Chapter 995 - Three Greatest Misconceptions (1/2)

Bai Xiaoxiao could no longer be bothered about his earlier doubts on the shrimp as he directly reached for the meat with his chopsticks.

“The shell comes off so easily?” Bai Xiaoxiao looked at the meat that was still whole on his chopsticks in astonishment.

“You will be even more astonished after trying it,” said Wang Xiang.

Wang Xiang’s plate was already completely empty. He was staring at the remaining shrimps solemnly and it was unknown what he currently had in mind.

“Um,” Bai Xiaoxiao nodded and stuffed the meat into his mouth.

The moment the meat entered his mouth, he shut his eyes.

Mantis shrimps that had the shell removed in advance before being stir-fried should have lost some of their natural flavor. Many people ate seafood for the “sea” flavor, and that was also why the seafood of coastal cities would usually be cooked with comparatively simpler methods such as steaming.

Although Bai Xiaoxiao was not from a coastal city, as someone who specialized in the seafood business, he was also aware of that. Thus, when he found out the shell had been removed beforehand, he was slightly disappointed.

However, when he tasted the meat, it was extremely rich in flavor.

Bai Xiaoxiao slightly chewed on the meat, causing the copious amount of juice to burst out and flooded his mouth, filling his mouth with a delicious aroma.

The meat was tender, soft, and slightly chewy. When one chewed on it, juice would burst out the meat, creating an eruption of the “sea” flavor.

Generally, mantis shrimps would be cleaned to the point there was no fishy smell on it, yet every bite of this mantis shrimp gave one a feeling of standing right by the sea, as if one could smell the breeze of the ocean in the air.

It was a fresh and fishy smell, also an incomparably delicious taste. With one bite, it was obvious how fresh the mantis shrimp was.

“Hiss, it is slightly spicy as well.” Toward the end, Bai Xiaoxiao could feel a slight trace of spiciness spreading within his mouth.

The spiciness stimulated his tongue, making him to instinctively swallow. And just like that, he finished his mantis shrimp.

The lingering flavor in his mouth was so perfect he couldn’t help but to focus his gaze on the remaining shrimps on the table.

“The spiciness was hidden inside. How did he do that?” Bai Xiaoxiao wondered.

That’s right. The Bell Pepper Prawn made by Yuan Zhou was spicy yet the natural flavor of the mantis shrimp was not overshadowed at all. Instead, it helped showcase the flavor of the mantis shrimp, the flavor of the “sea”.

“This shrimp is not bad. I will start grading after trying more,” said Zhou Shijie seriously before gesturing at the assistant to serve him another shrimp.

“Yes, the chairman is right. We have to be prudent and try more. One more for me as well,” agreed Wang Xiang seriously as he pushed his plate forward, waiting to be served.

They couldn’t be blamed for being in such a rush. After all, Yuan Zhou had only prepared six mantis shrimps in total. In short, not all of them would get to eat two.

As Zhang Yan had some misgivings due to his identity, he did not have the chance to say more before Bai Xiaoxiao who did not share his misgivings spoke.

“Hold on. Chairman Zhou can try more, but I doubt Head Chef Wang needs to try anymore. After all, you already have a deep understanding on seafood,” said Bai Xiaoxiao. “I should be the one to try more instead since I don’t specialize in seafood and can only grade fairly after trying more.”

He could no longer be bothered about shame.

Bai Xiaoxiao might be shameless but Wang Xiang was not to be underestimated as well.

“Yes, it is exactly due to my deep understanding of seafood that I need to be more prudent. I have to be fair towards both parties,” said Wang Xiang. Before the assistant could walk away with the plate, he reached out toward the plate by himself.

“Hoho,” Bai Xiaoxiao glared at the shameless Wang Xiang before giving up and proceed to wait for the next dish instead.

There were too many people here. Bai Xiaoxiao did not mind being shameless in front of the people he knew, but in front of so many reporters, he decided to hold back. Of course, he had already set his sights on the next dish.

Meanwhile, Wang Xiang started eating as if there was nobody here. The attractive part of mantis shrimps were the fact that they were crispy, tender, and juicy at the same time.

And this dish prepared by Yuan Zhou also had the signature spiciness of Sichuan Cuisine without spoiling the original flavor of the shrimp. Wang Xiang couldn’t help but to think that this was how a Sichuan Cuisine seafood should be.

Due to his curiosity about Yuan Zhou’s shell removal method, Wang Xiang used one of his hands to eat as well, causing his fingers to be filled with the sauce. After finishing the shrimp, he stealthily licked his fingers clean.

As this was a match, he still had to watch his image. Bai Xiaoxiao was rendered speechless. There was no need to behave like this even if it was delicious, right?

“Cough, cough.” Zhang Yan coughed before speaking, “Since the tasting of Little Boss Yuan’s dish is over, time to taste Chef Li’s dish.”

“Yes,” Bai Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement.

“Please go ahead, assistants,” said Wang Xiang as he placed his hands down, his mouth still filled with the aroma of the mantis shrimp. He was already planning to visit Yuan Zhou’s restaurant in the future to eat this dish.

It was clear he wasn’t paying attention to Zhou Shijie and Zhang Yan when they spoke earlier. Yuan Zhou’s restaurant never had seafood on the menu.