In fact, the chef was a bit overly concerned about the delay in starting the dinner.
If not for anything else, the main reason is that Ning Weimin ran this restaurant so well.
No. 87, Tiantan North Road, is different from other restaurants.
From the decoration design, to the furnishings, to the tea cups and tableware.
Nothing is just right.
They are all beautifully made, extremely meticulous, and eye-opening.
In addition, the services provided by the restaurant, the uniforms of the staff, and every detail are enough to make today's guests feel fresh and interesting.
Not to mention that a total of twenty-four unique preserves, dried fruits, fresh fruits, pastries, cold meats, and side dishes have been placed on the table.
Just these things on the table are enough for today's guests to feast and taste for a while.
So even though many guests had dispersed to various halls and sat down at the banquet, no one served hot food for more than ten minutes.
But everyone was not anxious while waiting. Instead, they talked enthusiastically with acquaintances or friends they had just met about everything they felt today.
The conversation was so exciting and enthusiastic.
Especially when the mouth is dry and the tongue is dry, everyone holds the tea cup and drinks tea together, which adds to the fun.
It really felt like everyone had traveled back in time and were attending a festive party held by a certain royal family member.
Needless to say, the most restless of all people are definitely the media reporters.
Just look at it, even if you know it's time to open the seats, only one-third of the seats for the media are occupied.
Others were wandering around with photography and video equipment.
They took pictures of decorations, furnishings, palace lanterns, dishes, guests, service staff...
Just looking at their dedicated attitude, it seems that these people want to make today's opening ceremony a front-page headline.
Therefore, not only did the service staff not interfere, but they were happy to see the results and cooperated as much as possible.
You know, people these days are as eager to be in the limelight as Internet celebrities were thirty years later, and they all wanted their photos to be published in newspapers.
If anyone can show up on TV, they are considered a catch, and they can boast about it to their relatives and friends for a year.
Moreover, Ning Weimin has already told the service staff that the more news these reporters can report on our opening, the better. We will do our best to provide convenience for them. This is much more cost-effective than spending money on advertising.
Anyway, this is the actual situation.
It seems that what Ning Weimin is hosting today is not a formal banquet, but a tea party, a talk party, or even a garden party or an exhibition.
Anyway, within the business scope of the restaurant, whether it is in the private room or at the big table outside, there is a buzz of people everywhere.
Some people were wandering around like walking on a flyover, while others were hanging out at banquets and busy socializing.
Those who can really stay in their seats without moving, except for the older ones, are those who maintain their own identity.
For example, let’s take the two most distinguished guests of honor today.
District leaders, tourism bureau leaders, service bureau leaders, and their entourage are all officials.
Even the director and secretary of the Temple of Heaven are considered people within the system.
In fact, apart from the social celebrities Fu Jie and Sagahao, only Song Huagui, who was the host's companion, was no longer in the officialdom.
With their status, it is naturally impossible for them to do anything disrespectful.
But sitting at these two tables is not boring.
Because everyone here has a certain vision, has seen the world, and has at least had a lot of banquets.
Therefore, these guests obviously have a better appreciation of food and have more say.
In fact, these people were polite and chatted for a while.
The tea snacks, pastries, dried and fresh fruits and candied fruits included in the dishes on the table became the objects of their mutual favor and heartfelt praise.
Most people can taste it and find it different from the popular ones.
"Come on, let's all have a try. These fruits, lychees, and honeydew melons are all good. Southern fruits are rare in Beijing. And they have been iced, so they are very cool..."
"Oh, this pastry is so refreshing and refreshing. What kind of pastry is this? I don't think I've ever eaten it before..."
"These melon sticks and grape sticks are also good. Are these candied fruits? How come they are different from the preserved fruits in Beijing in my impression? They are not that sharp and have a pure flavor..."
"The hazelnuts and almonds are also delicious. They are actually honey-flavored and cream-flavored, which is also very novel..."
Even the district leaders couldn’t help but express their sincere appreciation.
"These things alone are very extraordinary. I think it can be seen from all aspects of our restaurant that we have really put in the effort."
But when the conversation changed, he also showed some concern.
"But... it's a bit too extravagant. For example, these fruits are all chilled, and there are these fresh fruits in the room to smell them, and an ice basin is used to cool them down. I really can't think of such a enjoyment."
! If the common people see a banquet like this today, I am worried that someone will write to the newspaper again..."
The director of the Temple of Heaven quickly responded.
"Leader, we accept your criticism. It's just that what we cook is palace cuisine, and the purpose is to become the leading high-end restaurant in our area that can earn foreign exchange. This is to restore the enjoyment of the feudal emperor as much as possible, is it reasonable?
If not, foreign tourists may say that our name is not worthy of our name.”
"Actually, we don't just pursue economic benefits. We also have measures to facilitate people. The snacks downstairs are all high-quality and cheap. They are nothing more than porridge, noodles and snacks that cost a few cents. That is to take care of the surrounding area.
residents and ordinary visitors to the park.”
"We have even prepared a set gift box of summer palace cakes. Each box costs one dollar and fifty cents, and contains eight types of palace cakes: pea yellow, kidney bean rolls, donkey rolling, aiwowo, su leaf cake, linden leaf cake, rose cake, and lotus seed cake.
The pastries are enough for a man and a woman, or an adult and a child, to have lunch. You can try them out, and it’s not shabby to give them away.”
These words were effective, and the district leaders finally affirmed them.
"Well, these convenience measures of yours are quite good. Especially the gift boxes with eight kinds of snacks are very creative. Being able to take the initiative to take the people into consideration shows that you still have a strong sense of social responsibility."
Song Huagui also lost no time in making suggestions.
"The leaders may not know something. In fact, in actual operations, luxury like this is more cost-effective than no luxury. Just like in the case of ice, it is actually a kind of thrift under special circumstances."
"Oh, is that really the case? Please elaborate."
Song Huagui successfully aroused the curiosity of district leaders.
So she was learning and selling now, and she told Ning Weimin the cost of artificial ice and air conditioning that Ning Weimin had just told him today.
Of course, there is still room for learning and applying it.
She consciously connected these frozen fruits with the ice basin filled with artificial ice.
What she means is that ice is destined to melt anyway, so it can be used both for cooling and as a stabilizer. Isn't that good?
"Oh, that's it. That's a great thing that can be achieved in one fell swoop. No wonder Pierre Carton's business is booming. Your foreign company's business thinking is really amazing. You can see the big from the small..."
The district leader nodded frequently after hearing this, and then asked the waiter next to him with a friendly look.
"Little comrade, are you, Mr. Song, right? Is this really how your grassroots staff make full use of the ice?"
The waiter was specially arranged by Ning Weimin to serve the main leaders. Of course she was a very smart girl.
After hearing this, he immediately responded with a smile.
"Yes, leader. But we, Mr. Song, forgot to mention one thing. We can also use this ice basin to cool down soda, beer and rice wine. It is cooler and more transparent than the ones taken out of the freezer. Would you like to give us a try, leader?"
Chilled rice wine? We use the premium rice wine from Jimo Distillery, which has a lower alcohol content than white wine. Not only is it not harmful to the body, it won’t get irritating, and it’s also very refreshing to drink in summer..."
The district chief immediately laughed, "Haha, little comrade, you are not only good at talking, but you also understand marketing strategies. Well, I will try your Jimo old wine today..."
There is a saying called "what goes up and what goes up, and what follows below". Since the leader wants to drink rice wine, the people below him will naturally want to join in the fun.
As a result, a bottle was opened at every table in the room, and everyone rushed to taste it first.
As they each filled their bowls, a strong aroma of rice wine suddenly wafted out.
Just by looking at the slight coolness that passes through the wine cup, you can tell that it will definitely taste comfortable and delicious without even tasting it.
At this time, the secretary of the Temple of Heaven Park was afraid that Fu Jie and Saga Hao would sit down, so he took the initiative to ask their opinions.
"Mr. Fu Jie, Ms. Sagahao, what do you think of the royal cuisine at our Tan Palace Restaurant? Are these side dishes on the table acceptable? Is that true?"
Fu Jie and Sagahao praised it without hesitation, and they mainly praised Yulu Shuang and Grape Paste.
The introductions given by these two couples were undoubtedly more detailed than the versions Song Huagui had heard.
Fu Jie clearly affirmed that the jade dew cream was a delicacy discovered by Qianlong around Songjiang Prefecture, and it was a rare and exotic delicacy introduced to the palace from the people.
Moreover, the advantage of this kind of pastry is that it tastes sweet but not greasy, and it is soothing and refreshing.
It can also clear away heat, relieve coughs, and reduce phlegm, and has the effect of "medicine and food coming from the same source".
It's a pity that the main materials were difficult to find after the Revolution of 1911.
So even he hasn't tasted it for decades.
When I put it in my mouth now, it tastes almost the same as when I was a child.
It can be seen from this that Tan Palace’s restaurant does have experts who are proficient in palace cuisine.
Sagahiro said that the grape paste was also a special practice of the palace.
Because it is made with honey, instead of sugar, which is commonly used in candied fruit making in Beijing today.
Because the Manchus come from outside China, their preference for honey is a very distinct national characteristic. Basically, they can use honey instead of sugar.
From this point of view, "Royal Food Authentic" is well-deserved.
In particular, she also noticed that there was a "vegetarian egg" in the cold meat.
Although its appearance is very similar to a real hard-boiled egg when cut open.
But based on the quality of these side dishes, she concluded with confidence that they should also be "substantial meat-shaped" made by the palace's simulation technique.
To put it bluntly, it should be an egg white made from starch paste, and an egg yolk made from radish puree and chestnut puree.
You might as well try it to verify its authenticity.
After saying this, everyone was admiring and praising the jade dew frost and grape paste strips, but they also became interested in the plain eggs.
District leaders took the lead in tasting this side dish.
Sure enough, when I took a piece and put it in my mouth, it had a really unique flavor.
And just like Sagahiro said, it’s not true.
This surprised and amazed everyone present.
At exactly this moment, the first two "live fish with sauce" cooked by "Zhang Dashao" were quickly passed from the kitchen to the second floor by the waiter who delivered the dishes, and served on the table.
Needless to say, I saw such a wonderful fresh dish before my eyes.
The fish was covered in fragrant sauce-flavored steam, and its mouth was still opening and closing.
Everyone couldn't help but exclaimed that it was amazing!
Even Fu Jie and Saga Hao are no exception!
It’s all excitement added to the excitement!
So the district leaders couldn't help but raise their wine glasses in public to pay tribute to Song Huagui.
"Everyone, today we can taste such delicious and authentic royal cuisine. First of all, we must thank Ms. Song from our Pierre Carton Company."
"Thanks to her generous investment, our district will suddenly have two high-end restaurants qualified to receive foreign affairs this year, with Chinese and Western food available. Although today's dishes have just started to be served, I can already be sure that this is our
The pride of imperial cuisine culture.”
"So to express my gratitude, I suggest you all have a drink. Let's all pay homage to Ms. Song!"
"Okay! Here's to Ms. Song!" The guests at the two tables called Hao'er together.
Song Huagui felt an extremely glorious sense of satisfaction.
As I stood up and raised my glass in response, I couldn't help but sigh.
Ning Weimin is a kid who can always surprise people, and his ability to do things is really impeccable.