583 A Man’s Ceiling
“What does that mean?”
Deng Wenlin felt insulted. “Sir, if you didn’t want to hire me, why didn’t you tell me earlier? You wasted so much of my time.”
“Master Deng, don’t be angry.” He Yuanyuan said, “Our boss has a bad temper.”
Ji Qingyan stood next to Lin Yi. “Master Deng’s standards are not bad. When we open, we can publish his resume. It’ll attract a lot of people to eat here.”
“I know that, but the most important thing is the taste. If it doesn’t taste good, people won’t come a second time.”
‘Huh?’
Ji Qingyan and He Yuanyuan had no idea what Lin Yi was talking about.
He was a chef who possessed both fame and skill.
Could the food prepared by someone who had cooked at the state banquet not be delicious?
“Mr. Lin, you can choose not to hire me, but you can’t question my standards.” Deng Wenlin said.
“I admit that there are a few state banquet masters who are better than me, but in the entire Huaxia, there are less than ten people whose culinary skills are better than mine. I find it hard to believe what you’re saying.”
He Yuanyuan stood in front of Lin Yi, “Boss, now’s not the time to act cool. Besides, even if you want to act cool, you have to see the situation. Master Deng really has the skills to back up his talk. I wouldn’t find someone incompetent to fool you.”
“I know his level.” Lin Yi said.
“I can’t say I’m better than him at the other dishes, but I’m at least confident about the dishes listed on my menu.”
“Dishes listed on the menu?”
Deng Wenlin opened the menu and took a look. The price written on it shocked him.
“Egg-fried rice costs 189 yuan? Pearl milk tea costs 68 yuan? Vegetable noodles cost 179 yuan? How did you set the price? You haven’t opened a restaurant before, right? There aren’t many Michelin star chefs who dare to set such a price.”
“You get what you pay for. Good things are naturally expensive. This concept is easy to understand, right?”
“The egg-fried rice is Huaiyang Cuisine, and I’m a master of Huaiyang Cuisine. But to be honest, I’m embarrassed to ask for such a high price for the egg-fried rice I make.”
It was difficult for Lin Yi to reply to this.
If he directly said that the egg-fried rice he made was better than this master’s, he would be showing off.
If he tried to offer another explanation, his price would look stupid.
From the looks of it, he seemed to have been forced into a dead end. This was a little difficult.
Therefore, he decided not to go through this process. He would just be straightforward and direct.
“If you don’t dare to set such a high price, perhaps it means your dish isn’t as delicious as my mine.”
They were all speechless.
He Yuanyuan, “…”
‘Boss, keep a low profile. This is not how you should act!’
Deng Wenlin was furious. “Mr. Lin, you don’t have to hire me, but you’re going too far. I entered the industry when I was 14. I’ve been in this industry for more than 30 years. Are you saying that I’m inferior to you?”
“Cooking requires both skill and talent, don’t you think?”
He Yuanyuan slapped her forehead. Was the boss putting on airs?
“Okay!” Deng Wenlin said.
“Mr. Lin, I don’t need to work here, but you can’t insult my cooking. Let’s compare our dishes. Don’t worry, regardless of if your food is delicious or not, I’ll pay the bill.”
“Be my guest.”
“Let’s go.”
Lin Yi and Deng Wenlin entered the kitchen. Ji Qingyan and He Yuanyuan exchanged glances and followed them in.
Deng Wenlin was slightly surprised when he saw the ingredients arranged in the kitchen.
Although this little boss was a little arrogant, the things he displayed were all good stuff.
It was almost at the level of a Michelin-star restaurant.
Even though he was a fledgling, it seemed he was not just empty talk.
If he could keep aside his arrogant attitude, Deng Wenlin was willing to give him some pointers.
“You can use whatever ingredients you want in the kitchen,” Lin Yi said.
“I don’t think so. I’ll use whatever ingredient you use to avoid being accused of bullying,” Deng Wenlin said.
“Here, I have to tell you in advance. Although many people say that egg-fried rice is a Cantonese dish, it has already been classified as Huaiyang cuisine in the official recipe list. This dish is also a prerequisite for every Huaiyang cuisine chef. If you can’t even cook egg-fried rice well, you’re not allowed to cook other dishes.”
“Do you mean your foundation in egg-fried rice is better than that of other dishes?”
“You can put it that way,” Deng Wenlin said. “This is a rule in the industry. We start from the simplest dishes.”
“This is all well and good. After all, it’s just egg fried rice.”
“Then, let’s begin,” Deng Wenlin said.
“Coincidentally, I also want to know what the egg-fried rice that can be sold for 189 yuan a serving tastes like.”