Chapter 67 - Temptation of Three Stars (1)

Michelin. 3 stars at that. Those words contained so much sweetness. The thought of Hugo’s completing the disqualification mission wasn’t so pleasing, but his heart was more excited than sad.

Allan spoke in a dry tone, “Winning team, please get going. Your dishes are waiting for you. Enjoy your dinner tonight. You deserve it.”

Cho Min Joon glanced over at Hugo’s side. He tried to look calm, but his face was filled with disappointment. He wondered if he should cheer him on, but that was probably going to be for his comfort, not Hugo’s. Cho Min Joon walked out without a word. His team members followed behind him.

When they got out to the parking lot, their food trucks were already gone. Anderson mumbled in a sad voice, “The trucks are gone.”

“… That’s weird. Why do I feel sad?”

It felt similar to when they graduated school. As they looked at the empty parking lot, they heard a familiar voice.

“Congratulations. When I first heard about the Norimakis, I wasn’t so sure, but you did it.”

“… What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with the disqualification mission?”

“The main producer should always be at the most important spot, and that place is…”

Martin slowly stuck out his index finger, and that finger pointed at Cho Min Joon.

“Here.”

Cho Min Joon didn’t question further. He knew what Martin was thinking. The restaurant they were going to was Rose Island, and the owner of that restaurant came to see him. A young chef visited by Rachel Rose. One with the perfect palate at that.

That chef was going to Rose Island. It was no wonder that Martin would want to see how that would go. Joanne asked in a bitter voice, “Isn’t this a reward? We’re going to eat with cameras in our faces? I might get indigestion.”

“Then you can rest at your accommodation.”

“No way! Don’t scare me like that.”

Joanne stuck out her lip and grumbled. Ivanna looked at Joanne and asked, “Do you want me to get take out for you?”

“No, I’m going. Stop it.”

In response to Joanne’s grumbling, Ivanna laughed. Martin coughed. A black van was headed their way.

“It’s about a 30-minute drive to the restaurant. Please get ready.”

“Get ready for what?”

Martin smirked.

“For the best meal of your life.”

***

Martin said their meal at Rose Island would be one they would never forget. Cho Min Joon agreed, but he wasn’t so sure if it would be the best meal of his life. Of course, Michelin 3-star was the best of the best, but could that mean it was so perfect that it couldn’t be better? Did such perfect dishes exist? He wasn’t so sure about the answers to those questions.

“… What do you think the menu will be?”

“Chef’s choice, of course. That’s the best if you haven’t been there before.”

Anderson answered without hesitation. Peter, who was looking through the internet, spoke in a bland voice, “There are 2 well-known courses. A course for vegetarians and ones for those who enjoy meat.”

“I’m going for meat.”

“Me too.”

Cho Min Joon nodded to Joanne and Ivanna’s answers. He wasn’t obsessed with meat, but there was a big difference in the depth of flavors. Considering their reputation, their vegetarian dishes were probably great as well, but he didn’t think they would be the best. Cho Min Joon asked, “What do the customers usually like?”

“The meat, of course. A course meal with no meat is too boring.”

“Then I’ll have to go with that.”

Just like that, they shared their excitement and anticipation, and in no time, they saw the Rose Island building. It was a building made of brown bricks. There were 5 floors, but each floor was so high that it looked like a 7-story building. Cho Min Joon got out of the van and asked, “… Are all those floors a part of the restaurant?”

“Multiple floors are hard for serving unless there’s an elevator. It’s hard to take orders too if it’s that big.”

“That’s true. Anderson, what’s your restaurant like? It sounds like yours is just one floor. How many tables?”

“50. Since my parents split up the work amongst them, that’s the most they can handle.”

“Who’s the head chef?”

“That’s a secret.”

Anderson answered with a smirk, but Cho Min Joon couldn’t help but grow curious. There couldn’t be 2 head chefs in one kitchen. That wasn’t logical, but it probably wasn’t healthy for a couple to have a superior and a subordinate. What kind of dynamic was that couple maintaining?

He couldn’t get that answer right now. He was more curious about the food than Anderson’s parents.

“Welcome. Let me escort you to your tables.”

A very beautiful server led them to their tables. It would be rude to look down on an ugly person, but feeling more interested in pretty and handsome people was just human instinct.

The server escorted them to a round table. She took their orders and left. Cho Min Joon stared blankly. The servers around them were so good-looking that he felt even more anticipation for their food. Cho Min Joon mumbled, “Why do the servers here work here instead of modeling?”

“I read about it on the internet, too. Apparently, all the servers look like ac… tors.”

Peter’s voice shook as he answered. That was because five of the servers approached and put down the dishes at the same time. This was the service of a high-end restaurant. He didn’t know the meaning of it, but he certainly felt like he was being treated nicely.

What worried him more than the service was the cooking or more like the bowl. There were 4 different types of amuse-bouche on the plate, but he couldn’t help but stare. He had no choice. The bowl… was so unique that he wasn’t sure if it was a bowl. It was a piece of wood. A dark piece of food. Cho Min Joon asked the server in charge. It was a female server with blonde hair. Her name was Elly.

“The plate is very unique.”

“We used the barrel made for whiskey in order to add more fragrance.”

“Oh… That’s nice.”

Cho Min Joon picked up the plate and smelled it. He smelled whiskey on it, and he even smelled the burnt smell of the wood. Elly poured a dry white wine to Cho Min Joon’s glass. He opened his mouth again.

“There are 4 types. Is there an order?”

“You can try them in whichever order you wish.”

Elly responded with a smile. Cho Min Joon smiled back and looked at his dish. Some people felt embarrassed asking questions at a restaurant. For example, asking the characteristics of each part of a steak, but Cho Min Joon didn’t feel embarrassed. If he held back his curiosity, he would have become someone who couldn’t enjoy the restaurant culture.

“Min Joon, can you get all the ingredients right again?”

Cho Min Joon smiled. Not because he felt confident because he knew the chef of this restaurant probably wanted to know his evaluation of the food as well.

Cho Min Joon looked at the Amuse-bouche in his place. That wasn’t the name of the dish. It was the name of its role. They were bite-sized to stimulate their tastebuds, but they were different from appetizers. Amuse-bouches were not included in the menu. It was often served by the chef, and it was much smaller than an appetizer.

But that didn’t mean it wasn’t special. Cho Min Joon gulped. The first thing that caught his eye was the yellow gougere. It looked the most average amongst the 4. It almost looked like a cream bun, but it was the size of a marble with a flower on top, but what caught his eye the most was the fact that it had a score of 9. That score made him thirsty.

Cho Min Joon put the gougere in his mouth without hesitation. The soft yet rugged outer surface burst and the cheese inside poured out. The cheese was more savory than salty. After that, the scent of the flower spread across his tongue, and what he didn’t expect was the scent of bananas on the surface. They didn’t put banana syrup on it. He guessed that they added banana powder when they first made the batter.

This was his first time trying gougere, but if all gougeres tasted like this, he didn’t think he could live without having one gougere a day. It was that delicious, but it was also light. It was so light that he couldn’t believe there was cheese inside.

Cho Min Joon stared blankly at his plate. How could such a small thing be so delicious? He thought he might have been better off if he didn’t try it. It was so good that he was afraid of tasting everything else. Cho Min Joon glanced over at Anderson’s plate. His plate still had a gougere on it. Anderson put his arm in between himself and Cho Min Joon.

“I don’t like that look in your eye.”

“… You’re seeing things.”

Cho Min Joon grumbled and looked back to his plate. There were still 3 pieces of amuse-bouche left. The next thing he reached for was a pink piece of mandarin. He knew exactly what it was wrapped with. It was smoked paprika. In other words, the clementine was coated with a caramelized and smoked paprika.

Since it was 8 points, it probably wasn’t as good as the 9-point piece. That was what he thought. The first thing he sensed when he tasted it was the scent of a tree. As soon as he took a bite, Cho Min Joon let out an exclamation. It was delicious. Even more than the one before. Even though the gougere was 9 points, Cho Min Joon wasn’t a big fan of cheeses, but this piece of mandarin was different. The clean and sweet flavor of the smoked paprika on the outside could be tasted first before the sweet and sour juices flowed out.

And at that moment, his eyes teared up. The flavors were beautiful. In comic books, people often cried when they tasted delicious food, and he finally understood. The flavor of the mandarin, paprika, and the sweet and sour taste was so perfect that it couldn’t be described with words. He would have believed it if it said it was 9 points. It was that good.

Cho Min Joon sighed and leaned back in his chair. He was tired. He only took two bites, but they were so stimulating and strong, but he couldn’t back down yet. He still had 2 pieces left. Ivanna asked, “Min Joon, if you aren’t going to eat that…”

“I will.”

Cho Min Joon answered sternly and sat back up. Ivanna put her spoon in her mouth in sadness. Cho Min Joon looked at the third piece.

“… Is it black lime?”

Black Lime was famous as a Middle East dish. It was a dish where lime was slated and dried under the sun until it turned back, causing it to be filled with the sweetest and sourest flavor inside. The flavors were good, but it was also used as a common cooking ingredient in the middle east.

On top of the thinly sliced black lime were a saffron puree and an herb. He hesitated in fear of it being too sour, but the two previous pieces gave him courage, and that courage paid off. He didn’t sense anything when it first entered his mouth, but when he took a bite, the sourness of the lime and the refreshing scent of the saffron and herb filled his mouth. Compared to the mandarin, he was less touched, but his taste buds were definitely stimulated. Cho Min Joon was salivating more than ever before.

He didn’t want to wash away the flavors just yet, but he had to try the next piece. Cho Min Joon stared at it. It was a biscuit with a chocolate-colored cream on top. He put it in his mouth without even looking at his system and enjoyed the apple flavors as well as those of an unfamiliar herb. According to the system, it was called Santa’s Leaf, but Cho Min Joon had never heard of it before.

But that didn’t matter. The flavors were captivating. There was no flaw in the biscuit or the cream on top. It reminded him of what difference in rank meant. Cho Min Joon stared at the empty plate. It was so good, and he was so happy that he felt anxious. He wasn’t so sure if his food could taste this good and if he could ever get there, but there was no time to worry.

The appetizer hadn’t even arrived yet.