Universe Infinite Canteen-Chapter 596 : Night in a Strange Land

"So it is, how should I say this, I have eaten many grass cakes, but this is the first one with such a seaside flavor, after adding coconut milk and seawater, that feeling just comes up instantly," Violet Yupil said.

"Not bad, when eating the grass cake I felt like I was sitting under a coconut tree by the seaside, watching the sunset," Rocky Chen also said.

"He really is worthy of being the head chef of the Isolated Island Restaurant, the understanding of the sea element is impressive."

"Okay, everyone has tried it, so let's start scoring," Gaggan Anand clapped his hands.

"Ah, this is difficult, at this point in the competition, all four remaining chefs are so strong, it feels a shame to eliminate anyone," Violet Yupil said.

"But our duty is to keep the competition going," Yoshikazu Yoda said.

"What happens if there's a tie for last place?"

"As per the rules, the four of us need to discuss and reach a result, and if we really can't agree, then the decision falls to the team leader, which is Chef Gaggan Anand."

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After the scoring was done, such a situation did not occur, Ma Lu was still at the top with a perfect score, Sun Mei and Luo Junkang both scored 4 points, and Chuan Ye Zhengming got 3.75 points.

Although he was the last one, the gap with the second and third places was actually very small, the total scores from the four judges were only 1 point lower than Sun Mei and Luo Junkang.

"It's such a pity," Gaggan Anand said regretfully, "Your grass cake was really well made, especially the control over the details, which was like a textbook. If it were served at an outside restaurant, I would be willing to give it a higher rating. But,"

Gaggan Anand changed the subject, "As we have been emphasizing, today's competition is based on the theme of coconuts, and the coconut should be the protagonist of the dish, the absolute star.

"But in your grass cake, this was lost, the progressive sweetness was stunning, but it was to highlight the final crab leg.

"Of course, there's no problem doing this outside, since the Emperor Crab is also a very precious ingredient, and if given the choice, other chefs would use it as their star as well."

Chuan Ye Zhengming nodded, "I understand, this indeed was my oversight."

He bowed, took off his chef's hat, and stepped down from the cooking station.

He did not go back to his room, like Qi Shanzhu, he chose to stay and continue watching the competition.

After four rounds of competition, the top three of the God of Cooking Competition were determined.

They were Ma Lu, Sun Mei, and Luo Junkang.

Among them, besides Luo Junkang who was a favorite to win the championship before the competition, the other two were virtually unknown.

Well, that might not be accurate to say, some people knew of Ma Lu, but their impression was that he was just the owner of the Universe Infinite Canteen.

He usually played on his phone at the cash register, and some even doubted whether he cooked at all; nobody expected his culinary skills to be so formidable, surpassing all the others.

And Sun Mei, someone spread the word, saying she was Sun He's granddaughter, the cooking prodigy from ten years ago, so people weren't as shocked.

Even so, it was still surprising that these two made it to the end.

The fifth round.

While the three contestants were cooking, the judges took the opportunity to rinse their mouths with mineral water.

They had tasted over twenty dishes in succession, all featuring coconuts as the theme, and now their mouths were full of the taste of coconut, gradually losing their sense of taste.

It's like writing, if you keep writing the same character over and over, eventually you will not recognize the character anymore.

The judges are like this, but the impact is even more severe for the contestants who have to constantly taste their dishes during the creation process.

Now even drinking water gives Sun Mei a coconut flavor, not to mention Luo Junkang was no better off, and his inspiration was on the verge of drying up.

He had a strong premonition that this time he was really done for.

Although he said this, his body still moved into action, possibly sensing that his end was near.

Luo Junkang's heart, on the other hand, became calm, and he grew even more focused as he completely lost track of time while cooking.

By the time he pressed the timer, there was less than a minute left.

Both Ma Lu and Sun Mei had already completed their dishes well ahead of time.

This time, Sun Mei finished even earlier than Ma Lu, so it was her turn to present first.

Upon seeing the dish on the plate, the four judges' gaze never left it.

In the center of the plate was a pale yellow ice cream ball held up by a chunk of cod, surrounded by white asparagus and beet sprouts fashioned into a small house, with golden button mushrooms as street lamps, blueberry sauce for the sea, and coral sprouts forming a dike.

And all of this was enveloped in a dark brown sauce.

Sun Mei once again utilized the painting skills she had learned abroad, piecing together an exquisitely beautiful scene with ingredients.

"How beautiful, does this dish have a name?" Yoshikazu Yoda asked.

"Yes, it's called 'Night in a Strange Land'."

Hearing this, Sun He's body shook slightly, and his gaze towards the stage softened considerably.

"I heard that you left your hometown in your teens to study abroad, it seems that this dish is also related to your personal history, Chef Sun Mei," Rocky Chen said.

"Hmm."

Yoshikazu Yoda was first to scoop up a spoonful of ice cream and put it into his mouth, "A rich coconut flavor."

Then he scooped up some sauce, "Let me taste your 'night', oh, is this... coffee?"

"Hainan is famous for its coffee beans, and since coffee and coconut flavors go well together, I thought of adding them to my dish," Sun Mei explained.

"Indeed, not only that, but coffee and night are like twins, giving this piece of cod a taste that's both sweet and bitter," Olette Yupper praised.

"I didn't expect that at this point in the competition, Chef Sun Mei, you could still surprise us."

"The white asparagus is also very tasty," Yoshikazu Yoda said succinctly.

Following Sun Mei, it was Ma Lu's turn, and with a precedent set, all four judges were mentally prepared.

Knowing that Ma Lu might pull off something spectacular again, they were still surprised when they saw the dish.

"Ah, this round you've made a..."

"A beverage," Ma Lu nodded, "I made a beverage."

While beverages are certainly a type of dish and indispensable for every restaurant,

daring to present a beverage is indeed rare in the God of Cooking Competition, as such items are usually seen in dedicated beverage contests.

Because placing a beverage against proper full-fledged dishes is undoubtedly a disadvantage.

And indeed, even though they had not yet tasted it, when the cup was placed in front of the judges, they did not feel much of a sense of amazement.

Especially in visual comparison with Sun Mei's previous presentation, at least in terms of sight, Ma Lu's seemed overshadowed.

Just as the four were about to take a sip, they were unexpectedly stopped by Ma Lu.

"Wait."