Chapter 217: The Culinary Designer from the Prime Minister's Mansion

Chen Jianhai took a closer look at the landscape painting on the plate, pointing at the fish roe on the sushi and curiously asked:

"Is this the Milky Way?"

Paipan's mouth twitched as he quickly recalled the poem "Guan Cang Hai" in his mind and then braced himself to say:

"Boss, this is Jieshi... Jieshi of 'Facing the Jieshi from the East'."

As he spoke, Paipan took a deep look at Chen Jianhai.

Previously, he thought the boss had an eye for building hotels and selecting employees, but he didn't expect the boss to recite poetry too!

This makes it hard to fool him in the future!

After all, this dish was purely named to elevate its sophistication. Who would have thought the boss would ask for details so earnestly?

Seeing Chen Jianhai about to ask more questions, Paipan, fearing he might ask something beyond his knowledge, bit the bullet and pointed at the blank space below:

"Boss, this part is 'The waters are deep and serene,'"

"And here... is 'towering and lofty.'"

Hearing the words "towering and lofty," Chen Jianhai's eyes moved directly to it. He saw two peaks suddenly rising in the ink painting on the plate, and indeed, they looked "towering and lofty."

"Not bad!"

Chen Jianhai nodded in satisfaction.

"Who came up with this idea?"

"It was a collective effort," Paipan said, but his chest visibly puffed out with pride.

Chen Jianhai gave Paipan a thorough look, his eyes gleaming.

Unexpectedly!

His Paipan had such skills!

"Did you learn to paint before?"

Paipan nodded and said regretfully:

"When I was young, my father forced me to learn painting for a few days, but when it came time to go to college, I didn't score high enough to get into an art school, so I switched to studying cooking..."

"Painting then became a hobby."

"I've always wanted to integrate my profession with my hobby, so after discussing it with my colleagues, we came up with the Da Fei Zhou Zhang themed dishes."

The more Paipan spoke, the more excited he became.

The profession is for better work and to support the family,

But hobbies and interests are the pursuits of the inner and spiritual world.

Being able to integrate hobbies with professional work is truly a stimulating and happy thing.

"Very good, very nice!"

Chen Jianhai patted Paipan on the shoulder affirmatively.

Sashimi with Bajiquan and Hunyuanzhuang skills.

Paipan with skills in traditional Chinese painting.

A former garden pruner who can act.

An HR manager who is into fitness.

Looking at it this way, his employees are all hidden talents!

By the end of the year, these people alone could put on a variety show.

"Very creative! Are there any other dishes?" Chen Jianhai asked.

"Yes!" Paipan, having received Chen Jianhai's approval, gained confidence.

The next moment, Paipan first gave sashimi a look.

Then the two of them stood at either end of the workbench.

Sashimi skillfully grabbed a big fish and placed it on the cutting board, holding the knife in his left hand like a butcher.

Meanwhile, Paipan took out a new plate, grabbed a fat squid trying to escape with his right hand, and with a grab at an unknown spot on the squid,

"Puff!"

A small puddle of squid ink sprayed onto the plate.

Chen Jianhai looked sympathetically at the squeezed squid,

The dish looks great but is quite wasteful of ink!

Paipan dipped his left hand in the ink, and with a few strokes, a winding, dynamic line appeared out of nowhere on the plate.

Like stardust falling, or a great river rolling down.

Then, with a change of his fingers, Paipan's simple and vigorous strokes outlined the shape of galloping horses, each raising their heads and neighing, lifting their hooves and swinging their tails, exuding great momentum.

"What is this painting of?" Chen Jianhai looked left and right, not seeing it clearly, and asked.

"Almost done."

As Paipan spoke, Sashimi had already prepared the freshly cut fish meat with a flower knife, forming a circle and carefully placing it in the blank space on the plate.

Next,

Tangtou picked up the pot and poured the pre-mixed oil sauce over the fish meat.

The fresh fish meat, upon heating, quickly tightened on the surface, presenting a shape like a tortoise shell.

And the squid ink on the plate, under the cover of the clear oil, seemed scattered yet not.

Because of Paipan's simple strokes, the picture was not blurred, but instead had a misty, ethereal feel.

"Boss, this is the second dish we developed for the Da Fei Zhou Zhang themed concept:"

"Dish name: Tortoise Longevity."

...

Wow!

Daring concept!

Chen Jianhai looked at "Guan Cang Hai" and then at "Tortoise Longevity."

These two dishes are so well designed,

Those who know it will think it's Langai Hotel, those who don't will think it's from the Prime Minister's mansion.

"Is this a soaring serpent?"

Chen Jianhai pointed at the winding line descending from above and curiously asked.

"Yes, boss! This is the soaring serpent ascending with the mist and then turning to dust," Paipan explained.

"But this old steed at the trough doesn't match the theme," Chen Jianhai frowned.

The few horses on the plate were so vigorous they could fly out, completely not looking old.

"Because I can't draw horse fences," Paipan said directly.

Pfft!

Chen Jianhai almost burst out laughing.

So straightforward?

Chen Jianhai picked up his chopsticks and tasted it. After all, the freshness of the ingredients was evident, and the taste was quite good.

"Can the squid ink be dipped and eaten?"

Chen Jianhai asked curiously.

Paipan looked a bit embarrassed and said, "Squid ink is a bit fishy... customers with a heavy taste might dip it."

"We recommend it more for viewing."

"Oh, oh, oh."

Chen Jianhai nodded and asked, "Does this painting make the dish taste better?"

Sashimi sincerely replied, "No, it just sells for a higher price."

"A plate of fish roe sushi like this usually sells for 46 yuan per plate at the hotel. But if it's 'Guan Cang Hai,' I think it can sell for 128 yuan per serving."

"A plate of crispy, smooth fish meat like this usually sells for 58 yuan per plate at the hotel. We think Tortoise Longevity can sell for 187 yuan."

Chen Jianhai swallowed, looking at the serious expressions of his two trusted aides, and cautiously asked:

"Aren't the prices a bit high?"

Although the catering industry is indeed highly profitable,

But these two dishes didn't increase in quantity, just added some landscape painting, and the price tripled.

Isn't this a bit too shameless?

Won't customers curse us?

Paipan shook his head. "Not high!"

"I've studied the guests vacationing at island hotels. Those who can spend money to vacation at island hotels all have a bit of a pursuit of life quality."

"These guests have a certain consumption capacity and are willing to spend to enjoy life."

"Compared to cheap and large roadside stalls, they pursue spiritual relaxation and hope the hotel can provide them with a tasteful service and memories."

"Although Da Fei Zhou Zhang themed concept dishes are expensive, their connotation and artistic appreciation are not low."

"Art... if the price is too low, it loses its flavor."