This lunch allowed Lu Xigu and Quan Chengping to fully experience Feng Yifan's cooking skills.
The true art of cooking.
The two old men were completely convinced.
They were also very clear that Feng Yifan should be the rumored shadow chef who had helped the Perovence restaurant regain three stars and the favor of a royal family.
The two elderly people felt that just his two original Western dishes today were good enough to reach three-star quality.
Of course, if it is to be a three-star dish, these two dishes must be served separately and require some decoration.
But even though Feng Yifan cooked for his family and did not specially arrange the dishes, it was still difficult to conceal the exquisiteness of the two dishes.
After Feng Yifan and his friends had finished lunch and were sitting in the restaurant to take a break, Walsh took the initiative to come to him.
"Chef Feng, I'd like to ask, can we purchase the right to use the last two dishes you made today? Of course, we will pay you for their use as before."
Upon hearing this, Lu Xihe and Quan Chengping looked at each other.
The two elderly people were also somewhat surprised as they did not expect to witness the so-called “buying menu”.
Buying a menu is actually buying the authorization to use original dishes.
If the dishes are familiar to the general public, there is no so-called authorized use. Only in the last two dishes like today, Feng Yifan used some of his own original cooking methods, and the design of the dishes also has his originality.
In this case, if a restaurant wants to cook and sell this dish, it must obtain the chef's authorization.
Moreover, when dishes are sold, the creator’s signature must also be included.
For example, the one-star menu in the hotel restaurant has the signature of "Feng Yifan" on it.
This type of original dishes, especially those that have won stars, are not allowed to be used to open a restaurant for profit without the authorization of the original creator.
What's more, for top chefs, they don't care about others imitating them.
A dish cannot taste like the one cooked by the original creator just by following the same recipe.
Therefore, if a restaurant cannot invite the chef himself, it is naturally impossible for it to purchase the cooking method of a dish, because the dish imitated in that way may have a huge difference in taste.
Feng Yifan looked at Walsh and said with a smile, "Chef Walsh, you should understand that even if I give you all the recipes for a dish and tell you how to cook it, if there is a slight deviation in the cooking process, the taste will be completely different."
Walsh nodded: "I understand, but we still hope to obtain your authorization to use it."
Feng Yifan was somewhat helpless: "Actually, I just made these two dishes casually for my daughter to eat. If they are really to be served, some parts need to be improved."
Walsh spoke again: "No, Chef Feng, we are very aware of your skills, so please don't be modest."
Feng Yifan was really at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
Lu Xigu smiled and said, "Yifan, since they are so sincere, you should authorize them. Besides, if you adjust the presentation of these two dishes, they will definitely be two very good dishes, which can also add some different options to their restaurant menu."
As they are all chefs, Walsh and Yu Quan watched the whole process, so they are naturally confident that they can replicate it.
It's just that the two of them may not be able to fully grasp some of the seasoning and the heat.
But Walsh and Yu Quan were still very persistent, hoping to obtain Feng Yifan's authorization for these two dishes. They were also confident in their own skills and felt they could work out the appropriate heat and seasoning.
Feng Yifan finally nodded: "Okay, since you want to authorize it, then I'll give it to you. The two dishes are actually not worth much."
Walsh breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, I will report to the headquarters with the general manager of the hotel here. After the headquarters evaluates it later, we will give you a suitable quotation."
Lu Xigu and Quan Chengping were watching from the side, and the adults, including Shi Jiahui, were also a little shocked.
For Shi Jiahui, this was also the first time she witnessed such a thing as purchasing menu authorization.
After Walsh left, Feng Yifan saw that no one was talking, so he smiled and said, "It doesn't have to be like this, right? The licensing fee for the two dishes is actually not that much, unlike my one-star menu, the licensing fee for that is quite considerable."
Shi Jiahui thought for a moment and suddenly said, "So, all your income over the years comes from this?"
Feng Yifan did not hide it and nodded: "I guess so. Among the menus I have authorized now, there are two three-star menus and about four or five one-star menus. But there seems to be only one two-star menu."
Lu Xihe and Quan Chengping were shocked, and Shi Jiahui also found it unbelievable.
Feng Yifan smiled and said, "In fact, the benefits are not as high as you think."
Quan Chengping suddenly asked: "So, you authorized the menu to be signed with your name?"
Feng Yifan shook his head: "No."
As he spoke, Feng Yifan asked for a restaurant menu and handed it to Quan Chengping.
The latter took a look at the signature on the one-star restaurant menu and was also a little surprised.
"Sure enough, I said that. We often see this name in some top restaurants abroad, but we never know which restaurant this signed chef is from."
There is a flamboyant English name on the menu, with standard English and Chinese labels next to it.
Menu created by chef Ai Xi.
If we had not met Feng Yifan today and had not heard him say that the menu was his, many people might have mistaken this signature as that of a foreign female chef.
But if you know it is Feng Yifan’s menu, and then compare it with the Chinese characters above, you will understand the meaning of these two words.
Yang Zhiyi understood instantly, looked at Feng Yifan and said, "Yifan, you really have been thinking about your wife all the time during your years abroad. You even signed the menu with 'Ai Xi'."
Lu Xigu and Quan Chengping still didn't quite understand, and looked at Yang Zhiyi curiously to ask what he meant
Yang Zhiyi explained with a smile: "Chef Feng's wife is called 'Su Ruoxi', so I think the two elders should know what the signature 'Ai Xi' means, right?"
After hearing this, the two old men suddenly realized that Feng Yifan's signature showed that he loved his wife deeply.
Even though the two hadn't seen each other for five years and were separated by thousands of miles, he still deeply loved and missed his wife.
Feng Yifan said with a frank smile: "Because of some things, I couldn't return to China at the beginning, so when I first authorized the one-star menu, I signed this name. Later, I also required every restaurant that used my menu to sign this name on the menu."
Lu Xigu sighed, "I remember that when we were at Perovence Restaurant, we tasted Yifan's menu. At that time, we asked if we could meet the chef, but the answer we got was that the creator of the menu had left Perovence Restaurant."
Quan Chengping said: "Yes, we were quite disappointed at that time, wondering when we could meet again in the future."
Lu Xigu looked at Feng Yifan and said, "I didn't expect that the creator of the menu would be my grandson."
Feng Ruoruo came up to her father and asked with a smile, "Grandpa, is my father really amazing? I told you, right? The food my father cooks is really delicious."
Yang Xiaoxi came over and said on behalf of her good friend, "Yes, Mr. Feng's cooking is the best."
Feng Yifan hugged the two little girls, a doting smile on his face.
"Thank you, my two wonderful daughters."
Lu Xigu responded to Feng Ruoruo, "Yes, your father's cooking is indeed delicious, and these are dishes we can't eat anywhere else. I am really grateful to your father."
Quan Chengping said: "Well, we have to thank Ruoruo and Xixi. Without our two little darlings, we wouldn't be able to eat such delicious food."
Feng Ruoruo and Yang Xiaoxi were very happy after hearing this. They waved their hands happily and shouted in unison: "Dad (Feng Dad) is great."
Feng Yifan asked the little girls to shout twice to stop them and said, "Okay, let's not disturb others from eating. Should we go upstairs? You two should take a nap soon."
The two little girls immediately lowered their voices and responded to Father Feng in a very soft voice.
"Okay, Dad, let's go. We've finished eating anyway."
"Let's keep our voices down."
Everyone stood up, and when Feng Yifan went to pay the bill, the restaurant didn't want to charge him, but Feng Yifan insisted on paying for the ingredients.
When Feng Yifan and the others left the restaurant and took the elevator back to their room upstairs.
In the restaurant's kitchen, Walsh and Yu Quan are trying out the dishes.
The two of them followed all of Feng Yifan's previous instructions and re-made the two dishes.
After it’s ready, the chefs in the kitchen are also invited to help taste it.
After tasting the food, everyone in the kitchen became silent.
Walsh said, "Just say what you have to say. Don't hide anything. Let's see if the taste that your chef and I have created meets your expectations."
There was another silence, and then a young cook in the kitchen spoke boldly.
"Chef, Head Chef, we haven't tasted the dishes made by Chef Feng, so we can't make an accurate judgment, but the two dishes you two made have some flaws. The grouper feels a little old and the juice is not well preserved. The lobster also feels a little overcooked."
Walsh and Yu Quan looked at each other. In fact, they had already discovered this problem while they were eating.
After frying the grouper meat, the two of them felt that it was not juicy enough.
The lobster was obviously older and seemed to have lost its juicy and chewy texture.
Walsh said: "It seems that we may need to explore for a long time, or we may need to consult Chef Feng, otherwise the two of us will not be able to fully master it."
At this time, the young chef who stood up boldly said, "Chef, head chef, I saw that when Chef Feng fried the fish, he didn't fry it completely. Instead, he seemed to have left it aside to dry for a while. During that time, he made the sauce and then put the fish directly on the plate."
After hearing what the young chef said, Walsh and Yu Quan fell into deep thought. They thought seriously for a long time.
Walsh suddenly said, "I understand. Chef Feng first fried the fish skin over low heat until it was crispy, then fried the surface of the fish over high heat to lock in the juice inside the fish, and then put it aside and use the residual heat from frying over high heat to slowly cook the fish meat inside."
Yu Quan also understood it immediately: "Yes, the same is true for lobsters."
When the two of them figured it out, there was applause from the kitchen. Everyone turned around and saw Feng Yifan coming back.
"I didn't expect that you guys actually figured it out. There's such a careful young chef in the kitchen of your restaurant. Chef Yu Quan, this is your treasure."
Yu Quan quickly called the young chef to his side, and introduced him a little embarrassedly: "Chef Feng, this is my nephew, he has only been here to learn cooking for half a year."
The young chef quickly said to Feng Yifan, "Hello, Chef Feng, my name is Yu Chao."
Feng Yifan took the initiative to extend his hand and said, "Hello, you are very observant."
Yu Chao and Feng Yifan shook hands, their faces full of excitement.
Feng Yifan then changed into his chef's uniform, walked to the stove and said, "Let me demonstrate it again and tell you some of the details. I think the two head chefs and the head chef are here so they should be able to understand. If there's anything you don't understand, you can always ask me since I still have a week before I leave."
Walsh was a little surprised to hear this: "Chef Feng, we haven't yet confirmed the purchase of your authorization."
Feng Yifan smiled and responded, "It's just two dishes, don't be so nervous, okay? Besides, do you think that if I don't make these two dishes, my restaurant will not be able to operate?"
These words surprised Walsh, Yu Quan and all the cooks in the kitchen.
Later, Walsh realized that his vision was too small.
It is true that Feng Yifan spent a lot of effort to create these two dishes, but as a chef, he would prefer the dishes to be spread more widely so that more people can taste them.
Rather than sticking to your own original menu and only serving it in your own restaurant.
As Feng Yifan was preparing, he added, "However, I still hope that all of you fellow chefs can rely on your own efforts to innovate your own delicious dishes."
Most of the chefs present might not take this statement seriously, but Yu Chao's eyes lit up when he heard it.
Afterwards, Feng Yifan made it again carefully. Although there were no fresh ingredients this time, he used the leftovers from Walsh and Yu Quan.
But even so, when the two dishes were prepared and presented by Feng Yifan, they were still very exquisite.
When arranging the dish, Feng Yifan also reminded without hesitation: "For this fish, you have to pay attention to trimming the outer layer when arranging the dish, because the outer layer has become old when it was fried in a rapid fire before. If it is left, it will affect the overall taste, so it must be removed when arranging the dish."
Such a small detail also taught Walsh and Yu Quan a lot in an instant.
Next, everyone tasted the two dishes made by Feng Yifan.
One bite and you’ll instantly taste a completely different flavor from before.
The grouper meat is tender, and the fat and juice are well preserved. When paired with hazelnut sauce, it has a unique flavor and will not make you feel greasy at all.
Similarly, the lobster meat is very firm and chewy, and retains plenty of juice inside after biting it open.
The two dishes were truly perfect in Feng Yifan's hands.