I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 91



Only Noblemtl

Chef and Critic (2)

“What do you think about this?”

Roland looks at the main dish of mackerel in front of him and asks Bill.

“This is the main dish that the chef really wanted to serve. I can guarantee it. However, if you come to an expensive fine dining restaurant and eat mackerel as the main dish, the guests might not be satisfied. That’s why the main dish is composed in two stages. Is it to say that you should try this after you are satisfied with the red mullet?”

Bill looks at the dish with interest.

“I didn’t expect to feature mackerel as the main dish, but now that I think about it, it makes sense. It’s like what this chef is trying to say.”

A large black platter was filled with a variety of sardine dishes. The server began to explain the final touches, adding grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to the consommé made from the sardine heads and intestines.

“The top one is a mackerel marinated with lemon, olives, white wine and various herbs. Only the largest pieces are taken and pan-simmered. The second one is a mackerel that has been dry-aged for 20 days and then smoked after being coated with a fermented sauce.

The grilled mackerel is marinated overnight with the chef’s specially blended seasoning and then baked in olive oil. The mackerel tartare is made with the mackerel meat seasoned with seaweed salt, cut into cubes, and mixed with various herbs, vegetables, wasabi, homemade mustard, and egg yolk.

Lastly, the bones are stripped of flesh, the remaining mackerel bones are fried once, and then charcoal-grilled to give them flavor. Since they are seasoned, you can eat them like snacks.”

Mackerel is a small fish. Bill thought for a moment about how many mackerel were used to make this one main dish. He guessed that the kitchen staff had worked hard.

“It becomes clearer when you explain it. This chef is throwing down a kind of challenge to America. He’s saying, ‘It’s not that sardines don’t taste good. It’s that you can’t cook.’ It’s hilarious.”

Bill laughs loudly and starts tasting them one by one. Roland also takes out a notebook and writes something down while tasting the sardines.

“I never thought of this mackerel tartare. I thought tartare was only made from salmon and tuna. If you go a little further, it would be some kind of high-quality white fish. But they serve blue-backed fish as tartare.”

Roland seems to like the tartare, so he takes a fork and tastes it, writing down his thoughts in a notebook.

“Blue-backed fish is easily spoiled, so it is not usually served raw. It really spoils easily. We are confident in the freshness and processing of the ingredients.

This tartare is made by cutting up live sardines right after they are caught. Then, they are soaked in vinegar and quickly seasoned with salt mixed with seaweed. Then, they are aged in the refrigerator and then washed. It is very delicious. I didn’t know that sardines could be this delicious when eaten raw.”

Bill picks up a knife and tastes the grilled, dried and smoked mackerel.

“Mackerel has a lot of bones, so it’s a pain to prepare. You can see how much effort the kitchen staff put into it.

But it’s really new. No one would have thought of putting out a main like this. It takes skill and creativity, as well as courage and confidence. The drying is stopped at a very delicate point. Before the meat becomes too hard, but right when the savory flavor is activated. And it’s smoked with wood fire.”

Roland also takes notes on Bill’s comments.

“Marinated and stewed, it’s also delicious. The sweetness of the vegetables used together permeates the fish, creating a rich flavor. And it’s surprisingly tender. With its diverse cooking methods and diverse textures, the chef must have really wanted to bring out the full potential of the mackerel.”

Bill raves about the course.

“I don’t hate chefs who have ambition. The type of chef I hate the most is chefs who don’t have a spirit of challenge. They’re kind of free-riding, following the path established by past chefs. But they can’t give up their reputation, so they change the appearance to make it look good and promote themselves as if they’re something new. I can’t stand going to restaurants like that.”

Roland frowns as he recalls a restaurant from his past.

“I’m glad it was worth flying all this way.”

“If it didn’t live up to expectations this time, I was going to write a column for the first time in a long time and give it a very harsh critique. It’s like they’re just empty shells that are trying too hard to promote themselves for other reasons rather than for their cooking. If we neglect such restaurants, it will be detrimental to the customers. They might end up with a wrong perception of fine dining.”

After the two had finished their food, the server came with a cart filled with a variety of cheeses. Out of the dozens of cheeses, the two chose the ones that suited their tastes.

“There’s a saying in France that you can’t have lunch or dinner without cheese. Cheese has to be served after every meal.”

Bill puts a piece of Roquefort cheese (a sheep’s milk blue cheese aged with blue mold) in his mouth and smiles.

“It’s British cheddar cheese. These days, it’s produced everywhere, but the only real ones are those produced in the Cheddar region. It’s fortunate that they use the real ones here.”

Roland enjoyed four types of cheese, including cheddar and goat cheese, along with wine, without even thinking about the review.

Only after eating all the coconut scones and various cakes that followed were the two able to finish the long course.

“I think I overate. I was very faithful even though the course was long.”

Roland speaks to Bill over coffee.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten this much. I don’t regret spending money at all. When I first saw the menu, I wondered if a place without a Michelin star could really sell dinner for this price.”

While the two were talking, Jehee came over to say hello.

* * *

“Did you enjoy your meal?”

I smile and talk to them both. Fortunately, their expressions brighten.

“It was very good. What were you thinking when you came up with a course like this using seafood?”

Roland asks a question.

“The United States is a country that doesn’t eat a lot of seafood. I wanted to appeal to the appeal of seafood in my own way.”

In terms of seafood diversity, the United States is not fully utilizing its environment. In fact, I wanted to point that out.

“Isn’t that all? If that were the case, it would have been enough to make a course with ingredients that Americans like, like crab or lobster. But there must be a reason why they included squid or mackerel, which they dislike, in the course.”

Bill looks at me and smiles meaningfully. He’s a chef, so he’s quick-witted. But this isn’t because Americans are lacking, it’s just because they have so much to eat that they don’t pay attention to the little things.

“America is full of people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Yet, there are some tastes that they don’t quite accept.”

“It’s fermented food.”

“That’s right. I actively used fermentation to make sauces. It might be unfamiliar to Westerners, but Koreans eat a wide variety of fermented foods. There are easily over 100 of them. I used the pickled seafood that best matched the image I wanted to create in the sauces.”

When I was worried because the sauce wasn’t dissolving well, I suddenly remembered eating meat with sauce made with fermented anchovies.

I tested all the salted seafood I could find right here. As a result, I found that heating salted anchovies and salted shrimp and mixing them with the sauce gave it a deeper flavor.

Of course, precise calculation is necessary. If you use too much, the fishy taste will dominate the sauce. It is important to use just enough to give a point of flavor and to bring out the deep taste of the fish.

“I know that Koreans love fermented foods. I had no idea what the ingredients of the sauce were, but now my curiosity has been answered.”

Bill nods. Fermentation is a hot topic in the culinary world these days. The United States is currently a step behind, but soon the fermented food craze will hit here too.

“The tarragon tastes a little different from what I know. Why is that?”

Roland asks a question out of curiosity.

“I mixed a little mugwort into the sauce. In the US, there is young mugwort even in this season. It is a plant that is not used in the West, but it is a very popular ingredient in Korea. I thought it would go well with tarragon, so I used it together.”

The United States is full of mugwort. In the United States, mugwort is considered nothing more than a nuisance weed, so local governments have a headache every spring and summer because of the mugwort that spreads everywhere.

I thought that if they gave Koreans permission to collect plants in the park, they could solve this problem without much cost in a significant area. In fact, when one local government gave permission to collect mugwort, Koreans rushed to the park and dug it all up.

The owners of this blessed land do not eat much. If you go out and walk around the fields right now, you will see mugwort, quince, bracken, wild chives, and celery all over the place.

“It was a great course. I was satisfied. I hope you continue to do well in the future.”

Roland smiles brightly and extends his hand to me.

“We are honored that you visited us. We plan to change our menu every quarter, so we hope you will visit us often.”

I shook hands with the two men and went into the kitchen. The kitchen staff all had sullen eyes. The kitchen was overloaded with a variety of unfamiliar seafood to prepare and process, and many dishes to serve.

I patted the chefs on the shoulder and started preparing the next course. It might be a little difficult now, but as time goes by, everyone will get used to it. And then there will be stories to tell to their juniors as if they were brave stories.

* * *

The new course was a pain for the kitchen staff, but it was a huge boost to the restaurant’s finances.

As the course lengthened, the proportion of guests ordering wine increased noticeably, and since the course prices were set high, many expensive wines were served. Also, the signature dishes I made during my time at Luce de Sole were newly added to the menu, so that even guests who visit the restaurant multiple times can enjoy a variety of dishes.

Ring ring ring

“Why are there so many calls today?”

I asked Jenny, but she had no idea.

The restaurant’s reservations are made online, but they don’t release all of their tables for customers who prefer to call. They’re already fully booked, so I’ve adjusted my reservations to one month instead of one week, but there are still no seats.

But today, we are receiving too many calls asking for reservations. The staff are repeatedly apologizing over and over again on the phone for not having any seats.

“I think we need more staff. We are already at a point where we need to mobilize all of the restaurant’s capabilities to serve customers.”

Jenny wipes her forehead with the back of her hand as if she is tired.

“I agree. And I’ll talk to Logan about putting in more tables.”

When designing the restaurant, Logan left some room for the seating arrangements. He explained to me that this was to allow for flexibility in case there was a need to accommodate more guests. He seems to be a true wise man.

“That’s a good idea. There’s some space on the first floor. On a nice day, it might be nice to set up a table in the garden.”

“Okay. I’ll think about that too.”

While we were talking to Jenny, Eric came running towards us, looking at us in a hurry. He was holding a newspaper in his hand.

“Chef!”

Eric is panting for breath, as if he’s about to suffocate.

“What the hell is going on? Did something happen?”

Restaurants are a workplace where accidents happen more often than you might think. I’m worried for no reason.

“Our restaurant was in the New York Times. The New York Times, I mean!”

As soon as she heard Eric’s words, Jenny snatched the newspaper from his hand and began flipping through the pages, looking for an article.

“Oh, really. It’s in the column here. It’s pretty big, too.”

Jenny stutters and reads the newspaper, seemingly excited.