene are absolutely essential; this is the bottom line. We cannot neglect this just because most of our customers are farmers.
Secondly, the quantity must be sufficient. Although it is only a dollar or two worth of food, it is still a meal for them. They will not have the strength to work if they are not full.
The uncle exclaimed in surprise when he saw the pile of cold noodles, trembling precariously, almost overflowing, on the table:
"Boss, your restaurant is really generous; the portions are really good!"
In fact, the wholesale price of liangpi (cold skin noodles) in later generations was only 1.6 yuan per sheet.
However, in cold noodle shops, a serving of cold noodles is only cut in half or more than half a sheet. Often, one serving is not enough to fill you up, while two servings are a bit too much.
Rural people don't pay much attention to table manners when they eat. The uncle picked up a large mouthful with his chopsticks and swallowed it all in one gulp.
"This is so delicious! It's much better than the cold noodles made by the Qiao sisters in town! Boss, I'll be eating at your place from now on!"
The uncle ate with great relish. After calling out to the aunt at the front desk, he picked up a large mouthful and swallowed it in one gulp.
After those two bites, there was still more than half a plate of cold noodles left, which made the uncle very happy.
But everyone clearly underestimated the uncle's appetite. After finishing the plate of cold noodles, the uncle actually took out two steamed buns from his pocket, broke them in half, and soaked them in the cold noodle soup.
The cold noodles in northern China have a little bit of broth, making them more refreshing.
Unexpectedly, the uncle made the most of the soup base, and the fluffy steamed buns perfectly absorbed the soup from the cold noodles.
The uncle took a bite, a satisfied look on his face, and gently shook his head, appearing very content.
After finishing both steamed buns, the plate of cold noodles was spotless, as if it had been washed.
Mr. Wang, who was at another table, was stunned and couldn't help but exclaim:
"Dude, you have a good appetite!"
The middle-aged man was also a little embarrassed, his dark face turning slightly red.
"Hehe, there's nothing I can do about it. I have a naturally big appetite, and I can never get enough to eat anywhere. I always have to bring my own steamed buns."
It was 11 o'clock when a loud buzzing sound came from the doorway, which then stopped abruptly after a while.
A thick Northeastern accent sounded from outside the door:
"Let me see what's going on. Who is this Sister Lu? Did she manage to shut down my boss's shop?"
"Exactly, there's this 'Sister Lu's GG' all over the national highway. What, does she own the highway?"
"Brother Liu, should we eat first, or just deal with him directly?"
Master Liu turned around and slapped the impetuous young master across the face, criticizing him:
"What a load of nonsense! This is a society governed by law, why are you always making trouble for everyone!"
Another master chimed in:
"Right, let's find out first, just in case they're from the same family? Aren't they all surnamed Lu?"
As they were talking, Master Liu lifted the curtain and immediately saw General Manager Wang, greeting him warmly:
"Isn't this Mr. Wang? What's he doing eating spicy hot pot here?"
Mr. Wang also greeted Chef Liu. As some of the first customers to eat at Xiao Lu's Farmhouse Restaurant, they got to know each other after a few visits.
"Who do you think owns this shop? Isn't it Boss Lu?"
Mr. Wang pointed to the reckless young man behind Master Liu and said:
"Young man, this Boss Lu is a local tyrant. I think he's the one who can mess with whoever he wants!"
From the moment Lu Yuan acquired the Wang family's shop to his calm refusal of President Ding's invitation, President Wang witnessed it all.
The more he got to know Lu Yuan, the more he realized that this young man was no ordinary person.
Hearing the commotion in the front hall, Lu Yuan also came out from the kitchen and greeted Chef Liu with a smile:
"How did you manage to portray me as a member of the underworld?"
Mr. Wang, having finished his meal, leaned back in his chair and joked:
"Those gangsters are all bumpkins; they can't possibly make as much money as you!"
Lu Yuan responded:
"Mr. Wang, others may not know, but I do! The huge project you just landed is something I could never catch up to even if I sold all my cold noodles in my next life!"
Lu Yuan mentioned something that made President Wang happy, and President Wang couldn't hide his smile any longer:
"They're all just small-scale operations, nothing serious!"
Mr. Liu went to the refrigerator at the front desk and took out a few bottles of Jianlibao, handing them to the driver at the same table.
Then he said to Lu Yuan:
"Stop bragging and recommend something to eat! I can't stand your spicy hot pot!"
Lu Yuan, mimicking a Northeastern accent, said, "Master Liu, how about a bowl of spicy dumplings? They're absolutely delicious!"