Chapter 352: Chapter 352: Unexpected Change

Bai He pushed the food trolley out, his expression not entirely relaxed.

When Qin Lang had finished cooking, he too had heard the electric bell sound indicating the completion of cooking in the competitive standard kitchen.

Qin Lang was faster than him, and not by a small margin.

This puts him at a disadvantage in this competition.

Nevertheless, Bai He had full confidence in the dish he presented.

Because this was the most famous dish of their Jiuhe Restaurant, passed down for generations and refined by many chefs, it has a unique taste that makes it unforgettable once tasted.

Many of the loyal food guests of the Jiuhe Restaurant, it could be said, stayed because of this particular dish.

As the current Head chef of the Jiuhe Restaurant, Bai He had never felt so confident as he did now!

“Respected Food Recommenders, the dish I have prepared on behalf of Jiuhe Restaurant is Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef, please have a taste.”

Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef!

As Bai He announced the name of the dish, a series of murmurs spread among the audience.

“So it’s this dish.”

“I was wondering if it would be this one when I heard the theme of the competition.”

Haha, it seems this new restaurant called Breeze Restaurant is going to lose!” “Even if it’s just a one-storey restaurant, it’s not to be underestimated if it manages to set up in the Tower of Food!”

Hearing the voices of the crowd, Qin Lang and the others exchanged glances.

“Uncle Su, is this Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef famous?” Qin Lang frowned slightly, and could not help asking Su Henian beside him.

Although he was just a helping hand, having joined the competition, he did not want Breeze Restaurant to lose.

Relax. Su Henian patted Qin Lang’s shoulder, clearly understanding Qin Lang’s thoughts, his smile remained calm, “Indeed, Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef is the signature dish of Jiuhe Restaurant.”

But compared to ours, the Sleeping Bull Silk, there is quite a gap.” Su Henian assured confidently, “During the preliminary survey, Chef Zhong and I made an undercover visit to the restaurant and tasted this dish ourselves.” “I see.” Hearing Su Henian’s explanation, Qin Lang’s expression slightly relaxed.

Since they had tasted it personally and Su Henian could say something so confident, it should not be a big problem…

“What?! How could it be?!”

Before Qin Lang could take a breath, Xu Qingzhong, standing beside him, stared at the close-up of Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef displayed on the electronic screen, and suddenly his expression changed, he exclaimed in a low voice.

“What’s wrong?” Su Henian frowned slightly and looked at the screen. However, with his level of culinary skills, he could not see any issues.

“The Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef they presented this time looks much more appealing than before,” Xu Qingzhong lowered his voice after having a look around.

“Although appearance is only one of the criteria for judging a dish, it implies that this Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef may not taste the same as the one we tasted before.”

Last time when they made a covert visit to Jiuhe Restaurant, Xu Qingzhong was also present, and he clearly remembered this Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef, having been deeply impressed by it.

‘This…” Su Henian slightly altered his facial expression, “Could it be that they discovered our identities the last time we visited, and therefore deliberately hid their true skills?”

“It might also be coincidental,” Xu Qingzhong contemplated for a moment and quickly came up with a possibility, “Sometimes when Chef Zhong is too busy, I would also cook Sleeping Bull Silk. Naturally, there’s a difference between his rendition and mine.”

“So you mean, the Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef we tasted last time may not be made by Bai He?” Qin Lang who was standing nearby, perked up at hearing their conversation.

“Although I don’t want to admit it, it may be so,” Su Henian’s previous relaxed expression disappeared. Seeing the Food Recommenders enjoying their tasting on the judging seats, he felt a wave of pressure coming at him.

“If I may interject,” Zhou Tianhao, standing nearby, looked at the people of Breeze Restaurant, then at Bai He on the stage, and suddenly spoke, “even knowing this in advance, you still have no other way out, right?”

Indeed,” Su Henian nodded slightly, his expression improved a little.

The opponent was already set. Even knowing that their signature dish could be more delicious than the one they tasted, nothing could be changed now.

However, this nonetheless added a certain degree of unpredictability to a competition that was initially deemed a sure win.

Su Henian couldn’t help but glance at Qin Lang next to him.

Now, all they could do was to see how well Qin Lang could perform with the Sleeping Bull Silk.

On the stage, seeing the judges looking satisfied while tasting, Bai He felt a sense of satisfaction flash through his eyes and his gaze swung to the people of Breeze Restaurant below the stage.

After Breeze Restaurant proposed to challenge Jiuhe Restaurant, Jiuhe Restaurant naturally wouldn’t just sit and wait. They took the initiative to investigate the situation at Breeze Restaurant.

From the investigation, the staff of Jiuhe Restaurant found out that the manager of Breeze Restaurant had visited their restaurant and tasted several of their signature dishes.

That particular day just so happened to be the day Bai He was out, and a less skillful chef had cooked those signature dishes.

Upon finding out about this, the management of Jiuhe Restaurant decided to counter with a strategy of their own. This Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef they put out was not only the complete version of the signature dish, but they had also made some improvements.

The time had come for a clean and decisive competition to bring Jiuhe

Restaurant, which popularity was dwindling, back to the top!

Breeze Restaurant was hoping to use this opportunity to establish themselves in the Tower of Food, but wasn’t Jiuhe Restaurant also hoping to use this exposure to prove themselves?

Looking at the readiness for battle in Breeze Restaurant, they must have caught onto something, right?

A twinkle of amusement appeared in Bai He’s eyes.

You brought this upon yourselves.

Surprised? Or not surprised?

“It’s my turn,” Qin Lang calmly said, looking at the Food Recommenders who were almost done with their tasting, a trace of peculiar look in his eyes.

A dish that is better than expected, huh…

Although he did not anticipate this, he did not cook Sleeping Bull Silk according to the original recipe either.

In terms of cooking method, Qin Lang did not make any changes, but he followed the original way of cooking Sleeping Bull Silk.

As for seasoning, especially during the latter part of stewing the beef soup, based on his understanding and experimentation with spices, he made some substantial adjustments to attain a better end result.

These adjustments were not apparent on the surface, but the Food Recommenders must have sensed them.

Facing this uncertainty, instead of feeling nervous, Qin Lang was filled with joy and anticipation.

If it’s possible, he’d rather have a competition where the outcome is uncertain, instead of a victory that he knew he could win from the start.

“Tap tap tap…”

Step by step, Qin Lang walked back in front of the stage, standing next to the kitchen cabinet car he left on the stage. He calmly looked at Bai He, then turned his gaze to the Food Recommenders who had finished their tasting.

Let’s see who wins!