Free Web NovelChapter 529: Chapter 441: Outdoor Dining and Dumpling-Making Experience Event
Seeing Chef Marchello eager to show off his skills, the ladies quickly stepped aside, leaving a space next to Lin Chen.
Not just them, even Lin, Zhao Shun, and Old Chen stopped their work, casting curious glances this way.
Lin wasn’t sure of Marchello’s exact status, but seeing the way Chef Lin talked to him and the ladies’ reactions, she could guess that he might be at the head chef level too.
Even head chefs need to learn how to make dumplings?
She thought chefs working in such high-end restaurants knew everything.
Under the scrutiny of many eyes, Marchello was unusually a bit nervous but remained relatively calm.
Lin Chen casually grabbed a handful of dough, kneaded it a few times, pinched it into small pieces, and rolled it into the shape of dumpling skins.
He didn’t think the dumpling-making process would pose any difficulty for Marchello; the hardest part was probably rolling the dough skins.
Even a Michelin head chef who has been in the industry for decades might not be able to roll out a perfectly round dumpling skin on the first try, right?
While Lin Chen was working, Marchello wasn’t idle either; he almost perfectly mirrored his actions without needing to deliberately slow down.
He kneaded the dough into a long strip, pinched it into equally-sized dough pieces, sprinkled flour on them, flattened them with his palm into circles, and picked up the rolling pin...
After going through the process, Marchello looked at the perfectly round dumpling skin in Lin Chen’s hand, then at the irregular oval in his own hand, his mouth twitching a few times.
"Something’s not right, something must be wrong!"
"Let me try again!"
Seeing even the head chef couldn’t roll out a complete circle, the ladies all breathed a sigh of relief, the intangible pressure on them instantly vanished.
What’s wrong with not being able to roll a perfect circle? Even a Michelin head chef can’t do it perfectly, indicating that this skill requires years of practice to master!
After Marchello tried three times, he seemed to have grasped the trick, soon rolling out a perfectly round dumpling skin.
At most, his speed was just slightly slower.
"Ha-ha! I knew there was nothing difficult about this thing!"
Feeling proud, Marchello rolled out several more dumpling skins, getting faster and maintaining the same perfect round shape each time.
This astonishing speed of improvement left the ladies full of envy.
"As expected of a Michelin head chef, I wish I could learn this quickly too."
"Maybe in another ten years?"
"You’re right, he’s been in the kitchen for over twenty years to reach this level, while I am at most at the level of a housewife, and haven’t even cooked for five years at home."
The ladies stayed in the kitchen for about ten more minutes and finally managed to make some decent dumplings.
The lopsided dumplings they made earlier would have to be their own breakfast later, a self-sufficient experience of sorts.
"Alright, everyone."
Dais glanced at the clock on the wall, clapped her hands, and shouted, "It’s about time to wash up and get ready to work. Unless I’m mistaken, there’s already a long queue outside, right?"
"Oh right, today we sell from the food cart."
Lin Chen suddenly remembered something and chimed in, "The construction outside should be finished, right? We can set up the tent and put the stools inside to create a temporary dining area for the guests."
"Oh yes, I saw those frames on the way here earlier."
Dais’s eyes lit up, and she hurriedly dragged everyone outside.
As expected, a long line had formed at the restaurant entrance as usual, looking like there were at least thirty people.
Seeing a group of beautiful waitresses rush out from the restaurant, the diners perked up, thinking it was time for the meal, only to see them pass by and run to the metal racks set up nearby.
Aside from some regulars, most of those in line were new customers.
Due to prior investigations, they knew they had to queue up around six-thirty in the morning to get breakfast, but other than that, they were in the dark.
With more and more tourists visiting, the unique business model of Redison Restaurant had long since spread online, and almost every guest who could book a room would prepare in advance.
Even if they didn’t, the booking information would include dining tips about the restaurant.
When checking in at the hotel front desk, they would be reminded, ensuring they wouldn’t miss any dining information.
Under the watchful eyes of many, those rows of metal racks were unfolded, instantly turning into sunshades.
The plastic stools of various sizes, hidden behind the food cart and covered with a rainproof cloth, were all moved by the ladies and neatly arranged under the awnings.
"Are these... using plastic stools as tables?"
"Hey, it looks kind of interesting; it’s both shady and airy, seems like it would be quite comfortable to dine here."
"I still prefer the sun; I’ve even brought my sunscreen."
"So, what’s for breakfast today? Does anyone know?"
Some sharp-eyed diners quickly noticed these plastic stools were the same ones that appeared in Lucas’s video, instantly giving a sense of dreams turning into reality.
And those tourists who hadn’t seen the video were simply curious.
Such a large hotel, its restaurant should logically be very upscale, yet it turns out to be so casual?
Not only does the head chef come out to set up a stall to sell food, but even the dining environment is so close to nature.
This strong sense of contrast actually brings them a natural curiosity, eager to sit down and try it out to see what kind of feel dining in such an environment gives.
Foreigners don’t all like upscale environments either. Just like locals, they occasionally enjoy them, but most of the time they eat street food or fast food, or barbecue at home in the backyard.
They aren’t as civilized and elegant as described online; many eat with their hands, and in fact, the cooking process for most housewives looks like mixing pig feed.
Seeing that the venue is almost set up, Nicole and the others place the remaining plastic stools outside the tent, while Dais returns to the restaurant early.
When she reappears, she comes out from the main entrance and hangs a whiteboard with the menu written on it on the wall.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please pay attention..."
On the other side.
Lin Chen and the group split into two teams, each pushing a cart full of ingredients and pre-made dumplings over to the food truck.
Originally, he wanted to use the newly built stove for frying, but Old Chen said the freshly laid cement needs a few days of exposure to dry, and if it’s not fully dried before burning, who knows what might happen.
No one here really knows about building materials; anyway, they’re not in a rush to use it, so they might as well go back to their old ways and use the food truck’s stove.
They even brought out the folding tables from the restaurant, placing them right beside the food truck, stacking all the ingredients on the cart, and putting only a portion on the table, beginning to make dumplings in the open air.
"Boss!"
Lin Chen was pouring oil into the frying pan when Zhao Shun suddenly came to the window and winked at him.
"What’s up?"
"I suddenly thought of a good idea!"
"Just say it!"
"What if we set up a couple of tables for foreigners to experience making dumplings by hand and then cook the dumplings they’ve made right in front of them? Will it work?"
"Hmm??"
Lin Chen was taken aback.
"You know what, that’s not a bad idea!"
He had thought of a similar idea before, but since they weren’t making dumplings at the time, he forgot about it. Unexpectedly, now Zhao Shun stole the idea.
"They’re waiting around anyways, doing nothing. Might as well find them something to do, right?"
Zhao Shun chuckled, "For this kind of free experience, there should be a lot of people interested, right?"
"It can save on some labor for making dumplings, stimulate diners’ interest in Great Xia’s food culture, and kill time to avoid boredom while waiting. It’s a win-win situation!"
"Sounds good," Lin Chen nodded, "You take care of setting it up. Do we have enough tables? If not, go grab more."
"We have enough. Can’t just let them make them blindly. I’ll conduct a round of teaching. Anyway, ordering is by ticket, so there’s no worry about cutting in line, though we might need to distribute more tickets in advance."
Lin Chen immediately called over Nicole and Su, who were in charge of taking orders today, to inform them of the situation.
"Let the diners experience making dumplings?"
The two slightly parted their red lips, eyes sparkling with excitement, clearly thinking of the benefits this idea might bring.
They usually bear the most pressure from having diners wait in line, as they are stared at by countless pairs of eyes and constantly urged.
If they could find something for the waiting guests to do, they’d definitely approve with both hands raised!
"We’ll go notify them now!"
Dais, on the other hand, was busy explaining the flavors and cooking methods of today’s breakfast dumplings to the guests when she suddenly saw Nicole jogging over, and curiously leaned in.
"Hmm?!"
"Great idea!"
Her eyes lit up, and she quickly raised her little loudspeaker, "Ladies and gentlemen, an urgent notification!"
"Soon we will launch a free dumpling-making experience event. Dumplings, as the oldest and most classic food of Great Xia, have a significant impact worldwide."
"Guests who find waiting in line boring can choose, after receiving a number card, to either directly purchase ready-made dumplings or try making dumplings by hand."
"The dumplings you make yourselves can also be handed over to Chef Lin for cooking. Making your own dumplings and eating them is definitely a novel experience!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a wave of discussions arose in the crowd.
Dais scanned countless faces and nodded with satisfaction.
Judging from the guests’ expressions, it’s clear that most people are very interested in the event, especially the female guests.
On the other hand, many male guests seemed somewhat indifferent.
"I’ve already paid, and you want me to make it myself? Do you think I’m stupid?"
"I don’t have any culinary talent. Whether or not I can make them is a question, and if the ingredients are wasted, who is responsible? Will I have to compensate?"
