I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 90



Only Noblemtl

Chef and critic

“Roland. It’s strange that you’re visiting a restaurant that hasn’t even been given a star yet.”

Bill, a Michelin three-star chef and longtime friend of Roland’s, jokes with Roland.

“I didn’t plan on doing this either, but I’ve been hearing his name so much lately that I couldn’t help but get curious and come see for myself. One of the reasons I decided to visit was because he’s a chef with a trustworthy career. A chef should speak for himself with his career.”

Roland Smith, known to have visited every Michelin three-star restaurant in existence, is one of the world’s most influential food critics.

He has absolute confidence in his own taste and is known for his harsh criticism of the food at a restaurant he visits. In fact, after he gave a bad review in a magazine, he got into a war of words with the chefs of the restaurant, and the restaurant suffered great damage and even had to close.

He had a change of heart after seeing a restaurant that was running well close down because of his writing. He came to recognize that there was a field of gastronomy that he did not know much about. Since then, whenever he went to a restaurant, he would bring along trusted chefs and ask for their opinions. Like today.

“I agree with that. Besides, Segreto is a hot potato in the industry. I wanted to come and see it too.”

Bill strokes his chin with his hand, as if he finds it interesting.

“Are you friends with Romeo?”

“We just know each other. We studied together when we were young.”

“I’m looking forward to you, Romeo’s disciple. I heard you make a lot of experimental dishes, and since I’m a bit conservative in that regard, I wanted to come with you.”

“I am one of those who are skeptical about molecular gastronomy, but I actually use some of the techniques well. I have to admit that this is also a field of cooking.”

“They all came.”

Two people get out of the car and enter the restaurant.

“Are you Roland Smith?”

Jenny comes out from the entrance and greets them.

“That’s right. Reservation for two.”

“Confirmed. Welcome to Segreto. We will do our best to serve you.”

Following Jenny’s instructions, the two were guided to a good seat by the window. Jenny found Roland’s name on the reservation list and told Jehee, and the restaurant was in an emergency situation. He was a person who could close the restaurant with a single word, so it was inevitable that all the staff members would be anxious to welcome them.

“Please give me Krug, Clos du Mesnil 1998 champagne.”

This champagne is one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorites. Not only is its price tag in the thousands of dollars a problem, but it is also difficult to obtain in quantity due to the nature of this champagne, which must be aged in the cellar for at least 12 years before being shipped.

Roland was one of those who believed that wine was as important as food in a restaurant. He also believed that a restaurant that could not secure a proper wine was not worth visiting. So his main method was to order wine at the beginning of the course to test the quality of the wine.

“Okay, I’ll bring it to you right away.”

The sommelier takes our order as if there is no problem and goes to get the wine.

“The list here is solid. There’s no need to test it like that.”

Bill looks at Roland and says something.

Soon after, the sommelier returns with the wine, elegantly checking the label and pouring the wine for him to confirm. Due to the nature of fruit wine, the taste of wine varies greatly depending on the storage conditions. However, the Krug Clos de Mesnil that Roland had just tasted was one of the best storage conditions he had ever tasted.

“Excellent. Thank you.”

Then the sommelier pours the wine in an elegant manner, bows, and leaves.

“As expected, he is a professionally trained sommelier. His attitude is good, and just by looking at the wine’s storage conditions, you can tell how much care the owner-chef here puts into the wine.”

“It’s good wine. Let’s have a glass.”

Bill holds the wine up to his face and makes eye contact with Roland. The wine glasses are not clinked to toast.

“Cheers.”

The two drank wine and ordered from the menu. It was the most expensive course that had recently been launched.

“It’s an amuse-bouche. You can just pick it up with your hands and eat it.”

The server skillfully placed the food in front of the two people. It was a clam-shaped pie, bite-sized.

“It’s not fried food, it’s more like pie. That’s unusual. Starting the course with pie.”

Bill picks up his fork and starts to stir the food, as if he is interested. The course is long. You have to start with a dish that doesn’t make a big impression. He thinks that starting with pie is a sign of confidence in the dishes that follow.

“I guess it’s because I’m young. It’s nice.”

Bill laughs cheerfully and eats his food with his hands.

“It’s crunchier than I thought. Inside, there’s fish meat, béchamel sauce, and asparagus. It’s soft and creamy. It’s a finger food, so I was surprised that it didn’t come with a separate dipping sauce, but it was all thought out.”

Roland expresses his satisfaction.

The second amuse-bouche included caviar and oysters.

“It’s made with a foamy tarragon sauce. And it looks like it’s topped with crystal caviar. It gives the impression of a high-class course right from the start.”

Bill picks up an oyster topped with caviar and eats it as if he is used to it.

“It’s delicious. The caviar is fresh. The oysters are also very good. It goes very well with the tarragon sauce. But it doesn’t seem to be very similar to tarragon. I don’t know what it is.”

Roland tilted his head, trying to identify the scent, but it was a taste he didn’t recognize.

“Next is the amuse-bouche.”

The server politely put the plates down. The two examined the dishes carefully. The small squares of jelly-like substance made it difficult to determine what was in them.

“I guess I’ll have to taste it to know what’s in it.”

Roland and Bill put the food in one bite. Then, the clam meat softly chewed in their mouths. Then, the gelatinized clam and shrimp broth melted in their mouths and mixed with the clam meat. Then, the refreshing scent of herbs came up and finished the dish cleanly.

“This is steamed clams. If you boil clams in water, they will lose all their flavor to the broth. This is a clam that is steamed in high-temperature steam for a short period of time to minimize the loss of flavor. Then, the broth made from shrimp and clams is gelatinized and then chopped and added. There are more ingredients than I thought. I know about fennel and chives, but I don’t know about the rest.”

Bill closes his eyes and analyzes the dish.

“I can’t remember the last time I ate seafood and was amazed. Except when I went to that friend’s restaurant in France.”

Roland also closes his eyes and savors the food.

“Do you know why they don’t use clams very often in fine dining restaurants?”

“It must be because of the setting sun.”

“That’s right. No matter how much you try to remove the seaweed, there can still be sand. If even a little sand comes out of a customer’s mouth, it can be a disaster. That’s why it’s common to hold back no matter how much you want to use it. This chef has passion. He must be confident. He removed it perfectly.”

While the two men were talking, bread and butter and various hams were brought out.

“This is pain de mie, that is pain de campagne. It’s French bread served in an Italian restaurant.”

Bill looks closely at the butter after the bread, then sniffs it.

“The same goes for butter. They serve Isigny and Echire butter. For ham, they serve prosciutto, culatello, and mortadella. As a French chef, I don’t feel bad because it seems that France is recognized as the best when it comes to bread and butter. Why would this chef not want to use Italian bread and butter? French is better, so he had no choice but to serve it.”

Bill laughs out loud as he spreads butter on his bread.

“Should I call it flexibility or unbiased? It’s the feeling that anything is fine as long as it tastes good.”

In the meantime, the next dish came out.

“It’s langoustine.”

The plate contained langoustines that had retained their original shape. Around them were various bite-sized dishes that were plated in the form of shrimp wraps.

“It’s beautiful. It must not have been easy to cook shrimp in such a way that they retain their shape. If you cook them too long to keep their shape, they will become hard. This dish looks moist even from the outside.”

Roland cut the shrimp with a knife and tasted it.

“Lovely. Fantastic. The shrimp are barely cooked. They probably just peeled them and blanched them in boiling water. They then made a sauce using the shrimp guts and grilled them over charcoal to give them their flavor.”

Roland speaks confidently as he is presented with a recipe he knows well. Bill also looks satisfied as he eats the food.

“Try this garnish. What does it taste like?”

After hearing Bill’s words, Roland picks up a piece of food next to him with his fork and tastes it.

“The taste is very rich. The taste is soft and rich, with a unique flavor. Isn’t it foie gras?”

Roland closes his eyes and savors the taste of the food.

“No. This is the liver of a monkfish. It must have been deodorized with lemon and white wine. Then it was boiled for a long time with red wine and spices. There was something else added to it, but I can’t figure it out. I’ll have to ask about it later.”

Bill makes a meaningful expression as if he knows something.

“By the way, this langoustine is really delicious. I think I’ve never had shrimp this delicious in my life.”

Roland eats the remaining shrimp cleanly, then wipes the sauce on his bread and finishes eating.

“I once heard that the shrimp tempura I had in Tokyo was the best.”

“It’s a different genre. Shrimp tempura is delicious even without shrimp. But this dish is a recipe that can only be used with langoustines. It seems like the chef really studies a lot.”

The server cleared the plates and brought the next dish.

“Haha. Did the chef hear you talking about tempura? I didn’t expect fried food to come out.”

The bottom of the plate is decorated with geometric patterns in brown sauce. On top of that, various sized fritters are placed in a pleasing arrangement, and asparagus and bok choy are used for color.

“The sense of plating is also good. This guy would have been good at it if he had studied art.”

“Taste it.”

“This is…definitely.”

“Yes. It’s Japanese tempura. But that’s not all. Tempura is made by coating the ingredients in flour and potato starch, dipping them in egg water mixed with only egg yolk, and then frying them.

The first squid tempura I had was definitely tempura, but the second octopus tempura wasn’t. It was just coated in flour and starch and then fried.

But what kind of trick did you use? It’s so smooth. The knife is delicately cut and the seasoning is well done. And this is cod fritters. This is one step further. So many different kinds of fritters.”

Bill tried to figure out the secret by tasting the fries again, but he couldn’t.

“They really thought of bringing out squid, which Americans hate. And it tastes good without being uncomfortable.”

Roland eats another piece of fried calamari and looks happy.

“These ignorant Americans won’t even know that they’re eating squid. This is really great. Above all, this sauce is amazing. Do you know what this is?”

Bill tastes the sauce with a fork and asks Roland.

“Don’t ignore me. I may not be as good a cook as you, but I’ve eaten more dishes than you. This sauce is definitely made with fermented fish.”

Roland tastes the sauce and answers.

“That’s right. Fermented fish is a common ingredient in Northern Europe and Italy. Thanks to anchovies, Americans are not ignorant of it, but this is something beyond that. It’s my first time eating it.”

Bill tilts his head and takes another sip of the sauce.

“I’m looking forward to the main course more and more. I’m already quite satisfied with what I’ve gotten so far. If I put in this much effort in the beginning, won’t it be difficult later on?”

In Roland’s opinion, there were some dishes that left quite a strong impression from the beginning of the course. If the course was planned like this, there was a risk that the main dish would be buried under the appetizers, but he couldn’t read the chef’s thoughts.

“There is definitely that aspect. But the food I ate today was all thoroughly calculated. As time goes by, I don’t remember the food I ate the first time. I only remember that it was delicious. It’s not easy to make that kind of impact every time.”

Next came the main dish.

“It’s a red mullet.”

On the plate was a red mullet with its skin crispy. Next to it was a whole lemon, baked with the top cut out like a lid and the inside hollowed out. A green mousse that looked like guacamole was served alongside, arousing curiosity.

“Of course, a red mullet should be served with the seafood course. But the composition is unusual. What is this lemon?”

Roland lifted the lemon stem and found something inside.

“Oh my goodness. This ceviche is made with red mullet flesh. If you put the fish flesh in a lemon, it can be too sour, so I dug out the lemon to use as a container and baked it in the oven once.”

“The ceviche is great. When you eat grilled food, you want to eat raw fish too. The chef knows this psychology well. You can feel his determination not to leave even one regret.”

Bill thought the chef was smart. After finishing the course, the guests would definitely feel satisfied.

“Red mullet is also very good. The skin of fish is important. You have to be able to enjoy the contrasting texture of crispy skin and soft meat to make it a real fish dish. These days, there are many chefs who can’t do this, but this guy definitely has no problem with the basics.”

Roland skillfully cuts the red mullet with a knife, spreads sauce on it, and brings it to his mouth. A smile escapes my lips.

“That’s not all. The sauce is unique. It’s like a sauce that has been condensed from fish. What did they use? Today, there wasn’t a single common sauce. I can’t even imagine how much research went into it. The guacamole on the side is made by mixing pumpkin, avocado, and lime. It goes well with fish, and it’s also a great pairing with ceviche.”

Bill scoops up some guacamole with a knife and spreads it on the fish, tasting it. He then tries the ceviche in the same way and is amazed.

“I should also give a shout out to ‘The Restaurant.’ It’s my job as a critic to make sure that such a great restaurant gets the proper evaluation it deserves.”

Roland thought the restaurant deserved a little more attention.

The two men emptied their plates while conversing. It was a fairly long course, and each dish was satisfying. Just when it seemed like the course was almost over, the server brought another main dish.

“It’s the second main.”

“Ah.. no. What on earth is the chef thinking?”

The two people were astonished at the sight of the food before them.