Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Aside from the iron skillet that sparked interest among the diners, the iron pot, soup pot, and the large bowl of exotic ingredients resembling bugs on Lin Chen's countertop also piqued their curiosity.

"What is this? It looks a bit like baby lobsters."

Lin Chen bent down slightly and pulled out a freshly printed photo of crayfish from beneath the table.

The neatly arranged crayfish in the bowl, combined with the bright red sauce and garlic paste on top, make mouths water just from looking at the picture.

"What is this!!"

Some diners' eyes lit up instantly.

"Could it be the sauce from that hand-held seafood dish before?"

"Oh oh, I've seen it! That video got quite a number of views; everyone who tried it said it was good!"

"How is it sold? I want to buy it, can't hold the hunger anymore!!!"

At this moment, a sharp-eyed diner noticed price tags next to the crates of ingredients beside the iron skillet, labeled one euro, two euros, three euros, even five euros and ten euros.

"Does this mean you can pick your own skewers? Just take whatever you want and then pay for it?"

"Bingo, you got it right, sir!"

Dais temporarily took on the role of cashier, explaining to the first few diners how to select ingredients.

"There are baskets over there, with numbers on them. Just put your favorite ingredients in, and after you're done choosing, hand them over to our chef, then you can pick other foods you like from the side."

"The stir-fried ice cream made with fruits over there can only be made with a single flavor at a time due to the process, so if none of you need it now, allow the diners behind who need it to take it, to prevent melting."

"The spicy garlic crayfish handmade noodles in the middle are sold per portion, small portion for twenty euros, large portion for thirty euros, add noodles for five euros."

"Handmade noodles?"

The unfamiliar term once again stirred the curiosity of the crowd, but they could discern that it referred to a kind of noodle, as the lady translated it as handmade noodles crafted using a knife.

They could picture knife-cut noodles, but knife-shaved noodles... how exactly are they shaved?

While the diners were still hesitating over what skewers to choose from the iron skillet, Lin Chen was already getting ready to prepare the crayfish.

The crayfish needs to simmer for over ten minutes, counting the stir-frying time, at least around thirteen to fifteen minutes.

A single pot can cook ten pounds of crayfish at one time, a small portion being two pounds, a large portion three pounds, equating to about three to five servings.

There are two stovetops on the table which can cook simultaneously, with the noodle soup pot placed separately to the side, a portable stovetop purposely brought from the back kitchen, specifically for cooking soup.

The aroma from sizzling dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppers quickly permeated the air, causing the nearby diners to uncontrollably sneeze one after another.

Fortunately, the pungent smell of the spices gradually dissipated after clear water was poured in.

The seasoning and shrimp boiling were completed seamlessly, followed by the surprising addition of beer, which again astonished this group of foreigners.

"Using beer to cook??"

"I thought the beer was for drinking, but it's actually used for cooking!"

Once heated, the alcohol evaporated swiftly, releasing a rich malt aroma and concurrently enhancing the flavor of the beef oil hot pot base.

The crayfish transformed from its original greenish-black to an enticing bright red, accompanied by bubbles rising and falling as it gradually boiled, just looking at it made one's finger twitch, mouth watering.

While Lin Chen was preparing the crayfish, several guests had already chosen their skewers, filling their small baskets almost to the brim, trying just about every ingredient.

This was mainly because they had never tasted such food before and couldn't figure out which was the most delicious, but with the head chef's skills here, it definitely couldn't be bad, so they might as well try a bit of everything.

"A bunch of beef skewers, a bunch of squid tentacles, a bunch of squid strips, two skewers each of pork tenderloin and chicken tenderloin, a skewer of chicken skin, a skewer of beef tendon, a skewer of big squid, a skewer of enoki mushrooms, a skewer of string beans, a skewer of napa cabbage..."

Dais whispered to herself while deftly pressing the calculator, jotting down the total price on paper and marking it with number one, handing it over to the diner.

"Please keep this receipt safe, sir; it's proof. After finishing your selection, use this to receive your iron skillet skewers and pay."

Although it's just a simple accounting task, it requires summing the prices of over a dozen skewers within mere seconds, a real test of one's memory.

Only experienced workers like Dais and Helena could manage it, and since Dais had been part of Lin Chen's team for a long time, Lin Chen trusted her abilities more, thus assigned her this task.

Helena was temporarily assisting with crayfish preparation at the back, ready to swap shifts with Dais after some time, utilizing mental and physical strengths in alternation.

Elsa, the semi-newcomer, was assigned responsibility for the final checkout, also serving as a form of training.

The remaining Jonathan, Lucinda, Lucas, and Helena were seated on small stools processing crayfish around a large bowl, right behind Lin Chen, openly handling each fresh crayfish before hundreds of eyes.

Chef Marchello soon received his first order.

Fruit stir-fried ice cream can also be customized, but not as varied as iron skillet skewers; just fruit combined with fresh milk, yogurt, or flavored syrup, some only with flavored syrup like bayberries.

Originally, the cooking could be done in small batches, but due to the high customer flow, to improve efficiency, larger portions had to be prepared.

Each stir-fry yields ten portions; with so many customers, there will always be someone who buys.

"Sizzling—sizzling—"

Nagishiro Sho, wearing a traditional Japanese headband, has already begun his first teppanyaki show.

With so many ingredients, each varies in shape, size, and thickness, requiring different cooking times, challenging the chef's ability to control the heat.

However, he looks relaxed, without any hint of tension, starting by placing the whole squid skewer on the grill, producing a melodious and pleasant sound.

Waiting until the bottom of the squid slightly changes color, he then places other meat skewers one by one, while vegetables are placed separately in an adjacent area, drizzled with a special broth and sauce to prevent dehydration while creating a steaming effect.

With an iron spatula, he presses down on the surface of each meat skewer. Once most of the skewers change color, he generously grabs a handful of chopped scallions and onions, sprinkling them on top, adds some translucent liquid, and quickly stir-fries.

In a certain moment, he picks up all the skewers in his palm, shakes them slightly, and a bright orange flame spontaneously bursts forth, shooting half a meter into the air.

"Wow!!!"

As the heat wave hits, the nearby diners are startled by this sudden scene, yet their faces are filled not with fear, but with awe.

"Where did the fire come from?"

"Couldn't see clearly, it just suddenly ignited."

"Worthy of a Head Chef, even the cooking techniques are so magical, I can't wait to taste what it actually tastes like."

"As someone who doesn't eat scallions, this scene unexpectedly makes me want to try it; truly, good cooking can cure picky eating."

Just as the front row diners marveled at the mysterious teppanyaki flame technique, Lin Chen lifted the gauze covering the table beside him, pulling out an oval-shaped dough resting on his palm, with his right hand grasping a tool resembling a metal piece.

Taking two side steps, he stood a meter away in front of the soup pot, his right hand making several virtual arcs with the metal piece, and then strips of noodles flew into the boiling water with precision.

"?!"

"Look quickly, what's that!!"

"Knife-cut noodles, he's really making knife-cut noodles!"

"Oh my God, the Great Xia People can do acrobatics even in noodle making? It looks incredible!"

"The noodles are flying, they're flying!!!"

"I've never seen noodles made like this, using a blade-like tool to directly carve the dough skin? No wonder it's called knife-cut noodles."

The diners originally gathered around the teppanyaki for the performance suddenly flocked over to see the knife-cut noodle show, and the vacant spots were immediately occupied by other diners behind them, taking small baskets to pick their preferred ingredients.

However, the knife-cut noodle performance cannot last too long; the noodles' doneness must be controlled, stopping occasionally to scoop the noodles to maintain the balance, otherwise the old noodles in the pot would overcook while the new ones remain uncooked.

The scooped knife-cut noodles are directly soaked in ice water to cool down, then the next batch begins without delay.

"Hey!"

Chef Marchello beckons to the diners: "Don't just stand there, come and choose your favorite ice cream flavors, and remember, each batch can only make one. To avoid a long wait, it's recommended to discuss and agree on a unified flavor, otherwise, you'll have to wait for the next batch."

He points to the table beside him with a variety of processed fruits neatly arranged.

"Strawberry, watermelon, mango, lychee, these four can be paired with milk, yogurt, and syrup. The last one, bayberry, can only be paired with syrup; it's a specialty fruit from Great Xia, sweet and sour, highly recommended."

"Imported huh? No wonder I've never seen it before."

"Since it's recommended by the Head Chef, it must be good; I'll choose bayberry."

"I'll choose bayberry too, I want to try a fruit I haven't had before."

"They've never sold it in supermarkets, miss this chance you don't know when you'll encounter it again, I'll choose bayberry too."

Among five diners, four chose bayberry, only one wanted mango ice, but he'll have to wait for the second round.

Chef Marchello enthusiastically picks up two iron spatulas and clinks them in the air, producing a crisp sound.

The teppanyaki surface has long reached subzero temperatures, though it completely doesn't show from the exterior.

He scoops out several spoonfuls of pitted bayberry pulp from the container, pouring it onto the teppanyaki along with the purplish-red juice.

No sound is heard, but the originally flowing liquid visibly starts to thicken.

Without any hesitation, his hands swiftly maneuver the iron spatulas left and right, chopping the bayberry pulp at a rapid pace, mixing it with the juice below, then adds several spoonfuls of transparent syrup.

The technique of stir-frying fruit ice is also meticulous; it's not about random flipping with the spatula, but scraping from the edges to the center, while scrapping finely. This way, the resulting ice has a smooth texture, without too many ice pieces.