God of Cooking

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Temptation of Three Stars (2)

He didn’t see a recipe. The only recipes that the system could give were those of dishes that were below his gourmet level. Since all of the dishes were 8 to 9 points Cho Min Joon couldn’t look at them.

He looked around and realized the others were also in awe. No one with a normal palate could hate the food. If the amuse-bouche was this good, how good would the other food be? Half of the restaurant’s level could be sensed in the first plate. At this rate, they were in for the best meal of their lives. Joanne asked with a blank voice, “Anderson, you must be used to this.”

“What?”

“Your parents’ restaurant is a Michelin 3-star, too, right? Aren’t you used to food like this?”

“Wait, what are you talking about? Anderson’s parents own a Michelin 3-star restaurant?”

Cho Min Joon looked at Anderson in surprise. He had never heard this before, but he didn’t get an answer. The next dish was coming. It was important for such restaurants to not break the rhythm, so it wasn’t surprising that the next dish came as soon as they finished the amuse-bouche.

The first thing that popped out on the plate was caviar. Osetra caviar. It was the most commonly eaten type. On the bottom was lemon custard, and on top of it was an orange jab, chive oil, and sugary lychee.

It wasn’t as touching as the last dish. The dish was worth 8 points, and there was quite a harmony between the ingredients, but that wasn’t the point. As soon as he put the caviar in his mouth, he wasn’t used to its signature taste. To be more exact, it tasted fishy.

‘… This is why I’m not a food critic yet.’

Cho Min Joon glanced at the others. Anderson and Peter were enjoying it while Joanne and Ivanna were just eating the jam and custard. When he started rinsing his mouth with water, Martin asked, “How is it? Can you score it?”

“… Martin, it’d be rude to score a dish in a place like this.”

“Come on, customers have that right.”

“I’m a customer, but I’m also a subordinate in the same industry.”

“These days, other chefs evaluate the food of other restaurants. Just do it. Look. The chef over there is looking forward to it.”

Martin pointed at the kitchen. Since it was an open-concept, they could see inside the hall. A man, who looked to be the head chef, watched with his arms crossed. Martin pushed the staff member beside him.

“Go and ask the head chef if it’s insulting to put a score on his food.”

When he came back, he delivered the message that he wasn’t insulted and that he actually wanted to know. In the end, Cho Min Joon sighed and gave them the score.

“They’re all 8 points. Except for one. The gougere of the amuse-bouche was a 9, but the one I enjoyed the most was the mandarin coated with paprika.

“Oh, come to think of it, they’re cooking scores, not the score for the entire dish, right?”

“Yes. Since the main didn’t even come out yet, these scores suggest that the chef is very impressive. They were very well-cooked.”

As soon as he finished, the next dish came out. On top of a coconut rice pudding was ice in the shape of a pipe, and inside that ice was grapefruit, candied grapefruit peel, basil, trout roe, and pistachio cooked with coconut. He was happy to see one ingredient. There was a bit of barley flour on top of the rice pudding.

And the ice was no ordinary rice. It was made with ginger water. It was a dish that could only be possible in the modern era. Cho Min Joon admired it and then panicked. He didn’t know how to eat it. At that moment, the server in charge, Elly spoke in a soft voice, “You must break the cylinder ice and mix it all together.”

“Oh, thank you.”

He felt bad breaking the ice, but he had no other choice. After all, all dishes ultimately turned into unflattering mixes of different ingredients.

9 points. It was the second dish with 9 points. Unlike the gougere earlier, it didn’t contain any unfamiliar ingredients. He continued to be in awe as he ate it. Actually, he didn’t even have the chance to be in awe.

As the ice broke, the taste of ginger spread throughout his mouth, and the taste of the roe stimulated his tongue. When the sour grapefruit and the coconut cream of the rice pudding came together, it produced a sweet and sour flavor much like a mojito.

Right as Martin tried to ask a question, Cho Min Joon raised his hand.

“Please. Don’t ask me any questions. Let’s talk at the end. I’ll tell you everything then. Let me enjoy this.”

“… Okay.”

He couldn’t force an interview on him after that kind of request. The server looked on with smiles. They admired customers that fully appreciated their food.

Cho Min Joon bit his lip. He was angry. He didn’t know what he had been eating all his life when food like this existed, and that didn’t only apply to him. Many people were living lives without food like this. The biggest issue was monetary, but it was so good that he couldn’t accept reality.

The next dish came out. There was never a break. When one ended, the next dish came out right at that moment.

But every single dish was perfection. Even while knowing they were a Michelin 3-star restaurant, he couldn’t believe how perfect their course was. The dishes contained everything Cho Min Joon strived for. This place fully demonstrated what it looked like for chefs to be just as meticulous as doctors.

The next dish was bread. The score was 7. Like the sauce, normal butter, and a green butter mixed with parsley and tarragon came out. The normal butter was curly and stretched out like udon while the green butter was in the shape of a pretty oval.

As soon as they finished the small piece of bread, the next dish came out. On top of the plate was cucumber, green apple, cheese, onion, and tapioca chip, and the chef approached. It was the head chef. He came and poured warm orange juice in the bowls.

The flavor was fantastic. He never imagined that warm cucumber could taste like that. The warm cucumber still had its original scent, while being just as flavorful. The empty void was filled with the orange juice and the green apple made everything taste light.

After that a sous vide with olive, lemon peel puree, cabbage, and potato. It was a dish that took 72 hours to make. That meant the head chef, Dave, was cooking for the last 24 hours.

And that time was clearly represented in the salmon. It was soft while the meat didn’t give off the least bit of fishiness. It was the best salmon Cho Min Joon had ever tasted. He was sad that that piece of salmon was bite-sized.

Every time a dish came out, different types of wine were poured into their glasses, but they didn’t even need wine. The food was perfect on their own without the need for sweet alcohol.

This was a new world to Cho Min Joon. He learned just how good food could be, just how original combinations could be, and what kind of flavors could be produced with different ingredients. He learned all of that.

The problem started there. Cho Min Joon spoke in an angry voice, “This is driving me crazy.”

“Huh? What’s wrong? Is something off?”

The cameramen and staff all looked at Cho Min Joon with tense faces. Was the food off? Cho Min Joon spoke with a mad face, “I’m full.”

“…”

Joanne stared at Cho Min Joon without a word. Anderson frowned.

“I feel hungry now that you say it.”

“Try this.”

Ivanna spoke. She kept leaning to the left and right in her chair. She looked like a metronome. Joanne asked with curiosity, “… What are you doing?”

“I saw this on TV once. This is a secret revealed by someone who ate 170 pieces of sushi in one sitting. If you sway your body like this, your body will digest better, making more room in your tummy.”

“That’s embarrassing. Stop it.”

Joanne grabbed Ivanna with a flushed face. Ivanna looked at Joanne with dissatisfaction. The 22-year-old young lady was immature for her age.

“I’m just teaching you how to keep eating.”

“… I don’t think Min Joon will use that method though.”

In response to Joanne, Ivanna looked at Cho Min Joon. He avoided her gaze. At that moment, the next dish came out.

‘… 9 points.’

He still hadn’t seen 10 points. He hoped to see at least one, but seeing how none showed up in the main, he figured he should just give up.

But this dish was impressive as well. He could only reach 8 points if he gave it his all, so 9 points were out of his realm.

This dish was a well-cooked wagyu steak, salsify, mushrooms, herbs, and finger lime. Cho Min Joon focused on the finger lime more than the steak. This lime, which was also called caviar, filled the long piece of meat.

It was definitely sour, but the finger lime also tasted sweet, and that sweetness mixed with the wagyu beef made for the most lovable flavor, but at that moment, Cho Min Joon tilted his head. It was good, but rather than being satisfied, he felt like it was preparing him for the next course.

Even though it was a main, not an appetizer. The size of the wagyu was very small. Restaurants usually give small amounts to make the flavors stand out, but it was still too little.

It was time for the next dish. Elly brought the next plate, but Cho Min Joon’s eyes weren’t fixed on the plate. He couldn’t. He was focused on the window that popped up.

[Calf Cheek Meat]

Freshness: 95%

Origin: (Too many ingredients for an accurate calculation)

Quality: High

Cooking Score: 10/10

His heart pounded. He looked at the plate as if he fell in love. Even Elly noticed when she delivered the plates. Cho Min Joon asked with a shaking voice, “How… do I eat this?”

It wasn’t surrounded by ice like last time, but he still wanted to ask. He wanted to enjoy it in the most perfect way. Elly answered in a calm voice, “The ingredients on each side are different, so it’s good to taste the contrast. I suggest you try the left side before the right.”

“Thank you.”

Cho Min Joon looked at his plate. He didn’t pay attention due to his window, but the ingredients on each side did look different. The left side had endive, sunflower seeds, grapes, black mint, chives, and red wine sauce, and on the right side was white anchovy tempura and white anchovy cream.

As soon as he cut the cheek meat in a bite-size and put the other ingredients on the left on top of it, he put it in his mouth. He tasted the flavors not with his tongue, but with his bran. He still tasted the alcohol in the red wine sauce. The flavor was so strong that he was able to taste the next bite of cheek meat more clearly.

The cheek meat was soft and moist as if it was cooked in an oven, but the structure was still intact, allowing him to sense the meat’s texture. Every time he chewed on the meat, he also tasted the sunflower seeds, herbs, and grapes.

He felt like he watched 3D for the first time after watching 2D. All the foods he had tasted before this were superficial. Cho Min Joon held down his emotions and looked at the right side.

Tempura was a Japanese fried dish, and the anchovy was a very small fish; around it was white anchovy cream wine sauce to go with it. Cho Min Joon cut the tempura and cheek meat and ate it with the white anchovy cream.

That was when Cho Min Joon’s face grimaced. Not because it was bad, but because it was good. It was so good that he couldn’t contain himself. When the crispy tempura met with the anchovy cream sauce and cheek meat… He couldn’t handle it. He should’ve been smiling, but that wasn’t enough to express his satisfaction. The muscles in his face were beginning to spasm.

He teared up, but not just a few drops like last time. He really dripped tears. Cho Min Joon wiped them away with a towel.

And as soon as he wiped off his tears, he saw many notifications in front of his eyes.

[You’ve tasted the best dish made by a chef.]

[You’ve understood three-dimensional flavors of food. Your tasting ability has broadened.]

[Your gourmet level has risen.]