Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

"After all, the new regulations are just beginning to be implemented today, it’s inevitable that there might be issues, we can always supplement them."

"Sir, let’s just pass this time, it’s our work not being up to standard. Whatever you need, just purchase directly. But next time, if you want to buy again, you’ll need to provide proof of your stay~"

Lin Chen’s timely intervention allowed both sides to breathe a sigh of relief simultaneously, and the atmosphere instantly eased up.

Wilson nodded gratefully and thanked him, simultaneously giving a thumbs up. Dais quickly noted down the order he just mentioned, handed it to Elsa, and then moved on to the next guest.

"Guest on table twenty-six, six buns, one bowl of fried noodles. Are you eating here or taking out?"

"Takeout," Wilson hesitantly waved, "After all, I’m not a guest at the hotel, so I won’t take up your seating, and I’ll come back next time to eat sitting down!"

"Thank you for understanding! Welcome to come again next time~"

The food quickly came out, and Wilson picked it up and left. He stopped by the restaurant entrance to carefully read the regulations on the sign, which were essentially what was discussed earlier.

"Huh?"

"There’s even a customized dinner option, where spots need to be booked online in advance, with only three spots available daily?"

Upon seeing the last rule, he suddenly became interested, craning his neck to look inside the restaurant.

Helena, standing at the front desk, wasn’t aware of the situation outside, but seeing this unfamiliar-looking man holding food made by Lin Chen, she immediately guessed the situation and nodded at him with a smile.

"Would you like to come in for a tour, sir? Our restaurant’s environment and food are really good."

"Can I? It won’t affect your business, right?"

"Not at all, inside the restaurant is self-service buffet style, everyone is walking around, it’s no issue."

"It’s actually a buffet!"

He immediately became interested. It’s so hard to find a good buffet around here, especially since his appetite is large, each meal’s cost is considerable, so he ends up eating pasta, pizza, burgers, etc., which has led to rapid weight gain these past few months, and he finally decided to lose weight.

If the buffet here is good and the price is right, he may consider moving in.

"You can walk along this green plant corridor, and both sides are good, with the central area being the food pick-up area, and dining areas hidden in the middle of the green plant area, with windows along the side, there’s also a second floor, feel free to tour, sir."

No mention was made of not stealing food, as saying something like that would make the situation awkward, and generally normal people wouldn’t do such things.

Wilson expressed his thanks and wandered around briefly, feeling very intrigued by the concept of dining in a green plant space, a restaurant design style he had never seen before, and he felt it was quite appealing.

He mainly browsed the food pick-up area, wanting to check the quality of the dishes here.

"Handmade pizza, lasagna, salad, soup, roast meats, seafood... Quite an assortment, looks good!"

He didn’t go to the second floor, as he generally understood the situation. Quickly returning to the entrance.

"Hello, may I ask about the prices here?"

"Breakfast is 15 euros, lunch is 20 euros, and if you’re a vegetarian, breakfast is 8 euros, lunch is 10 euros."

"Okay... How much???"

He thought he was hearing things.

The restaurant’s decor is so upscale, being part of a big hotel, near the beach and ocean, yet the buffet only costs up to 20 euros?

Is the owner operating a charity?

No wonder they only provide service to hotel guests, 20 euros is probably just the cost price, with the main profit derived from room fees?

He hasn’t really looked into the hotel’s business model, assuming the rooms would be expensive.

With the notion of being there anyway, he decided to check the hotel front desk for room prices to have some idea.

Worried that the buns would get cold and not taste good, he walked towards the hotel entrance, grabbing a bun from the bag and stuffing it into his mouth.

The sweet cabbage and rich mushroom flavors exploded in his mouth, catching him off guard with a huge, pleasant surprise.

He’s a pure carnivore, hardly eating vegetarian meals, and didn’t hold any expectations for the veggie buns, having bought so many simply due to Chef Lin’s skills.

He never expected veggie buns to taste this good, a flavor and texture he’s never experienced in his life.

Not convinced, he took a couple more bites, stuffing the entire bun into his mouth and chewing large mouthfuls, savoring the enchanting delight, he couldn’t help but nod repeatedly.

"Delicious, truly delicious, the chef’s skills are really impressive, if I could eat such tasty food every day, spending some money would be worth it, at least the stay would be comfortable and joyful."

The majority of foreigners don’t have the concept of saving and investing, they live happily as they please, money is earned to enjoy life, after all.

Anyway, even if they’re unemployed and not working, the government takes care of them, there are no worries.

During the short two hundred meters distance from the restaurant to the hotel front desk, he had consumed five large buns, was eating the last one, while also eyeing the remaining box of noodles in the bag.

Stir-fried noodles are also his favorite, whether it’s Indu’s curry stir-fried noodles or Tai Island’s seafood stir-fried noodles, or other flavors, they’re undoubtedly delicious and filling, considered the most popular dish in the barracks.

But honestly, he had never seen anything like this sauce-covered dish for mixing.

With one hand propping his chin in front of the computer screen, Elise and Vanessa were listlessly daydreaming, when suddenly, it darkened in front of them. They instinctively looked up to see half of a snowy white dumpling filled with some kind of chopped green vegetable, and what seemed to be brown mushrooms mixed in.

Their eyes lit up.

Dumpling!

The next second, half a dumpling was stuffed into the man’s mouth, and he didn’t forget to lick his fingers, thoroughly enjoying its taste.

Wilson examined the room price board hung on the wall behind the front desk, carefully scanning it. After understanding the prices, he almost doubted his eyes.

A hotel of this scale and environment usually ranges from 150 to 300 Euros, with the average price not dipping below 200 Euros.

Especially now, with only a few days left before the Olympics, hotel prices were skyrocketing, multiplying several times. Being near the Capital Circle, this place was also affected.

He was already mentally prepared to see prices like five hundred or six hundred, but surprisingly, a standard single room was only 150!

The price for a double room was normal, at 200 Euros, and the other room types were all within the normal price range.

Elise glanced deeply at the box of noodles in his hand, forced herself to look away, stood up with a smile, and said.

"Hello sir, is there anything I can help with?"

Wilson pointed at the room prices: "Do these prices always stay the same, or will they increase in a few days?"

"Well, we’ve been notified that starting tomorrow, the room prices will uniformly increase and will be adjusted back after the Olympics, but today they are still at the normal price."

"If you would like to check in, we recommend booking a room today, so you’ll only need to pay the pre-increase price."

Wilson nodded, pondered for a moment, and asked again, "If I want to book a room long-term and pay all at once, how is the pricing calculated?"

"If you want to stay long-term, we also recommend booking today. The price remains the same no matter how many days you stay. Guests checking in from tomorrow will have to pay the increased rates, and we haven’t received notice yet on when prices will be readjusted."

"Bang—"

Without saying another word, Wilson slapped his bank card on the marble counter.

"Book a room, just a single room for a month!"

Only 150 a day, so a month would be 4500 Euros.

It seems quite expensive, apparently over four times what he currently pays for his 1000 a month apartment, but this is a grand hotel, with amenities far beyond any typical housing.

The free gym and swimming pool alone are essential for him, saving a huge cost on membership cards. There’s also dedicated Thai massage and rehabilitation centers to soothe all sorts of sports-related aftereffects.

Besides, staying in a hotel means not worrying about security issues. He can sleep more comfortably and relieve physical stress effectively.

In his free time, he could even bask in the sunlight or take a swim on the sandy beach nearby.

Plus, there are cheap buffets every day and tasty Great Xia food.

Put together, 4500 is really not expensive.

While the front desk beauty was opening his room, Wilson already opened that box of noodles and was mixing it while flipping through the hotel benefit brochure at his side.

"Oh?"

"They even have their own farms and ocean fishery, allowing you to pick and hunt ingredients yourself and have the restaurant head chef customize a dinner on the spot?"

This unheard-of model instantly piqued his curiosity, and his mind had already begun fantasizing about the scene, exciting at the mere thought.

"Slurp"

Instinctively, he slurped a mouthful of noodles to relieve the almost overflowing saliva.

Compared to the amazing vegetable dumpling, this mixed noodle was relatively ordinary, but still delicious.

The slender noodles looked like they’d break at a touch, but actually retained some elasticity when eaten. The thick sauce coating wasn’t too salty, emphasizing a fresh flavor with a hint of sauce aroma, tasting almost like the simple flavors homemade meals offer.

It wouldn’t be surprising if these noodles and dumplings were regular foods for Great Xia people, right?

After all, it’s food cart fare, not from a restaurant. He wasn’t looking for anything high-end, just cheap, tasty, and fulfilling food.

As he continued eating, he felt as though someone was watching him. Curiously turning his head, he saw another front desk beauty quickly look away, pretending to be busy typing on the keyboard.

Wilson glanced down at the box of mixed noodles, paused for a couple of seconds as if pondering.

"Have you not had lunch?"

"Yes, our lunch is delivered after the restaurant’s service hours, still a while away, at least until one thirty."

Elise positioned the card-swiped POS machine, sighed, "And starting this week, we can’t have Chef Lin’s food anymore. We can only eat the buffet varieties, and we can’t pick our own, such bad luck."

"Please enter your password, sir."