Chapter 224 - 147: Show Some Respect for the Braised Beef
Huang He was feeling a bit stirred up. Huang Bing had come back from breakfast and told him the news that Zhou Yan was launching his braised beef today.
Huang He, who had still been lying in bed, shot right up and immediately had Huang Bing take him to Suji on the motorcycle.
Feiyan Restaurant without braised beef was like the West without Jerusalem.
Far too many regular customers had been asking about the braised beef. Especially after the braised pig head was back on the menu, people were asking about it every single day.
’When is the braised beef coming back?’
He was getting anxious too.
Braised beef had once been Feiyan Restaurant’s best-selling braised meat, selling over one hundred pounds a day during peak times.
Speaking of this glorious history, his old man had told him more than once that if Mrs. Zhang ever set up her stall again, they had to bring back the braised beef.
Mrs. Zhang would probably never sell braised meat again, but Zhou Yan had inherited her mantle and made braised pig head that tasted exactly the same.
The regulars who had come in these past few days all praised it after tasting it, saying that decades had passed, but the flavor hadn’t changed one bit.
Huang He knew in his heart that this praise wasn’t for Feiyan Restaurant, but for Zhou Yan.
The young man’s culinary skills were not to be underestimated. At such a young age, he had already completely inherited Mrs. Zhang’s techniques for braising pork.
As for his braised beef, Huang He felt a little uncertain. After all, just two days ago, Zhou Yan had told him he still needed to practice. But his expectations were definitely maxed out.
Before coming, he had already discussed it with Zhao Shulan. As long as the flavor was 70 or 80 percent as good as the braised beef Mrs. Zhang used to make, they would seal the deal.
Even at 70 or 80 percent, the flavor would still be better than any other braised beef out there.
If any particularly discerning regulars asked, they’d just make the excuse that the brine was still developing and that it would taste better and better over time.
Feiyan Restaurant was willing to grow alongside Zhou Yan, guaranteeing a certain amount of beef sales to support him so he could continue to improve his braising process.
"Boss Huang, you got here quick," Zhou Yan said with a smile as he came out of the kitchen, looking at Huang He’s quivering flesh. "I just turned off the heat. The braised beef won’t be ready to come out of the pot for a while."
"Good meat is worth the wait. It’s no trouble for me to sit and wait," Huang He said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Alright, then you two have a seat. I’ll make you some tea." Zhou Yan nodded, gesturing for the Huang father and son to sit down. He took some tea leaves from a cabinet and brewed three cups.
Zhou Yan brought the tea over and sat down. Huang He, already looking at him impatiently, asked, "Boss Zhou, didn’t you say last week that you still needed more time to practice with the braised beef? Why so sudden today?"
"I’ve practiced for another week. Is that still sudden?" Zhou Yan said with a smile, holding his cup and blowing on the floating tea leaves.
"I’m just happy, that’s all! Waiting for your braised beef has been torture, every day feels like a year," Huang He said, a little nervously. "I wonder how it’ll taste? Compared to Mrs. Zhang, how does it stack up?"
Zhou Yan shook his head slightly. "It’s not for me to sing my own praises. You’ll know once you taste it."
"Fair enough." Huang He nodded, then changed the subject. "By the way, Boss Zhou, what have you decided about the exclusive supply of braised beef I discussed with you before?"
"Boss Huang, let me be honest with you. Sooner or later, I’m going to open my own restaurant in Jiazhou. Even if I don’t sell to anyone else, I’ll definitely be selling it myself then," Zhou Yan said, looking at him with a gentle smile.
"I know Feiyan Restaurant and my grandmother worked together for decades and made it through the hardest times hand-in-hand. That’s why I don’t want to screw you over with an exclusivity fee. You want a lot, I’ll sell you a lot."
Huang He fell silent at his words. This was a bit beyond his expectations.
Feiyan Restaurant and Zhang’s Braised Shop had cooperated for decades with almost no conflicts.
Zhang’s Braised Shop was a Jiazhou institution, providing braised meat day in and day out for decades, never leaving.
He had grown a bit dependent on the old way of doing things. If Zhou Yan was going to open a restaurant in Jiazhou, the situation would naturally be different.
In other words, they would become competitors.
"When are you planning to open your restaurant in Jiazhou? And where are you thinking of opening it?" Huang He asked.
"It’s still a ways off, at least a year from now," Zhou Yan said with a laugh. "The exact location isn’t set, but I’m just opening a restaurant, not a grand dining hall. I won’t be doing large banquets."
"Oh, then that’s no problem. We can talk about what happens in a year, in a year." Huang He breathed a sigh of relief, a smile returning to his face. "I think Feiyan Restaurant’s decor is too old anyway. In a year, I might have moved to a new location—a bigger, better-decorated place, the new benchmark for banquets in Jiazhou. Our market positioning is different. It won’t be a conflict, no conflict at all."
"You’re a man of means, Boss Huang," Zhou Yan chuckled.
With everything out in the open, the atmosphere became much more harmonious.
The three of them sat drinking tea and shooting the breeze, and time passed quickly.
Zhou Yan checked his watch, then began taking the soaked braised meat out of the pot in batches.
After taking out the braised beef shank and letting it cool, Zhou Yan sliced a portion, arranged it on a plate, and brought it out.
Watching Zhou Yan emerge from the kitchen with the braised beef, Huang He subconsciously stood up.
Huang Bing, who had been cracking melon seeds with one leg crossed over the other, hesitated when he saw how solemn his old man was being.
WHACK!
Huang He’s palm landed on the back of his head. "Show some respect for the braised beef!"
"Huh?" Huang Bing’s face was a question mark.
But under Huang He’s tyranny, he had no choice but to get up and welcome the braised beef’s... grand arrival?
Huang He’s eyes were fixed on the white porcelain plate in Zhou Yan’s hands. He saw the braised beef, arranged in a spiral, sliced to the thickness of a copper coin—thin, but with a bit of substance. The texture of the meat, saturated with brine, was gorgeous. Translucent tendon, like amber, dotted the surface. The muscle enveloped the sinew, and the color was a rich, vibrant red.
"This color! This marbling! It looks so right! So absolutely right!"
Huang He’s eyes grew brighter, and even his breathing became a little ragged.
’Isn’t this the Zhang’s Braised Beef I’ve been dreaming of!’
It was exactly the same as he remembered.
It was back!
Zhang’s Braised Beef was really back!
"Boss Huang, have a taste and see if it’s right," Zhou Yan said with a smile, handing him a pair of chopsticks and offering another pair to Huang Bing.
Huang He took the chopsticks, his hands trembling slightly. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then picked up a slice of braised beef. He first turned it over and examined it carefully, nodding repeatedly. "Identical, it’s absolutely identical. The sugar glaze is so beautiful, completely permeated without a hint of blackness."
After appraising it as if it were a precious treasure, he finally put it in his mouth and chewed slowly, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.
The texture of the beef was firm, the sinew had a slight chewiness to it. It wasn’t dry or tough. As he chewed, a rich, savory flavor filled his mouth, the beefiness especially prominent. The more he chewed, the more fragrant it became!
In a daze, Huang He felt as if he had returned to his childhood.
His father had taken him to Suji Bridgehead to find Mrs. Zhang. He had been fussing, wanting to go home, but Mrs. Zhang had casually sliced two pieces of braised beef and handed them to him, saying with a smile, "Huang Xiaoji, here, have a bite."
To this day, he still remembered the taste of those two slices of braised beef.
It was so fragrant that it changed his opinion of braised beef forever.
Later, as he grew up, he always loved eating the braised beef made by Mrs. Zhang.
This slice of braised beef tasted no different from his memory.
He remembered how he used to love going to Suji with his cousin. Sometimes, they could even buy Mrs. Zhang’s braised vegetables.
Feiyan Restaurant didn’t sell braised vegetables because they weren’t considered high-class enough.
But he loved them! Braised lotus root, braised dried tofu, braised potatoes... and you could only get them when they were in season.
"Dad?" Huang Bing saw a tear slide from the corner of Huang He’s eye and was so shocked he didn’t dare reach out with his chopsticks.
’This braised beef made his worldly-wise old man cry?’
"It’s right! It’s so right!" Huang Xiaoji ignored him and looked at Zhou Yan excitedly. "Boss Zhou, you’ve captured 120% of Mrs. Zhang’s essence in this braised beef! The flavor is incredible, absolutely flawless! It’s unbelievably good! I’m ordering ten pounds today!"
Zhou Yan smiled. "I only braised fifteen pounds in total today. Why don’t you take five pounds to try out first? If you want more tomorrow, just order in advance."
"Deal. Then prepare twelve pounds for me tomorrow, that’s enough for thirty servings. I’ll start by building up the word-of-mouth." Huang He nodded, then couldn’t resist picking up another piece of braised beef and putting it in his mouth. He nodded again. "Excellent! This is a fantastic dish to have with drinks!"
Huang Bing also picked up a piece to try. His eyes lit up as well. The beef was firm and chewy, and it really did get more fragrant the more he chewed. It was delicious!
However.
’It’s delicious, sure, but for his old man to be moved to tears... wasn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?’
Huang Bing didn’t quite get it, but he didn’t dare to ask, so he just ate two more slices of braised beef.
Zhou Yan didn’t ask for an exclusivity fee for the braised beef, but he promised not to sell it to any other restaurants in Jiazhou City for the next three months.
In exchange, Huang He bought the braised beef at 3.2 yuan per pound, only 0.3 yuan cheaper than the retail price.
It seemed like he was getting a raw deal.
But in reality, this price was even lower than what he and Zhao Shulan had discussed before he came.
Zhou Yan’s pricing for the braised beef was lower than he had expected.
At only half a yuan more expensive than the braised pig ears and pig snout, it was sure to sell like crazy in Suji.
Feiyan Restaurant could package it in four-liang portions, serve it with a small dish of chili powder for dipping, garnish it with a couple of cilantro leaves, and sell a serving for 2.2 yuan without a problem. The profit margin was still quite considerable.
The braised meat was packed into two baskets and covered with cheesecloth. The Huang father and son looked left, then right, and rode off on their motorcycle looking for all the world like a pair of thieves.
After they left, Mrs. Zhao looked at the menu and couldn’t help but ask, "Isn’t the price for this braised beef a bit low? 3.5 yuan a pound. Can you even make a profit?"
"The gross margin is around fifty percent, so making money isn’t a problem. If the price is too high and I can’t even sell two pounds a day, it’s better to lower the profit margin and sell more," Zhou Yan said with a smile. He glanced at his watch. It was already 10:20. He turned and headed for the kitchen. "We’re having tofu for lunch. I bought two blocks this morning."
Mrs. Zhao followed him to the kitchen, her face full of curiosity. "How are you planning to make it? Do you know how to make Mapo Tofu? I hear the Mapo Tofu in Rongcheng is very famous, all numbing and spicy. It’s supposed to be incredible."
"I haven’t learned Mapo Tofu yet. For today, I’ll make a homestyle tofu, and then a crucian carp and tofu soup," Zhou Yan said with a smile, taking two bowls of tofu down from the shelf.
[A perfect piece of tofu]
[A good piece of tofu]
Zhou Yan considered for a moment. He would use the ’good’ tofu for the homestyle dish, and the ’perfect’ tofu for the crucian carp soup. His guiding principle was that the lighter the flavor of the dish, the better the ingredients needed to be.
Time to cook!