Chapter 114 Mr. Shen, Is This Tasty? It’s Not Very Good, Just Okay!
The meeting is held at Wangshan Lake Resort. The main attendees include leaders from the Economic Development Bureau, the Cultural and Tourism Bureau, members of the Jiangcheng Hotel Catering Association, and experts, as well as relevant persons in charge from various hotels and catering enterprises in Jiangcheng.
The main content of the meeting was to further understand the development status of the hotel and catering industry in Jiangcheng, provide face-to-face support to solve problems for businesses, and explore new ideas and initiatives for promoting innovation and development in the hotel and catering industry, stimulating market vitality, and promoting high-quality development in the wholesale, retail, accommodation, and catering sectors.
This kind of discussion meeting was held every year. Shen Muyan, who managed the five-star Ourei Hotel, was a leader in the industry, and sometimes she also gave speeches to share experiences and thoughts.
Most of the time, the meeting was rather dull. Shen Muyan’s phone vibrates, and she received a WeChat message from Lu Qin.
She opened it, it’s a video with a message.
Little Boss Lady?
Shen Muyan silenced the phone and, feeling curious, clicked the video.
In the video, Lu Xiyao was handing over a packed piece of crystal shrimp dumplings and says, “88 yuan and 50 cents, scan the code on the left, thank you.”
Of course, since the sound was off, Shen Muyan could not hear what the little one said, but she could roughly guess. Her originally cold face softened a bit, and her eyes brightened. So, she really was playing the little boss lady.
Seeing the little one’s skillful actions, her cute yet slightly crafty expression was just too amusing. Shen Muyan watched the video several times and then replied with one word.
She then forwarded the video to Shen Hongda and his wife, and Fang Ya. Soon, she receives replies.
Shen Muyan smiles slightly, feeling particularly happy. The meeting will last until two or three in the afternoon, and a simple buffet had been prepared for lunch.
They say it was simple, but there were many kinds of dishes, a mix of Chinese and Western, incredibly lavish. However, the CEOs of the companies attending were in the hotel and catering industry, and they had tasted all sorts of food.
What ordinary people would consider a luxurious buffet was, in their eyes, nothing special. But lunch was still a must, how could they attend the afternoon meeting without eating?
Sun Zhi, the CEO of Haoyue Hotel, and Fan Qingfang, the CEO of Shihua Crystal Restaurant, were friends of Shen Muyan, so the three sat together.
Sun Zhi chewed on his steak and complained, “I need to suggest to Old Hao from the resort that they should change the chef at the Western restaurant. This steak, I can’t chew it!”
Fan Qingfang ordered a portion of Gong Bao Chicken and Salt-Baked Cheese Australian Lobster and agreed.
“The meat in this Gong Bao Chicken is a bit tough. It’s not as good as the one in our own restaurant.”
For ordinary people, eating was about eating, but for rich people like Sun Zhi and Fan Qingfang, eating was about enjoying the food. So, their requirements for dishes were definitely higher.
Sun Zhi looked at Fan Qingfang.
“I heard you recently hired a Michelin one-star dessert chef from Spain who does molecular cuisine. He makes dishes that grow out of pots when boiling water is poured on them. Is that true?”
Fan Qingfang took a sip of coffee and smiled. “That’s one of the creative dishes, but when it’s coming from your mouth, it sounds so tacky, a dish growing out of a pot?”
Sun Zhi laughed.
“It’s just a pot! Well, when it comes to making money, it’s still you, Fan. Same vegetables, but with a different packaging, you charge people 2888 for it. Maybe I should get into molecular cuisine too.”
At this moment, Shen Muyan walked over with a bowl of wonton noodles and sat down.
“Shen, you’re just having a bowl of wonton noodles for lunch? But then again, the resort’s kitchen is so bad, you probably couldn’t find anything tasty,” Sun Zhi said.
Fan Qingfang smiled faintly.
“Shen, it’s been a while since you visited our Shihua Crystal Restaurant. If you have time, come try our new dishes.”
“Be careful, Shen. They’ll charge you 288 yuan for a mango pudding shaped like an egg yolk,” Sun Zhi said.
Fan Qingfang glared at Sun Zhi.
“The new dishes are free, no charge.”
Sun Zhi’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Free? Well, I’m in! I love getting things for free.”
“…”
The wonton noodles were a bit hot, so Shen Muyan put them aside and opened the plastic bag she brought. Coldly, she said, “Fan, you’re talking about molecular cuisine, right? It’s quite popular lately. I’ll try it when I have time.”
Shen Muyan had always paid attention to trends in the catering industry.
Molecular cuisine was quite popular abroad, with reports all over, such as certain high-end restaurants offering molecular dishes and customers flocking to them.
Molecular cuisine was actually just a gimmick, like turning watermelon into beef or foie gras into fruit, focused on surprising or delighting the guests. The taste was subjective, some liked it, some didn’t.
Chefs put all their effort into creativity and presentation, not focusing on the flavor. When a chef didn’t research the taste of a dish, but focused on the art, it was problematic.
Molecular cuisine was expensive, ordinary people could not afford it, and rich people only tried it once because the novelty wore off. They were unlikely to return unless the taste was extraordinary.
But when the food was made to look so bizarre, how good could it taste? So, in the long run, molecular cuisine was destined not to become mainstream, and Shen Muyan wasn’t interested in it.
She opened the plastic box and took a piece of crystal cake, biting into it. The soft, sweet, and wonderful taste spread across her tongue. Indeed, the taste of food was the key.
Lu Qin’s crystal cake was something she could eat every day without getting bored. Fan Qingfang and Sun Zhi both lock their eyes on Shen Muyan’s plastic box.
“Hey, Shen, you brought your own food? What’s this? Looks like something bought from a street stall.”
Only street-side shops had such simple packaging. If it were from a dessert shop or café, it would be in a pretty box or bag.
Fan Qingfang stretched her neck to take a look.
“This looks like some kind of ice-skin cake. Shen, when did you start liking this kind of thing?”
Sun Zhi noticed the delicate look of the cake and asked, “Is this… tasty?”
Shen Muyan seriously shook her head.
“It’s not very tasty, just okay.”
She said this, but then picked up another piece and ate it.
Not tasty?
Sun Zhi squinted his eyes. The cake smelled like a light, elegant fragrance. If it was not tasty, why was she eating it so happily?
Fan Qingfang loved desserts, but she never ate from street-side small shops.
But… the packaging of Shen Muyan’s box looked nice, and she was a bit tempted to try it.
“This cake… what’s it called?”
“Ice Crystal Cake,” Shen Muyan replied, picked up a third piece and took a bite.
“Ice Crystal Cake? Never heard of it. Fan, have you heard of it?” Sun Zhi asked.
Fan Qingfang shook her head.
“Never heard of it. I’ve only heard of crystal cake.”
At this moment, both Sun Zhi and Fan Qingfang were staring intently at Shen Muyan’s ice crystal cake.
Usually, in such a situation, the host would politely ask, “Would you like to try it?”
But Shen Muyan didn’t feel like offering them a taste. There were eight pieces in a box, and the version Lu Qin gave her was the plus edition, with only five pieces in a box. Two boxes were just enough for her.
The bowl of wonton noodles didn’t taste that great, so she would just sip the soup. Two boxes of ice crystal cakes were her perfect lunch. seaʀᴄh thё NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
But…
Sun Zhi and Fan Qingfang were staring at the cakes and starting to swallow.
Shen Muyan helplessly said, “Sun, Fan, do you want to try some?”
“Yes!!”
“Yes!!”