The store had been renovated and the staff had been trained, so it was supposed to be ready for opening. However, Lao Tan always felt that there was something missing in the dishes, so he refused to open the store.
Xiaofeng came from the provincial capital in early December and fulfilled Han Jun's wish. But Xiaofeng still treated him as a younger brother as before.
Today's guests are Wei Jianshe, two of Lao Tan's friends in the catering industry in Changsha, Mr. Wang and Mr. Yuan, the landlord Du Hongmei and her daughter Bai Jiaqi, and Hao Nansheng.
Du Hongmei was invited by Lao Tan because the power capacity needed to be increased during renovation, which was difficult to do anywhere. Lao Tan was going to find Wei Jianshe, so he consulted Du Hongmei first. As the homeowner, he was concerned about the electricity consumption of his house.
Others know it.
Unexpectedly, Du Hongmei said that she had taken care of the matter - her brother was from the Electric Power Bureau and was a moderate leader.
Difficult things can be solved easily, so naturally you have to ask others.
Bai Jiaqi was invited by Han Jun to repay a favor he made when he rented a dormitory. In addition, Bai Jiaqi was the first friend Han Jun made after arriving in Changsha. The two kept in touch and sometimes even had meals together, so they got along very well.
Hao Nansheng came here not long after returning from Suzhou, and now he has become a regular visitor.
"Please give me some advice." Lao Tan said, pointing to the dishes on the table.
"Everything I eat is very good, especially the dumplings, they are delicious!" Wei Jianshe spoke first.
“The dumplings are really delicious, no problem, they are indeed a well-known brand. The dishes are also authentic, especially the pot-wrapped pork, which is made in the authentic Northeastern way. It has moderate sweetness and sourness, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a long aftertaste. I think this dish will be popular.
People in Changsha love spicy food, so it’s good to change the taste,” said Mr. Wang.
Mr. Yuan said: "Lao Tan, there is nothing wrong with the food, the dumplings are delicious, and the health wine is unique. Don't worry, the business will be a success."
Old Tan laughed.
"I've eaten at almost all the dumpling restaurants in Changsha, and to be honest, they're not as delicious as today. I've only heard of Guobao Pork before, but I've never tried it. It's really good to eat today. It's sour and sweet. I love it." Du Hongmei
explain.
"I also like to eat Guobao Pork, but what you make is different from other people's. Other people's ones are red and made with tomato sauce. They look good, but when they taste like yours, they are far behind." Bai Jiaqi finished.
I glanced at Han Jun next to me, and wondered if I was right.
Han Jun smiled and said: "The tomato sauce is made in a new way, the color is orange, and it is appetizing. My family uses a traditional method, cooking it with pure sweet and sour sauce, and pay attention to the heat."
"It tastes very tender and tender." Bai Jiaqi said.
"Yes, this is the characteristic of traditional pot-wrapped pork. Let me tell you, making pot-wrapped pork is very particular. You can't make it in one day. The starch used to paste it needs to rise 24 hours in advance." Han Jun said.
"Really? You can teach me when you have time," Bai Jiaqi said.
The conversation between the two attracted the attention of two other women, one was Du Hongmei and the other was Xiaofeng. Du Hongmei was paying attention to whether her daughter liked Han Jun; Xiaofeng was paying attention to the attitude of Korean dramas towards Bai Jiaqi.
Everyone is different and everyone has their own thoughts.
Lao Tan didn't think anything. He looked at Hao Nansheng who was silent and said, "Brother, please give me some advice."
Hao Nansheng smiled and said, "Brother Tan, I'm not a professional. I tasted these dishes very well, especially this wine, as Mr. Yuan just said, it is unique and distinctive, and there must be many people drinking it.
Not only men like to drink it, but women also like it. Rose wine and Sanhua wine are just for women."
Lao Tan nodded and said: "I can rest assured about the health wine and dumplings. These are Ah Qiao's signature dishes. The main dishes are very good individually and there is nothing wrong with them. But when combined together, they don't feel special. They are just simple Northeastern and local dishes.
Fusion.”
"It's already very good, Mr. Tan, don't ask for too much. If it's too high, will local restaurants like us still survive?" Mr. Wang joked.
Lao Tan said: "Because we Changsha people are very particular about food, we don't dare to be careless. I have the courage to rush to the dock. Everyone in the country knows that it is difficult for outside catering to enter Changsha. If you don't do it well, you will die. I can't lose."
rise."
Mr. Yuan said: "We in Changsha do reject outside catering, but those who are rejected are those who are not good, and the good ones are kept. Mr. Tan's Ah Qiao is definitely good, and I believe that it will be able to make a breakthrough in Changsha within two years."
Be famous."
"Okay, let me borrow Mr. Yuan's auspicious words." Old Tan said with a smile.
Then he asked Xiaofeng to pour wine for everyone.
After dinner, everyone was sent away, but Hao Nansheng did not leave and talked to Lao Tan alone about another matter.
It turns out that the friend Wei Jianshe introduced to Lao Tan who was moving out to restaurants was a partner in the driving business with Hao Nansheng.
Hao Nansheng knew that his partner's hotel was going to be transferred outside, but he didn't know that Lao Tan had gone to talk about it, and his partner didn't tell him. Recently, he always went to Lao Tan's place. When his partner asked him what he was busy with, he said he had a good big brother.
Come to Changsha to open a restaurant, go and have a look.
The partner heard that his good brother opened a restaurant, so he asked him to ask this good brother if he wanted to open another restaurant. If so, he would transfer his store to him.
"That store you mentioned, haha, I went there to talk, but I didn't know about your friend's." Old Tan said with a smile.
Hao Nansheng did not expect that Lao Tan had gone to talk to him, so he felt a little embarrassed and said: "So you have talked about it." Then he asked: "Is it not ideal and not suitable?"
Lao Tan said: "That's not true. The location is very good. It's a place for a hotel. The decoration is also good. I fell in love with it. But the transfer fee is too high, 800,000, so it's a bit unsuitable.
You have also seen that his store has the same style as Ah Qiao. If it is transferred, it will need to be renovated, and nothing in it will be used. He feels that the decoration is not a waste of money, but it is of no use to me.
In addition, the area of his store is a bit big. Ah Qiao is a small dumpling restaurant, so it doesn’t make sense to be too big. It’s just right to be a central kitchen, and I also rushed to be a central kitchen.
It’s just that we just opened a store now and don’t need a central kitchen, so we didn’t talk about it further.”
"That's what it is." Hao Nansheng nodded, thought for a moment and said, "Brother Tan, I don't know much about catering, but I know you won't just start one and bring it down. In this way, I can make the decision on his store and transfer it to you.
Don’t think about it, just do it.”
Hao Nansheng said it very seriously and sincerely.
Lao Tan laughed and said: "Brother, I know what you mean, no need to do that, it means looking down on your brother.
He still has one year's rent, so he can keep the business open. I guess no one can change the price he wants. After the Chinese New Year, I'll see how the business here is. To be honest, I don't know. You're from Changsha.
I know that it is difficult to maintain a foothold in catering from outside. I am trying to cross the river by feeling the stones.
You'll be able to see what's going on within three months of opening. Once you've established a foothold, you'll open a second store immediately. If that store hasn't been transferred out by then, you'll win it."
"That's good." Hao Nansheng was also cheerful and said, "I'll wait until after the New Year."
After Hao Nansheng left, Lao Tan returned to his residence, still thinking about the food.
Soon there was a knock on the door. It was the head chef Li Jian and two Hunan cuisine chefs.
Li Jian is forty years old, tall and slightly chubby. He makes authentic Northeastern cuisine, including Guobao Pork. The two Hunan cuisine chefs are Ma Jianhua and Huo Meng, who came from Yiyang.
The chefs were stressed when the dishes were not ideal, and Lao Tan would call them in to chat with them every time after trying the dishes.
"Every dish today was very good. Everyone tried their best. It was better than the last two times." Lao Tan said.
Li Jian said: "Boss, after the dishes were served, I chatted with several chefs for a while, and I felt that the claypot section should not be all local dishes. It would be good to serve our Northeastern casserole."
This old man didn't expect it. He has been focusing on cooking these days and has been a little neglected.
"Please tell me in detail." Lao Tan said.
"Actually, it doesn't take much. Just serve the tofu casserole and the Northeastern New Year dishes. These two dishes seem simple but difficult to make, but we worked hard to make them. Not only are they delicious, but they are also unique and representative. I think they will work."
Li Jian said.
Lao Tan thought about these two dishes in his head. He thought about them in detail, including the entire production process and the tableware used.
Then he said: "The casserole tofu can be improved by adding local ground yellow beef and white pepper, and adding a little spicy millet to bring out the taste. The cooking method is based on the Northeastern cuisine, adding thirteen spices and soy sauce."
Li Jian nodded.
Lao Tan continued: "The New Year dishes are delicious, but the presentation is not good. I suggest replacing the dried cabbage with local cabbage and marinating it in advance. The time should not be too long and it should stay green. Then the dish will have more flavor."