At seven o'clock in the evening, the private restaurant has its busiest time in the day.
After expanding the business, the four private rooms are packed with guests every night, and the previously quiet second floor has become lively.
The workload of the staff of the private restaurant has also increased significantly, and all four waiters are dispatched to shuttle back and forth between various rooms.
The foreman, Xiao Zhou, wearing a neat uniform, was taking the dining car from the food delivery port on the Taipei side, and then methodically directed his subordinates to serve the dishes in order to each private room.
In the "Lan" private room, eight guests were already seated. A fat man about fifty years old was sitting on the main seat by the window, chatting and laughing.
He is the owner of today's host. There is a record in the register at the service desk. This person's surname is Wei and he is the boss of a certain company. He is here to entertain his friends today.
Unlike the fat Boss Wei, sitting next to him was a thin, middle-aged man with a yellow complexion and slightly sunken eye sockets, which was in sharp contrast to Boss Wei's wealthy appearance.
Boss Wei himself is a gourmet and a generous spender. He has visited Private Restaurant twice. Not long ago, he heard that there was a new Class B banquet here, so he did not hesitate to change the standard table reservation booked half a month ago. He was full of expectations.
, hoping to get new surprises.
Everyone was discussing some business matters. At this time, the door of the private room opened and the waiter began to serve the food.
The dishes are placed on the table in order. Their exquisite shapes and fragrant aromas have already made people salivate and move their index fingers even before they are started.
Today’s main dish is a steamed fish, which is made from a flower weighing more than two kilograms. The flower can grow very big, ranging from five to six pounds or even more than ten pounds, but the meat is not as tender as it is now.
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"Come on, come on, let's talk about business matters later. You're welcome, eat it while it's hot, it'll be worse when it's cold." Boss Wei started to make arrangements.
So, all the eight guests at the table took their chopsticks and spoons, and began to enjoy the food.
Sure enough... the second-grade banquet did not disappoint Boss Wei and all the guests. The texture and taste were obviously better than the standard banquets we had before, especially the steamed fish, the heat was just right... fully reflecting the flower.
The original flavor is extremely delicious, and the taste is delicate and smooth. Although the aroma is not as strong as that of braised or dry-roasted dishes, it is more natural and lasts for a long time, making people have endless aftertaste.
"Good fish, good technique!" Boss Wei praised loudly.
He glanced at the small label on the oval plate, which read the word Chen.
"It turns out it's Chef Chen's work. It's a worthwhile trip." Boss Wei fell in love with Jingmu because he knew about the private restaurant.
Naturally, someone at the table asked who Chef Chen was, and Boss Wei explained it in detail... causing a burst of admiration.
Everyone's appetite was great...no one was polite anymore...picked up their favorite dishes and greeted them.
For a while, people drank wine and people ate food, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became lively.
At this time, Boss Wei made a new discovery, that is, the seasonings in today's dishes, such as green onions and ginger, are different from those in the past. Most people would not pay attention to these, but Boss Wei calls himself a gourmet, so naturally
Pays great attention to these details.
Yes, the taste of onion and ginger is pungent but not strong... It is pure and natural, and the aroma is long-lasting, but it does not overwhelm the others, but extracts the delicious taste contained in the main ingredients to the maximum extent and brings them to the fullest.
It seems that even the seasonings in this newly launched second-grade banquet have been replaced with high-end products. The private restaurant is really meticulous. Boss Wei thought to himself.
However, unlike the high-spirited performance of others present, the thin middle-aged man next to Boss Wei looked indifferent and slowly picked up a piece of fried rapeseed, put it into his mouth and chewed it slowly.
He seemed completely uninterested in the table full of delicious food.
"Old Zhao, why do you only eat green vegetables? Come and try this fish, it's rare to see it." A man with a round head at the same table said.
"Mr. Zhang, you can eat by yourself, don't worry about me, everything I eat now tastes the same." Lao Zhao said, looking a little sad.
"What's going on?" Mr. Zhang asked strangely, and others also cast inquiring glances.
"Hey, you don't know. Lao Zhao was hospitalized for a serious illness at the beginning of the year. After he was discharged, his tongue became dull and he almost lost his sense of taste. It is said that it was caused by overdose." Boss Wei sighed and explained to everyone present.
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"Then this is a medical accident, why don't you contact them?" Mr. Zhang asked angrily.
"I've looked it up, and the medical association in the area where the hospital is located has made an appraisal and said it was not an accident, but a problem with my own constitution." Old Zhao shook his head and said.
This incident was a big blow to him. He used to be a food lover and tasted delicacies from all over the world. But now he has lost one of the great joys of life. Not only that, because his sense of taste has disappeared, his daily diet has become
Due to the tasks and burdens, I had no appetite and my health was much worse.
Later, he sought medical advice everywhere, but to no avail. The doctor always told him to eat less spicy food and more light food, and it would get better over time. But today, more than half a year later, the symptoms have not improved at all.
The people at the same table were all sighing after hearing this, and the warm atmosphere just now also cooled down a lot.
"Don't worry about me, you go on. I heard that it's difficult to get a place in this store. I'm sorry if it affects your interest." Lao Zhao apologized.
"How about I order you a spicy dish so that you can taste it a little bit?" Mr. Zhang suggested.
"Haha, I used to be very good at eating spicy food, but now I can't. No matter how good the chili pepper is, even if it is Hainan yellow lantern board, I can't feel anything." Lao Zhao shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"Try it. I heard from others that the Yihe pepper here is very spicy, and the kitchen only dares to use it in small amounts after boiling it in boiling water."
So Mr. Zhang took matters into his own hands, found the waiter, explained the situation to her, and asked the kitchen to add a cold dish with more of the chili peppers rumored to be popular in private restaurants.
The waiter told the foreman Xiao Zhou about the customer's request. Xiao Zhou didn't dare to make the decision without authorization, so he called Chef Chen in the kitchen to explain the matter.
On the phone, Chef Chen was silent for a moment and said he would think about it.
About ten minutes later, the food delivery person on the side of the service desk brought a small plate of spicy and sour cucumber strips, indicating that it would be delivered to the "Lan" private room, saying it was a complimentary side dish.
In the "Lan" private room, Lao Zhao looked at the plate of cold dishes in front of him. It was red and green, and it was really beautiful. The fragrance of cucumber and vinegar hit him head-on, which was very attractive.
At the same time, a glass of water was delivered. According to the foreman Zhou just now, let him drink water first to moisten his mouth before eating cold dishes. If the spicy food is unbearable, just continue drinking water to relieve it.
Lao Zhao didn't think he would get anything out of this cold dish, but for the sake of his friend's kindness, he still accepted it.
The other people at the table saw that the matter was over, so they drank and ate their own food, savoring the delicious food.
Lao Zhao picked up the cup and took a sip. Only then did he realize that the water was extraordinary. It was cool, sweet, and refreshing. It also had a special moisturizing feeling, which made his tongue and mouth feel very comfortable.
The good water should be the best mountain spring water. Old Zhao secretly praised it.
Next, he picked up a cucumber strip and some red strands with chopsticks and put them into his mouth. The fragrance of the cucumber rushed into his nose, but he still couldn't feel it on his tongue. This was expected and not surprising.
He chewed a few mouthfuls and was about to swallow it. At this moment, a long-lost tingling feeling came from the tip of his tongue.
What is this? He was stunned for a moment. When he reacted, the trace of stimulation turned into a bunch and spread from the tip of his tongue to the entire surface of his tongue.
This is such a spicy feeling. It actually happened. I can’t believe it.
He closed his eyes and felt that the spicy feeling was getting stronger and stronger, penetrating into the inside of his tongue with great force.
However, this was different from the hottest pepper in his memory. Although the spiciness was strong and penetrating, it did not affect the nasal passages, and it seemed intuitively that it would not cause any damage to the oral mucosa.
Under this strong continuous stimulation, the dormant taste buds seemed to wake up one after another, stretched out, gradually became active, and even felt a little spicy and delicious taste.
There were also fine beads of sweat on Lao Zhao's forehead.
"Old Zhao, are you okay?" Boss Wei was nearby and saw something unusual about him, so he quickly asked with concern.
Lao Zhao swallowed the melon sticks, opened his eyes, picked up the paper on the table and wiped the sweat from his forehead and face.
"It's so spicy, I can already feel it." After saying this, he picked up the water glass and took a sip, holding it in his mouth.
The water quickly suppressed the spiciness.
"Old Zhao, you can taste the spiciness, it's really powerful." Mr. Zhang also asked in surprise.
The people at the table suddenly started talking in all directions.
Lao Zhao stopped for a while and felt good, so he picked up another pea and tasted it. This time, there was a slight sweet and crispy feeling on the tip of his tongue. Although it was weak, it was really there.
He was very excited and explained the situation to his deskmates.
Others were amazed and said that Lao Zhao was really lucky this time.
Some even let him eat more spicy food and increase the stimulation, which may help him get better faster.
Boss Wei was well-informed and raised objections at this time.
"I can't eat it anymore. What happened this time was just a coincidence. I did the opposite and hit the right spot. The taste buds on my tongue have just regained their sense. They must be very fragile and cannot accept stimulation anymore, otherwise it will be counterproductive. From now on, I can only
Eat light food, take care of yourself slowly, and don’t smoke or drink alcohol. Of course, it’s best to go to the hospital for a check-up.”
Lao Zhao thought about it for a while and felt that this statement made sense, so he accepted it and never touched the plate of spicy and sour melon sticks again.
No one here could have imagined that we would catch up with something like this today. It is really a bit legendary.
So they all toasted to Lao Zhao and wished him a speedy recovery from the sore.
Lao Zhao's face was also glowing, and he was holding the glass of mountain spring water and clinking glasses with everyone.
At the end of the banquet, Lao Zhao went to the foreman Xiao Zhou and thanked her repeatedly, and also thanked the chef who cooked the food.
When the foreman Xiao Zhou heard the whole story, she felt incredible and had to report it to the boss. However, she was also sincerely happy that the customer was getting better, so she said a few words of congratulations and sent the customer off.