Looking into the small bowl, there is a white and tender lion's head, which clearly separates the golden and white soups. With a touch of green as an embellishment, it is like a beautiful painting.
At this moment, all the old diners couldn't help but exclaim.
"Oh my god, how can this be called a dish? It's simply a work of art."
“It’s so beautiful!”
"It's so beautiful. I, I, I don't dare to eat this."
Zhang Maosheng, who came here once yesterday, said with a smile: "Haha, now you know how I felt yesterday, right? Old Su, this son-in-law, has taken cooking to a higher level."
Another old man with a long beard nodded in agreement: "Indeed, this is more than just a dish, it's like a work of art."
A silver-haired old lady said: "Cooking skills, cooking skills, this is the real cooking skills."
Hearing the praise from a group of old diners, Feng Yifan quickly said with a smile: "Uncles and aunts, please don't praise me so much. I feel embarrassed. This is one of my innovative dishes. Please help me taste it."
The group of old diners hesitated for a while, and finally Mrs. Liu, who was inspired, said, "Okay, let's try it."
Use a small white porcelain spoon to gently scoop out a small piece of lion's head and mix it with some soup.
The old diners put it into their mouths carefully.
The golden soup is sweet and sticky, while the white soup is salty and fragrant.
Paired with tofu mixed with fish paste, the delicious taste instantly jumps on your taste buds after one bite.
At this moment, there are really no words to describe it. Every diner was reluctant to put down the spoon in their hands and just ate it spoonful by spoonful.
Pair the gold soup with the white soup, and then mix the gold soup and the white soup.
Every bite brings a completely different taste experience, and the delicious taste jumps on the tip of the tongue, like a traditional opera that is not gorgeous but can't stop.
Perhaps it does not have the magnificence of Western stage plays, nor the more intense emotional outbursts.
However, the subtle, sad, yet simple opera can better reflect the implicit beauty of the East.
The small restaurant was unusually quiet. No one spoke. The only sound was the crisp sound of spoons colliding with cups.
Finally, when the lion's head was finished, the diners all picked up the small cup, put it to their mouths, and carefully used a spoon to scoop all the soup into their mouths.
The diners put down their cups one after another without saying a word, just sitting there savoring the food.
Such a lion head really brings a very different experience to everyone, and the "color, fragrance, taste, meaning and shape" are simply perfectly displayed.
It can be said that all the old diners present had been eating Su Ji's dishes since childhood. Some of them even invited Su Ji's chefs to prepare the dishes for their wedding banquets.
The reason why Su Ji, a small restaurant, is so popular among old diners is not just because of the taste of the dishes.
Old diners like Su Ji because although it is a small restaurant, the dishes it serves are top-notch in terms of "color, aroma, taste, meaning and shape".
When Grandpa Su Ruoxi was alive, many big restaurants would send chefs to Su Ji to learn skills, or ask Grandpa Su Ruoxi for guidance.
One of the important reasons for this is that the dishes cooked by Su Ruoxi's grandfather are exceptionally outstanding in terms of "color, aroma, taste, meaning and shape".
After Su Jinrong took over, he was also invited and even held a position in the catering association.
However, in the following years, as more foreign restaurant dishes flowed in, Su Ji's traditional dishes gradually became less popular among young people. It was natural for Su Ji to return to the role of a small restaurant on this old street.
In the following years, Su Jinrong no longer pursued perfection, retaining the taste but no longer pursuing "form and meaning".
This is in line with the style of a small street restaurant.
But for old diners, they still miss the Su Ji dishes that were top-notch in terms of color, fragrance, taste, meaning and shape.
Now, with Feng Yifan’s return, old diners can once again see such perfect dishes.
This unique and innovative dish is not actually a fancy dish, and the ingredients are not very expensive. But it is this kind of simplicity that reveals a kind of luxury, which really makes old diners linger in their memory.
Finally, after a long silence, Old Lady Liu spoke.
"Lao Su, your son-in-law is truly amazing. This dish is really delicious.
To be honest, I haven't eaten this for many years. This dish has brought out the "color, aroma, taste, meaning and shape" to the extreme. I feel like I will keep craving for it after eating it."
After hearing what Old Lady Liu said, Feng Yifan smiled and said, "Haha, Aunt Liu, as long as you like it, come over if you want to eat. I'll prepare it for you anytime."
As soon as he finished speaking, the other old man smacked his lips carefully for a long time and said, "Well, in addition to tofu, there should be a kind of very delicious meat in this lion's head, right? It should be fish meat?"
Feng Yifan was a little surprised when he heard the old man's words. He didn't expect that the other party could actually taste fish meat.
Seeing the surprise on Feng Yifan's face, the old man smiled and said, "Isn't it strange? Why can I guess it? Because only fish can be well blended with tofu after removing its original flavor."
Feng Yifan nodded and said to the old man, "Yes, it is indeed fish. I used catfish. I bought a few fresh ones today."
Hearing this, the old man's eyes lit up immediately: "Catfish? No wonder, these four delicacies of the Yangtze River are really famous. Mr. Dongpo even wrote a poem saying 'Pink stonehead fish still has no bones, snow-white puffer fish is not harmful to people', how beautiful."
Feng Yifan was very happy to receive unanimous praise from everyone. This was a recognition of his attempt at new dishes.
In fact, this dish was also created by Feng Yifan in his previous life, in order to express his gratitude to his wife.
He clearly remembered that his wife Su Ruoxi loved to eat catfish and lion's head. So in his previous life, Feng Yifan created this "Double Soup Catfish Tofu Lion's Head" for his wife, and even the two soups were prepared according to his wife's taste preferences.
It was a pity that he was not able to let his wife taste it in his previous life. Now he can finally make it for his wife himself.
Feng Yifan looked at his wife at the counter, quietly walked to the counter, and whispered to her, "Don't worry, I still have the catfish I bought. I'll cook it for you and your daughter in the evening."
Su Ruoxi was stunned when she heard this, and then she felt that her husband was talking about her as if she was a foodie, and she responded unhappily: "I didn't say I wanted to eat, what does it have to do with me whether you cook or not?"
Looking at his wife's proud look, Feng Yifan couldn't help laughing. The more he looked at her, the cuter she became.
Feng Yifan smiled and said, "Okay then, I'll just cook it for Ruoruo tonight."
Hearing this, Su Ruoxi was immediately unhappy: "How dare you..."
After blurting out the words, Su Ruoxi felt something was wrong, as if she had been tricked by Feng Yifan. She immediately turned her head away and said, "Humph, it's up to you whether you cook it or not. I don't care who you cook it for."
Seeing his wife pretending not to care, Feng Yifan found it even more amusing. Without saying anything more, he turned around and went back to clean the table.
The small cups and noodle bowls were cleared away, and the old diners were satisfied with their meal and sat together chatting with Su Jinrong.
As summer approaches, the sun is scorching outside in the afternoon, but the atmosphere in Su Ji Restaurant is even more lively. The old diners are chatting about all sorts of things, and Su Jinrong tries to interject a few words from time to time. The atmosphere is really warm and harmonious.
Feng Yifan also prepared some tea for everyone after the meal, which could help cool down the summer heat.
Although only old customers come to Su Ji now, Feng Yifan leans against the kitchen door and watches the harmonious scene in the restaurant. He occasionally exchanges glances with his wife, and this kind of life is comfortable and satisfying.