I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 123



Only Noblemtl

Episode 123: Opening Day 1 (2)

“Okay.”

Kim Chun-sik looks at the monitor and smiles.

“Boss. Why are you laughing like that by yourself?”

The office, which was about 30 pyeong in size, was the office of Kim Chun-sik’s company, which imported and distributed minor wines that were not well known in Korea but were famous locally for their high quality.

“It’s nothing. Manager Kim, you should also leave work now.”

Chunsik quickly lowers the screen he was looking at and speaks.

“Sir, may I ask you one question?”

Manager Kim hesitates, wondering if he has something to say.

“Go ahead.”

“My wedding anniversary is next week. I want to make a reservation at a nice restaurant, but I don’t know any. Since you are a famous gourmet who has appeared on TV, I was wondering if you could recommend some.”

Manager Kim’s voice gets smaller and smaller as he speaks, perhaps out of embarrassment.

“What is your budget?”

Chunsik often gets asked this question. As he gains experience, he realizes that simply introducing good restaurants is not the answer. Budget and purpose are the most important.

“Still, I’m thinking of around 100,000 won per person.”

Isn’t this the maximum a normal person can think of for a meal? Chun-sik secretly laughed, finding it amusing that his expectations were not wrong.

“For that price, you can go to Carota in Itaewon. The signature dinner course is about 100,000 won. If you pair it with wine, it will go over the budget, so just order a glass of house wine to set the mood.”

Just because he works for a wine company doesn’t mean he knows a lot about alcohol. Of course, he may have more knowledge than the average person, but Chunsik knew that among the seven employees working for his company, there was no one who truly loved wine.

“thank you.”

Manager Kim bows and leaves. After confirming that he has left, Chun-sik brings up the web page again on the screen. Then he selects a seat and finishes the reservation that he had not yet completed.

Chunsik begins to look closely at Segreto’s homepage, intending to see if there are any differences from the main branch in New York.

“The menu is mostly the same, and the wine selection seems to be decent.”

As Chun-sik lowers the screen while mumbling to himself, a reservation confirmation message arrives.

[Segreto has a dress code. We ask that you wear appropriate attire for the dinner and enjoy your meal. Guests wearing jeans, shorts, sneakers, or slippers may be denied entry.]

“Kekekeke.”

Chunshik covers his mouth with his hand and laughs.

There is a strict dress code in fine dining in Europe. Chun-sik was dissatisfied with the fact that it was gradually fading away as it crossed over to the United States, but Chef Shin Je-hee made it clear in Korea across the sea. However, he did not think it would be well-kept.

‘The new chef is going to have a hard time.’

Shaking his head, Chun-sik packed his bags and left work.

* * *

“Chef, I think the entry restriction is a bit excessive.”

Jonghyun looks at me with a worried expression and says.

When I was working in New York, there were often problems with guests who were not dressed appropriately. At those times, the manager would quietly call the guest aside, explain the situation, and send them away.

“The first impression is important. Segreto is a premium fine dining restaurant. It is our duty to provide an atmosphere that matches that. If you come here to enjoy a meal with great determination, it can be unpleasant if the customer at the next table is sitting in a dress that is suitable for going to the convenience store in front of the house.”

Dining culture has not yet been established in Korea. I wanted to teach proper etiquette from the beginning.

“Oh no. Do you really think you should do that? There were no problems when I worked in New York.”

Jonghyun’s words make sense. In the West, it is common sense to wear smart clothes when going to a formal restaurant. It is a kind of social convention that has been maintained for hundreds of years. But would this be applicable in Korea as well?

“Korean dining is just beginning. Let’s give customers time to get used to it. Until then, this is the right way to do it.”

And there’s another benefit to requiring guests to dress modestly.

People tend to change their behavior depending on their attire. This can help to block out a significant number of ill-mannered customers, such as those who are not polite. This helps to maintain the atmosphere of the restaurant.

Guests who come to fine dining are consuming not only the restaurant’s interior and service, but also the atmosphere and pride in experiencing the pinnacle of food culture. We must satisfy this.

I was a little worried because it was the first day of opening, but customers came to the restaurant dressed neatly and tidy.

Dinner has begun. The kitchen is starting to work frantically. Communication in the kitchen is unified in English. Lee Ji-hye, whose English is weak, complained to me that she was scammed, but she is the only pastry chef who survived in Paris. She will soon adapt.

“Three signature dinner courses, two seafood courses, and five premium courses!”

“Yes, Chef.”

Orders are pouring in. From the very beginning, we do not accept customers who are beyond our capacity when we receive reservations. Even if orders pour in, our chefs who have received sufficient training can handle them with ease. I stood at the pass and gave instructions while controlling the speed so that the food would not come out too late or too early.

Hyosang is cooking three pasta pans on the stove. Rachel is handling the main course, steak and red mullet, at the same time. The amuse-bouche of the cold part is also coming out on time.

I watched them work with a happy expression. It took a lot of time and effort to set up a kitchen that runs this smoothly. And now, even if new staff members come in, they will naturally learn the rules and techniques as if they were breathing in this place.

“Chef!”

“why?”

Jonghyun approaches me with a serious face.

“There are guests who do not follow the dress code.”

I went outside and checked the dress code of the problematic guest. Why is it that they do not follow the dress code even though it is clearly stated? I designed the website so that you must click the agree button when making a reservation to proceed to the next step so that you do not miss out.

Restaurant dress codes will become more relaxed over time, and the United States is no exception. In 10 years, it will be commonplace to wear sneakers to a fine dining restaurant.

But that’s not the case now. And I hope that won’t change in the future. Aren’t there many restaurants where you can have a comfortable meal other than fine dining?

In fact, many New York restaurants have begun to enforce strict dress codes again in the 2020s. As dress became more casual, the prestige of the restaurant decreased and the manners of the customers also deteriorated. This was never a desirable thing for restaurant managers.

“Customer. I am the owner, Shin Je-hee. I am sorry, but our restaurant has a strict dress code. I understand that you must agree to this before you can make a reservation. Please come back again next time. Thank you.”

I bowed my head and asked for the guest’s understanding.

“What are you talking about? I’ve never seen it before.”

A man in his fifties, wearing hiking clothes and sneakers, looked at me and raised his voice. He must have been drinking while hiking because his breath smelled like alcohol.

“I’m sorry. I made the reservation on behalf of my father, but I don’t know how to do it. Could you please just look at it once?”

A woman in her twenties, who appears to be the daughter, steps in to explain the situation. She is dressed appropriately, perhaps expecting a meal.

“We are sorry. We would like to welcome you as our guest, but due to regulations, it is difficult. We would appreciate it if you would come back again next time.”

“No. You said you didn’t see it. Just let me in this time. I’ll make sure you wear it properly next time.”

“Why are young people so inflexible? Isn’t it wrong to just tell a guest who has worked hard to find you to leave?”

A woman who appears to be the man’s wife also chimes in and adds a word.

“Please stop here and come over here for a moment.”

If the conversation continues like this, it will attract the attention of other customers. I guided them to the staff break room. And as soon as I entered, I closed the door so that no sound would escape.

“Customer, we have clearly informed you in advance that we have a rule and that you must follow it in order to enter. If we were going to allow exceptions, we would not have made the rule in the first place.

In fine dining, proper attire and manners are of the utmost importance. This is because what our guests expect from us here is not just food. I think it would be unpleasant for our guests to come to an expensive restaurant and see other tables eating in shorts and slippers. Please understand today.”

I explained the reason to them in a polite but firm tone.

“Dad, let’s just go.”

Did he decide that there was no room for it? The daughter felt embarrassed and grabbed the man’s sleeve.

“Tsk. Shouldn’t you speak properly when something like this happens?”

The man looks at his daughter in embarrassment and loses his temper.

“I told you to stay home and then go! You said you had some time to spare so you were going out to go hiking, and what is this!”

The daughter screams because she can’t stand it anymore.

“You were wrong. I’m so embarrassed that he had a hard time making a reservation at such a famous restaurant!”

Suddenly, an arrow is pointed at the man. I feel a little sorry for him. But rules are rules, so there’s nothing I can do about it.

“We are fully booked for this month, but if any cancellations occur, we will call you first. You will probably be able to visit us again this week.”

My daughter’s face brightens as I smile at him and say this.

“Really? Do you really have to contact me?”

I sent them back after receiving a business card from the man.

As the meal was coming to an end, I started walking around the hall and saying hello. Maybe it was because it was the first day of opening? Today, many familiar customers came to visit.

“Did you enjoy your meal?”

“Chef Shin. Congratulations on your opening.”

Yoo Han-young, who is in charge of hosting SikSinRoad, greets me warmly. The PD in charge is also there with me.

“It’s been a while.”

I also greeted the PD. However, he looked elsewhere as if he was displeased with something and did not even accept my greeting.

“I understand, Chef. The last time you came to Korea, you were upset that I didn’t show up on TV. You only appeared on the news.”

Ah! I remembered that time I turned down SikShinRoad’s offer. It was a request to recreate a dish from the G20.

“I’m sorry about that time. Please understand.”

When I apologized, the PD’s shoulders flinched. Then, as if asking when he had ever been angry, he turned around and spoke to me.

“Then, will you definitely appear on the show sometime?”

Was this the purpose? I found his behavior, which was not worth the price of the night, pitiful and yet funny. With such a pure side, shouldn’t he make a living doing art?

“If you get the chance. But you didn’t mention anything about the food. Did you not like today’s course?”

I personally inspected all the food that went out today. There should have been nothing wrong with it.

“Oh no. The PD almost shed tears while eating earlier. I never thought I would be able to eat a course of this level in Korea. It was new and delicious, just as its reputation suggests.”

I checked in advance that all the plates that came in here were empty. I was worried that they might have eaten by force, but it seems my worries were unfounded.

“The food was so delicious that the PD got even more upset. He kept saying, ‘We have to put this on TV…’ while eating.”

Yoo Han-young playfully imitates the PD’s voice.

“Oh! Why are you talking like that? Am I just saying this for my own good? It’s all for the program. Anyway, I really enjoyed myself today. If possible, would you please appear on the show next time? I’ve got some ideas coming to me, so I’ll organize them and send you a formal proposal.”

“Haha, I understand.”

I thanked them and started going around the remaining tables.

At that moment, the employee serving in the hall quietly approached me and whispered to me.

“Chef, we have a complaint. The food is strange.”

“what?”

I had already been warned several times that the Korean market would be tough, but I seemed to have been secretly ignoring it.