TRIVEDI's!
The words hang in huge italic gold letters at the face of a four story building. People dressed to the nines and sharing excited conversation queued up going into the building leading to the reception.
"Mr. E Dominic.... I see your reservation. Right this way, I will take you to your table", a steward looked up from the computer to a man before her with his company.
The woman with Mr. Dominic barely held down an excited squeal as she squeezed his arm, "Babe this is amazing!"
"I know!" He flashed his equally excited grin.
Following the steward, the couple threw around their excited gaze taking in the chic and luxurious interior. Dim yellow lights, the mixture of velvet black, pastel pink, rose gold, and a deep red interior decor.... And most importantly, the pleasant aromas attacking their nostrils and teasing their taste buds.
TRIVEDI's was famous for its spicy dishes that were beautifully blended sending a burst of flavors to erupt from a single taste. In May's words, the smell alone was enough to give one an orgasm.
The restaurant housed two sections, the normal section that occupied the first floor, and the V.I.P on the second. They prepared exotic dishes originally from a certain country in the Eastern part of the world.
Despite the different sections, it was said that even if the very same dish was prepared, once one tastes one from the V.I.P, there was no going back. It was worth the money!
"It's a busy afternoon, but you will be attended to shortly. Enjoy your meal", the steward gave them a polite smile before leaving the couple.
"Babe, this place is amazing! You're amazing babe, thank you!" She gushed.
"It only took a month to book a table. It's nothing", he tried nonchalantly before he burst out laughing excitedly along with her.
"Yes, only my man is so capable!!" She humored him with a smile and admiration in her eyes. "Rosario's has got nothing on this place!"
"You can say that again", he agreed, admiring the interior with her.
"Babe", her eyes sparkled with more excitement as she leaned in to whisper. "Do you know why the food is sooo good?"
"Why? Did you hear something?" He could tell from her excited gaze she had.
"They said the owner personally created the recipes", she said, like she had discovered some sacred truth.
"Although it's amazing but, isn't it the same for all restaurant owners who know how to cook?"
"No, no. Apparently you can't perfectly replicate it unless you're trained by them. You can't make it any other way."
"Wow! Then this person is a genius. Do you know which celebrity chef owns this place?"
"She's not even a celebrity chef but her culinary skills surpass those of the top chefs in this country. But weird part is, she doesn't publicize herself. Even her employees rarely see her except on those special nights for the V.I.Ps."
"Maybe she's not that good looking", he mused.
"I don't think so. Do you know that big celebrities like Chris Hemsworth come to this place to see her?"
"Those are just rumours", he dismissed with a wave of his hand.
"Noooo, it's actually true. People say this is a hot spot if you want to spot big names and I'm not just talking about celebrities."
"Good afternoon", a waitress arrived, cutting their conversation short, and handed them each a black leather menu that had intricate gold designs and lettering on it. "My name is Grace, I will be waiting your table. What will you be having?"
The two mouthed 'wow' at the chic menu. Their excited hearts could not contain themselves as they placed the order. The waitress disappeared to the kitchen to place the order.
Chopping sounds along with sizzling sounds were heard, fires blazed from food being tossed in hot oil, mouth watering aromas exploded from the spices sprinkled, and the sounds of utensils was heard with professional hands working at their respective stations.
Someone wheeled a cart of used dishes to the sinks right next to the kitchen's exit door. It had a square glass window at the top yet middle part of it. Clanking sounds resounded as the person prewashed the dishes and tossed them in the dishwasher. From their peripheral vision, they saw someone wearing a hairnet passing by.
The person outside was clad in a worksuit, boot, and gloves as he walked over to a landline mounted on a wall. He dialed for line one and the call was answered on the third ring.
"Miss Trivedi, we're ready for you", he said. The response he got was the sound of the line gone dead. The man went out, exiting the building backdoor to join his workmates.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
A truck plastered with a picture of fresh vegetables and the words FAMILY FARM FRESH backed up slowly at the signal of one of the men. His hand went up signaling him to stop. The container was soon unlocked, but the group made no move as they waited.
"Do you always have to do this in the presence of your boss?" The truck driver got down, clear annoyance and impatience on his face as he walked towards the men.
The men only shrugged, not indulging him. This just fueled his sour mood. "Come on, you're wasting both our times. I have another delivery to make!"
Click, clack. Click, clack.
The sound of heels caught the group's attention and they made way for the person. She wore red bottoms, a three-quarter pencil skirt, and t-shirt tucked in. Her makeup was simple as usual with a red lipstick and hair styled simply.
Seeing the person, the driver of the truck rubbed his sweaty palms. He suppressed his earlier emotions and assumed a friendly demeanor.
"Miss, you look beautiful as always", he started as his usual self, despite not expecting her to respond as usual.
Some of the men shook their heads. He was one odd fellow. And, she didn't disappoint. Her response was silence as she stood to the side, away from him. As their boss had arrived, the group got a move on.
He crossed his arms against his chest, moving to stand next to her. "You know, you don't have to ALWAYS trouble yourself. The boys can handle this just fine. Don't you want to have a balanced and healthy relationship with your employees? This is imposing! They can't work comfortably if you always hover around them like this. And being here won't get the job done faster. And they'll have a negative view of you if you keep acting like this. Think about it-"
Her eyes remained on the boxes being moved from the truck to the storeroom. "You're more chatty today, Eric."
"No, I'm ju-" he stopped, taken aback by the fact that she responded and actually knew his name. So she could speak? Yet she tried to act all high and mighty! Suppressing his agitation, he proceeded politely, "It's not like that."