Chapter 149 - Chapter 149: Taste of a Master (5)

‘They say there are lots of oddballs in this world, but…’

He didn’t imagine to see a level 9 so suddenly. The older man approached them from the kitchen. His head was shaved but showed little speckles of black and white hair, and his lips smiled to show wrinkles around it.

“Are you here as customers?”

He spoke in Japanese. Just as the interpreter was about to translate, he immediately spoke in English when he realized that they didn’t understand. His English was just as fluent as that of Yamamoto.

“You don’t speak Japanese. Can you speak English?”

“Oh, you’re fluent in English.”

“So which one of you are customers?”

Higashino’s eyes turned to the staff behind Cho Min Joon and Rachel. Cho Min Joon and Rachal were unable to answer his question. Martin looked around. It wasn’t too spacious, but there was enough room for the staff. He opened his mouth.

“We’re all customers. Is it okay to bring in cameras?”

“As long as you don’t make too much noise.”

Higashino answered in a serious voice. He was not very friendly to his customers, but was it because he saw his cooking level? Cho Min Joon understood Higashino’s attitude.

Cho Min Joon sat at the bar in front of Higashino.

“Do you have a menu?”

“No. Tell me what you want. I’ll make it for you as long as I have the ingredients.”

“… Anything?”

Rachel looked shocked. She had been to many restaurants in her life, but she had never been to one that didn’t have a menu. At that moment, Cho Min Joon slowly opened his mouth.

“Katsudon.”

Katsudon. Pork cutlets with rice. It wasn’t his favorite food. He didn’t hate gyudon or Japanese rice dishes, and he liked pork cutlets, but he didn’t like Katsudon.

And the reason was simple. Katsudon was one of the most difficult dishes to make, and the reason was simple. They had to keep the fried food crispy even after pouring sauce on it. It sounded simple, but it took great skill to achieve it.

So he didn’t expect much from a neighborhood shop. He had never seen a good Katsudon before. Since he had never seen a Katsudon over 6 points… he had lost hope.

Higashino nodded and looked at Rachel. Rachel looked taken aback. She then stroked her chin and answered, “I’d like grilled mackerel and skewers. I’d like a chicken heart and meatball as well as anything else you might have.”

Higashino took orders from the others as well. Some even asked for hamburgers or pasta, but Higashino didn’t refuse. Cho Min Joon gulped. He understood why Yamamoto had a hard time describing this restaurant.

After taking orders from over 10 customers, Higashino entered the kitchen to start cooking. There weren’t even 10 gas burners, but he didn’t rush. He boiled water, heated up oil, warmed the pan, and sliced ingredients.

There were no helpers either. It was impressive. There weren’t other customers, but there were probably times when it was busy. Even now, Higashino was handling over 10 customers all on his own.

‘And they’re all different menus…’

Cho Min Joon watched Higashino work with wide eyes. His way of working was strange. Most chefs could only stick to 3 different dishes when busy. If not, they were bound to get things mixed up.

But Higashino was different. He wasn’t so fast that he couldn’t be seen to the naked eye. It was just that he didn’t stop. He prepared all of the ingredients needed for the dishes, and he didn’t waste any time.

“No way…”

Cho Min Joon watched Higashino as if he was dreaming. If Rachel Rose was the best leader of a kitchen he had watched, Higashino was the best 1-man kitchen he had ever seen.

If a man like that was a level 9, what did a level 10 look like?

And a moment later, Katsudon was placed in front of Cho Min Joon.

[Katsudon]

Freshness: 97%

Origin: (Too many ingredients for an accurate calculation)

Quality: High

Cooking Score: 9/10

He understood why the score was 9. After all, the process of Katsudon was extensive. There were many ways to increase the score, but what was important was flavor. His spoon shook.

The Katsudon Higashino made him was different from the rest. The rice was brown as if it was soaked with soy sauce. It almost looked like nasi goraeng from India, and it tasted like it as well. But it wasn’t curly like nasi goraeng. He liked the way the sticky rice mingled with the onions wrapped in egg.

The pork cutlets tasted unexpected. It was crispy, but it wasn’t crispy like ordinary pork cutlets. It was crispy like crackers. If it wasn’t soaked in broth, it might have been too hard.

‘This taste…’

Cho Min Joon put only the pork cutlet in his mouth with wide eyes. Every time he chewed on the fried pork cutlets, the pure taste seemed familiar. He felt like he knew the secret behind it. 9 points. He couldn’t find out the recipe, but he could understand just from the taste. Cho Min Joon looked at Higashino and asked, “Did you add onion water in the batter?”

“… You have a sensitive palate.”

Higashino looked at Cho Min Joon strangely. Cho Min Joon felt excited for a moment. The reasons being the delicious Katsudon as well as the fact that he figured out the secret behind the batter without the system’s help. And one last thing…

‘I can’t believe he can cook like this…’

He felt as though the world became wider. At that moment, Rachel looked at Higashino with a suspicious gaze.

“You look familiar… Have we met?”

“No, but I know you. Rachel Rose. I thought you retired.”

In response to Higashino’s calm voice, Rachel opened her eyes in shock. She then smiled.

“I was famous back in the day, but I feel like I know you, too.”

“I’ve worked at the Japanese Embassy in America once. Perhaps, that’s when…”

“The Japanese Embassy! I knew someone who could make food like this wouldn’t have had an ordinary past. It’s possible we met back then.”

“Meat’s no good when it’s cold.”

“You’re so strict…”

It was hard to say anymore in response to his strict attitude. Rachel put her grilled mackerel in her mouth. She then rolled her eyes. Cho Min Joon was watching her eat the grilled mackerel with longing eyes.

“Do you want to try some?”

“… N-no. I’m already full… I’ll be full after this Katsudon.”

He considered throwing up in the washroom just so he could eat more. Cho Min Joon glanced around. There were various dishes such as hamburgers, tomato pasta, grilled mackerel, marinated tofu, and even Vienna sausages.

They weren’t fancy dishes that Rachel made, but none of them had any flaws. The tofu was smooth and unbroken, and the Vienna sausages and grilled fish showed off perfect cuts.

But it was all too appropriate. None of them were overdone but just enough to boost one’s appetite. Even the way the soy sauce was spilled on top of the marinated cod looked like a work of art.

“Back in the day during Grand Chef, me, Kaya, Anderson, and Chloe talked about what kind of restaurant we want to open in the future.”

“What kind do you want to open?”

“A restaurant just like this. A cozy and small place where customers can make requests, and I’ll do my best to make them. That’s my fantasy, but it’s not my dream.”

“Why isn’t it a dream?”

“Because it’s not realistic. Of course, this place is very impressive… But that’s because Higashino is that talented. It’ll take decades to have that talent. I’m greedy. I want to cook in the most perfect kitchen and use the best ingredients. I also want a kitchen in a crowded city rather than a small town, but it’s possible that a real chef should focus on making good food like Higashino than have such greed…”

Cho Min Joon looked down at his fists. His eyes shook.

“I can’t help but feel restless. I want to go further as quickly as possible. Is that bad?”

Rachel rested her hand on Cho Min Joon’s back. Rachel patted his back softly. She then asked, “What do you think?”

“Pardon me?”

“What do you think my dream is as a chef?”

“… Hm, to revive Rose Island to the days when your husband was alive?”

“Then do you think I feel urged or not?”

Cho Min Joon was unable to answer. He felt cautious guessing his mentor’s feelings, but Rachel’s eyes were urging him to answer, so he had no choice.

“Do you feel urged?”

“Yes. Very much so.”

Rachel gave a short answer. She was older. Of course, 60s were no longer considered old, but it was possible she would get sick soon. Perhaps that was a useless worry, but she couldn’t help but feel pressed. She wanted to revive her past as quickly as possible.

“But I don’t hate that urgency because of the disappointment I feel every day reminds me of my worth even further, so don’t hate your urgency. You may feel like your anxiousness will swallow you up… But that’ll only become your style.”

“… Thank you, Rachel. Your words make me feel at ease.”

“You’re an admirable man, and you’ll be an admirable chef one day.”

“But Rachel…”

Cho Min Joon opened his mouth but stopped himself. He wanted to say something, but it was hard for him to say anything in front of Rachel’s warm face. Cho Min Joon’s lips closed. And when they opened again, he didn’t say what he originally intended.

“My belly’s sending me a signal. I’d better go to the washroom. Maybe I can eat more once I empty it.”

“… Are you sure you’re not straining yourself? You can just rest.”

“No. I really want to eat more. I’ll be right back.”

Cho Min Joon excused himself. Rachel put a piece of chicken heart in her mouth without a word. Every time she chewed on it, the savory flavors exploded in her mouth. Rachel smirked and looked at Higashino.

“Thank you for the delicious food.”

“You have an interesting pupil under your wing.”

“Interesting…? Yes, I suppose so. Did you see how he got the secret behind your batter right? That’s how sensitive he is. No, he’s not just sensitive. He’ll probably guess everything that’s in your dish if you asked.”

Most people would’ve been surprised, but Higashino didn’t seem fazed. Rachel looked at him with a confused face.

“You don’t seem surprised. Did you know? Or don’t you believe me?”

“I doubt a woman of your status would lie. I believe you. Although, I didn’t know.”

“Then why is your reaction so calm?”

“Because it’s not so shocking that I’m surprised.”

Rachel seemed disappointed by Higashino’s calm answer. It wasn’t even her ability, but she had fun seeing people’s surprised reactions. Rachel opened her mouth.

“Isn’t it surprising? Someone with an outstanding palate tasted your food. Don’t you want to know what he thinks?”

“That’s great that I had a perfect palate as my customer, but he’s just a customer. Nothing special about it.”

“Why not? He can give you the most objective opinion of your food.”

“What does that change? If that man tells me my food tastes bad, does that mean all of my past customers had bad food?”

“Of course not. But he’ll taste your food in the best and most accurate manner than the others.”

“There’s no such thing as best with food, and I’m sure he’s also aware that there’s no right or wrong in food.”

Higashino’s small eyes turned to Rachel. His eyes contained certainty of what he just said, but Rachel was certain as well because she knew someone who lived a completely different life in terms of food—her husband. If Higashino had watched Daniel from up close… he wouldn’t have said such things.

“No, there’s such a thing. I believe it.”

“What makes you feel so inferior?”

Rachel’s eyes glared at the word, ‘inferior’. Higashino sighed and shook his head.

“I apologize.”

“… That’s all right. But let me ask you a question. Why did you open a restaurant like this?”

Higashino stared at Rachel without a word. He didn’t have to answer, but he couldn’t stand still. Higashino slowly opened his mouth.

“Cooking began to feel like homework to me, and I hated that. I like cooking, and that means I should enjoy it. That’s why I opened this restaurant.”

“I can’t do that.”

Rachel spoke in a stern voice. Her eyes looked so determined that even Higashino flinched.

“I want to finish the homework you gave up on.”

Rachel’s eyes shifted toward Cho Min Joon who was walking back from the washroom. Rachel showed a warm smile.

“With that boy.”