In the kitchen of the Delicious Restaurant.
Huang Tao held a pot in one hand and a spoon in the other, scooping so already cooked glaze from the pot and drizzling it evenly over the fish, even filling the other spaces on the plate.
This would make it look more appealing.
He then sprinkled so minced ginger on top.
The sweet and sour aroma quietly wafted from the kitchen, spreading throughout the restaurant.
It enticed the taste buds of the custors in the shop, making them swallow their saliva.
"Slls so good! Just the scent alone makes my mouth water."
"Wow! Is this the scent of the West Lake Vinegar Fish?!"
"I think I understand now why at the food festival, people almost got into a fight just to taste a bit of the West Lake Vinegar Fish. This must be the charm of the West Lake Vinegar Fish!"
"Qin! I’d like a West Lake Vinegar Fish and a single serving of Honeyed Ham, please!"
The other regulars who had ordered the West Lake Vinegar Fish couldn’t wait any longer, quickly moving to the counter to carefully take away their portion of West Lake Vinegar Fish.
As soon as the West Lake Vinegar Fish was served on the table.
It imdiately caught the attention of many queuing custors.
The fish was covered with a layer of smooth, shiny glaze, and the pectoral fins stood up, making it look incredibly red, bright, and lively.
Just looking at it made one salivate!
While everyone watched, the urge to indulge was almost irresistible.
Lao Liu picked up his chopsticks, split the fish, revealing the exceptionally tender white flesh underneath, likely a result of the boiled fish preparation.
He picked up a piece covered in sauce and placed it in his mouth, savoring it slowly.
Incredibly fresh and smooth, with not a hint of fishy taste.
The flavor starts sour and then sweet, perfectly balanced.
The fish at was also extrely tender, juicy, and slightly chewy.
Paired with the vinegar and ginger-flavored sauce, it really tasted like crab.
Indeed!
The taste was exactly like crab at!
A truly distinct flavor!
Since Lao Liu put the fish in his mouth, the smile on his face didn’t stop and only beca more pronounced.
With a look of contentnt, he couldn’t help but praise, "One bite and you realize that this West Lake Vinegar Fish made by Boss Huang is authentically traditional, without a trace of fishiness. The glaze elevates the fish’s flavor, perfectly balanced. This is truly the authentic delicious West Lake Vinegar Fish!"
"As the ancient saying goes, wanting to compare West Lake to a beautiful woman, I think this West Lake Vinegar Fish is like that beauty, only bigger is clumsy, smaller is sour, longer is old, thicker is greasy. This is just right, just right!"
Old Qin fully agreed with his friend’s point, nodding and waving his folding fan with admiration, "Boss Huang’s West Lake Vinegar Fish is really delicious, capturing the essence of the dish, even better than what was demonstrated at the food festival. It seems Boss Huang’s culinary skills have increased."
The two friends, who rarely agreed on anything, joyfully continued to eat a few more bites of fish.
Others at nearby tables, having received their West Lake Vinegar Fish, also eagerly dug into the dish.
Each took a piece of fish, dipped it in sauce, and ate.
With just a taste, they all showed expressions of enjoynt.
"This is just too delicious! It’s definitely the best West Lake Vinegar Fish I’ve ever tasted!"
"The last ti I visited West Lake, I went to try the West Lake Vinegar Fish after hearing its reputation. That taste left wanting to crowdsource a mouth that has never tasted it, just so I could keep this dish stored in my beautiful fantasy forever, but Boss Huang’s West Lake Vinegar Fish is different! The sour and sweet taste, the tender fish without a hint of mud, delicious! It completely overturned my understanding of West Lake Vinegar Fish and cured my long-standing fear of it. It made fall in love with the dish all over again."
"Boss Huang uses only the best grass carp, specially circled and fard for two or three days to remove the muddy sll, making it comfortable for the custors to eat. Good food requires sweat, and this is indeed true. To make authentic cuisine, one should have high standards for ingredients like Boss Huang, not cutting corners. But chefs like Boss Huang are hard to co by, so let’s cherish this!"
"Yes! Many restaurants now use other types of fish for convenience, but this kind of West Lake Vinegar Fish doesn’t taste the sa as grass carp, which is not authentic West Lake Vinegar Fish at all! After all, the traditional thod for West Lake Vinegar Fish requires grass carp."
"When it cos to making West Lake Vinegar Fish, Boss Huang is the only one I trust. How does Boss Huang make it so tender, sweet, and sour, soft yet with a crab-like flavor? It’s amazing!"
Old Qin listened, looked up at them, shook his fan, and said with an air of wisdom, "Because when Boss Huang makes this dish, besides selecting ingredients and knife skills, there are two key points that are well-executed!"
"One is the timing of the boiling water, if the heat is too high, the fish becos tough and loses that delicate tender texture."
"Look at the fish, the white flesh has a hint of translucency, the at near the bone is just cooked, and the outer fish at retains a slightly translucent look. Just two seconds more, and it wouldn’t look like this."
"The other is the glaze; using vinegar as the base, it’s smooth and shiny, moderately thick, not so sour it hurts your teeth, which would overshadow the fish’s freshness, nor too sweet to lose the vinegar’s acidity. The sweetness and fish pairing must be just right, using the best vinegar, balancing vinegar, soy sauce, and rice wine, creating a glaze that makes the fish dish famous, and the fish at shows its tenderness thanks to the glaze."
Though Old Qin was the head chef at a five-star hotel before retirent.
But if he were to cook this dish himself, he wasn’t confident he could do it justice.
Of course, he’s only had a few authentic West Lake Vinegar Fish in his life.
But that was many years ago!
Old Qin looked down at the remaining West Lake Vinegar Fish, his admiration for Huang Tao was almost overflowing.
He wasn’t the only one; all the custors who tasted the West Lake Vinegar Fish felt the sa way.
Soon enough.
All the West Lake Vinegar Fish was sold out.
The custors behind who still wanted so couldn’t order it on the self-service machine anymore, and their hearts skipped a beat as they asked hopefully, "Boss Huang, why can’t I order the West Lake Vinegar Fish anymore? Is the machine broken?"
Ding Suqin, with a hint of apology, said, "I’m sorry, all 30 fish have been sold out. Please bear with us."
The last ray of hope for the custors was extinguished, and they couldn’t help but groan in disappointnt.
"Oh no! Do we get tantalized by the sll of West Lake Vinegar Fish only to not be able to taste it?!"
"Oh my, there were really only thirty fish?! Boss Huang, you’re too honest! Old Li, share half of your West Lake Vinegar Fish with , will you?"
"Old Li, let have a bite! Just so I know what real West Lake Vinegar Fish tastes like!"
Several regulars turned their eyes on the West Lake Vinegar Fish that Old Li had just gotten.
Old Li, quite generous, smiled and said, "Sure! Let’s all try it."
The four neighbors each took chopsticks and tried the fish together.
"My goodness, this fish is so tender and delicious! Sweet and sour, the flavor is fantastic!"
"It’s way better than any other West Lake Vinegar Fish I’ve had from other places..."
"I finally understand why Master Wei Mingguo praised this dish so highly at the food festival; it’s truly delicious! It’s a pity I couldn’t buy it."
The custors who missed out on the West Lake Vinegar Fish all looked regretful.
But there was no recourse; there were only so many fish, and they couldn’t outqueue everyone else. They could only wait for another chance to buy it and taste it.
Fortunately, there was still so Honeyed Ham left.
The custors at the front quickly started ordering, fearful that if they hesitated, soone else might order it first.
If that happened, there’d be no ti to cry!
Huang Tao was still busy in the kitchen, cooking Yellow Croaker Noodles for the custors.
With more dishes on the nu, he felt the stove was hardly enough.
Just then, a familiar yet cold sound suddenly flashed in his mind.
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