Chapter 257 - Star List

Taking his dish out from the heat box, Wang Ming puffed his c.h.e.s.t up. He tried to show everyone else his resolve. The only thing on his mind right now is to give the best presentation he can and snatch a place on the star list. The judges' table looked so massive when he stood in front of it, so far the judges did little judging at all except for the first round. 

For the past two rounds they have had no input at all and were just spectators. Right now he truly felt the judges' power, as his fate lie in their hands.

Placing the plate on the table Wang Ming had purposely used a lid to cover the bowl, as he wanted to trap all the aromas inside, effectively creating an aroma bomb. He wanted the judges and everyone else to smell the delicious sauce and have their mouths watering from it. 

Like a small kid waiting, trying to prank his parents, Wang Ming stood excitedly for them to open the lid. 

"Please present your dish to us, Wang Ming. What are you standing around for?" Xie Xiu said, as they were all waiting in anticipation.

Realizing his mistake, Wang Ming smiled sheepishly and said. "My recipe is incredibly simple, not as technical as Shin Wen's nor as pretty as Tan Ai's. But I can promise you that this dish will be the most fragrant and delicious from the 16 that's going to be presented. I'm that confident, the sauce I've used is my secret sauce, even though I haven't tasted it before together with a dish."

"Wang Ming, not to be rude, but if you haven't tasted it before, how could you know it's good? That's so amateurish!" Natasha said. She had waited for the moment to strike, but this is just the opening move. She still had many moves to come.

"Miss Natasha, even though I might be young, I'm an experienced chef, as an experienced chef yourself you know we can envision how a dish tastes before we even make it, just by knowing what ingredients it is and how it's cooked and I clearly stated that I've not tasted it together with fried rice. I have tasted the sauce alone." Wang Ming had tasted the sauce earlier, before he cooked with it. He had to know that the sauce has a great taste first, not only that he had to make sure that it the sauce hadn't gone bad.

"Fine let me see!" Removing the lid, the aroma exploded from the small dish. The small plate of food contained such a powerful aroma that even Ming Ming and Zhang Hou at the stands could smell it. The judges, being the ones closest to the plate, felt the full effect of Wang Ming's shenanigans. 

It felt so intense that they had to take two steps back, away from their table. The aroma emanating from the plate threatened to burn their nostrils but yet it smelled great. The judges couldn't help but wonder if this being addicted to drugs feels like this. On one hand, they didn't want to smell the dish because of its intensity and how dizzy it made them feel, but it smelled so good. 

After a few minutes, the intense smell lessened. It took them a few minutes, but they could finally smell like normal again. They couldn't help but wonder how intense the sauce in his jar smelled, if just a little of it smelled so intense already. 

"It smells good, but that's not enough even though Gao Ying didn't think that the taste was important for the last round, it's not the same for this round. Shin Wen had cooked his dish in an interesting way, you were creative in your process but that alone is not enough, do you understand?" Wang Ming didn't answer and just nodded at Natasha. Their reaction made him even more confident.

The judges' reaction made everyone curious, especially the people at home. Since they couldn't smell the dish, most were just confused until they heard Meng Zhong and Angela's explanation of the situation. The whole situation looked so bizarre seeing the judges step away from the table, Gao Ying even holding his hand over his nose to block the scent. Most of them assumed the dish smelled bad, which terrified the people that had bet on him. They were only two rounds away from 'making bank'. They all prayed that Wang Ming's dish at least tastes as good as it looks.

The sauce made it look like a starry night sky was on the plate, as the lights reflected on the dark sauce. It made the dish look so surreal on camera. His haters were convinced that the staff had used some sort of software to enhance how his dish looks. 

The plate almost looked like a piece of art. Sadly, the judges didn't notice this detail, not even Wang Ming, until they all read the papers the next day. You could only see it with a bird eyes view. 

Using her hands to fan the hot air and smell away, Natasha grabbed a spoonful and after some careful deliberation, put it in her mouth. After tasting the dish, Natasha's eyes rolled up, and she pressed her lips together. Seeing her reaction made the other judges curious, as she still had said nothing. 

The ones watching on the TV felt happy that she at least didn't spit the food out, which made it didn't taste bad, or so they convinced themselves. Gao Ying didn't understand why she would act like this. Feeling worried that it might have been something wrong with the dish, he took his own spoon to get a taste of his own. But before his spoon could even touch the plate, Natasha's hand grabbed his hand with a speed he didn't think was possible for her petite body. 

"Natasha what?"

Glaring at Gao Ying like he had just tried to molest her, Natasha said. "Give me a few minutes, I need to formulate my thoughts." Natasha felt her back heat up and sweat building up beneath her clothes. The suit that had fit her perfectly just moments ago felt stuffy now. She had no belief in Wang Ming's words. She didn't believe that Wang Ming's dish would be the tastiest of the bunch, but his dish truly lived up to his words. 

The sauce Natasha didn't know how he had made it. She doesn't even like heavy tasting sauces like soy sauces, but this sauce, which clearly uses soy sauce as a base, has a great balance. Even though it has a strong initial punch, the taste immediately goes away as fast as it comes, leaving a gentle after taste. This complemented the fried rice so well, Natasha wanted to eat the whole dish for herself then force Wang Ming to tell her the recipe. If she could get the recipe, then she might make billions of yuan, a recipe like this. Only she could truly bring it to the fullest potential. 

That's why she needed a few minutes. She had to make a plan fast. She could try to demand the recipe from Wang Ming, like Mao Qingling would probably do, which would never work. After racking her brain, Natasha knew what she had to do. Looking at Wang Ming this time with a bright smile, Natasha said. 

"It seems like I underestimated you. Your dish gets a thumbs up from me. I'm sorry for my harsh words earlier, I'm just afraid for the younger generations becoming c.o.c.ky." Wang Ming and the other judges thought they had heard wrong. Did Natasha really apologize? The other judges who had known Natasha for many years, had never heard her thought so cordially before, she even apologized. 

One after another, the other judges used their spoons to taste the dish, relishing in the amazing taste. The judges all thought the same thing. Even though the dish tasted great, it didn't warrant such a big shift in personality. Even though they felt curious, this is not the place nor time to ask her about it. Standing up from her chair again, Xie Xiu declared for everyone to hear. 

"Wang Ming, you're on the star list! Even though Natasha apologized for her behavior, what she said isn't just empty words. Your dish tastes amazing and we're all intrigued by the way you chilled down the rice which made the fried rice taste even better. But you need to work on how you plate your dishes. If you and Shin Wen had combined your skills for this round, then you guys could have created something amazing. Do you understand?"

"Thank you Miss.Xiu. I will remember your advice. Thank you, everyone, for this opportunity!" Natasha wanted to say some encouraging words too, but Wang Ming had already walked back to his place in excitement. He totally agreed with what Xie Xiu had said. He couldn't only rely on having good tasting food, he needs to worry about the aesthetics as well. As many people eat with their eye and not their tastebuds.

Walking back to his station, Wang Ming felt flabbergasted by how easy this round had been. He had thought that the judges would ask him more about his thought process and about the sauce. He would have loved to answer more questions, but if they didn't inquiry about it, he wouldn't volunteer. He relished in the victory that had been given to him while he walked back.