Chapter 70: Pan-Fried Flower Crab, I Give a Poor Rating!
Translator: OnGoingWhyEditor: Vermillion
Elder sister Chun was furious. Xiao Xiaolong's friend was clearly there to find fault. The general area's dishes might not be cooked by their top chef, but it was not possible for them to be as dreadful as he described.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xiaolong and the others were looking at elder sister Chun with weird expressions on their faces. They thought, "Bu Fang does not have the qualifications to criticize Immortal Phoenix Restaurant's dishes? That's the biggest joke in the world. Even the emperor was subdued by Bu Fang's dishes, what right does the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant have to be so arrogant?"
Elder sister Chun's words were very arrogant, but she had the qualification to be arrogant. She was very confident in the chefs of the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant. There was basically no other restaurant in the Light Wind Empire that was better than them. The chefs they hired were the best in the entire empire.
The mocking gaze from Xiao Xiaolong and the others was making elder sister Chun feel slightly uncomfortable. Her pretty face slightly frowned as she asked, "Are my words incorrect?"
Xiao Xiaolong and the others chuckled and lightly shook their heads without speaking, while Bu Fang was expressionless as he glanced at her.
His glance was as if he was looking at a clown.
Bu Fang stood up and glanced at elder sister Chun. He placed some gold coins on the table and simply said, "Bring me to the second floor. All of the dishes on the first floor… I give a poor rating."
"You..." Elder sister Chun was exasperated. She thought, "Why is this person so arrogant! Who does he think he is? Who is he to criticize the dishes made by the chefs of Immortal Phoenix Restaurant?!"
When Xiao Xiaolong and the others saw that Bu Fang was going to the second floor, their eyes immediately lit up and they stood up as well.
Xiao Xiaolong smiled as he moved next to elder sister Chun and said, "Elder sister Chun, don't be angry. This friend of mine has a personality just like that. Bring us to the second floor. The second floor's dishes are incomparable to the first floor’s. When that time comes, my friend might not give such an assessment."
"Fine! I want to see whether this arrogant brat would still be this conceited upstairs!" Elder sister Chun tenderly snorted as she turned around and led the way while swaying her hips.
Xiao Xiaolong and the others carefreely smiled as they followed after her.
The space on the second floor of the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant was much narrower than the first floor. When Bu Fang and the others made their way onto the second floor, they could feel a different atmosphere with their bodies.
Unlike the clamorous first floor, the second floor was extremely quiet and harmonious. The furnishing was very gorgeous and exquisite, and there were many spirit herbs placed in the surroundings that constantly released fresh air. There were some customers seated at their tables, eating their food in a refined manner.
Elder sister Chun led them toward an empty table while swaying her body. Her expression was unpleasant as she coldly said to Bu Fang, "Look at the menu, what do you want to eat!"
Bu Fang received the menu. There were around twenty dishes written on it and every single dish was very expensive. Even though it was nothing compared to Fang Fang's Little Store, the price was already unattainable for the ordinary populace.
Bu Fang only took a single glance before he placed the menu on the table and simply said, "Give me all of the dishes that you think are the best on the second floor."
"Hmm?" Elder sister Chun's pupils constricted as she coldly looked at Bu Fang. She thought, "From his tone, this brat is still trying to find fault with our dishes? He's on the second floor of the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant and he still dares to find fault?"
"Very well! I'll let you experience the dishes of the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant!" Elder sister Chun angrily snorted as she turned around and left to make arrangements for the preparation of the dishes.
Only after elder sister Chun left, Xiao Xiaolong softly asked Bu Fang, "Owner Bu… Are you really preparing to criticize all of the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant's dishes today?
"Is this really a wise thing to do? After all, harmony breeds prosperity."
Bu Fang slightly frowned and glanced at Xiao Xiaolong. He simply said, "They should be grateful that I am pointing out their inadequacies."
Ouyang Xiaoyi could not help but burst out laughing. Owner Bu's earnest appearance while speaking nonsense was simply too funny for her.
Xiao Yanyu was covering her mouth as she chuckled as well. A trace of captivating redness appeared on her beautiful face.
On the other hand, Bu Fang was extremely puzzled. He was speaking the truth. The assessment he gave pointed out the fatal flaws of the dishes. If they made revisions based on these flaws, the taste of these dishes would at least improve by a single grade.
After a while, the fragrance of a dish drifted toward them.
Elder sister Chun's hips were swaying as she leisurely approached while bringing the dish. She was carrying a large plate with flower crabs that exuded a rich fragrance. These flower crabs were split into halves and erected on the plate. From a distance, it looked dazzling and glorious.
"This is a very well-known dish of the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant's distinguished area, the Pan-Fried Flower Crab." Elder sister Chun provocatively looked at Bu Fang after placing the dish onto the table.
Xiao Xiaolong was feeling slightly unable to restrain himself as he breathed in the aroma of the flower crab. Previously, when he came to the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant, he would definitely order this dish.
He moved one of the flower crabs into his bowl and eagerly removed the shell before he heartily started eating.
Bu Fang also helped himself to one half of a flower crab. The color of the flower crab was well-controlled. The red-colored shell and also the fragrance that exuded after it was pan-fried were quite tantalizing.
Grabbing a single chopstick, Bu Fang pried open the shell of the flower crab and the fragrant crab meat was exposed in front of him. That white and tender crab meat was giving off a faint heat, and when supplemented by the red shell, made it even more inviting.
Bu Fang did not immediately touch the crab meat. He used his chopstick to scoop off some of the crab butter from the shell. The crab butter was amber in color and very enticing. Even though the fragrance was not that strong, it was still the essence of a crab.
"Hmm?" After Bu Fang tasted the crab butter that remained on the shell, he began to frown and did not say anything. Then, he took a bite of the tender and fragrant crab meat and his expression was still solemn.
After tasting both the crab butter and crab meat, Bu Fang put the flower crab down and did not say anything.
"What's wrong? Can't point out any flaws? The dishes on the first floor are prepared for ordinary commoners and you would definitely be able to point out the flaws. However, now that you're on the second floor, the dishes here are prepared for the distinguished guests, the prestigious people within the imperial city. Can you still point out the flaws?"
When elder sister Chun saw that Bu Fang was not speaking, she immediately began to mock and ridicule him.
Xiao Xiaolong and the others were also startled as they puzzledly looked at Bu Fang. However, according to their understanding of Bu Fang, he would definitely not give up such a chance to put down others.
Bu Fang glanced at the jubilant elder sister Chun, then pursed his lips and simply said, "It's not that I can't say anything, it's that I am speechless. Is this really a signature dish from the second floor of Immortal Phoenix Restaurant?
"Leaving aside how the flower crab was cooked, the choice of the flower crab itself was a stain on this dish. The most important aspect of Pan-Fried Flower Crab is the selection of the flower crab. This flower crab's meat is not tender enough and it's as tasteless as water. Just from looking, I can tell that this crab was artificially bred. The texture of the meat feels empty and the taste is much worse than wild flower crabs. Furthermore, there's also the problem with the pan-frying process. The control over the heat was not done properly and as a result, the crab butter lost its fragrance and taste due to overcooking. Overall, I give a poor rating."
It was not that Bu Fang could not say it, but he was lazy to say it. When he first smelled this dish of Pan-Fried Flower Crab, he was feeling slightly expectant. However, once he tasted it, that expectation sharply fell. Saying that it fell from the sky into an abyss would not be an exaggeration.
Elder sister Chun went into a daze. Xiao Xiaolong and the others went into a daze as well. So… this dish had so many flaws! They could not tell at all!
"Hmph! Who doesn't know how to talk nonsense! Who knows whether your comments are correct!" Elder sister Chun started to sneer.
Bu Fang indifferent glanced at her and looked away. "It's up to you whether you believe it or not. Hurry up and serve the other dishes. I've already lost my patience with your dishes."
That was right, whether she believed or not did not matter to Bu Fang. He was only there to complete the system mission and not to educate elder sister Chun.
"Elder sister Chun, what happened? What's the reason for the dispute?"
Just when elder sister Chun's chest was heaving from exasperation, a slim figure slowly approached and started to speak.
When elder sister Chun saw the person who approached, her eyes lit up as she said, "Owner Qian, hurry up and come over. This fellow is saying that our restaurant's dishes are not cooked properly!"