"Ah?" Huang An Yao was shocked, looking at Qin Huai, his face full of confusion about when his father assigned him this task, and why he didn’t know about it.
Director Liu warmly shook hands with Huang An Yao: "Mr. Huang, I’ve heard so much about you. I really love your Huang Ji Restaurant. Every time our department gathers for dinner, we always come to Huang Ji. I’ve always regretted not dining there earlier and not obtaining a VIP card. From now on, our Neurology Department will work harder, striving to get a VIP card before the Orthopedics Department!"
Dr. Zhou also stood up to shake hands warmly: "Mr. Huang, feel free to contact me if you ever need assistance. Although I’m not familiar with the Rehabilitation Department doctors, I have connections with doctors in Orthopedics, Emergency, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics & Gynecology. You can reach out to me for appointments!"
Huang An Yao stood up, bewildered, shaking hands one by one, his eyes still fixed on Qin Huai, trying desperately to ask how he should introduce the dishes.
Qin Huai responded with a look that told him to just be himself.
Just then, the waiter came in to ask if everyone had arrived and if they should start serving food. Huang An Yao, still standing, nodded in agreement.
Today’s menu was prepared in advance by Huang Shengli, which is also the standard menu for Huang Ji Restaurant’s Three Heads Banquet.
Eight cold dishes: Marinated Jellyfish, Spicy Crunch, Deboned Chicken Feet and Wings, Salted Duck Gizzard, Salt and Pepper Vegetarian Eel Strips, Agate Salted Egg, Mustard Tripe, and Crystal Fish Strips.
Four seasoning dishes: Soy-Pickled Garlic, Marinated Cilantro, Red Fermented Bean Curd, and Pickled Radish Slices.
Twelve hot dishes: Stir fried Fish, Soft Pouch Long Fish, Fried Chicken, Braised Abalone and Pigeon Egg, Braised Pig’s Head, Stewed Crab Meat Meatballs, Braised Silver Carp Head, Ginkgo Heart, Mixed Coconut Fruit, Stir fried Vegetables, Yangzhou Fried Rice, and Chicken Soup.
Four snacks: Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns, Three Meat Buns, Suzhou style mooncakes, and guo’er.
Originally, the four snacks in the Huang Ji Three Heads Banquet were all by Zheng Siyuan. After Qin Huai arrived, it became split between two by Qin Huai and two by Zheng Siyuan. Once guo’er appeared at "Taste," it changed to three by Qin Huai and one by Zheng Siyuan.
Waiters entered in a stream serving dish by dish, each colorful, fragrant, and flavorful, with beautifully arranged plating that left the guests wide-eyed.
Among those present, apart from Huang An Yao, no one had ever experienced an authentic Three Heads Banquet.
Even Qin Huai had only experienced it in parts.
Seeing everyone’s expressions of unfamiliarity, Huang An Yao knew it was his time to perform.
The Young Master transformed into the best dish commentator.
"In the traditional Three Heads Banquet, Salted Duck Gizzard and Crystal Fish Strips are two indispensable cold dishes."
"Many uncles and aunties here might not know, as non-locals, but Salted Duck Gizzard is a top choice for a drinking dish here, second only to fried peanuts. Fresh and large duck gizzards are selected, marinated, cooked, then brined. Throughout the making, only a few spices and seasonings are used: salt, Sichuan peppercorn, scallions, ginger slices, and Shaoxing wine. During marinating, it’s pressed with a heavy object for 12 hours, resulting in a very tightly packed, chewy texture."
Hearing Huang An Yao say this, everyone instantly found the seemingly ordinary duck gizzard very delicious, craving a drink to pair with the dish.
After Qu Jing took the first bite, everyone reached their chopsticks, and the dish of Salted Duck Gizzard was emptied instantly.
"Crystal Fish Strips are made by taking fresh small fish, removing the fine bones, slicing into strips, lightly coating with a layer of starch, rolling in boiling water, then tossing with a sauce when cold."
"Because the fish strips are thin and rolled in boiling water, they look somewhat translucent, hence the name Crystal Fish Strips. The dish looks easy to make, but the deboning process is extremely complex and tedious, only showing up in a grand feast like the Three Heads Banquet."
"If interested, you can pair it with pickled radish slices for an elevated taste and texture."
Hearing this, everyone complied, and the Crystal Fish Strips and pickled radish slices were quickly devoured.
Then, nobody touched the other dishes, all eyes fixed on Huang An Yao, waiting for his introduction of the next dish.
What to eat, how to eat it, where to start.
Although from a family steeped in culinary tradition, Huang An Yao had never engaged in culinary tasks, nor was his eating notable, but he was simply good at talking, never having felt the sensation of being the center of attention at the dining table.
Seeing everyone trusting him so much, Huang An Yao felt very moved, cleared his throat, and introduced with even more effort.
"Actually, among these cold dishes, there is another specialty of Huang Ji. It’s neither Huaiyang cuisine nor Suzhou cuisine but my dad’s specialty cold dish."
"I don’t know if everyone has tried mustard duck feet at roast duck shops. If you’ve tried and can accept that flavor, I highly recommend trying this Mustard Tripe."
"This dish involves cutting cooked pig tripe into strips, mixing with two-centimeter wide noodles, boiling them briefly, then cooling in cold water before tossing with sesame oil."
"The mustard is made with mustard powder and some seasonings as a special mustard paste. The recipe for this is my dad’s secret. The mustard flavor isn’t too strong, pairing perfectly with the tripe strips."
"If you don’t like mustard paste, just pick from the bottom. The mustard paste is poured from the top, so without mixing, the strips and noodles at the bottom won’t touch it. Although it’s delicious eaten alone, mustard tripe isn’t mustard tripe if it doesn’t dip into mustard paste at all."
Ten seconds later, the Mustard Tripe was finished, even the remaining bit of mustard paste in the dish was scooped away by Ouyang.