Food is truly a "feast for the senses."
A variety of delicious dishes not only enriches the diversity of cuisine but also stimulates the taste buds of diners.
The word "food" often reflects the many facets of life.
It also conveys the culinary beliefs that chefs express through their creations.
In this bowl of wonton noodles, the five wontons are filled with a mixture of minced lamb, fresh shrimp, fish scraps, egg yolk, and various seasonings.
Thus, the freshness of the wonton is different from that of dumplings or buns.
The filling alone is enough to make it delicious, and it doesn't rely on any one part for its flavor, showcasing the essence of Cantonese cuisine.
In summary, the freshness of the wonton comes from the complementary combination of three key elements: the filling, the wrapper, and the broth.
All three are equally important, and none can be omitted.
The wonton wrapper is very thin, so thin that when cooked, it becomes nearly transparent, revealing the meat and shrimp filling inside.
When eaten, it offers a fresh and delicious taste, providing a completely new sensory experience.
Even though there are countless ways to describe the sensation, it becomes apparent that no word truly captures the taste of such an exquisite bowl of wonton noodles.
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Talented people are all in need of healing, waiting for Zane to cure them.
This storyline runs throughout the tavern—whether it's Mana Nakiri and Erina Nakiri's "God Tongue" curse, Megumi's expulsion crisis, Alice's molecular gastronomy ideals, or Ikumi Mito's Donburi Research Society incident.
In the eyes of many, Zane is indeed the "savior" of this world. Without him, the entire culinary world would be in trouble!
Now, as the Midnight Chefs' incidents continue to escalate, the culinary world has reached its greatest crisis and collapse.
So, when Erina learned that Zane had accepted a Shokugeki challenge from the leader of the Midnight Chefs, she was initially surprised but ultimately filled with joy.
She knew that Zane was capable of defeating them, of saving this decaying culinary era!
Of course, she was also very scared.
She was afraid that Zane might lose and that the tavern would have to close.
---
"Zane, you can't lose, you absolutely can't lose!"
Erina's voice trembled with a complex mix of emotions as she looked at Zane with misty eyes.
"I won't lose," Zane replied calmly.
The original Soma Yukihira had average talent and no special culinary abilities.
What made him strong was his refusal to give up, no matter how much stronger his opponents were. He would always surpass them through constant effort and creativity, regardless of how many times he failed. This persistence made him a formidable opponent.
Joichiro Yukihira had great talent, but his lack of psychological resilience affected many people indirectly.
So, in the original storyline, when Soma faced Asahi Saiba, Joichiro had said he admired his son's mental strength.
Whether Soma was impressive or not depended on his creativity, culinary skills, and the number of failures he endured.
Soma's initial potential was low, but his growth and upper limits were among the highest.
His greatest strengths were his inner resolve and an insatiable curiosity, making him extremely powerful.
In this regard, Zane was very similar to Soma. Although his focus seemed to be on this small tavern, he also had his own principles and never gave up!
However, Zane was different from Soma in another way—his talent was far superior.
---
Time slowly passed.
In the stillness of the night, when the last rays of the setting sun quietly disappeared below the horizon, the sky gently unveiled the night.
At this moment, a bright full moon rose, like the most tender brushstroke in the world, lightly dotting the deep blue sky.
Moonlight, like a fine veil, fell gently—not as intense as sunlight nor as faint as starlight—but in a perfect balance, illuminating the road, trees, houses, and paths. Under the moon's soft touch, everything seemed both gentle and mysterious, as if infused with a new life.
**The Moon Banquet Hall.**
The culinary temple in the world of *Food Wars*.
Originally, it was a venue reserved only for Shokugeki matches between the "Totsuki Elite Ten."
This hall represents respect for culinary skills and honors the achievements of the first seat holders throughout history.
During the Autumn Elections, Erina's cousin Alice Nakiri, Akira Hayama, Ryo Kurokiba, and Soma Yukihira had an intense culinary battle here!
Now, half a year later, the Moon Banquet Hall was reopening, and this time, the Shokugeki would determine the future of the culinary world.
As a result, nearly all of Totsuki's students, as well as celebrities like Curry Queen Natsume Sendawara, food critic Shingo Ando, and the owner of the Kitamae Gourmet Club, among others, flocked to the scene to watch!
At the same time, Totsuki Academy was broadcasting the match between Zane and Asahi Saiba live, sharing the event with all of Japan.
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A sea bream was taken, and with a heavy thud, it was stunned on the cutting board.
Once the fish was stunned, it could be slaughtered.
After cleaning and gutting the fish, Asahi Saiba skillfully divided it into four large pieces. He then swiftly removed the bones, completely separating them.
"Hmm?"
"Is this the knife skills of the leader of the Midnight Chefs?"
At this moment, the former director, Gin Dojima, watched Asahi Saiba process the sea bream and couldn't help but be stunned.
The sharp knife work, the decisive movements—there was no hesitation, and everything flowed smoothly like a well-practiced routine, mesmerizing everyone.
"Huh? I feel like I've seen this knife technique somewhere before…"
Leonora Nakiri, covering her mouth, also showed an expression of disbelief.
Under Asahi Saiba's expert knife skills, the fish was sliced into transparent sashimi.
---
Even though the sashimi slices were stacked on top of each other, everyone could clearly see the slices beneath, highlighting their incredible translucency.
Sashimi is raw and doesn't involve cooking techniques, but it requires the highest level of knife skills.
There are dozens of different knives used just for handling fish.
For certain fish, like eels, pufferfish, and tuna, there are specialized knives tailored specifically for them, unique worldwide.
Yet, Asahi Saiba performed all this using just one unusual-looking chef's knife, a feat that amazed everyone.
"How is this possible?"
"Using one knife to handle sea bream, salmon, mackerel, bass, and other types of fish?"
"Such speed, sharpness, and dominance in knife work!"
"Just by looking at his knife skills, we are already left in the dust!"
At this moment, many of the Totsuki students watching the match were captivated by Asahi Saiba's knife skills.
If someone were to ask,
"Which knife skills are the most impressive in this world?"
"Which knife skills are the most powerful?"
Everyone present would likely answer: Asahi Saiba's knife skills are the most impressive, the most powerful.
The fish slices, thin as a cicada's wing, appeared one after another before the crowd. Every time the knife made contact with the cutting board, the sound was like a delightful melody, causing the audience to marvel.
"That… That's my knife technique!"
Erina, standing beside Gin, stared at Asahi Saiba in shock.
---
In Japanese cuisine, there are systematic methods for slicing most commonly used fish.
After centuries of refinement, these techniques have become very advanced.
Knife skills are a key criterion for evaluating a chef, especially in the case of sashimi.
Then, Asahi Saiba began slicing the pufferfish skin into thin strips!
A plate of pufferfish sashimi included the skin, meat, and liver of the pufferfish…
However, pufferfish sashimi is usually sliced very thinly. Erina's cousin Eishi Tsukasa, who was renowned for his expertise, had once gone against tradition by cutting the pufferfish sashimi a bit thicker, highlighting the meat's elasticity.
"Pufferfish skin, pufferfish meat, and even the liver?"
Gin furrowed his brows in thought as he watched.
The pufferfish skin and meat were fine.
But the liver was more concerning since the toxins in that part are not easily handled.
A small mistake could cause the diner to be poisoned, with severe consequences.
---
Finally, a vibrant plate of sashimi was arranged in a way that resembled a landscape painting, with a lower front and higher back.
Upon closer inspection, among the various fish slices, the most eye-catching were the firm-textured white sashimi from sea bream, yellowtail, and other fish.
Following the colors of the sashimi, the left side held the white sashimi, the middle the red, and the right the yellow.
In this sashimi platter, Asahi Saiba had elevated the art of aesthetics to a distinctive level.
"Hmm? What's this…"
Leonora Nakiri gasped, her wide eyes filled with disbelief.
Sea bream.
Ribbonfish.
Bonito.
Mackerel.
Salmon.
Herring.
Yellowtail.
Trout.
---
Roughly counting, there were at least 20 types of fish.
The sheer variety used in this exquisite sashimi platter was enough to astonish everyone present!
More frightening was Asahi Saiba's knife skills, which had
reached an extraordinary level. Each piece of sashimi was sliced to weigh exactly 10 grams. Considering that each fish varied in size, achieving uniformly weighed slices was a remarkable feat.
Moreover, each fish had a different texture.
To create evenly weighed slices, softer fish needed to be cut thicker.
Larger, firmer fish needed to be cut thinner.
Interestingly:
The thinner slices were placed at the front.
Meanwhile, the tender tuna and salmon red sashimi were cut into thicker slices and placed at the back, resembling a carefully arranged bonsai.
Beautiful!
Absolutely stunning!
White fish, red fish, yellow fish…
When each paper-thin, yet distinct, fish slice was arranged into a delicate sashimi platter, it glistened under the lights.
---
"Well, I'll start then."
Leonora Nakiri, recovering from her surprise, was about to pick up a slice of fish with her chopsticks.
But just then, Asahi Saiba stopped her: "Wait, this sashimi platter isn't finished yet. I still need to add a few things."
"????"
Leonora was bewildered.
Such an exquisite, artistically beautiful sashimi platter was still only a half-finished dish?
What? Is he hiding a trump card?
While Leonora was lost in thought, Asahi Saiba added shiso leaves to the platter.
He then finely minced some ginger, cut ginger into slices, and soaked them in ice water.
Finally, he sprinkled the minced ginger over the sashimi, placed the drained ginger slices beside the fish, and garnished with cucumber flowers and cilantro.
The sashimi platter now looked even more refined and luxurious.
If God had left any masterpieces in the world, then undoubtedly, one would be Asahi Saiba's sashimi platter.
Lastly, Asahi Saiba lightly touched the springy fish slices with his fingers, causing his fingertips to glow before the eyes of the stunned audience.
"Alright, it looks like this dish is finally done."
With his face still masked, Asahi Saiba calmly announced.
---
Judging the quality of a dish just by touching it with his fingertips?
Such a display and perception left Leonora and Gin exchanging puzzled glances.
But since Zane's dish was not yet finished, Leonora decided to take a small piece of sea bream and slowly savor it.
When eating sashimi, it's customary to start with the lightest-colored slices and move toward the darker ones.
The reason is that the lighter sashimi has a more delicate flavor. Eating in this order ensures that the subtle flavors are appreciated.
Typically, the correct sequence is:
White-fleshed fish, shellfish, and then red-fleshed fish.
"Very nice!"
Leonora exclaimed between bites, "The sea bream's texture is delicate and smooth, with a firm springiness. The white flesh is crystalline and glossy. Such excellent color and feel indicate that this is a top-quality sea bream."
"Indeed, this first bite's texture and flavor leave a lasting impression!"
Gin, beside her, widened his eyes.
In the next moment, he experienced a sudden burst of energy, as if his clothes were being ripped apart.
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