Chapter 456 - 170: Grand Meal Preparations and 3 New Small Dishes

Chapter 456: Chapter 170: Grand Meal Preparations and 3 New Small Dishes

There are several types of welcome drinks in French Cuisine.

One type is for pre-dinner socializing, where guests are served something like sparkling wine to sip while they chat, paired with a few desserts.

This time is a bit like Huaxia’s "melon seed time"—a casual period for snacking and chatting.

The other type is a pre-meal apéritif. Most restaurants or banquets will opt for a white wine or a cherry-flavored red wine, which stimulates the appetite.

’But this is Huaxia...’

Fusing French and Cantonese Cuisine was already a big enough concession; Su Chen still felt this custom of drinking before the meal wasn’t quite right.

Originally, Su Chen had planned to use rice wine and then carbonate it with an instrument to mimic sparkling wine.

However, rice wine wasn’t sweet enough and didn’t seem quite suitable as a pre-dinner drink. As for Huaxia’s sweet wines, they were mostly fruit wines.

With less than a week until the dinner, there wasn’t enough time to start brewing now.

Besides, since Shang Mingke was bringing a client, they would most likely arrive right around the appointed time for dinner, not well in advance.

’Then I’ll just use a traditional French course structure! That way, I can eliminate not only the pre-dinner drinks but also the toasting wine.’

’As for wine, I’ll let the clients decide for themselves.’

The *Universal History of Cuisine* described the historical development of French Cuisine, from its classical origins and home-style traditions to its modern evolution into nouvelle cuisine.

And the characteristics of nouvelle cuisine happened to have much in common with Cantonese Cuisine: both use prized ingredients, emphasize fresh, original flavors, and have a very light and delicate flavor profile.

Su Chen crossed out the entire thirteen-course progression he had planned. Then, on a piece of paper, he firmly wrote down the first course of the new menu.

A chilled appetizer starter!

He wasn’t in a rush to finalize the specific dishes yet.

Su Chen took out his phone and found Shang Mingke’s contact.

"Brother Shang, for this dinner, I plan to use the French dining format but pair it with Chinese dishes, focusing primarily on Cantonese Cuisine."

As the client for this occasion, he had to consult with Shang Mingke.

Su Chen put down his phone after sending the message. To his surprise, a reply came back almost instantly.

Shang Mingke: I think that’s fine. Do you have any specific dishes in mind?

"Not yet. I’m deciding on the appetizer now. How about a Crystal Cold-Plate Chicken?"

This time, Shang Mingke’s reply was much slower. Some ten-odd minutes passed before his message came through.

Shang Mingke: That works. Don’t worry about the budget. As for the remaining dishes, I’ll leave them to you.

Heh!

Su Chen couldn’t help but let out a laugh as he read the message.

’That’s how it is talking to a smart person.’

The Crystal Cold-Plate Chicken he’d chosen as the first course was actually a very deliberate choice. According to the *Chinese Cuisine Collection*, it was the signature dish of the Datong Restaurant in Yue Province.

The dish was characterized by its cool, refreshing taste, making it highly appetizing and perfect for summer or autumn. Furthermore, its beautiful presentation meant that it could absolutely hold its own, even amidst the aesthetically demanding world of French Cuisine.

The long delay before Shang Mingke’s second message meant he had almost certainly taken the name of the dish to consult an expert.

Shang Mingke then telling him not to worry about the budget implied that he could do as he pleased—as long as the results were impressive, money was no object.

And by adding that they didn’t need to discuss the rest of the menu, he made it clear that Su Chen’s choice for the first course had already won the approval of both Shang Mingke and the expert advising him.

’If he can choose the first dish with such finesse, the rest will naturally be just as good.’

Su Chen let out a long sigh, then closed his eyes and entered the Gourmet Practice Room.

’Time to get to work!’

The Crystal Cold-Plate Chicken was a dish that highlighted the chicken’s own fresh, fragrant, smooth, and tender qualities, so the ingredients list was quite simple.

The main ingredient was just a chicken—a simple, ordinary chicken—but with one condition: it had to be freshly slaughtered.

’Am I going to have to open my own damn farm later on?’

The number of dishes requiring freshly slaughtered ingredients was growing, and it was starting to frustrate Su Chen.

Fish were one thing, but now he was starting to have to slaughter chickens and ducks.

Among the other supporting ingredients, one that was rather difficult to purchase in Jingzhou was a specific type of Yunnan Ham. Su Chen jotted it down in his notebook.

He planned to have Liu Shengnan ship some over from Yunnan right away.

And now, it was time for endless trials and practice!

...

Su Chen practiced in the Gourmet Practice Room for a full 48 hours, returning to the real world for a two-hour break every 16 hours.

At ten o’clock that night, having just finished his two-hour rest, Su Chen was about to enter the Gourmet Practice Room again.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Come in."

He sat up from his recliner and saw it was Ling Shuyu who had entered.

"Am I interrupting your work?"

Ling Shuyu knew by now that even when Su Chen was just lying down, he was still working. How else could he rest for a bit and then get up and cook such delicious food?

Su Chen shook his head. "No. What’s up?"

Ling Shuyu took a seat to one side. "You told me to handle the rumors, but I didn’t act on it immediately. After observing for the past few hours, I’ve realized we might not need to do anything about them at all."

"Oh?" Su Chen tilted his head. "Go on."

"Well..." Ling Shuyu hesitated, which was rare for her when reporting on work. "Boss, first, you have to tell me... that incident today about someone dying from the food, did you hire people to stage the whole thing?"

Huh?

Su Chen was completely baffled by the question.

But he didn’t answer her question directly. "Just tell me what the situation is now."