First of all, Dave’s selection of ingredients was surprising. As for the eel, it was good that he
removed its fishy smell, but basically, the quality of the meat and juice in it was overwhelming. So much so that one could not simply describe it as “high quality.”
In addition, his idea of beet macaron was quite fresh. When it came to macaroons, it’s usually made sweet for a dessert, but this beet macaron had a sweetness that could bring out the taste of other ingredients, making the flavor of the eel and foie gras even richer.
Crayfish crackers were also very good. Even with a cooking score of 8, its taste was as good as the beet macaron. The unique Thai aroma and taste of Tomkakai jelly, coriander, and shrimp sashimi, and the unique taste of crayfish stimulated his appetite endlessly.
The best part of Dave’s dish was sushi crackers. Honestly, considering that his idea was fresh, Min-joon thought that beet crackers would be the best among the three dishes he prepared, but the moment he tried sushi crackers, he changed his mind. Min-joon could not believe how he could bring out a strong taste with curry mayonnaise. It was so fresh that it changed his taste until now that he felt like eating salmon that had been breathing in curry. The seaweed sushi crackers were pleasantly crushed in his mouth, giving a crispy taste that he could not feel in sashimi. Min-joon felt this kind of taste was rather strange to him, but at the same time, he liked it.
“So, what do you think?”
It was not Elly, but Dave who asked.
Min-joon just tried the amuse-bouche, but Dave was so curious about his comment that Min-joon could not burst into laughter before he knew it. Just looking at this man who created this kind of amuse-bouche made Min-joon feel good.
And at the same time, Min-joon felt sorry for June, but he was happy to meet Dave.
Dave was a really excellent chef. Now that his gastronomy level had gone up, Min-joon knew Dave’s cooking skills better. He clearly understood why Dave was a genius chef, and why June tried so hard to surpass him in vain. And she had not been able to surpass him.
“As things stand now, the new chief of Rose Island will be you, Dave,” he said.
Honestly, the moment Min-joon said that, he found his heart was troubled a lot. There were many reasons for that. For example, he felt he was still not that close to Dave. He also felt sorry for June while praising his dishes because he knew how diligently she lived, how big of an ambition she had, and how much she loved it.
Of course, it was not just the amuse-bouche that impressed Min-joon so strongly, but it was enough to convince him that Dave should take over Rachel’s position. Even though he tried it a bit, Min-joon had no choice but to feel that his amuse-bouche took on a whole new level.
The moment Min-joon supported Dave’s qualifications as Rachel’s successor, Elly’s eyes twinkled. Although he didn’t praise her, she had no choice but to be thrilled when she thought that her boss, Dave, could be Rose Island’s new leader.
But Dave’s response to his compliment was different.
“I’m not asking you that question right now, Min-joon.”
Dave was not pleased with his praise. Maybe he was a little bit excited deep down, but his expression showed he was serious.
As if he was wary of Min-joon’s praise, Dave said, “I’m asking how you felt about my dishes.”
“Of course, they are good.”
“Can you tell me more specifically? For example, what part of my dishes made you feel good or something like that.”
“Well, you know better than me, Dave. That’s why you can make this kind of dish, right?”
“To be honest…”
When Min-joon asked, Dave scratched his head with a slightly embarrassed expression.
He seemed to be embarrassed or shy. Then he opened his mouth cautiously.
“To be honest, I’m not good at calculating such stuff.”
“Pardon?”
“I told you now. I can’t calculate. As for this amuse-bouche, I didn’t make it by calculating every element of the ingredients. Some sort of taste came to my mind all of a sudden, so I just made it.”
“Are you sure its taste came to your mind automatically?”
“Yeah. Don’t you feel it sometimes?”
Min-joon looked at Dave with a blank expression, wondering whether what he just said made any sense. Of course, there were times when some taste of a specific dish came to his mind occasionally. For example, he wondered if this or that taste might be better, but he had never experienced what Dave just mentioned.
It was only then that Min-joon realized that he had too much confidence in himself. Everyone in the world extolled him as a genius chef, and at some point, he himself began to believe what they said about him, for he could make dishes for his age that other chefs could not even imagine, regardless of whether he developed such talent through the power of the system.
The only time that Min-joon did not think he was not the best was when he was with Kaya.
As a matter of fact, Kaya’s senses, which could be described as much of an animal instinct when it came to cooking, were something he couldn’t imitate or possess no matter how much he tried.
Since Kaya’s gastronomy level was 10, Min-joon tended to believe that those who did not reach gastronomy level 10 were less talented than Kaya.
But his prejudices like that collapsed before Dave.
‘Dave is really in a different league.’
Only then could Min-joon fully understand June. He understood why she was trying to improve her skills while engaging in external matters not related to cooking, why she came to love Dave, and why she broke up with him when she still loved him.
Watching a man named Dave right next to her could have been a pain for June, for Min-joon also felt some sort of heart-wrenching moment even now. Min-joon thought maybe Anderson and other friends might have felt the same thing while watching him. In other words, they might have gotten cold feet, wondering if they could really beat Min-joon, or they felt something like an overwhelming talent that made them have such a fear.
At the same time, Min-joon began to understand Rachel. According to her, Daniel had cooking skills and talents that couldn’t be compared with Dave. Min-joon thought it was only natural for any chef to pay more attention to something like plating or decorations to catch up with a chef like Daniel because they could not compete with him in cooking.
“Rachel and June seem to have a lot in common…” Min-joon said before he knew it.
But he soon found he should not have said that when he saw Dave’s face frowning in embarrassment. But it was too late for him to take back his words.
Dave opened his mouth with a bitter smile.
“Oh, you, too, say the same thing.”
“It looks like you already heard it several times before.”
“Yes, quite a lot.”
After he said that, Dave was about to add something when Elly came up with another dish.
The moment she was about to start explaining something, Dave stopped her and opened his mouth first.
“It’s cold carrot soup. I put some basil and cilantro infusion in it. The one next to it is a mixture of carrot puree, sorbet, yogurt foam, and carrot chips. You can eat either of them.”
Min-joon put carrot soup in his mouth first. Based on Dave’s explanation, its combination didn’t look attractive, but its cooking score was 9. Min-joon could understand the reason.
“Wow, I’ve never tasted such delicious carrots like this.”
The aftertaste of carrots remained on his tongue for some time, and when the coriander infusion gave off a fresh and fun scent, the basil infusion gave it a subtly warm taste. Min-joon was surprised that he could taste the warmth when it was a cold soup. It meant that Dave brought out this taste by adjusting the heat.
The side dishes were also very good. The taste of carrots in the carrot sorbet and puree was beautifully harmonized, and the subtle sweetness was neatly taken care of by the yogurt foam. The crunchy caraway seeds and carrot chips also satisfied his taste immensely.
“Well, I wonder if you have this because you had a sudden inspiration.”
“As a matter of fact, that’s the way I make a dish generally.”
“Then you don’t need my advice. You can keep doing the way you have been doing.”
“Well, I feel I need to investigate my own cooking,” Dave replied in a serious voice. “I’ve made dishes according to my inspiration. And I was satisfied with it, and it was fun. I think if you run a restaurant for fun, that’s the best restaurant, and I still believe that. But I think it’s time I did some hard work. Since I’m getting old, I can’t just have fun forever.”
“Do you think I can give you advice? You don’t know how competent I am and how high my gastronomy level is. So, I can ruin your cooking with my imperfect knowledge. Do you still want to trust me?”
“Well, it’s not that I trust you. I just trust the two chefs I love and respect the most.”
He didn’t have to ask Dave who those two chefs were. He had no choice but to ponder over it for a while. He didn’t come here to help Dave but simply judge his cuisine. So, he wondered if it was okay to help Dave because he was on June’s side anyway. He wondered if he could help June’s rival like this, helping him take over as Rachel’s successor.