I was able to resume the meal only after being scolded by the waiter and apologizing to the other customers for the commotion. Haruna said she didn't have a chance to properly taste the food because of the situation, so this time, I was to taste it properly and give my impressions.
I speared a piece of guanciale with my fork as before, twirled the pasta around it, and brought it straight to my mouth. I decided to just say whatever came to mind for my review and focus on savoring the taste first.
Gulp.
After thoroughly chewing and swallowing the pasta and guanciale, I made a silent vow. I had to make a separate reservation later and come back to eat with Nagisa and Seia.
"So, how is it? In your opinion, Mika-san, is it worthy of the arrogant title of 'the best in Kivotos'?"
"...Among all the pastas I have ever eaten, I can dare to declare this the best."
That wasn't an exaggeration; it was the truth. It was no wonder Haruna had heard a rumor about this restaurant serving the best Amatriciana in Kivotos and made a reservation.
"I see. For you to say that, Mika-san, raises my expectations. But that is still not enough. So, could you please give me a more detailed evaluation?"
"Ahaha, I said this before, but don't get your hopes too high! First, this tomato sauce is spicy, but at the same time, it doesn't give an unpleasant feeling. The subtle aroma, which seems to have garlic and basil, combined with the cheese, seems to be screaming, 'This is the definition of a delicious spiciness!'. And especially because of the bucatini's nature, the taste of the sauce is felt continuously with every chew, which doubles the satisfaction, should I say?"
"Fufu, traditionally, a classic Amatriciana does not use bucatini. However, many gastronomic delights have been discovered by breaking away from traditional methods, and recipes are bound to change according to people's preferences. Bucatini, as well as tomatoes and peperoncino, can be said to have opened a new horizon for Amatriciana. Though the garlic and basil might be a bit divisive."
"Yep, to perfectly satisfy everyone's preferences, the customer has to make the request first, so it can't be helped. It's only natural for the kitchen to cook according to the recipe with the best reviews."
A restaurant of this quality could probably accommodate individual preferences to some extent by making small changes to the recipe, as long as the customer gives them a heads-up. But that's only possible if the customer says something, isn't it?
What Haruna wanted was the Amatriciana from the restaurant's standard recipe. If that included basil and garlic, then she had to eat it without complaint. Besides, basil pairs well with tomato sauce, so it's not that divisive, and garlic goes well with most dishes.
"And this guanciale! The chewy texture is superb, the savory umami flavor is no joke, and the rich flavor that comes from the fat is simply masterful. It's a completely different feeling from Amatriciana that uses bacon as a substitute. Though I have to say, it does feel a little overly salty. But it's not so much that it's bothersome, so it's fine!"
For the record, guanciale is a calorie bomb. It's only natural, given its high fat content. But Haruna said she's the type that doesn't gain weight, so it probably doesn't matter for her.
As for me... I'll just have to train a little harder. Probably.
Actually, seeing the amount of sweets the Tea Party girls eat with their tea, I think they're also the type that just doesn't gain weight.
"I too must properly savor the taste this time. Thanks to you, Mika-san, I have already committed a great sin against this dish, so I must eat it with twice the enjoyment, must I not?"
"C'mon, Haruna-chan, really. You're being too dramatic~"
"Fufu, I will pretend I did not hear that, especially. For the sake of our relationship."
"...What kind of relationship do we have?"
"Fufufu."
Hey, Haruna? Could you please stop laughing silently and give me an answer?
Since we were sharing one plate, it didn't take long for the pasta to disappear. Even Haruna, who had said she would savor the taste, couldn't stop her hands from moving, which must have meant the Amatriciana had captured her heart.
"To be honest, it was so delicious I regret not ordering a plate each."
"Ahaha! I honestly agree. But I ate a little less for your sake, Haruna-chan, so can't you let it slide?"
"...Was that not because you had greater expectations for the next dish, Mika-san? That is certainly how it looked to me."
"Oh, you caught me☆"
"But it is alright. I understand that feeling completely. If the preceding dish is this good, it is only natural for the anticipation for the next dish to rise. And especially since this is a dish you wanted, Mika-san."
"Yep, it's a steak I've always wanted to try at least once! I've had the other famous steak, cotoletta alla milanese, but I never had the chance to try bistecca alla fiorentina."
Just as Amatriciana comes from the town of Amatrice, these two steaks are no different. Milanese means Milan-style, and Fiorentina means Florence-style.
To put it simply, cotoletta is the ancestor of cutlet dishes like tonkatsu and schnitzel. It's a steak made by breading and frying a bone-in veal loin, and along with bistecca, it can be called one of the two great pillars of Italian steak gastronomy.
For the record, it's damn delicious...
On the other hand, bistecca is a type of T-bone steak, and the differentiating factor is, as Haruna confirmed with the waiter, that it uses Chianina beef. Other than that, all I know is that it's quite expensive to eat at a steakhouse in its native land.
In any case, the memory of having eaten one has inflated my expectations for the other. But how can I not have expectations?
While waiting for the steak to arrive, we had another chat. Thankfully, she didn't bring up joining the Gourmet Research Society at all, but it didn't seem like she had given up on trying to recruit me.
...She doesn't already consider me a member, does she? I haven't submitted an application form yet. And I'm really busy, so even if I did join, I wouldn't be able to go on activities with them.
In a very Haruna-like fashion, the conversation revolved around gastronomy. At one point, she asked me to recommend a good dessert cafe in Trinity, and I flatly refused, saying that if it were to be blown up, I would be the one to die. The one thing that must never happen is Nagisa-chan wringing my neck...!
Oh, we also exchanged MomoTalk contacts. Seeing her profile, 'EAT OR DIE,' I am once again reminded of the fact that she is definitely one of the top weirdos in Kivotos.
Haruna saw the profile I had set, 'Happily Ever After,' and reacted with, "Mika-san, you seem to live up to your appearance in many ways." I think she reacted that way because it's a phrase commonly used at the end of fairy tales, but it's not wrong, so I just let it be.
I felt a little bad changing the profile Mika had originally set, but a happy ending not just for me, but for many students, was what I was aiming for, so I changed it after much deliberation. Hoping that my actions would lead to a happy ending.
I don't know how the story got to this point, but after a wait that felt both short and long, the long-awaited steak was placed before us.
"Bistecca alla Fiorentina, and roasted potatoes."
My first impression is that it's quite thick. It looks to be at least 3cm. Haruna's eyes are sparkling, so it's clear she's inwardly impressed.
There was no separate seasoning, just a little salt sprinkled on top. At that level, the meat juices are the seasoning and the sauce. It seems the core of bistecca is to enjoy the natural flavor of the meat and its juices.
Seeing the glistening juices on the cross-section of the thickly cut steak makes my mouth water. Neither Haruna nor I needed any more words. I took a piece from the tenderloin side, and Haruna took one from the striploin side, placing them on our plates and beginning to cut.
The moment the knife went in, the meat juices, mixed with blood, seeped out, stimulating the senses. Just as chefs pay great attention to plating for a reason, a dish can provide satisfaction with its visuals alone. A steak dripping with juices, in my opinion, vies for the top spot in this field.
"They say the hardest part of a T-bone steak is cooking the striploin and tenderloin to the same doneness, do they not? Seeing as both sides are perfectly rare, the execution is flawless."
"Yeah, that's for sure. Thanks to you, Haruna-chan, I found a great restaurant today, so I'm happy in many ways☆"
"...Fufu. If you participate in the Gourmet Research Society's activities with me, conquering all the famous restaurants in Kivotos is not just an empty dream."
"Ahaha, Haruna-chan, really. I told you I'm not joining!"
Hey, Haruna-san. You keep treating me like a member of the Gourmet Research Society, but I'm already a member of the Tea Party, so I can't join, you know?
I retorted at Haruna and speared a piece of tenderloin, which I had cut into a bite-sized piece, with my fork. Seeing the meat juices and blood seep out the moment the fork went in, I thought, isn't this half meat, half juice?
That's enough of the commentary. Now is the time to receive our lord steak, which I had always wanted to try but couldn't because it was realistically too much of a burden to go to its native land to eat.
"...!"
What? The meat was there, and now it's gone. Just kidding, that's how much it melts in your mouth.
"Wow..."
That's all that comes out. Just, "wow." The taste is, of course, excellent, but personally, the satisfaction from the texture of the meat is greater. The outside is moderately crispy, adding to the chew, and then the meat juices and blood burst out, and the inside meat just melts away. It's nothing short of heaven.
I normally prefer medium, but this is a steak that I feel should naturally be eaten rare. It's a dish that competes on its excellent texture, so the more you cook it, the more it loses its essence.
My eyes and Haruna's met.
No more words were needed between us.
We even skipped discussing our impressions of the dish and greedily devoured the steak and roasted potatoes.
If there was one and only one thing to be desired from today's meal, it would probably be the absence of wine.
...Ah, I'm craving wine. I feel the lack of it so intensely it's driving me crazy. I wonder if there's a way to get some later.
As I was thinking that, Haruna wiped her lips with a napkin and suddenly spoke.
"Mika-san, I would like to thank you."
"Hm? Why all of a sudden?"
"If I had been alone, I would have just enjoyed the Amatriciana and left. Thanks to you, Mika-san, today's meal will remain a meaningful memory... Fufut, the best dish, shared with a like-minded friend. If this is not called gastronomy, then nothing else can be."
"Ahaha! You have a way with words, Haruna-chan. It's a little cringey to hear, but it feels good. A like-minded friend... I see."
Perhaps what I'm gaining today is more than I thought. A friend with whom I click so well is a being that is incomparably difficult to find.
The fact that said friend is a terrorist leader is a little dizzying, but that's not something a rebel leader should be saying. Yep.
Today, I became friends with a demon from Gehenna.