Sometimes, it's not always the most upscale restaurants that bring the best dining experiences. Hidden in the nooks and crannies of Japan, various unnamed taverns may offer unexpectedly delightful dishes, and stumbling upon one can feel like winning the lottery, filled with excitement!
Upon entering one such brightly lit tavern on a slightly deserted gourmet street, you immediately feel the vibrant, bustling atmosphere. The tavern is packed with diners, and as soon as you walk in, the sous-chef, Sonoka, warmly welcomes you. After navigating the narrow hallway with a few twists and turns, you finally find a seat.
Of course, the upgraded tavern still can't compare to a five-star hotel in terms of scale and luxury. However, it's exceptionally clean and simple, without a trace of grease, and one or two people can manage it neatly. As the head chef, Zane will come over to greet you, attentively asking what you'd like to eat. With each dish that arrives, everyone sheds their pretense and fully relaxes!
...
Years of separation had long eroded the bond between Mana and Erina. The emotional rift between them would not be easily mended, and they couldn't face each other honestly. However, there was one thing in the tavern that could resonate with them both:
The cuisine!
"Mmm!"
"This is the taste."
"It's not too big, but it's dense."
"The thin shumai wrapper has a slight chewiness, and the filling is substantial. The four ingredients seem ready to burst out."
"One bite, and all the flavors collide on your tongue, mingling harmoniously, more satisfying than any other shumai."
"Sometimes you can taste the shrimp and bok choy, enhancing the overall texture."
"These ordinary ingredients collide to create the most beautiful and unexpected flavors."
As she continued eating the golden ratio shumai, Mana touched her flushed face, excitedly praising the dish. Her earlier sorrow at her daughter's appearance seemed to vanish with each bite. She then picked up another shumai and took a big bite.
"Mom likes shumai?"
"No, she likes Zane's cooking!"
Erina, who was eating Egg Beauty Chicken, was secretly shocked by her mother's enthusiastic eating. Even the General Manager, known as the "Food Demon King," would have his clothes burst open from excitement when tasting Erina's dishes. That had been one of Erina's happiest moments since Mana's departure.
Despite gaining recognition from many chefs as a child, Mana had always criticized and disliked Erina's cooking. Eventually, Mana chose to leave home because she couldn't bear the pain of the God's Tongue.
...
Hatred!
That was certain.
After everything, Erina couldn't just forgive her mother. But even she couldn't deny that no chef, not even herself, could conquer Mana's God's Tongue with their cooking.
Yet, when Mana first came to the tavern, Zane's simple shumai had completely won her over. This astonished Erina but also made her very happy. Besides wanting to elevate noble cuisine, Erina's greatest dream was to use her culinary skills to make her mother genuinely enjoy food again.
And the person who ultimately helped her fulfill this wish was none other than Zane, the head chef of this tavern!
...
"Erina."
"I've heard from the General Manager about what Azami did to you."
Mana, her mouth greasy from eating, put on a serious face: "I never imagined he would do such a thing."
"I left because I knew the family still had him."
"I placed my hope in him, believing that even if I left, he could take care of you and manage the family."
"But..."
"What he did was unacceptable!"
Mana's eyes were filled with deep regret.
"Mom... I don't want to recall those times, so please don't talk about it."
Erina's face turned pale, and her body tensed with fear as she recalled the past.
"Sigh, don't worry. If I meet him again, I'll divorce him."
"I won't let him harm you again or drag Totsuki and the Nakiri family into the mire."
Seeing Erina so scared and uneasy, Mana's heart ached even more.
...
Time passed quietly.
With the end of the celebration, all the students at the Totsuki Resort boarded buses to return to Totsuki Academy, marking the end of the six-day, five-night training camp.
After the camp, the students were given a short break.
Some students planned to visit their hometowns, like Megumi returning to Zhuang Hui Garden and Soma reopening Yukihira Diner. Others hid in their kitchens or labs, eager to create new dishes!
Alice, in her lab coat, cleaned a melon and juiced it. She mixed 500g of water, 2g of alginate, 2.5g of calcium lactate, and 80g of melon juice with alginate, setting it aside. She mixed water and calcium lactate in a large container. Using a fine needle, she dropped the alginate-melon juice into the calcium lactate solution. After a minute, she rinsed the caviar in water.
Thus, melon caviar was made.
...
Caviar is known to be expensive, but in molecular gastronomy, cold oil spherification can be used to make caviar from ordinary ingredients like melons, strawberries, mangoes, raspberries, and even coffee.
Looking at the bright, plump melon caviar, Alice couldn't hide her excitement and tasted it eagerly.
"Ugh!"
"It looks like caviar but tastes entirely like melon."
Alice's face fell as she spat out the melon caviar.
Through the training camp, Alice realized the gap between herself and Erina. Especially on the third day's breakfast task, she noticed that Erina was also constantly evolving with her God's Tongue.
Erina's progress far outpaced Alice's.
"If I don't change, I won't just fail to surpass Erina; the gap between us will only widen."
Mumbling to herself, Alice became more determined to develop new molecular gastronomy dishes.
...
The Autumn Selection was the next major culinary competition after the training camp. Although failure wouldn't result in expulsion, its significance and influence far exceeded that of the training camp.
While the training camp was harsh, with an annual elimination rate of over 50%, elite students like Alice, Soma, Erina, Hisako, and Hayama could easily pass by following the requirements.
But the Autumn Selection was different.
The top 60 students were selected from over 400 to compete. Considering that the Elite Ten are re-evaluated each year, excelling in the Autumn Selection brought students closer to becoming the next Elite Ten.
The judges for the Autumn Selection were culinary and gourmet industry heavyweights, unlike the training camp's examiners like Gin Dojima, Kojiro Shinomiya, Hinako Inui, and Fuyumi Mizuhara.
Judges included Leonora Nakiri, head of the Nakiri International Research Department, and the Curry Queen sisters, Natsume and Orie Senbongi from HUB Foods.
Thus, the upcoming Autumn Selection was the most important stage for the first-year students of Totsuki High School!
...
Ding ding!
Ding ding!
Alice's phone rang just as she was about to pick up the pipette.
Seeing it was her mother, Leonora, Alice quickly answered.
"Mom, why are you calling so late?"
"Alice, isn't the training camp over tonight?"
"Six days and five nights, and you didn't call me once. Do you know how worried I was?"
A clear, melodious voice came from the phone.
"Don't worry, Mom."
"It was just a training camp. I knew I could pass it."
"But, Mom, you wouldn't believe how amazing Erina was on the third day's breakfast task..."
Due to the training camp, Alice and Leonora hadn't talked much lately. The mother and daughter had a lot to share.
"Wait, you hadn't sold a single breakfast for over an hour?"
"Yes, but I barely passed by changing my approach."
"So you weren't expelled?"
"With my skills, how could I be expelled?"
"That's good. But even if you were expelled, you could still stay at Totsuki with the General Manager's help."
Leonora playfully said, covering her mouth.
Alice responded calmly, "Mom, even though I'm the Nakiri family's eldest daughter and have the Nakiri bloodline, I need to prove my talent and skills on my own."
"Good, that's my precious daughter!"
Leonora felt a sense of pride hearing this.
She paused before continuing, "By the way, Alice, I've been invited by Totsuki to judge the Autumn Selection finals!"
"What?"
"Mom, you're a judge for the Autumn Selection?"
Alice was shocked but quickly grew excited, realizing this meant her mother would soon be at Totsuki Academy with her.
"Yay, we'll be together again."
"Mom, I've missed you so much during this time."
"I don't have any true friends at Totsuki. Erina still doesn't talk to me much, and Ryo is always busy."
"Mom, I'm so lonely here!"
Alice's eyes filled with tears as she shared her feelings with Leonora.
"Yes, you've always been with me, and it must be hard adjusting to being alone in a faraway place."
Leonora comforted her.
"Mom, you understand me best!"
Alice felt a warmth in her heart, her voice choked with emotion.
She wished she could see her mother immediately, but she knew that was unrealistic.
Not to mention the distance between Europe and Japan, the training camp had just ended, and there was still time before the Autumn Selection!
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