Chapter 739 - Please Present the First Dish to His Majesty
Lukaka had truly been stunned by the sight of the fire chicken, even to the extent that he forgot to keep his voice down, and received many displeased glances as a result.
Everyone turned their attention to Mag’s cooking station, just in time to see a servant handing the drumstick of a freshly slain fire chicken to him. Mag’s long and thin blade sliced through the skin on the drumstick in an expert manner before the meat was sliced into cubes of identical size.
The large chicken drumstick was reduced to a pile of cubes and a spotlessly clean bone in what seemed like the blink of an eye.
Exceptional knife skills were a mandatory foundation for all chefs, and there were many chefs present who could slice food into strands as thin as hair, so they weren’t overly surprised by his superb knife skills.
Instead, they were stunned by the fact that Mag was using a fire chicken drumstick.
He didn’t even have a single assistant chef with him, so how could he have the right to cook a meat dish?
Nandel was in the process of barking instructions at his student chefs when he turned to Mag with furrowed brows, and murmured to himself, “Did this guy get his ingredients mixed up? Why is he requesting a fire chicken drumstick? Isn’t he making a salad?”
A disdainful sneer appeared on Vasir’s face as he scoffed, “Making the incorrect dish will get him kicked out of the palace. I reckon he’s been completely overwhelmed by the occasion and forgotten what he’s supposed to cook. Isn’t he afraid that he’ll get his head chopped off for making such a grave error?”
Many of the other chefs also chimed in with insults of their own.
All of them were of the opinion that Mag had either gone insane or was trying to show off to everyone by cooking a dish that hadn’t been designated to him.
None of the top chefs present said anything in response to what Mag was doing, but all of the chefs lower down the hierarchy were quite eager to insult Mag in order to make themselves more important and mask their own insecurities.
Mag was a man who had been insulted countless times and dished out just as many insults in his past life, so this level of abuse was completely trivial to him.
Kalulu was also looking at Mag with a concerned expression as he asked, “What are you doing, Brother Mag? Are you trying to make chicken into salad?”
“Chicken salad is indeed quite tasty, but I’m making braised chicken today.” Mag shook his head with a smiled as he placed the cubes of chicken into his pot, then turned to the servant beside him, and instructed, “Please get me 10 freshly killed kirin carps and the beef tenderloin I requested.”
“Yes.” The servant hurriedly departed to do Mag’s bidding. Even though the latter was only one person, he had been invited to Rodu by none other than the second prince himself, so the servant naturally didn’t dare to express disdain for him as the other chefs did.
“Uncle Mag’s cooking fish and beef as well?” The surprise on Luluka’s face became even more pronounced.
Their restaurant was renowned for its pickles, but that wasn’t the only dish they served. However, they were only permitted to make their signature pickle dish every year when they were invited to the king’s birthday banquets.
“That’s impossible!” Nandel stared at Mag with incredulity etched on his face. He had been cooking during the king’s birthday banquets for over 20 years, and it had taken an entire decade to progress from being able to make one salad to being permitted to make two salads. As for making a third dish, he had already pinned those hopes on his son and given up on himself.
However, Mag was only one person, and it was his first time here, yet he was making three dishes, all of which were meat dishes?
Nandel felt as if he had been given a headstart of over 20 years in a race, only for Mag to speed past him in the blink of an eye and attain an unassailable lead in the process.
A thought suddenly occurred to Nandel, and he chuckled coldly. “Hmph! You’re planning to make three dishes on your own? You’ll have to make at least 30 portions in that case. It’s impossible for anyone to make so many portions alone! You’re just biting off more than you can chew!”
Kalulu turned to Mag with a concerned look, and said, “Brother Mag, will you be able to make three dishes on your own? This is His Majesty’s birthday banquet, so we have to ensure that we offer the best dishes we’re capable of cooking. If you screw this up, you could die!”
“It’s alright, I’ve always cooked by myself in my restaurant as well,” Mag replied with a smile. 30 portions was a piece of cake for him.
Kalulue was slightly relieved by Mag’s calm display, but he still said, “Alright, but you have to make haste. If you need some help, I can get my two sons to give you a hand.”
“Sure.” Mag nodded in response.
10 kirin carps with their scales and internal organs removed were soon handed over to Mag. He insisted on removing the small bones in person, and refused to let anyone else undertake that duty in his stead.
All of the guests gathered at the palace today were very important figures on the continent. If they were to choke on a small fishbone due to an oversight on his part, he would most certainly be held accountable.
Mag quickly extracted a series of small fishbones from all 10 kirin carps in an extremely rehearsed and expertly manner before setting them aside to marinate. The fresh beef tenderloin had also been sliced into steaks of even thickness before being tenderized with a small wooden mallet.
I really don’t want to waste such premium ingredients on those bastards. Mag pulled out a bottle of wine from a crate as he shook his head in a forlorn manner. However, he then realized that Irina and Amy were also going to be tasting his dishes during the banquet, and his mood was lifted significantly.
“Pop~”
The cork on the bottle of wine was pulled out amid an audible pop.
The wine within the bottle was poured into a container that was filled with steaks, and the rich aroma of the wine instantly overwhelmed all of the other aromas wafting throughout the kitchen, forcing its way up everyone’s nostrils.
“That wine smells amazing!”
“Is someone using premium wine from the Buffett Winery to cook their dish?”
“No, this wine smells even more aromatic than the premium wine from the Buffett Winery! Could it be that someone got their hands on the Buffet Winery’s V-grade wine? That’s cheating!”
All of the nearby chefs glanced around with bewildered expressions, trying to locate the wine that was giving off this delectable aroma. Their eyes then focused on Mag in unison, upon which their expressions immediately stiffened.
The northwestern corner was essentially the salad corner; could it be that he was using wine to make salad?
Who is he and what is he cooking? The same question appeared in everyone’s mind. If it weren’t for the fact that they were busy preparing their own dishes, they would be approaching Mag and asking him in person.
Of course, most of the chefs simply regarded Mag as a court jester. It was an extremely rare opportunity to be selected to cook during the king’s birthday banquet, and it was a tragedy that he was squandering such a valuable opportunity.
Kalulu’s concern only deepened as he glanced at Mag. He’s using wine to cook his dishes? Will His Majesty and all the guests really appreciate that? I hope Brother Mag isn’t being serious; he’s playing with fire here!
At this moment, Mag had was already in his own bubble of intense focus, basking in the world of cooking. His expression was completely serious, and his movements were fast yet unhurried. Watching him cook was like watching a graceful artist at work as he juggled all three dishes in an expert manner.
Some of the chefs had already finished preparing their dishes at this point. In particular, most of the salads were ready for presentation.
Nandel, Vasir, and their student chefs had nothing left to do, an all of them were appraising Mag with undisguised disdain, even to the extent that they were making bets whether Mag was actually cooking for the palace’s servants rather than the king.
Kalulu and his sons had also finished their dishes, and all three of them were looking at Mag with concerned expressions.
Right at this moment, 10 extremely beautiful female servants were led by an attendant over to Mag, and the attendant gave him a respectful smile as he said, “Mr. Mag, please present the first dish to His Majesty!”