Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

"Vegetable buns? What kind of vegetables, cabbage or greens? There are so many types of greens, like shepherd’s purse, Indian aster, spinach..."

"Does that even make sense! Where are we supposed to find shepherd’s purse and Indian aster around here! And what on earth is a spinach bun!!"

Chu Yueyue rolled her eyes dramatically, grabbed a steaming hot big bun from the bag, and stuffed it into her mouth.

Vegetable buns typically have no juice, so you don’t have to worry about getting burned; you can eat them confidently and boldly.

The soft and fluffy bun skin was elastic and full of the aroma of flour, immediately recognizable as handmade buns.

The thickness of the bun skin was just right, and with one bite, you reached the filling, unlike some unscrupulous vendors’ buns where you eat just the skin for ages and still can’t see what the filling looks like.

The skin, as thick as a pinky finger, was filled with tiny air holes, making the entire bun very plump and soft, enhancing the bun’s overall texture spectacularly.

The filling had a rich shiitake mushroom flavor; with just one bite, the corners of Chu Yueyue’s mouth curled up uncontrollably. She held the bitten bun up to the man’s mouth.

"Greens and shiitake mushrooms?!"

Wang Ziqin glanced down and bit it without hesitation.

Green and shiitake mushroom is considered one of the ultimate vegetable bun combinations, and since it was made by Lin Chen, there was no hesitation needed; just eat.

"Ah!! You bit my hand!"

Chu Yueyue jerked her hand back as if electrocuted, grabbed his ear with her other hand, "I wanted you to taste, not to finish it in one bite! Are you a pig? If you want more, can’t you grab one yourself?"

"Mm~~ Delicious, heh heh, this bun is yummy, it’s a familiar taste~"

The sweet greens were chopped finely and completely steamed into a mush, leaving just the vegetable’s sweetness, the grassy taste long gone, with the diced shiitake mushroom adding the perfect finishing touch.

It seemed like just two ordinary ingredients, but with matsutake and vegetarian oyster sauce, it tasted richly savory, and you couldn’t stop eating it.

This taste was distinctly different from meat buns, which had a greasy aroma relying on pork lard, making eating more than three at a time feel cloying.

Vegetable buns didn’t have this issue; you could eat four, five, six, or even eight without getting tired, only full.

However, the quality of vegetable buns varied greatly; a good one and a bad one could be distinguished in a bite.

If made poorly, the greens would have a heavy grassy taste with noticeable bitterness, affecting the overall taste and overshadowing the shiitake mushroom flavor.

This kind of green is called "qingcai" only in southern regions, otherwise known as baby bok choy or sometimes other names elsewhere.

It’s the same green leafy vegetable that comes with Shaxian snack set meals, often used for blanching greens as well.

Chu Yueyue had just tasted the flavor when the bun in her hand was devoured by a giant abyssal mouth. She quickly grabbed two big buns and squatted on the sofa, looking cautious, afraid he’d snatch from her again.

Wang Ziqin amusingly flipped through the plastic bag and realized there were still nine big buns inside.

With these two boxes of mixed noodles, it was doubtful they could finish it all, so there was no need to fight over it.

"Go ahead and eat, I won’t snatch from you. If you can eat it all, I’ll be impressed."

He picked up the bag and shook it, pointing at the nine hefty buns inside.

"Don’t you worry about it! Are the noodles ready, bring them over!"

"They’re ready, they’re ready, my dear, here, enjoy your meal~"

Chu Yueyue took a big bite of the steaming bun, feeling the sweet greens bloom pleasantly in her mouth, and peered into the takeout box.

The long noodles were coated with brown sauce, visibly studded with tiny bits of ingredients.

As a southerner, she was familiar with these ingredients and could identify them at a glance.

"Bamboo shoots, tofu, shiitake mushrooms? Three-flavor Zhajiangmian? Not bad, suits my taste, I don’t particularly like Zhajiangmian that are too strongly flavored."

Despite her small mouth, she managed to finish a whole big bun in three bites, keeping the other one in her left hand, while impatiently picking up chopsticks with her right hand to scoop up the noodles.

They were genuinely starving.

Last night, they went to have a true Michelin-level omakase experience at Nagishiro Sho’s restaurant.

But the portions of the Japanese cuisine were too delicately small, and Nagishiro Sho seemingly genuinely felt too embarrassed about a fellow national’s mistake and pulled out all the stops, preparing all of the restaurant’s best ingredients and dishes.

Not only that, but he also made many authentic Japanese local dishes not found on the menu.

The meal dragged on for more than four hours, and they didn’t dare admit they weren’t full by the end.

Primarily because it took so long, the food they had initially eaten was nearly digested, so it was no surprise they weren’t full, especially since each dish was only a bite-sized portion.

Moreover, since everything was made-to-order, taking a bite meant waiting another ten minutes; who could tolerate that?

Delicious as it is, it really won’t fill you up; at most, it’s just an experiential treat.

The restaurant offers many exquisite boxed meals too. Originally, Nagishiro Sho, the head chef, suggested they pick some favorite flavors to take away for breakfast, but they felt embarrassed and left directly.

Since it wasn’t the restaurant’s fault, getting a free lavish meal and also taking food wasn’t something they could do without losing face.

Due to not resting well the previous day, they slept until almost ten in the morning, then drove back to the hotel, leaving no time to eat; they’ve been hungry until now.

Suddenly seeing this fragrant bowl of three-flavor fried sauce noodles, with the aroma of vegetables and mushrooms opening up their appetite, they couldn’t resist and started devouring the noodles.

Slurping several large mouthfuls of noodles, then taking a bite of a bun, feeling a burst of carbs in the mouth was the simplest pleasure rooted deep in the bodies of Great Xia people.

No matter how much you eat delicious food, it doesn’t surpass the strong satisfaction of a plain bite of carbs.

"Oh, there are two packets of chili oil in the bag, do you want them?"

"Yes! Of course, I want them; this red oil mixed with noodles smells amazing and not too spicy, providing an authentic flavor. It’s just unclear whether it’s the Sichuan and Chongqing style or from near Shaanbei."

While the two were wolfing down in their hotel room, diners savoring the vegetable and mushroom buns were once again impressed by Lin Chen’s culinary skill.

Originally thinking the juicy beef buns were delicious enough in the morning, they were surprised that the vegetable buns were even tastier!

Perhaps due to eating too many meat buns in the morning, creating a greasy illusion, tasting this refreshing filling now gave a new vibrant sensation.

Especially with the natural sweetness of vegetables accompanied by the unique aroma of mushrooms and the fluffy bun skin, it was irresistible.

Almost all guests who ordered according to their morning appetite regretted it; none felt satisfied.

"Why are vegetable buns tastier than meat buns? Is it because we ate the meat buns first?"

"Maybe, if you eat vegetable buns first and then meat buns, perhaps you’ll find the meat buns more flavorful, or they might just be average—who knows."

"I went online searching after heading back in the morning, finding many varieties of Great Xia buns with anything as stuffing, making me almost drool. How do Great Xia people eat so well all the time!!"

"Hey, I want to inquire about the process and materials needed for a Great Xia travel visa, and how many days it takes? It’s urgent! What? Go where? Go wherever the food is!"

Wilson arrived early at noon, before eleven, running to queue up, being in the first group of contenders.

It wasn’t long before it was his turn.

"Hello, could I have six buns plus a bowl of noodles, please?"

Dais glanced at his wrist, apologetically shaking her head.

"Sorry, sir, our restaurant has a rule that only guests wearing wristbands can dine. You’re the one who bought two buns in the morning, right? Since you’re a new guest, you have a one-time trial privilege, no wristband required."

"What? Wristband?"

Wilson was bewildered, hastily looking back, only to realize everyone indeed had red wristbands on their wrists.

He’d seen those before, thinking they symbolized hotel guests since the restaurant was right next to the hotel, so he didn’t mind.

Never expected the restaurant only catered to hotel guests!

"How can I get this wristband?"

He was anxious, sweat on his forehead, the delicious food right in front, yet he couldn’t eat it, harsher than any military challenge!

Suddenly feeling regret, had he not bought those two buns out of curiosity this morning, he wouldn’t be here facing such merciless test.

"It’s simple, just check into the hotel, or have a 24-hour check-in certificate, then register at the restaurant front desk to get the wristband."

"What!" Wilson pointed angrily to the building not far away, "Do I have to run there to check in, then come back and queue for more than an hour just to get some food?"

"Isn’t this rule too unreasonable!"

"Sorry, sir, but..."

Dais wore an apologetic smile, raising her hand to point at the sign hung on the restaurant entrance wall.

"We have our rules posted, all dining guests are aware of this policy."

"Due to limited staffing during our soft opening week, the restaurant is still adjusting, so temporarily not open to outside guests, only serving hotel guests."

"We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, sir."

Faced with the waitress’s kind attitude and the peculiar gazes of others, Wilson knew he wasn’t in the right, but the frustration inside was hard to suppress.

Lin Chen certainly noticed the situation, coughing twice.

"Cough, Dais, how about this? It’s our first time encountering such a situation, and the willingness to buy back shows recognition of our food."