Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 256 - 177: The Sakura General Hits a Bottleneck and Seeks Out the Great Xia Food Truck (Part 2)

The two returned to the restaurant, where the head chef was still sitting in the kitchen, staring blankly at a bunch of ingredients as usual.

"Back? You've worked hard today, why don't you all get off early."

"Oh Yasumi, head chef, then I'll take my leave first."

Nakamura Arita didn't overthink, clocked out, and directly pushed open the door to leave, heading towards the dormitory. Hanama Ai on the other hand cast a few worried glances at the head chef. Being a woman, her intuition told her the head chef seemed troubled, probably about the dishes.

"Hmm?"

The head chef sharply tilted his head to glance over: "What's on your mind, Ai?"

"Head chef, ever since the Great Xia chef left, you seem to be pondering often at night. Have you encountered difficulties in developing dishes?"

"Indeed."

The man did not hide, nodding lightly with a sigh: "That chef gave me too much inspiration, it's already disrupting my original style, causing all sorts of novel ideas to constantly pop into my mind, yet I'm unable to perfectly integrate them with our cuisine, truly a headache."

"Originally I thought it was due to insufficient understanding of Chinese cuisine and that it would improve over time, but unexpectedly the person was transferred away!"

Hanama Ai suddenly realized she could fully understand this feeling.

Just like when learning makeup before, every encounter with a new thing would burst forth many new inspirations in the mind, but most were useless, or needed the right combination to be effective.

Before that, it was necessary to delve deeply into understanding the use and effect of the matter, to better develop its potential.

"Head chef, would watching documentaries about Great Xia food culture help? I've been watching 'Taste' recently and it's quite shocking, many ancient cultural atmospheres are embedded within."

"Oh?"

The head chef raised his eyebrows, instantly interested.

With daily busyness at work, he didn't have time for TV. Her reminder made him realize he had fallen into a thinking trap.

"What's the name again, 'Taste of Great Xia'? Alright, I'll take time to watch it, thank you for the suggestion Ai, get some rest early, oh Yasumi."

"Oh Yasumi, head chef~"

No time like the present, Sakura people inherently focus with determination, otherwise they wouldn't claim the so-called artisan spirit, repeating a task for decades or centuries.

He immediately opened a laptop set aside and began searching for films, watching there in the kitchen.

The picturesque countryside, bustling street markets filled with life, simple little shops, the bustling vegetable market.

Various scenes appeared before the eyes.

A voice rich in magnetism fell upon his ears; though he didn't comprehend, it conveyed a sense of ancient culture thousands of years old.

Luckily, translations were available on international videos, allowing him to comprehend the gist.

Watching intently, he gradually became engrossed.

Great Xia's diverse cooking techniques and myriad exotic ingredients genuinely opened a door to a new world for him, previously limited to Japanese and Western ingredients and methods. Now, inspiration bubbled forth like a spring.

"Good, very good, Splendid, Splendid!"

"No wonder they're the oldest culture in the world; their culinary development is so refined. Watching videos alone isn't enough; I need to see it firsthand!"

The videos mainly featured local cuisines, but his restaurant followed a high-end route. Though it was worth referencing, integrating the essence of Great Xia's culinary culture required more than just watching a few videos.

When the film finished playing, he rubbed his bloodshot eyes, realizing the sky outside was already lightening. Sounds of people were faintly heard outside the restaurant, signaling the employees.

"Is it actually daylight already??"

He couldn't recall the last time he stayed up excitedly throughout the night; all he knew was his heart was pounding, with thoughts solely focused on finding that Great Xia chef to observe and taste his culinary skills firsthand.

If he could learn new knowledge from him, his own culinary skills could certainly advance further!

Since venturing abroad, he has exchanged and sparred with head chefs at many Michelin restaurants; few refuse such an exchange at this level.

Once reaching a certain level, progressing further is challenging, especially constrained within the current comfort zone; breakthroughs are nearly impossible. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The pinnacle of culinary skill lies in fusion, absorbing foreign cultural knowledge, combining with personal experience and culinary skills to innovate, creating dishes that surprise and delight.

Yet Great Xia, this planet's oldest and most mysterious nation, reveals far too little to the world.

Despite many Great Xia restaurants existing within Sakura Country, just a glance shows some dishes are modified versions.

Modified dishes hold little reference value for a chef of his level, lacking essence extraction.

But the problem is... where exactly did that Great Xia chef go?

After some thought, he decided to ask his friend, also a local chef within the industry, to look into whether any restaurant kitchens were run by a Great Xia chef.

There are few Chinese restaurants in Amiens, and the taste is often inauthentic, the sweet and sour flavor is plainly a modified version. He didn't believe a chef willing to vend traditional flavors would work in such kitchens.

Like himself, skilled chefs undoubtedly strive to promote their nation's culinary culture.

Based on this premise, the scope narrows significantly; it's either Chinese cuisine or it's Western cuisine being pursued.

There are quite a few famous Western restaurants in Amiens; a little inquiry would yield results.

Checking the time - over seven - now it's just when most restaurants aren't opened yet, undergoing pre-opening preparations.

"Oh hey, guess who's calling!"

"How's it going lately, old buddy?"

"Same old, you know. Life in our line of work is basically the same every day."

After some brief exchanges, the head chef straightforwardly presented his request.

"You're looking for a highly skilled Great Xia chef? Likely working at a Western restaurant? Sure thing, easy, I'll ask around."

Soon after hanging up, his phone rang again.

"Hey, you guessed right, indeed there's a restaurant kitchen with a Great Xia chef, moreover at a renowned place, Marchello's joint, but that Great Xia person was sent to the Radison in Dieppe last week."

Upon hearing this, the head chef was overjoyed, excitedly stood up nodding repeatedly: "Yes, yes, that's him, that's who I'm looking for! Dieppe's Radison, thank you my friend!"

After hanging up, he coincidentally saw his assistant fully dressed entering the kitchen, and beckoned.

"I'm planning to go out for inspiration and experiences; I'll leave the kitchen to you, any issues?"

At his level, he's involved in the kitchen less frequently, focusing more on developing dishes and controlling the flavor.

Of course, to ensure his culinary skill remains sharp and maintains pressure, he occasionally personally engages in cooking.

"Rest assured, head chef, I wish you abundant gains this time!"

Such instances weren't rare; the sous-chef didn't find anything amiss, heartily accepting the responsibility.

Every time the head chef returned from outings, the restaurant menu was bound to witness innovation; he's already eager to see what inspiration and creativity the head chef brings back this time.

The man quickly tidied the items scattered on the table, hurried into the office to change, also searching online for basic info about Radison Hotel.

"Hmm?"

Soon, he found multiple restaurant reviews under the website's discussion boards.