After just eating Sophora japonica, he took the initiative to invite several key leaders of the Temple of Heaven Garden, as well as Qiao Wanlin and his immediate boss, to eat palace dishes together early the next morning.
To put it bluntly, the difference from home-cooked meals to top-notch delicacies is quite big.
Moreover, he couldn't help but came up with the idea of "on-the-spot investigation, eating and learning".
It does seem a bit rushed to others, catching people off guard.
After all, people in the capital care about etiquette and politeness the most when it comes to treating guests to dinner.
As the saying goes, it takes three days to invite someone and two days to greet someone. Those who greet someone on the same day can only be regarded as a present.
But the problem is, such an "urgent official business" is as good a job as the promotion of the second senior brother to the "Pure Altar Envoy".
No one can escape this temptation, it is human nature.
There is absolutely no one who is unwilling to put aside what they are doing and try their best to cooperate.
Especially according to common sense, even the officials of the Temple of Heaven Garden and the service bureau have no chance to taste those extremely expensive things that ordinary people can only hear about.
In other words, their positions and levels determine the level of banquets they can participate in. At most, they are in the category of ordinary restaurants such as Bianyifang and Laozhengxing.
Even Cuihua Building, Fengze Garden, and the popular "Judequan" are not very likely to be able to go.
It was really thanks to Ning Weimin that he used the French money to entertain guests without feeling any distress, as if he were "riding a crane to Yangzhou with a hundred thousand guan in his pocket".
Only then can everyone have such a rare opportunity to learn together what the emperor eats.
So it really doesn't matter.
As long as you can experience those delicacies from the mountains and seas that are praised by the world and seem to best embody the pinnacle of Chinese cuisine.
No one would care about such a disrespectful etiquette and would not be happy.
On the contrary, they are all willing to dress decently, wishing they could "lift up" their neck collars and go there.
Without even being reminded, everyone brought their camera film, ready to take some photos and bring them back for information discussion.
In this way, the first day was at Tingli Pavilion in the Summer Palace, and the second day was at Fangshan in Beihai.
Everyone sat together in the exquisite hall with carved beams and painted buildings, looking at the beautiful lakeside. They relaxed their belts, opened their cheeks, ate happily, and drank and talked.
Since they were lucky enough to participate in it, everyone did not hesitate to sacrifice their spleen and stomach, and they were dedicated to contributing to the country's efforts to earn foreign exchange.
Just these two meals, it must be said that they were not in vain!
That's a long experience and an eye-opener.
Calligraphy and paintings by famous people, hardwood furniture, exquisite tableware, gorgeous dishes, ladies in ancient costumes, attentive service, the pomp of official banquets, and all aspects of the palace's royal meals.
These people finally understood what was going on, and it would be no exaggeration to say that they would never forget it.
But conversely, it has to be said that because of this, everyone was greatly stimulated mentally.
Everyone came back a little confused about opening palace catering.
It seems that they are no longer so confident that the restaurant jointly run by their three parties can really compete with Tingliguan and Beihai Fangshan.
Nothing else, "It is better to meet than to be famous, and it is better to meet than to be famous."
Whether it’s the Oriole Pavilion in the Summer Palace or the Fangshan Restaurant in Beihai, it’s truly well-deserved! It’s so shocking!
Let’s talk about Tingli Pavilion first.
Before going there, Ning Weimin and Qiao Wanlin once mistakenly thought it was a place where the Qing royal family played with birds and teased parrots.
Thanks to the explanation given by several officials at the Temple of Heaven Park, they found out that it was the theater of the Empress Dowager Cixi in the past.
It is an important place for ladies and their favorites to enjoy music and entertainment.
Because the call of the oriole bird is used to describe the beauty of music, it is named "Listening to the Oriole Pavilion".
When they went there, they drove in two cars from the northwest gate of the Summer Palace to the front of the Oriole Pavilion.
This feels really convenient.
For this reason, everyone discussed it optimistically, saying that if they opened a restaurant in Beishen Kitchen, they could learn a lot from it.
However, when they stepped up the stone platforms, they saw the four words "Golden Branch Xiuhua" written on the plaque directly above.
The waiter responsible for leading them told them that this plaque was handwritten by the Empress Dowager Cixi herself.
They unconsciously felt the weight of history.
They all agreed that this red-painted pavilion shaded by green bamboos, a beautiful place surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the level of palace endorsement made the house of Beishen Chef a bit out of reach.
What's more, they didn't expect that when they really crossed this threshold, this feeling of gradually becoming more and more dirty would be even worse.
Because from this time on, they were exposed to "the way of life of the Empress Dowager Cixi", and they couldn't help but admire the great place where the Empress Dowager Cixi had food, drink and fun.
It covers an area of more than 6,000 square meters, with a business area of almost 3,000 square meters.
In addition to a two-story theater building facing south and north, there are eight large and small restaurants such as "Shou Shan Hall", "Fu Shou Hall", "Guishou Hall" and "Medicinal Food Hall", which can accommodate more than 500 people for dining at the same time.
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The key is that the interior is extremely luxurious. The restaurant is decorated with carved beams and paintings, high-hanging palace lanterns, and antique mahogany furniture, giving it a magnificent royal feel.
Let’s take a look at the thrones, screens, clocks, palace lanterns, and fans used exclusively by the Queen Mother and the Emperor, as well as the special tables that have hosted many Chinese and foreign historical celebrities.
In such a scene, accompanied by waiters wearing imitation Qing Dynasty clothes, one by one, it makes people feel like they have traveled back in time.
In a daze, it seemed as if I was witnessing the scene of the emperor and his concubines having a family banquet together.
However, when the menu was actually brought and everyone sat down to order, it was even more amazing.
Because no one expected that in addition to the well-known palace dishes, Tingli Restaurant also has its own unique "medicinal diet" and "whole fish feast".
This restaurant not only prepares royal dishes and the Queen Mother's health-preserving medicinal diets, but also uses the Kunming Lake in front of it as its own freshwater fish farm.
There are actually carp, herring, grass carp, silver carp, mandarin fish, bonito...
You can even kill and cook them right away, using the live fish farmed in Kunming Lake to make more than 200 extremely delicious dishes, which is called a "whole fish feast".
Of course, if you want to eat so much, you must make a reservation in advance, otherwise there will not be enough fish and people will be busy.
But even if you only order "Dragon Boat Live Fish", you can roughly know how well the fish is cooked here.
For this dish, the chef must first cut a live carp or grass carp from the belly.
After removing the internal organs, cut the four corners on the back with a knife, then turn the fish body over to make a bun shape. Mix the pureed chicken with egg whites, salt, and wine, season with it, stuff it into the bunker, and steam it for fifteen minutes with fish soup, green onions, ginger, and salt.
About minutes.
Finally, boil the foamed egg whites and spread them flat on the fish soup.
Sprinkle rape leaves and ham on the egg whites, then put steamed fish - dragon boat fish on top, and that's it.
The clever thing is that the bubbling egg whites of the steamed fish float on the soup.
When the soup moves, the dragon boat and fish also move, just like the dragon boat swaying with the waves, which is wonderful.
In addition, Tingli Restaurant also has a four-color main dish called "Longevity without Borders", which is also worth ordering.
Dishes from these four seas have beautiful colors, aromas and unique flavors.
The best part lies precisely in what Kang Shude once said about writing and decorating with vegetables.
Thousand-character agarwood rolls, decorated with the legendary figure Cao Guojiu.
The ginseng duck with the character "Shou" is decorated with "Shou Weng".
Wordless scattered flower fish, decorated with scattered flower fairies.
The word "jiang" is "Nao Hai Xia", and is decorated with "Nao Hai Gong" Nezha.
It is precisely with the blessing of these decorative figures that the four dishes of Wanshou Wujiang look particularly lively.
Of course, the taste is also good. Maybe there is a big difference in the various methods of frying and frying in the four dishes, or maybe the cooking skills have improved and developed.
Mr. Song once commented that "the taste is too similar", but it does not seem to be very obvious.
And with such a banquet, we have to admit that the internal and external environment is too beautiful.
You know, the Oriole Pavilion is built at the southern foot of Wanshou Mountain, with a long corridor in front, facing the rippling blue waves of Kunming Lake, and the famous "Painting in the Middle" on Wanshou Mountain in the back.
Where they eat, if you open the window, you can see green bamboos, a gentle breeze, and a pleasant scenery.
Especially when the sun's rays shine on the beautiful Kunming Lake, the sparkling water waves can easily relax people's mood.
It is really rare to find such an elegant world, this is the charm of Tingli Pavilion.
If Tingli Restaurant is like this, the famous Beihai Fangshan is even more astonishing.
Perhaps because of its strategic location, Fangshan has a longer history than Tingliguan Restaurant.
Beihai Fangshan Restaurant has top-notch software and hardware facilities as well as customer level.
There are a total of fifteen large and small restaurants in the three courtyards including Daoningzhai and Yilantang, with more than 500 dining seats.
First of all, the quality and area of the house are not inferior to those of Tingliu Pavilion, and they are also close to mountains and rivers, with a beautiful lake and mountain scenery.
In terms of the antiques, calligraphy and paintings displayed here, they are far more numerous and more precious than those in the Oriole Hall.
The utensils, tableware, and furniture used here are also better than those in Oriole Hall.
The decorations in the hall are all themed with dragons and phoenixes, with large painted palace lanterns, bright yellow tablecloths, napkins, chair covers, and tableware made of imitation Qing palace porcelain or silverware marked with the words "Wanshou Wujiang". The furnishings are simple and elegant, with strong palace characteristics.
Not to mention the dishes, including abalone, bird's nest, shark's fin, sea cucumber, venison, bear paws, etc.
In addition, there are "Four Grapes", "Four Sauces", "Four Crisps", as well as Minced Pork Shaobing, Chestnut Noodle Steamed Buns, and countless other famous palace delicacies.
Therefore, the various types of royal banquets are more numerous than those in Tingli Hall.
Even the number and level of people hosting banquets here are higher than those of the customers at Tingli Hall.
Many of the banquets were at the ministerial level, and there were even more people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs than the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
It can be said that during this special period, this place has been playing an important role in entertaining foreign guests.
It almost covers part of the functions of Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.
So if Tingli Restaurant is already full, Beihai Fangshan Restaurant is almost overcrowded.
People like Ning Weimin and others didn't get seats when they went there.
As soon as they entered the restaurant, they were stopped by the smiling usher.
Inform them that there are no large tables for more than four people and they need to wait in line for a while.
However, ten minutes later, two people who acted as translators and a few foreigners came in and were arranged into a private room ahead of them. They also did not dare to express any objection.
For no other reason than because the people from Fangshan told them that these people were here to discuss the purchase of aircraft with the civil aviation company and were invited by the Director of Civil Aviation.
They all consciously agreed to this arrangement, giving way to national affairs and sacrificing their own egos.
As for the meal they had at Fangshan, it was worth 250 yuan per person.
Although it is more expensive than Tingli Restaurant, whether it is desserts such as lotus seed soup, clear soup and snow fungus, or palace snacks such as pea yellow, kidney bean rolls, steamed buns, thousand-layer cakes, etc., they are all exquisitely crafted, fresh and sweet, and delicious.
People admire.
The royally regulated four-sea bird's nest cooking dish brings the skill of using vegetables to make characters to the extreme.
Along with those "pictographic dishes" with both color and flavor - Oolong spitballs, phoenix lying on the nest, goldfish and duck feet, Arhat prawns, toad abalone...
The color is as bright as a girl wearing colorful clothes, the graceful shape is like a singing girl dancing in a flirtatious manner, the fresh flavor is like a girl with pear blossoms and not being shy...
Everything is lifelike, and the dishes live up to their names.
In short, Beihai Fangshan is like an all-round upgraded version of Tingli Restaurant.
Not only is it full of royal luxury, but the food you eat is also extremely attractive.
Therefore, after challenging the vision, hearing, and tongue tolerance of the host and guests, generally speaking, the effect of "host and guest enjoying themselves" will be achieved.
Well, if you talk about how much Oriole Restaurant can make everyone want to compare various aspects of Northern Divine Chef.
Imitation meal simply makes everyone unable to have this kind of thoughts. It is an absolute disparity in strength.
Even Ning Weimin is the same.
Even if his soul comes from thirty years later and has seen many luxurious dishes and lively scenes, he is still dazzled by this kind of royal nobility and palace gimmicks, thinking that such a grand banquet must cost so much money.
Even if he did agree with Mr. Song's evaluation as quoted by Kang Shude, he finally felt a certain degree of "a hundred dishes with the same flavor and similar taste" in the large dishes cooked with similar techniques.
But he had to admit that at least the palace flavor of Fangshan was well-deserved as the highest level of decoration and decoration skills in our country's food culture.
Every dish presented here is like a work of art.
The so-called food in the palace can really be said to be food in Fangshan.
Even if nothing unexpected happens, this will not change for a hundred years.
So here comes the most critical question: what will the palace restaurant they want to offer compare with these two outstanding restaurants?
Or even to divert the business that originally belonged to these two restaurants? To draw away their customers?
If you try to imitate cats and tigers reluctantly, I’m afraid you’ll make a fool of yourself.
To put it bluntly, the quality of these two restaurants is too high!