"Speaking of which, we're located right here in the port area, but after being here for so long, we still haven't gone to the harbour to try the local seafood cuisine."
Sitting by the window of a seaport restaurant, gazing at the distant ocean while enjoying the evening breeze caressing his face, Dylan spoke with a touch of wistfulness.
A year had passed since their visit to the molecular gastronomy research institute. During this time, Nakiri Alice had shown a heightened interest in the field.
Adhering to the principle that interest is the best teacher, Dylan began systematically studying molecular gastronomy himself and imparting this knowledge to Alice.
Driven by her passion, Nakiri Alice woke up before dawn every day to hone her culinary skills. Based on this foundation, she won numerous international awards related to molecular gastronomy and personally achieved the rank of Second Class Chef through her molecular dishes.
"Right, since we're here, why don't we go say hello to the head chef of this place?"
"Why bother greeting the head chef of a small restaurant like this? The best greeting for a chef is to eat every last bite of the food they serve!"
Hearing Nakiri Alice's suggestion beside him, Dylan shrugged nonchalantly. Asking him to greet the head chef of a small restaurant truly felt like putting him in an awkward position.
"We are on someone else's turf, after all. It's better to be polite."
A touch of excitement danced on Nakiri Alice's face. She stood up from her seat, preparing to find a server and ask who the restaurant's head chef was.
"When did you two sneak in? It's break time now, the shop isn't open. If you want to eat, go somewhere else."
Suddenly, a young but stern voice came from nearby. Dylan looked up to see a boy wearing a black t-shirt on top, a white apron tied around his lower half, with heavy dark circles under his eyes.
Seeing the uninvited pair, the boy's eyebrows lowered slightly, looking quite angry, his voice filled with reproach.
"It's alright, we can just wait until the restaurant opens."
The evening wind blew, and ships occasionally docked at the harbour. There wasn't much time left before dinner service. Finding a new place now would be much more troublesome than waiting here.
Dylan also recognized the dark-haired boy before him: Kurokiba Ryou, Nakiri Alice's aide from the original story, specializing in seafood cuisine.
In the source material, Ryou's skills at this age weren't quite up to Alice's level; he only managed to defeat her two years later. However, for Kurokiba Ryou to be the head chef of this restaurant at this age, he must have some real skill.
"Wait if you want to wait. But don't wander around the restaurant and disturb others working. If you dare cause trouble, get out!"
Hearing Dylan's response, Kurokiba Ryou didn't say much more. Leaving this warning, he returned to the kitchen. He needed to prepare ingredients for the upcoming customers.
The peak hour would start in half an hour!
"What was that! What a rude guy!"
Watching Kurokiba Ryou's retreating back, Nakiri Alice's cheeks puffed out instantly. She turned to Dylan and complained bluntly.
"Seems like a chef with personality. Dishes from such chefs are usually quite good. We can look forward to it."
Dylan said with a smile, an unconscious spark of anticipation rising within him. He wasn't particularly bothered by the boy's attitude; after all, the Dark Culinary World was full of people with strong personalities.
In fact, every formidable chef possessed a powerful personality; cookie-cutter types could never reach the pinnacle of cuisine.
"Such a rude person definitely can't make good food! And look how old he is, could he be the head chef's son?"
"No, he is the head chef of this place."
"Huh? How is that possible? He looks like he's about my age!"
Hearing Dylan's words, Nakiri Alice couldn't help but cry out, her voice tinged with disbelief due to Kurokiba Ryou's young age.
"You can tell from the aura he carries. A head chef's presence is different in their own establishment. The flavour of their cooking will also be significantly better than when they cook elsewhere."
"Is it really that mystical?"
"You can think of it as confidence. Confidence is a good thing; it allows people to perform exceptionally, creating dishes far beyond their usual level."
The two chatted back and forth. Before long, the doors of the seaport restaurant opened wide, and customers began pouring in, instantly livening up the place. At this point, a server approached their table with menus.
"One order of Blanched Squid, one Steamed Sea Bass, and for the main course, two Seafood Pastas. For the seafood pasta, I'd like the seafood to be shrimp."
Glancing at the menu, Dylan quickly made his decision. The dishes he ordered heavily depended on the freshness of the seafood – the unique advantage of a seaside restaurant, having access to the freshest ingredients!
"Okay, please wait a moment."
After writing down the order, the server nodded and hurried off to attend to the next customer, while Dylan and Nakiri Alice observed the restaurant.
"This restaurant has quite a lot of customers. The food must be pretty good."
Looking at the bustling crowd around them, Nakiri Alice commented expectantly.
"It's located in a prime spot at the port, after all. It would be abnormal if it didn't have this many customers. Look, the queue at the door doesn't exceed three people, proving this restaurant isn't that irreplaceable."
"However, being able to retain these customers proves the chef does have some skill."
Downing the glass of water the server had brought, Dylan spoke slowly. Although the restaurant seemed busy, the true measure of a chef's level was reflected in the customers willing to queue outside.
This restaurant's popularity was superficial; the real reason was likely its prime location. Just like them – they had found this restaurant simply because it was the first one they saw upon arriving at the port area.
"That's true. Although this restaurant has many customers, most people look quite calm. Only a few show expressions of eager anticipation."
Prompted by Dylan's reminder, Nakiri Alice also noticed the atmosphere wasn't quite right. A restaurant in a good location could easily be worth as much as a First Class Head Chef.
About fifteen minutes passed.
"Your Blanched Squid, Steamed Sea Bass, and Seafood Pasta. Enjoy!"
Because he was particularly mindful of Dylan and Nakiri Alice, Kurokiba Ryou cooked their order in the very first batch and brought the dishes to their table himself.
"Just put it here."
Dylan smiled faintly, gesturing towards the table in front of him. Kurokiba Ryou placed the dishes down, gave Dylan a deep look, and then returned to the kitchen.
He had a strange feeling that this guy before him was extremely formidable.
No particular reason, just a chef's intuition!
"Smooth, tender! The squid, briefly blanched in boiling water, retains its most essential original flavour and delicate texture."
"Paired with simple aromatics like scallion, ginger, and garlic for fragrance, and a touch of soy sauce or steamed fish soy sauce for seasoning... the squid meat has a slight crisp bite to it, the heat control was perfect!"
Picking up a piece of squid with his chopsticks, Dylan noted that high-end ingredients only require simple cooking methods. For squid fresh off the boat, blanching was undoubtedly the best approach!
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