I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 58



Only Noblemtl

An unexpected person

I finished all my schedule in Korea and headed to the airport with Joohee.

“It was quite a long Christmas break this time.”

It felt like I stayed there for two months.

“Really? I was so out of it because it went by so quickly.”

Joo-hee looks back at the departure hall with a wistful expression. She seems to be regretful that she came to Korea after two years and could not stay long and is leaving again.

“I’ve been so busy. It doesn’t feel like I’m going back on vacation.”

I stopped Choi Sung-jin from going wild and reported him to the press and the prosecution. I appeared on TV and even met my biological mother, which I never expected, so it was a very eventful vacation.

Joohee arrived in New York and stayed only one night before leaving for Boston to prepare for the next semester. I took a few days off and then went back to work at Luce de Sole, where I was due to retire and now only had to do the handover.

“It’s been a while, everyone.”

I went to where the hall and kitchen staff were gathered and said hello. It seemed like something was going on.

“Jehee, you’re back. How was Korea?”

The staff welcomed me back after three weeks.

“It was great. Did you all have a nice vacation?”

“Sous Chef. Have you seen this?”

Emily, a hall staff member, hands me a laptop computer and points to the screen.

“What’s going on?”

“Just take a look.”

On the laptop screen was a website titled ‘The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2010.’

This ranking is a list published annually by ‘The Restaurant’, a prestigious British gourmet magazine, and is known as the most authoritative restaurant evaluation along with the Michelin Guide.

A panel of 1,080 experts visits the world, divides it into 27 sectors, evaluates them, and compiles the list.

But what does this mean?

“Here it is.”

[1. Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark

2. El Bulli, Roses, Spain

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8. Daniel, New York, USA

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10. Per Se, New York, USA

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15. Le Bernardin, New York, USA

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23. Luce Del Sole, New York, USA

24. Les Creations de Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan

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26. Momofuku Ssam Bar, New York, USA

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35. Combal Zero, Rivoli, Italy

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45. wd~50, New York, USA

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50. Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA]

Looking at the list, Norma was selected as number one for the first time.

Redzepi, head chef at Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, is credited with opening up new horizons for Nordic-style dining.

There are many signature dishes, including reindeer ragu sauce, edible pine cones, and crispy marigolds with whiskey and egg yolk sauce, which are also well-reviewed.

El Bulli, in second place, is a traditional powerhouse. This Spanish restaurant run by three brothers has maintained its Michelin 3-star rating for a long time. Not only that, it is always at the top of this list, so customers keep coming back.

However, it is not a restaurant that I personally like because it increases the competitiveness of the restaurant by employing as many as 20 to 30 unpaid interns.

Many New York restaurants are on the list. Italy has only two restaurants on the list, so Italy’s rise has not yet begun.

Italian fine dining has been developing rapidly since this time. Young chefs who are not bound by tradition but reinterpret Italian cuisine in a modern and creative way will soon be active.

With six French restaurants on the list, Japan and Singapore are also making notable progress. So it is likely that many restaurants from Japan, Thailand and Singapore will occupy the top spots in the ‘Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list, which will be published starting in 2013.

I don’t have much time either. I have to be successful in New York.

“Our restaurant was ranked 23rd!”

Emily speaks to me with a very reminded face.

“It’s higher than I thought? Was it on the list last year too?”

The impact of being awarded three Michelin stars was so great that I forgot about ‘The Restaurant’ for a while.

“Last year, it was 78th. No one mentioned it because it was outside the top 50.”

The magazine selects the 50 best restaurants in the world, but only publishes the top 100, so you can see which restaurants just missed out.

“Emily. Are you really interested in this kind of thing?”

Emily is a bright person. She is friendly with the staff of other restaurants and is passionate about spreading various gossip rumors here and there. Sometimes, it seems like she has a sense of mission.

“Isn’t that obvious? Martha, Jean Georges is a three-star, but he’s not on the list. I guess he’s in a funeral home by now.”

Emily has a faint sneer on her face. She’s probably been ignored by the staff at that restaurant before.

“By the way, Daniel is amazing. He was a 2 star last year too, but his ranking was high. This year he went up even higher.”

In my opinion, Daniel’s ranking seems too high.

“Chef Daniel’s reputation there is so high. He even has a French knighthood.”

“There are quite a few two-star restaurants in New York. There are also restaurants in Japan, but why aren’t there any in Korea, the chef’s hometown?”

“You hit where it hurts.”

While I was talking to Emily, a white man who looked about my age opened the door and came in. He had brown hair, was thin, and seemed to be of average height. He had a gentle Italian smile and winked at Emily.

“Hello. My name is Federico, and I am the new sous chef.”

I imagined him to be arrogant, but he is more approachable than I thought. He greets the staff politely and asks to shake my hand.

“Nice to meet you. You are my successor.”

Although he has a strong Italian accent, he seems to speak English well enough to communicate without any problems.

“I’ve heard a lot about Chef Shin Je-hee. I ask for your help in handing over the reins.”

“Of course.”

Romeo entered the hall while everyone was gathered there.

“Everyone is gathered here. Did you have a good vacation?

As you all know, Jehee will be leaving after this month. The new sous chef is Federico over there. Jehee, do a good job of handing over the job, and the other staff members should help Federico adjust well.

Okay! Let’s start preparing for the opening.”

As Romeo finished speaking, the staff all looked at Jason. Even though they didn’t say anything, everyone must have been paying attention. Jason made an embarrassed expression, sighed, and went into the kitchen. Jason had also matured a lot compared to before.

It’s the first day back from vacation, so everyone’s movements look awkward. But their bodies remember. After a while, everyone gets back into their usual rhythm and quickly prepares for the opening.

“Federico. Did you get all the recipes?”

“Romeo has sorted everything out for me. Most of it is things I am good at, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

“Then let’s start preparing the menu. The opening is just around the corner.”

Today’s amuse-bouche is French toast with caviar. Nicole cuts off all the edges of the pastry chef’s baked bread and cuts it into four pieces. It has to be exactly 4×3 centimeter rectangles. After watching her cut the bread, I arrange them neatly on a tray.

“There can’t be any gaps. We’re going to cook everything at once.”

Spread the cream cheese blended by Romeo on top of the bread.

“If there are no gaps between the breads arranged like this, you can spread the cream cheese at once.”

After spreading all the cream cheese, top with the egg yolks that have been boiled very briefly, one by one. Boil the eggs for only 4 minutes and remove all the whites, leaving only the creamy, soft-boiled yolks.

Sprinkle herbs, salt, and truffle powder on top. Once the seasoning is done, cover the bread and fry it on a large iron plate with Isigny butter until golden brown on both sides. Then, top it with a generous amount of caviar and it’s done.

“Wow! You make these in such large quantities. If I were where you are, I would have made them one by one.”

“That’s why you can’t handle orders. If you learn them one by one, you’ll be able to do them in no time.”

Lunch orders are pouring in. Everyone is going crazy. Niamh is running around with fillets of fish she has cleaned. The pastry chefs are taking bread out of the oven and putting it in baskets. Jason is grilling steaks on three pans. Each pan holds three sirloins, so he is grilling nine at a time.

Sam’s hands seem to be lacking when it comes to making pasta.

“Federico. I’m watching you like this and helping out the ones who are lacking hands. The pasta section looks so busy.”

“You should leave pasta to the Italians.”

He smirks and shows his confidence. But not today.

“Please watch today and do it next time.”

As I go to the pasta section, Sam sets up the table.

I lined up three pans and started frying the ingredients in a jiffy. You can’t fry the ingredients haphazardly. You need to have the right temperature, the right cooking, and enough Maillard reaction to bring out the savory flavors of the ingredients.

Start turning the pan when the ingredients start to stick. When the ingredients are cooked evenly, add the broth and boil it to gather all the flavors released from the ingredients and concentrate them in the broth.

The kitchen staff keeps glancing at me as I make pasta. Now that I’m leaving, they want to see and learn at least one more thing.

I would like to pass on to them at least one more thing I have learned here.

“Sam. When you pan toss, you have to do it after the ingredients are fully cooked. The purpose is to evenly coat the ingredients with the flavors that have been lightly pressed into the olive oil. Of course, it also means mixing them quickly so that they don’t burn.”

“Yes, Chef.”

After finishing speaking, I took over the fan that Sam was holding and started tossing. Sam was watching with shining eyes as if he wouldn’t miss a single one.

I started plating my pasta, tossing several pans in a flashy manner. I was relieved to hear the order.

* * *

“What’s wrong, Federico?”

Nicole, who found it strange, spoke to Federico as he looked at Jehee with a serious face.

“No. It’s nothing. I just have a lot on my mind because I think I have to replace that person.”

Federico wipes his face with a complicated expression.

“Jehee is a special person. He has a great sense of taste and creativity. He is also the best in skills, but he never hides his know-how. He is strict, but fair to everyone.”

Nicole looks at Jaehee and smiles gently.

“Does that mean I have to do that too?”

“Everyone in the kitchen is sad to see Jehee leave. We thought it was time to move up to the top restaurant.

But the sous chef was missing. Romeo couldn’t have gotten here on his own. Everyone knew that.”

“I have never thought in my life that I, an Italian, would be pushed out by foreigners when it comes to Italian cuisine. It will never be the same.”

“You’ll see. I admit that you’re a talented chef. If you weren’t, Romeo wouldn’t have accepted you. But it’s another story if you’re the one everyone misses when you leave.”

“I believe that I am better than anyone else. Please help me a lot so that I can prove it in the future.”

Federico spoke to Nicole with a determined look.

* * *

“Jehee!”

Romeo suddenly calls me.

“Yes. What’s going on?”

“There’s a call from the hall. Go out.”

I got a lot of calls today, as if the rumor of my resignation had already spread. I checked my attire and went out alone. But there was someone different from what I expected waiting for me there.

“Finally, I see you. Absolute taste! Isn’t he an amazing chef?”

Gordon Ramsay smiles brightly and shakes my hand.

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