I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 173



Only Noblemtl

173 Florence Park (2)

“Yes? Oh… Thank you.”

I was so surprised that someone I was seeing for the first time suddenly showed me respect that I bowed my head in greeting.

“This is Chef Florence Park. He studied and worked in Italy for a long time, and I think he is one of the best Italian chefs in Korea.”

Representative Oh introduces him to me.

Florence Park? I’ve heard that name before.

Looking closely, his face looks familiar. He was too young to recognize me, but he was a chef who had only become known a few years later. I heard he had a hard time when he was young, so it was strange to meet him like this.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Shin Je-hee.”

The look in his eyes as he looked at me was so intense that I wondered if his words of respect were not a lie.

“My name is Park Seon-woo. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Chefs are somewhat like celebrities in that they need to make their names known. That’s why there are quite a few chefs who have strong stage names, and Florence Park is one of the most striking names among them.

“You said you had something to ask me today, right?”

“Ah! When I was cooking Korean food in New York, it was really hard to get the ingredients. It was so hard that I had no choice but to grow them myself.”

“Growing wild greens was a desperate measure created by the harsh environment. You can clearly see how much suffering it must have taken.”

Representative Oh nods as if he agrees.

“But in Korea, there are almost no restrictions on ingredients, so I thought the menu should be a little different.”

“hmm….”

“Why are you doing that?”

“Actually, I’ve been to Hundred Dishes before. I had to be really curious to resist. When I arrived in New York, it was a weekday evening, and I had to wait in line for quite a while to eat there. After tasting it, I could see why it was a hit in the US.”

“How was it?”

“It was so much tastier than I expected. I originally planned to stay for only two days, but I extended my stay and visited for four consecutive days. The harmony of the main and side dishes was good, and it was new to see the variety of rice they prepared.

Above all, the main dish was delicious. The portion was generous and I thought the chef had a unique sense as he perfectly captured the tastes of Westerners for meat.

“You can just bring it in, but is there anything you don’t like?”

“It’s not that I didn’t like it.

If we fix the menu because it is doing well now, we will inevitably reach a limit sooner. If there is a better environment for making Korean food, then of course there should be development.

“I wanted to ask for your opinion because I feel like there is a lack of vegetables in my eyes right now. I think the identity of Korean food is vegetables and sauces.”

“ha ha ha.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“I interact with a lot of chefs because of my job, and I find it interesting that most of the best chefs pay attention to Korean vegetarianism.

Yes. Vegetables are the core of Korean side dishes. In Japan, they have been accepted without any resistance as Namuru for quite some time. I hope that thanks to the chef, vegetables will become known to Americans as well.”

He laughs cheerfully.

“Korea is not yet, but the world is currently experiencing a vegetarian craze. There will definitely come a time when Korean vegetables and temple cuisine will receive attention. You can think of this as collecting a database in preparation for that time.”

“You’re really looking far ahead. But from here on out, you’ll need a real expert, not a businessman like me. I know a Korean food researcher. I think he might be able to help you if I introduce him to you.”

“Words of thanks aren’t enough. I will definitely repay you later.”

“Didn’t you say that Mr. Seonwoo had something he wanted to ask too?”

“Yes? Oh! Chef Shin Je-hee. Would you like to visit my restaurant sometime? I would like to get an evaluation of my cooking.”

He takes a business card out of his wallet and hands it to me.

“I was also curious about the chef’s food. I will definitely visit.”

* * *

Florence Park’s restaurant was located in an alley in Yeonam-dong.

Although it was a neighborhood with a lot of pedestrians, it was a remote alley that would be difficult to find unless you knew about it in advance.

“What’s wrong, oppa? He asked me to go to an Italian restaurant with him.”

Maybe it’s because it’s a rare date, but Joo-hee seems happy. I left the kids with my father-in-law and decided to go to Florence Park’s restaurant with Joo-hee.

“There aren’t many good restaurants in Korea, are there?”

Perhaps because she has been feeding her many delicious foods, Joohee’s standards for choosing food are becoming increasingly higher.

“I’ve gotten used to my brother’s food, so I’m generally not satisfied no matter where I go. It’s the same in America, let alone Korea.”

“Let’s have a little anticipation today.”

After parking and going inside, I noticed that the interior was nice and well-made, as if a lot of investment had been made. The Florentine-style stone decorations somehow resembled the atmosphere of Segreto, but the tables were too close together, which was annoying.

There were three people working in the kitchen, and it was an open kitchen structure that allowed everyone to see inside from the hall.

As soon as we sit down, the server brings us water and a menu.

I thought it was casual dining, but when I looked at the menu, I saw that they were selling some pretty authentic Florentine dishes. The prices were also quite high, so if I had come here just for the atmosphere, I would have been taken aback.

Looking around, I didn’t see any other customers besides us. I get the feeling that running the place isn’t going to be easy.

“Let’s first order the recommended course.”

“Okay. Bistecca alla fiorentina is the main dish? It’s been a while.”

“The chef’s name is Florence Park. It’s Florence’s signature dish, so I couldn’t miss it.”

“Florence Park? Hahaha. Ugh. I shouldn’t laugh, right?”

Joohee’s expression becomes strange as she tries to hold back her laughter.

“Using a stage name is quite important to us. It’s a way for us to let people know that we studied abroad.”

There is a reason why there are so many chefs who use foreign names.

“Have you thought about using it too, oppa?”

“I’m already too late. And my name is easy to pronounce. I didn’t have to give it an English name.”

“Me too. Come to think of it, all my family members have names without final consonants.”

She giggles as if she finds it funny.

While we were talking, the server brought us food.

“What is this bread? It looks similar to focaccia.”

“It’s called Schiacciata. It’s a bread eaten in the Florentine region. You can think of it as a variation of focaccia.”

It is a bread made by spreading olive oil on the dough like focaccia and then baking it in an oven.

Topped with cherry tomatoes and almonds. When I tasted it, it tasted exactly like the rustic Italian bread that I don’t like.

“I find bread without butter bland. It’s like pizza dough without cheese.”

Joohee takes a bite of bread and pouts.

“Haha. Actually, I also have a hard time liking Italian bread from a foreigner’s perspective. It’s especially so for bread from the central and southern regions. Those regions are characterized by poor cuisine.”

While we were enjoying wine and bread, three types of crostini were brought out. Crostini means small toast in Italian, and it is characterized by various spreads and toppings placed on small pieces of bread.

“The bread is pretty. The color is nice too.”

Joohee picks up some food with her hand and tastes it to see if she likes it. I try to eat it too.

The soft cream cheese and salami bring out the sweet and salty flavors well, stimulating the appetite. I also liked the bread made with blueberries and nuts. I can feel his philosophy of wanting to start the course with a young sensibility.

“It’s delicious. Since the bread is baked fresh from the oven, it’s crispy and goes well with the toppings.”

Joohee hums. This is her behavior when she likes food.

Next came the Florentine salad, Panzanella. It is a dish of various vegetables and bread mixed with balsamic dressing.

The taste was just right. It contained tomatoes, onions, olives, celery, cucumbers, and eggplants, and the balsamic dressing was personally mixed. You can feel that a lot of thought was put into it.

That makes me even more curious: Why aren’t there many customers in this restaurant?

“Pappardelle? I think it’s the first time I’ve seen it in Korea.”

A wide pappardelle, perhaps two centimeters wide, came out as primo piatto.

The moment the pasta came out, I could immediately see why Florence Park’s restaurant was not in business. I could guess what the ingredients were without even tasting the sauce.

“It tastes unusual. It’s similar to ragu, but tastes wilder.”

“I mixed pork with duck. It’s called Cinghiale sauce and it’s a local dish from Tuscany. It’s originally made with wild boar meat, but it’s hard to find in Korea, so I think they did a lot of research to create a similar taste.”

“Um… Honestly, not really.”

Joohee couldn’t finish the pasta and left some behind.

Chef Park Seon-woo is talented. However, he is too obsessed with Florentine cuisine and feels like he is pressuring his guests. When I tasted his food, I would never have served it.

The overly oily and unfamiliar flavor of the sauce clings to the wide noodles of the pappardelle, overwhelming the guests.

The main dish that came out later was also the original Bistecca alla Fiorentina.

This dish is a steak that is quite famous worldwide due to its overwhelming visual. However, if you go there and taste it, eight out of ten people will be greatly disappointed.

The cooking method of grilling over high-temperature charcoal burns the outside too quickly, and does not evenly distribute the heat to the inside. So, it is inevitably cooked rare, and you should enjoy this dish as if you are chewing on thick slabs of raw beef.

This dish may be quite challenging for non-locals.

Joohee also had high expectations after seeing the visuals, but her forking is gradually slowing down.

When I first served this dish at Luce de Sole, I went to great lengths to try to make it work: dry-aging to tenderize the meat near the bone, and sous vide-cooking the inside before grilling it over charcoal.

“It’s a dud again today.”

Joohee puts down her fork with a sullen expression.

Chef Park Seon-woo’s expression is not good as he comes out to say hello, perhaps because he saw an unempty plate.

“Did you enjoy the meal?”

“I ate well.”

“I enjoyed the meal too.”

We all know that he is just saying it out of politeness. I am not a kind person who says things that I don’t want to hear out of good intentions. I was about to give him a little compliment and leave, but his words caught me.

“Chef, I would like to hear your honest thoughts. Am I too ahead of my time?”

Ahead of its time?

“What does it mean?”

“I thought about why customers weren’t coming, and it seems like authentic Italian food is still a bit new in Korea.”

He had an expression on his face that seemed completely unaware of what the problem was. His attitude was filled with a strong sense of pride that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his cooking.

“I guess you don’t think your customers understand yet.”

“It worked really well in Florence. There were a lot of people who liked my cooking.

As far as I know, there has been almost no authentic Italian in Korea until now. That’s why I think Segretto is so great. I’ve always thought that I should follow suit soon.”

I sigh.

The fact that he called me to ask for advice must mean that he himself was frustrated. Should I give him an answer?

“Chef.”

“yes.”

“There is one attitude that a chef should never adopt: blaming the customer for the problem.”

“Was it arrogant to choose a guest?”

His expression darkens.

“No. I think chefs can choose their guests too.

The reason I bring this up is because the moment a chef starts blaming his customers for his problems, he can no longer improve.

It is painful to feel like your cooking is being denied. For us, cooking is not just food, it is the chef’s philosophy itself. So, you have to find excuses.

Saying that the guests were not ready or that you were too far ahead of your time is just a cowardly rationalization. What can you do after that? Are you just going to sit back and wait for the right time to come?”

His mouth twitches as if he has something to say, but he can’t get the words out.

“If you want, I’ll come back again next week. Think carefully about it and show me through your cooking.”

“Please, if this continues, I will not be able to repay my investment and will fall into the abyss. I will listen carefully to what the chef says.”

He bows his head in greeting.

It remains to be seen what he will gain from today’s meeting.

But I thought that if I could change my attitude toward cooking, I might be able to see him a little sooner than I remember.

After making a reservation for our next visit, I left the restaurant with Joohee.