Chapter 740 - The Chef Invited by the Second Prince Will Now be Offering His Dish to His Majesty!
The entire kitchen suddenly fell silent.
All of the chefs had put down their kitchenware and were staring at Mag in unison, wondering if they had misheard what the attendant had said.
Nandel and Vasir’s smiles had completely stiffened on their faces. They stared at the female servants standing at Mag’s cooking station, and their mouths were wide agape as if they had just been slapped in the face.
He was only one chef, and it was his first time cooking during the king’s banquet, yet his dish had been selected to be the first one to be offered to the king? How was this possible?!
The same thought appeared in everyone’s mind. They were even suspecting whether the attendant had accidentally approached the wrong chef.
“Father, I think I just misheard what was being said.”
“I think I also misheard.”
Kalulu and his sons were just stunned as everyone else.
In reality, even the attendant was feeling rather uneasy. He had been working at the royal kitchen for over a decade, and this was the first time something like this had ever happened.
He had previously confirmed over and over again that this was indeed the chef that had been recommended by the second prince, and only then did he dare to approach Mag.
The fact that he had been recommended by the second prince to cook for the king clearly indicated that he had to be an exceptional chef, but the attendant was very perplexed by the strange kitchenware strewn all over Mag’s cooking bench. He didn’t even know whether Mag had finished preparing the dishes that were to be presented to the king. If Mag wasn’t prepared in time, even the attendant would be held partially accountable, so he was feeling very nervous.
“The first dish is ready, please wait for a moment.” Mag nodded calmly as he turned off the magic stove that the braised chicken was sitting on, and then removed the lid of the pot.
A plume of white steam rose up into the air as the delectable aromas of shiitake mushrooms and chicken wafted throughout the entire kitchen.
The countless aromas in the kitchen had formed a vortex that was quite convoluted and overwhelming, yet the aroma from Mag’s dish was like a sharp blade that pierced directly through this vortex, standing out among the countless aromas as one that was completely unique and refreshing.
What a unique aroma! My mouth is watering just from smelling it! The attendant’s eyes immediately lit up. During his dozen or so years at the royal kitchen, there were very few dishes that had been able to appeal to him so strongly just through their aromas alone. Furthermore, all of those dishes had received glowing praise from the king.
As expected of the chef that was recommended by the second prince! The attendant was feeling a lot more relieved now. Having already prepared such an exceptional dish, it wouldn’t matter all that much even if Mag’s other two dishes were a bit more mediocre.
“That smells so good! I really want to drink chicken soup now.” Luluka closed his eyes as he inhaled deeply.
Kalulu looked at Mag with an admiring expression, and praised, “You really are an extraordinary chef, Brother Mag. The aroma of your dish is already comparable to Bellmann’s dishes.”
H-how could this be… He’s only one person; how could he cook such a delicious dish… Nandel stared at Mag in disbelief, and his face stung with embarrassment as if he had just been slapped.
Vasir wore a bitter expression as he scoffed, “It may smell good, but the flavor is what’s important. A delicious dish requires input from many chefs. Look at Bellmann: he’s got so many assistant chefs responsible for every single aspect of his dishes, yet this guy’s doing everything by himself. There’s no way that he can cook a delicious dish like that.”
Vasir’s student chefs all began to suck up to him upon hearing his analysis. This was a dish that was going to be presented to the king, and he was going to receive a severe punishment if it wasn’t to the king’s liking.
All of the other chefs were looking at Mag with complex expressions on their faces. They felt as if this rookie had suddenly overtaken all of the veteran chefs and scaled to the top of the royal kitchen hierarchy.
This was an extremely bad feeling, just as if someone had suddenly torn up the rulebook and pulled the rug out from under their feet, leaving them completely stunned and reeling.
Mag calmly filled 10 intricately crafted bowls with braised chicken and rice, and then placed at bowl onto each of the platters that the 10 female servants were holding. He then smiled, and said, “This is braised chicken and rice; the best way to consume it would be to pour the broth over the rice.”
“Alright, I’ll be sure to pass on the message.” The attendant nodded before departing with the female servants.
…
Within the grand palace, all types of wines and dishes had already been placed onto the tables of the guests present. The orc representative was munching on a massive bone, the forest troll representative was drinking a large barrel of fruit wine using a long straw, and the goblin representative had already downed 10 cups of wine, but was hiding two more cups up his sleeve with a sly look on his face.
Amy was holding a chicken drumstick in one hand and a fish cake in the other. Her cheeks were bulging with food as she slurred, “Even though the food here isn’t as good as Father’s, I still had a lot of delicious food today.”
Meanwhile, Krassu’s chopsticks remained untouched as he shook his head in reply. “The food here isn’t just not as good as Mag’s; the difference is night and day. After eating Boss Mag’s cooking, I can’t bear to stomach this food anymore. I should save my appetite for Boss Mag’s dishes later.”
“Boss Mag is indeed a genius.” Novan nodded as he took a sip of tea. He hadn’t eaten anything, either.
In contrast, Irina had taken a small bite out of every dish on the table before her. At this moment, she wore a troubled expression on her face as she thought to herself, Which dish was made by him? The dishes aren’t presented with the chefs’ names on them, so how am I supposed to know who cooked them? I’ve tasted every dish, and they’re all pretty ordinary. But then again, Alex’s cooking surely isn’t anything out of the ordinary.
Could it be that he’s planning to cook roast beef again? I feel like his roast beef is better than all of these dishes, but it doesn’t really fit the occasion. Irina shook her head. She didn’t know whether she had already tasted Alex’s cooking or if his dishes had yet to come.
As one of 10 dukes of the Roth Empire, Duke Abraham’s seat was quite close to the king’s. However, he hadn’t eaten much, either. He put down his chopsticks before shaking his head with a slightly disappointed expression. “Bellmann’s dishes are just as delicious as ever, but they’re exactly the same as they were last year; there’s no element of freshness or surprise. In comparison, those cubes of beef that I had for lunch yesterday gave me a very pleasant surprise. I have to take more people with me tomorrow so I can buy more cubes of beef; three was nowhere near enough!”
The king hadn’t eaten much, either, and the borderline stern expression on his face struck everyone with a sense of awe and veneration.
Right at this moment, Sean turned to Josh with a smile, and said, “I heard that you invited a chef to cook for Father’s birthday today; is his dish among these ones?”
Right at this moment, the attendant led the 10 female servants into the palace. “The chef invited by the second prince will now be offering his dish to His Majesty!”