Chapter 69 - Temptation of Three Stars (3)

He normally would’ve felt touched by the notifications, but at that moment, he was more touched by the flavors on his tongue than the numbers.

Cho Min Joon dipped the red wine bread in the remaining sauce. The fact that he didn’t leave a single drop of the sauce left meant a lot. Elly smiled and took the empty plate away.

The main was over. That fact suddenly hit him. Cho Min Joon smiled with embarrassment. He felt ashamed that he cried no matter how delicious the food was. Anderson spoke in a calm voice, “You can’t pay for the food with tears, you know.”

“… We’re paying. Aren’t the staff paying?”

“You’re so technical. Then let’s call it a tip. Tipping with tears.”

Right before he could answer Anderson, the servers approached. This time, they were holding high bowls, and inside were frozen cranberries, candied cranberries, crispy bread crumbs, roasted meringue, and sage, but when he thought that the desert was heavy, the server brought an even bigger bowl over.

The bowl was lined with pine needles and above that was ice. The servers put ice in each of the bowls. Some could wonder what the difference was between putting in before or putting in later, but this was a matter of service. It was fun to watch the food being completed in front of their eyes.

The flavors were different from what they saw. What was fascinating was that the ice tasted like pine needles, but the other dishes were so vibrant that he wasn’t very impressed. It was a course that freshened his mouth and nothing more.

Once they finished that, iced coffee and boiled pears came out. Inside it was ganache made of chocolate cream, cardamom, crispy elderflower, along with Tamarind juice. Thanks to the Indian ingredients, cardamom, and Tamarind, the overall flavors were similar to that of Southeast Asia’s food.

“… This is good, too.”

Cho Min Joon laughed. Not a single dish failed in the course. No, it wasn’t just that. They were all unbelievably delicious. The head chef’s attention to detail showed up on his plates.

‘Maybe one day, I can also…’

He couldn’t help but have those thoughts.

The next dish was caramelized sudachi. It was a fruit that Korea had as well. It was a food that was overall yellow. At the bottom was starch curd. It was thicker than cream.

And above the sudachi curd was cashew nut, green jelly, and celery.

The scent of the sudachi wasn’t too strong. The savoriness of the cashew nut and the sweetness of the jelly and pear. On top of that, the starch curd added some refreshing flavors, making for a high-quality food.

The desserts continued to come out. A chocolate pastry made of lemon mint, frozen chestnut powder, vanilla cream, milk, jam, and persimmon puree. The outside was covered in a chocolate shell while the inside was filled with caramel popcorn, and then the meal ended with a single piece of chocolate placed on top of a plate.

The meal took almost 2 hours. There wasn’t a lot on each plate, but they were full from eating for a long time. They felt as full as when they ate 3 bags of ramen in one sitting.

He looked around and saw that everyone else felt the same. Peter had a hard time breathing. Just as his skinny frame suggested, he was a picky eater, so the course meal was probably difficult for him.

“I won’t eat anymore even if it’s a dish worth 1 million won. No, I can’t.”

“… I don’t know about that. You’d probably eat more, Anderson. You look more relaxed than us.”

“That wasn’t very much. You guys have small stomachs.”

Cho Min Joon didn’t refute. Anderson was right. He didn’t eat very much. At that moment, Martin looked at Cho Min Joon and asked, “Now that you’ve enjoyed your meal, how about an interview? No?”

“Sure. What do you want to know? Come to think of it, you don’t even need to ask. There was a 10-point dish. There was only one, but it was enough. It was the best dish of my life.”

“… Really?”

Martin was surprised by his answer. He thought 9 points would be the best. Even if they were a three-star restaurant, a dish had to be something else to be 10 points for Cho Min Joon’s perfect palate.

10 points meant it was perfect and that it couldn’t be improved. He didn’t think that kind of dish even existed in the world, but Cho Min Joon seemed certain. Martin asked with an excited voice, “Which one was it? W-wait, I think I know. It was that white anchovy and calf cheek meat, right?”

It wasn’t hard to figure out. Cho Min Joon even showed tears for that dish. Cho Min Joon nodded. Martin exclaimed.

“I heard that that cheek meat gets a lot of good reviews from food critics. Apparently, that’s what made this restaurant a three-star…”

“It was that good. Like I said, it was 10 points. You could say it was 100 points. It was so perfect beyond points. It made me want to study abroad in France.”

Cho Min Joon spoke in a serious manner. His eyes showed just how inspired he was. Martin looked at the other four.

“Do you agree?”

“I can’t give any points, but it was flawless indeed. I feel like it truly reached the ceiling of what a person could make.”

Anderson spoke in a stuff voice. Martin thought about how to use this footage, but at that moment, a tall and muscular man walked over. It was Dave. He seemed to be in his mid-thirties. The way he tied his long brown hair back in a ponytail made him look like a celebrity. Dave looked at Cho Min Joon before looking at everyone else.

“Did you enjoy your meal?”

“Yes, it was spectacular.”

“The best I’ve ever had.”

The round of compliments put a smile on Dave’s face. He then slowly said, “I was surprised when Rachel called me. She had never asked me for a favor before. But…”

Dave met eyes with Cho Min Joon. Cho Min Joon didn’t avoid Dave’s eyes. He actually looked at him straight in the eyes. A man under 40 who made a dish worth 10 points. He respected him, and his cooking level was 9. That meant he was as good as Joseph. Of course, there was probably still a difference between the two…

“So this is the show that featured a person with the perfect palate. I don’t really watch TV, but I’ve heard about your tasting abilities. I’ve seen your videos as well. It’s an honor to meet you, Min Joon.”

“No, the honor is all mine. I enjoyed your dishes. They were the best I’ve ever had in my life. Thank you.”

Cho Min Joon shook hands with Dave. Dave smiled.

“Was there a dish that was worth 10 points?”

“Yes. The calf cheek meat was a 10. The first 10 I’ve ever encountered.”

“… I’m glad to hear that. It makes me as happy as when Rachel praises me.”

In response, Cho Min Joon smiled awkwardly. He felt burdened that he thought so highly of him, but he didn’t hate it. Cho Min Joon said, “I’ll… show you a dish like this one day.”

“You can do it. Tasting ability is very important in this world. I hope you use your talent in the best way possible.”

Cho Min Joon smiled without a word.

***

The ride back to the Grand Chef House was quiet. Not for any particular reason. The four of them were all fast asleep. As for Cho Min Joon, he looked back on all the dishes.

‘Would I be able to copy the flavors… if I do exactly what he did?’

But that was hard to do without the recipe. Now that he was an 8 in gourmet level, he could read recipes that were worth 8 points, but he still couldn’t access the 9-point dishes. He was able to read the ingredients regardless of level, but it was a different story for the full recipe.

Just one drop of sauce and just one pinch of ingredients made all the difference, and what Cho Min Joon tasted today proved just that, but why was it that Cho Min Joon thought of Kaya’s face at that moment?

‘It would’ve been nice if Kaya tried it.’

She would’ve liked it more than Cho Min Joon. Cho Min Joon didn’t grow up with good home cooking, but Kaya didn’t even have the bare necessities growing up. The best food she ever tried was probably her own.

Despite having a level 10 in gourmet with such sensitive tastebuds, she only grew up eating her own food. If Kaya had tasted Dave’s food… She would have been even more shocked than Cho Min Joon was.

Cho Min Joon fumbled his phone. He considered calling her, but he remembered that the disqualification mission could still be taking place. In the end, he just texted her. As soon as he asked, ‘What are you doing?’ he received an immediate response.

[Kaya: The disqualification mission.]

[Me: What mission is it?]

[Kaya: Apple pie. The dough has to be made from scratch.]

[Kaya: It’s evaluation time right now. They’re evaluating Marco’s.]

Marco’s apple pie. He didn’t even have to worry. Cho Min Joon texted her back.

[Me: The food was amazing. I wish you came with us.]

[Kaya: Are you teasing me?]

[Me: No, I’m really sad. Should I try to copy it and show you?]

[Kaya: Do you want a taste of my bullet?]

He didn’t mean to tease her, but she was mad, and her mention of a bullet reminded him of just how extreme American threats were. Cho Min Joon laughed bitterly. He looked at his phone for a while when Kaya texted him again.

[Kaya: … I’m not saying I’ll actually shoot you. You’re not that dumb, are you?]

She was worried he misunderstood. At first, she was just a mean girl who swore a lot, but as time went on, he started to see a softer side to her. Cho Min Joon hesitated for a moment before typing out his text in a cautious manner. Even last time, Kaya thought he was looking down on her for spelling Norimaki wrong. He didn’t want to hurt her again.

[Me: You’re so timid. If you’re going to cuss me out, stick with it. It’s not like you to act like this.]

[Kaya: That’s because you’ve been sensitive lately.]

Cho Min Joon knitted his brows. He was being sensitive? He had never thought of that before, but then again, he tended to criticize for leaving napkins on the table and wearing aprons crooked… But he didn’t think that made him sensitive.

As he typed out a response, he received another text.

[Kaya: Oh, someone got disqualified.]

[Me: Who?]

[Kaya: Him.]

It was a short response, and it wasn’t friendly at all. Cho Min Joon stared at his screen. He texted her back.

[Me: Who’s him? Tell me the name. Who is it?]

He didn’t get a response.