mijobooks Chapter 77 Overturning the Table
Chapter 77 Overturning the Table
Master Liu said, "Alright, Boss Lu, you can arrange it as you see fit!"
The other drivers, who were younger and familiar with this format, went to the counter to choose their own vegetables.
Before long, the meal for Chef Liu's table was served.
In front of Mr. Liu was a bowl of steaming hot spicy dumplings, while the other drivers had a large bowl of spicy hot pot in front of them.
Master Liu glanced at his small bowl, then at the large basin beside him, and complained:
"I feel isolated by you all!"
The young driver next to him joked:
"Master Liu, you don't need to get involved in our young people's mala tang business, but you can go ahead and eat all the dumplings!"
"You don't know anything! Nothing tastes better than dumplings!"
Master Liu ignored them, picked up a dumpling, and stuffed it whole into his mouth without caring that it was hot.
"Oh my! Hot! Smells delicious!"
Sure enough, the hot, scalding broth combined with the warmth inside the dumplings made Master Liu's mouth open and close like a clam, and he finally managed to swallow the dumplings with great difficulty.
Then Mr. Liu drank several mouthfuls of Jianlibao (a popular Chinese herbal tea brand) before he recovered.
"Awesome!"
After regaining his composure, Mr. Liu picked up another dumpling.
This time he was smarter; he took a small bite to let some of the heat dissipate before swallowing it whole.
This time, he ate much more easily. The spicy and savory flavors burst in his mouth, elevating the aroma of the dumplings to a whole new level.
"Eating dumplings like this isn't bad at all!" Chef Liu ate one bite after another, and soon the bowl of dumplings was empty.
After finishing his meal, Chef Liu became curious about the rich broth and couldn't help but pick it up and take a sip.
"So flavorful! I could easily eat three bowls of rice just by soaking it in this broth!"
The rich chicken soup, enhanced by the crucian carp and spices, made Chef Liu drink several mouthfuls.
After putting down the bowl, he went to the refrigerator at the front desk and took a can of Jianlibao (a popular Chinese herbal tea brand), saying to his second aunt:
"Hey girl, give me another bowl of spicy dumplings, two bowls please. We Northeasterners eat forty or fifty dumplings in one meal, who can eat ten or so in one bowl!"
Northeasterners have a natural sense of humor, and after hearing this, my aunt laughed and pointed to the menu, saying:
"Brother, you can add an extra pound, then you won't have to order several bowls."
"That's great! Let's do it that way!"
The spicy dumplings list also has a line of smaller print: Extra dumplings 7 yuan/jin.
Spicy dumplings contain more than just dumplings; they also include vegetables, bean curd sheets, and glass noodles, making them incredibly spicy and satisfying, with all sorts of ingredients perfectly balanced.
There are many dumpling lovers who can easily eat one or two pounds of dumplings, so adding dumplings alone would just satisfy them.
It was lunchtime, and customers were coming in one after another.
Some were vehicles on the national highway that stopped to find something to eat, while others had spotted GG in advance and planned to come and eat there today.
Most of the visitors are villagers from the surrounding area who come to try something new.
There were 16 tables in the front hall and 12 tables in the backyard, all of which were fully occupied.
The order forms in the kitchen were already lined up in a long row, and the old lady's expression became tense again.
In the kitchen of the mala tang restaurant, Lu Yuan prepared three sets of stoves.
The old lady and Aunt Li are now standing in front of the stove, each working on their own tasks.
There is also a stove, which is prepared for making new dishes later.
Although the specialty of a mala tang restaurant is mala tang, it also needs to introduce new products regularly.
Retaining old customers cannot rely solely on the same old flavors; introducing new products is also an important way.
Lu Yuan simply stood aside, occasionally pointing out anything they had missed.
The most common problem in mala tang restaurants is missing customers' food items.
Especially the meatballs from later generations, customers clearly remember taking 3, but only 2 are served.
There's no way to verify these things, and often customers can only suffer in silence.
This was actually caused by the large pots and steam in the kitchen.
A large pot with a diameter of 50 or 60 mm produces so much steam that it's easy to miss the bottom of the pot.
In addition, the pot is large and the meatballs are small, so it's easy to miss them when you use a slotted spoon.
Furthermore, later generations often used flat-bottomed, straight-walled cooking pots, which created a blind spot between the strainer and the bottom of the pot after it was lowered, resulting in even more food being missed.
Lu Yuan specially bought several large round-bottomed pots and instructed the aunties to scoop the food several times so that nothing would be missed.
You never know that the one bite of food that the kitchen misses might be exactly what the diners are longing to eat.
It's said that an adult's breakdown can happen in an instant, and this one bite might be the life-saving medicine for their terrible mood all day.
In fact, if a chef can empathize with the diners' emotions, the quality of his food will automatically improve by a level.
The auntie and Aunt Li are actually very fast at preparing meals; they can take two meals out of the kitchen in less than 5 minutes.
Sometimes when I come across the same spicy dumplings, I can make several servings at once.
In the front hall, diners don't actually have to wait long; when the hall is full, they can eat in a maximum of ten minutes.
If you're eating cold noodles, it will be even faster.
Aunt Guan is a hidden master; she can make cold noodles quickly and steadily.
While she was quickly mixing the cold noodles, not a single drop of broth spilled.
After Sha Xiaojuan came over to take one serving and put it on the table, when she came back to take another serving, there were two more plates already mixed.
Some diners who eat quickly only took 5 minutes from ordering to finishing their cold noodles.
I was still a little confused when I left home: Did I eat today or not?
Mala Tang restaurants are a type of food that combines the characteristics of both fast food and snacks.
Once business picks up, table turnover becomes incredibly high.
By 12 o'clock, one of the machines in the lobby had already overturned.
However, it was lunchtime, and many people came directly to the store after seeing the GG sign, only to find that there were no seats available.
Lu Yuan quickly sent Xiao Xue, who was following behind his second aunt, to call Lu Hua and Lu Jie.
A short while later, Lu Hua led a group of Lu brothers to the front yard of the Malatang restaurant.
Lu Yuan directed them to set up the large awning they had bought in advance, and then went to the nearby home-style restaurant that was still under construction to move out all the tables, chairs and benches that had already been made.
As a result, the 10 tables temporarily added in the front yard were also filled, which finally relieved some of the pressure on dining.
The scene was more intense than Lu Yuan had anticipated; he had seriously underestimated the power of death these days.
So for the second half of the day, he couldn't bother with the postgraduate entrance exam aunties anymore, and he set up a stove himself and started cooking.
Meanwhile, the braised egg vendors joined the ranks of waiters, serving dishes and clearing tables throughout the front yard, the main dining area, and the back yard.
At 12:30, Aunt Li suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!" in a panic.
We're almost out of bowls!
When restaurateurs hear this, they feel both excited and devastated.
The exciting thing is that business will be booming today!
The frustrating thing is, the dishes just won't come out clean.
In a typical restaurant, if business is booming, there simply isn't enough staff to wash dishes.
But this place is different; there are hundreds of Lu family relatives behind the restaurant!
So Lu Yuan quickly sent Xiaoxue back to the village to call the aunties who were resting in the shop.
Luwangtan Village is quite large; Xiaoxue was exhausted after making two trips there.
When I got back, I was too tired to run around and play. I just sat blankly at the door, holding a soda and panting.
With the help of the aunties, the immediate crisis was resolved.
But Lu Yuan also had a requirement for them: the bowls had to be washed clean with foam.
And it must be dried thoroughly; there should be no raw water.
If the rag gets soaked, replace it with a new one; never wring it out and continue using it.