The Gourmet Customizer

Jiang Yuan ate faster than anyone else. It had been far too long since she’d last had this. She had absolutely loved it last time, and now she finally had another chance. "Fang Chang, I want more..."

Fang Chang glanced at the half a Lion’s Head meatball in his bowl, then snuck a peek at his father-in-law’s expression. He silently pushed the small tureen over to his girlfriend. "Here. You know you can’t add dishes last-minute at Boss Su’s place. You can have mine."

’Hmm... I may have lost half a Lion’s Head meatball, but I gained my father-in-law’s approval!’

Yuan Suzhen watched this unfold, feeling very happy. As long as Fang Chang was good to her daughter, she was content. "Fang Chang, try some of this fish."

Jiang Wensheng glanced at the dish and finally found something to criticize.

"There’s a problem with this fish. Back in Yangzhou, a dish served like this would be thrown straight in the trash!"

The chopsticks Fang Chang had just extended froze in mid-air. His heart sank. ’Could Boss Su have actually messed up?’

He had eaten Squirrel Mandarin Fish before on a trip to Yangzhou. If he remembered correctly, the dish was supposed to have a very vibrant color when served.

The color was almost identical to sweet and sour pork, but this fish... it looked a bit...

While it had a nice, glossy sheen, the color was a little too dark.

Hearing the criticism, Fang Chang’s own father scolded him in a disappointed tone, "Couldn’t you have booked a decent restaurant? How did you end up picking a place like this? There’s no ambiance, and the food is terrible!"

"The food is fine," Yuan Suzhen immediately interjected, trying to smooth things over. "It’s not easy to find authentic Huaiyang flavors this far from home. Besides, the Lion’s Head meatballs were delicious. If Yuanyuan gets a craving, we can just come back here."

On the surface, the private room was calm, but beneath it, tensions swirled.

Fang Chang’s outstretched chopsticks finally snagged a piece of the fish. Head down, he silently brought it to his mouth.

He’d thought coming to Boss Su’s place and relying on the chef’s legendary skill would make him look good. He never expected his father-in-law to criticize the second dish.

Frustrated, Fang Chang bit down hard on the piece of fish.

Holy shit?

The instant he bit down, Fang Chang felt a distinct CRACK! that seemed to travel straight from his teeth to his brain.

The sound was faint, but it was definitely there!

It was a true crispness, yet there was nothing dry or brittle about it.

After that CRACK, the incredibly tender flesh within simply melted away at the tips of his teeth from that one hard bite.

The savory, fresh flavor of the fish flooded his mouth.

It mingled with the subtle sweetness and tang of the sauce, creating a wondrous aroma. The sensation was... piercing!

Yes, piercing. A savory fragrance that shot straight to his sinuses.

’This fish is amazing. Is my father-in-law just trying to give me a hard time on purpose?’

Frowning, Fang Chang picked up another piece. SMACK. SMACK.

’This is so good!’

’Eat it or don’t, I don’t care. I’m going to eat my fill!’

Seeing Fang Chang’s reaction, Jiang Wensheng chuckled. "Haha, come over tomorrow, Fang Chang. I’ll make you a truly authentic Squirrel Mandarin Fish myself."

Yuan Suzhen nudged Jiang Wensheng gently with her elbow. "Let me see how it is."

She only picked up a tiny piece with her chopsticks. This was a dish her own restaurant sold nearly a hundred orders of every day; Yuan Suzhen knew its taste like the back of her hand.

The moment she put the small piece in her mouth, Yuan Suzhen’s calm expression froze solid.

’What is this flavor?!’

’And this texture!’

Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. For the first time, Yuan Suzhen truly understood what that phrase meant.

A crispness that shattered upon biting, followed by a tenderness so sublime the savory flavor erupted with the slightest pressure.

And the sauce drizzled over the top elevated the dish to a whole new level. Both the sweet and the sour notes were so perfectly balanced, you couldn’t even call it a sweet-and-sour dish!

It was subtle, yet dazzling.

’Weird. This is too weird!’

"Wensheng, you have to try this."

If the Lion’s Head meatball had been a fluke, this Squirrel Mandarin Fish definitely was not. In that moment, Yuan Suzhen realized something.

The person who cooked these two dishes had to be a master of Huaiyang Cuisine, one they had never heard of!

Although Yuan Suzhen had never formally studied Huaiyang Cuisine, she had picked up a thing or two after so many years of working in a restaurant.

It was obvious the sauce for this Squirrel Mandarin Fish wasn’t made from a ketchup base, nor was the tartness from white vinegar.

Jiang Wensheng nodded. He couldn’t very well refuse his wife in front of everyone.

Just like his wife, he picked up only a small piece.

The moment it entered his mouth, his expression mirrored Yuan Suzhen’s completely.

"Hss... This is..."

Jiang Wensheng had studied Huaiyang Cuisine for more than a decade and had been cooking it for just as long. This was the first time a Squirrel Mandarin Fish had left him utterly speechless.

He was even trying to deconstruct the cooking method in his mind.

"The sourness comes from Rice Vinegar." Having said that, Jiang Wensheng took another piece of fish. "No wonder it has this color. Rice Vinegar is yellowish, while white vinegar is clear. And the sweetness... is that just from white sugar?"

Both the sweetness and the sourness were very restrained, unlike the blatant flavors created by ketchup and white sugar.

He took another bite.

It was undeniably delicious, but there was one thing that completely baffled Jiang Wensheng.

From his understanding of the dish, the sauce had to be poured over the fish the moment it came out of the hot oil, and it had to be eaten immediately, while still hot.