Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

"You got it."

Li the Third agreed. With a series of swift motions, his kitchen knife fell, and slices of braised pork head, each as thick as a copper coin, dropped onto the board. He used the blade to scoop them up, arranging them in a circle on the plate and piling them high in the center. The glossy red braised pork head was thoroughly soaked in the marinade, giving it an amber-like hue that was stunning when stacked.

"Excellent! We’ll use this as the standard!" Huang He was extremely pleased, clapping his hands.

Li the Third truly lived up to his title as a first-rate Chef. His Knife Skills and plating were of a very high caliber. He understood instructions instantly and always exceeded expectations.

Huang He continued, "For the braised pig ears, we’ll do three liang per serving, which is about one ear per plate. They need to be sliced thin enough to be translucent, and they must be uniform to ensure a consistent texture."

Hearing this, Li the Third made two cuts, then picked up two slices of ear with slightly different thicknesses. "Which one of these better meets the standard?" he asked.

"Let me see..." Huang He looked from one to the other, then simply ate both slices. He nodded. "The slightly thicker one. It’s thin enough to be translucent, but it still has a bit of a chew. Otherwise, you’d barely feel it in your mouth, and that would be a letdown."

Li the Third nodded. A flurry of cuts followed—SWISH, SWISH, SWISH—and a whole pig’s ear was transformed into uniform, thin slices. He fanned them out and placed them on a white porcelain plate, which immediately highlighted their brilliant red color. It looked quite impressive.

Soon, the braised pig snout was also sliced and plated.

The three plates of braised meat were arranged on the counter, looking decidedly high-class.

"The color of this braised meat is just beautiful. The Fire Control during braising was excellent. The braising liquid has soaked deep into the meat, dyeing it an amber color. It’s so much better than the braised pork head they sell outside," Li the Third praised.

This wasn’t him kissing up to the boss, just genuine admiration for top-quality braised meat.

He knew the quality of the meat the moment he started cutting it.

Though it was all braised in one pot, the Fire Control was managed perfectly. The pig ears retained their crisp texture, unlike the soft and tender pork head.

"Master Li, your Knife Skills are superb, and your plating is a work of art," Huang He said, nodding repeatedly in satisfaction.

Li the Third smiled at the words. The boss’s praise was pleasant to hear.

’If the restaurant had hired another chef to do this, he certainly wouldn’t have put in so much effort to help with the cutting and plating. He’d even have to be on guard against someone trying to steal his job.’

’But since the boss had braised it himself, there was no argument. Showing off my Knife Skills a bit would help solidify my standing in the boss’s eyes and could lead to a future raise.’

Huang He turned to a short, stout young man to the side and said, "Sun Zhou, you have good Knife Skills. The job of slicing the braised meat is yours. From now on, follow Master Li’s standard for cutting and plating. No mistakes, okay?"

"Boss, my Knife Skills still can’t compare to Master Li’s. I have no problem doing the cutting, but you’ll have to ask Master Li to guide me a lot," Sun Zhou said with a nod.

"Master Li, what do you say?" Huang He asked with a smile.

Li the Third was very pleased by Sun Zhou’s words. He smiled and nodded. "Of course. I certainly won’t hold anything back."

Huang He had Huang Bing bring over a container of chopsticks and called everyone over. "Come on, everyone, have a taste. If any regular customers come in today, I’m planning to start promoting this. Let’s see what a good price for this braised meat would be."

The taste-testing part of the process was always everyone’s favorite.

Li the Third was the first to pick up his chopsticks. He placed a slice of braised pig ear into his mouth. The crunch of the cartilage echoed with a satisfying CRACK. The slice of ear was thin and soft, with a superb texture. The rich, braised flavor grew more intense with every chew, leaving a fragrant aftertaste once he swallowed.

’Magnificent!’

’With a plate of braised pig ears like this, how could you not have an extra couple of drinks?’

Next, he tried a piece of the braised pork head. The coin-thick slice had a richer mouthfeel than the pig ear. It was soft and tender to the bite, half lean and half fat, and thoroughly infused with the flavor of the braise. With one bite, a bit of the braising liquid seemed to burst in his mouth, filling it with a savory, meaty aroma.

’Delicious! So incredibly delicious!’

’This single bite is pure bliss.’

The braised pig snout was also good, but he preferred the pig ear and pork head.

Li the Third ate another piece of pork head, then set down his chopsticks. "Boss, this braised meat is incredible! This master stock must have been developing for many years, right? The flavor is simply out of this world! For a serving of this pork head, I think two yuan is no problem. The pig ear could even go for another fifty cents on top of that."

All his initial doubts had vanished. You couldn’t find better braised meat in all of Jiazhou.

The flavor was in a class of its own.

The presentation was excellent too. Plated up and served at the table, it was definitely worth that price.

"It really is delicious! So flavorful, and it’s perfect for drinking with!"

"This braised pork head is amazing. It’s rich but not greasy. One bite fills your mouth with that savory, meaty flavor. I agree, two yuan is fine by me!"

"Isn’t two yuan a bit expensive? Outside, a whole jin of pork head only sells for two-fifty. I think if we sold it for around one-sixty, more customers might order it. It would also match the other prices on our restaurant’s menu better."

"I think Master Zhang has a point. One-sixty for the pork head, and two yuan for the pig ear and pig snout."

Everyone chimed in, offering their own suggestions and opinions one after another.

In the kitchen of Feiyan Restaurant, Huang He ultimately had the final say, so everyone felt comfortable enough to voice opinions that differed from Li the Third’s.

That the braised meat was good, however, was the consensus among all the chefs.

Fortunately, since the boss had made it himself, it didn’t pose a threat to their positions or jobs.

"Good, good, I’ve noted it all down. I’ll discuss it with Shulan in a bit and then we’ll finalize the price." Huang He listened intently, nodding again and again. He then pointed at the three plates of braised meat and said, "Since you all like it, go ahead and finish it. But the rest in the basket is for our customers, okay?"

"You got it!" everyone responded with a laugh.

Huang He and Huang Bing exchanged a look, and then Huang He walked out of the kitchen.

Zhao Shulan had just come down from upstairs. Hearing the commotion, she looked toward the kitchen.