Chapter 510 Authentic
Actually, the chef was a bit overly concerned about the delay in starting the dinner.
For no other reason than because Ning Weimin ran this restaurant so well.
No. 87 Tiantan North Road, but it is different from other restaurants.
From the decoration design, to the furnishings, to the tea cups and tableware.
Nothing is just right.
They are all beautifully made and extremely meticulous, which is eye-opening.
The services provided by the restaurant, the uniforms of the staff, and every detail are enough to make today's guests feel fresh and interesting.
Not to mention that a total of twenty-four unique preserves, dried fruits, fresh fruits, pastries, cold meats, and side dishes have been placed on the table.
These things on the table alone are enough for today's guests to feast and taste for a while.
So even though many guests had dispersed to various halls and sat down at the banquet, no one served hot food for more than ten minutes.
But everyone was not anxious while waiting. Instead, they talked enthusiastically with their acquaintances or friends they had just met about everything they felt today.
The conversation was so exciting and enthusiastic.
Especially when the mouth is dry, everyone takes up tea cups and drinks fragrant tea together, which adds to the fun.
This is really like everyone traveling back in time and attending a festive party held by a certain royal family member.
Needless to say, the most restless of all people are definitely the media reporters.
Just look, even if we know it’s time to open the seats, only one-third of the media seats are occupied.
Other people were wandering around with photography equipment.
They took pictures of decorations, furnishings, palace lanterns, dishes, guests, and service staff...
Just looking at the dedicated posture, it seems that these people want to take today's opening ceremony as their top priority The headlines are posted.
Therefore, not only did the service staff not interfere, but they were happy to see the results and cooperated as much as possible.
You know, people these days are as eager to be in the limelight as Internet celebrities were thirty years later. They all want their photos to be published in newspapers.
If anyone can show up on TV, they will be considered a catch, and it will be enough for them to brag to their relatives and friends for a year.
And Ning Weimin has already told the service staff that the more news these reporters can report on our opening, the better. We will do our best to provide convenience for them. This is much more cost-effective than spending money on advertising.
In short, this is the actual situation.
It seems that what Ning Weimin is hosting today is not a formal banquet, but a tea party, a symposium, or even a garden party or an exhibition.
Anyway, within the business scope of the restaurant, whether it is in the private room or at the big table outside, there is a buzz of people everywhere.
Some people were wandering around like walking on a flyover, while others were hanging out at banquets and busy socializing.
The only people who can really stay in their seats without moving, except the older ones, are those who maintain their own identity.
For example, let’s take the two most distinguished guests of honor today.
District leaders, tourism bureau leaders, service bureau leaders, and their entourage are all officials.
Even the director and secretary of the Temple of Heaven are considered people within the system.
In fact, apart from the social celebrities Fu Jie and Sagahao, only Song Huagui, who was the host's companion, was no longer in the officialdom.
With their status, it is naturally impossible for them to do anything disrespectful.
But sitting at these two tables is not boring.
Because everyone here has a certain vision, has seen the world, and has at least had a lot of banquets.
So these guests obviously have more taste and say in food.
In fact, these people were polite and chatted for a while.
The tea snacks, pastries, dried and fresh fruits and candied fruits in the dishes on the table became the objects of their mutual favor and heartfelt praise.
Most people can taste it and find it different from the popular ones.
"Come on, let's all have a try. These fruits, lychees and honeydew melons are good. Southern fruits are rare in Beijing. And they have been iced, so they are very cool..."
"Ouch, This pastry is so refreshing and refreshing. What kind of pastry is this? I don’t think I’ve ever tasted it before..."
"These melon sticks and grape sticks are also good. Are these candied fruits? Why do they strike me? Is the Jingcheng preserved fruit in it different? It’s not that strong and has a pure flavor..."
"The hazelnuts and almonds are also delicious. They are actually honey-flavored and creamy, which is also very novel..."
Even the district leaders couldn’t help but express their sincere appreciation.
"These things alone are very extraordinary. I think it can be seen from all aspects of our restaurant that we have really put in the effort."
But when the conversation changed, he also showed a little concern.
"But...it's a bit too luxurious. For example, these fruits are kept on ice, and there are these fresh fruits in the room to smell, and an ice basin is used to cool down. I really enjoy this kind of enjoyment. I can’t even think of it! If we let people see a banquet like this today, I’m worried that someone will write to the newspaper again..."
The director of Tiantan quickly answered at this time.
"Leader, we accept your criticism. It's just that what we cook is palace cuisine, and the purpose is to become the leading high-end restaurant in our district that can earn foreign exchange. This is to restore the enjoyment of feudal emperors as much as possible, and it is also sentimental Is it possible? If not, foreign tourists may say that our name is not worthy of our name.”
"Actually, we don't just pursue economic benefits. We also have measures to facilitate people. The snacks downstairs are all high-quality and cheap. They are nothing more than porridge, noodles and snacks that cost a few cents. That is to take care of the surrounding area. for residents and ordinary visitors to the park.”
“We have even prepared gift boxes of summer palace pastries for one dollar and five cents each, including pea yellow, kidney bean rolls, donkey rolling, aiwowo, and suye. Eight kinds of palace pastries, including glutinous rice cakes, linden leaf cakes, rose cakes, and lotus seed cakes, are enough for a man and a woman or an adult and a child to eat, and it’s not too shabby to give away.”
The words were effective, and the district leader finally confirmed it.
“Well, your measures to facilitate the people are quite good. Especially the gift boxes with eight kinds of snacks are very creative. Being able to take the initiative to take the people into consideration shows that you still have a strong sense of social responsibility. . ”
And Song Huagui also lost no time in making suggestions.
"The leader may not know something. In fact, in actual operations, luxury like this is more cost-effective than no luxury. Just like in the case of ice, it is actually a kind of thrift under special circumstances."
"Oh, is this really the case? Please elaborate." Song Huagui successfully aroused the curiosity of the district leaders.
So she was learning and selling now, and she told him the cost of artificial ice and air conditioning that Ning Weimin had just told him today.
Of course, there is still room for learning and applying it.
She consciously connected these frozen fruits with the ice basin filled with artificial ice.
What she means is that ice is destined to melt anyway. Isn’t it good that it can be used to cool things down and to keep things safe?
"Oh, that's right. That's a great thing. No wonder Pierre Carton's business is booming. The business thinking of your foreign company is really amazing. This is just a small opinion. It's big..."
The district leader nodded frequently, looked friendly, and went to ask the waiter next to him.
"Comrade, are you, Mr. Song, right? Is this really how your grassroots staff make full use of the ice?"
The waiter was specially arranged by Ning Weimin to serve the main leaders. Of course, she was a very smart girl.
After hearing this, he immediately responded with a smile.
"Yes, leader. But we, Mr. Song, forgot to mention one thing. We can also use this ice basin to cool down soda, beer and rice wine. It is cooler and clearer than the ones taken out of the freezer. Leader, would you like to try our iced rice wine? We use premium rice wine from Jimo Distillery, which has a lower alcohol content than white wine. Not only is it not harmful to the body, it won’t be overpowering, and it’s also very refreshing to drink in summer..."
The district chief immediately laughed and said, "Haha, little comrade, you are not only good at talking, but also understand marketing strategies. Well, I will try your Jimo old wine today..."
There is a word It's called "what goes up and what follows". Since the leader wants to drink rice wine, the people below him will naturally want to join in the fun.
As a result, a bottle was opened at every table in the room, and everyone rushed to taste it first.
As each filled their bowls, a strong aroma of rice wine suddenly wafted out.
Just by looking at the slight coolness transmitted through the wine cup, you can know that it will be comfortable and delicious without even tasting it.
At this time, the secretary of the Temple of Heaven Park was afraid that Fu Jie and Saga Hao would sit down, so he took the initiative to ask their opinions.
"Mr. Fu Jie, Ms. Sagahiro, what do you think of the imperial cuisine at our Dangong Restaurant? Are these side dishes on the table acceptable? Is that what it is?"
Fu Jie and Saga Hao did not hesitate to praise them, and they mainly praised Yulu Shuang and Grape Sticks.
The introductions given by these two couples were undoubtedly more detailed than the versions Song Huagui had heard.
Fu Jie clearly affirmed that this Jade Dew Frost was a delicacy discovered by Qianlong around Songjiang Prefecture, and it was a rare and exotic delicacy introduced to the palace from the people.
And the advantage of this kind of pastry is that it tastes sweet but not greasy, soothes the throat and is refreshing.
It can also clear away heat, relieve cough, and resolve phlegm, and has the effect of "medicine and food coming from the same source".
It's a pity that the main materials were difficult to find after the Revolution of 1911.
So even he hasn't tasted it for decades.
When I eat it in my mouth now, it tastes almost the same as when I was a child.
It can be seen from this that Tan Palace’s restaurant does have experts who are proficient in palace cuisine.
Saga Hironori said that the grape paste strips were also a special practice of the palace.
Because it is made with honey, instead of sugar, which is commonly used to make preserves in Beijing today.
Because the Manchus come from outside China, their preference for honey is a very distinct national characteristic. They basically use honey instead of sugar.
From this point of view, "Royal Food Authentic" is well-deserved.
In particular, she also noticed that there was a "vegetarian egg" in the cold meat.
Although its appearance is very similar to a real boiled egg when cut open.
But based on the quality of these side dishes, she concluded with confidence that they should also be "real meat-shaped" made using the palace's simulation technique.
To put it bluntly, it should be an egg white made of starch paste and an egg yolk made of radish puree and chestnut puree.
You may wish to try it to verify its authenticity.
After saying this, everyone was admiring the jade dew frost and grape paste strips, and echoing the compliments, but they were also interested in the plain eggs.
The district leaders took the lead in tasting this side dish.
Sure enough, when I took a piece and put it in my mouth, it had a really unique flavor.
And just like Sagahiro said, it’s not true.
This surprised and surprised everyone present.
At exactly this moment, the first two "live fish in sauce" cooked by "Zhang Dashao" were quickly passed from the kitchen to the second floor by the waiter who delivered the food, and served on the table.
Needless to say, I saw such a wonderful fresh dish before my eyes.
The fish was covered in fragrant sauce-flavored steam, and its mouth was still opening and closing.
Everyone couldn’t help but shout that it was amazing!
Even Fu Jie and Saga Hao are no exception!
It’s all excitement added to the excitement!
So the district leaders couldn't help raising their glasses in public to honor Song Huagui.
"Everyone, today we can taste such a delicious and authentic royal meal. First of all, we have to thank Ms. Song from our Pierre Carton Company."
"Thanks to her generous investment, our district will be able to My wife owns two high-end restaurants that are qualified to receive foreign affairs, and they serve both Chinese and Western food. Although today’s dishes have just started to be served, I can already confirm that this is the pride of our imperial dining culture.”
“So. To express my gratitude, how about we all toast to Ms. Song?”
“Okay!” The guests at the two tables shouted together.
Song Huagui felt an extremely beautiful sense of satisfaction.
While standing up and toasting generously in response, I couldn't help but sigh.
Ning Weimin, this kid, always surprises people, and his ability to do things is really impeccable.
(End of this chapter)