Time to Reach Out (4)
Lee Duho had no choice but to acknowledge that he felt like an old fart inside. Honestly, he had been wondering how impressive Jo Minjoon could possibly be. Even if Jo Minjoon had captured the world’s recognition, in the end, he was just a young man in his 20s.
Lee Duho had seen countless geniuses in his lifetime, and he had sufficiently analyzed why their cooking had been considered genius. Those who were called geniuses, despite their young age, were mostly quick learners. Even though he did wonder, ‘How could they have made a dish like this at such a young age?’, if he were to think of those people as chefs in their 30s or 40s then they did not feel very much like geniuses at all.
To determine whether a chef was a genius or not, you had to wait for that person to get a bit older. As a chef grows older, the difference in skill levels becomes less significant. Eventually, there comes a time when everything is determined by one’s creativity and the dishes one comes up with.
Of course, young chefs are not wholly without those senses. They are certainly qualified to have them. However, no matter how great their senses are, expressing those senses into cuisine is a different matter altogether.
That is why there was ultimately a limit for young chefs. And that was the reason why Lee Duho did not share much of an interest for those who have been labeled geniuses at a young age.
And that is why these dishes are all the more surprising now.
Lee Duho closed his eyes and quietly enjoyed the lingering taste in his mouth. He could see the seeds that were used to mimic banana seeds were sunflower seeds1. The salmon was not ordinary salmon but smoked salmon.
The smoked salmon had been made into a mousse, and next to it was spread a cream cheese made from mixing lemon, cream, and cheese. On top of it all were a few sunflower seeds.
It did not seem like a special dish at all if you just heard a description of it. The actual recipe itself did not seem all that novel. However, the multiplying factor of the tastes was matched perfectly to each one.
It was not some taste that was awkwardly following one of the world’s trends. Rather, it was the type of taste that generated buzz worldwide. ‘Did it taste that good?’ ‘Yeah, it did.’ ‘However, you guys aren’t able to bring out the flavor of that recipe. Like this can.’
Park Shiwoo’s smacked his lips.
“If they had used this to top a baguette with it, it would have made for one delicious bruschetta.”
“They purposely did not.”
“Purposely? Mm… Oh.”
At Lee Duho’s curt response, Park Shiwoo became lost in thought momentarily and was soon overcome with admiration. Park Shiwoo was on slouch when it came to comparing to others in cooking, either. It was not that difficult reading Jo Minjoon’s intent with just those words from Lee Duho.
“For an amuse-bouche, there is definitely nothing better.”
“It could have been thought of when originally trying to make bruschetta, for all we know,” said Hong Mangil in a quiet voice.
Even if he was a chef specializing in Korean cuisine, he was not ignorant of foreign cuisines. Rather, after having met Jo Minjoon, he had more earnestly researched international cuisines. His knowledge of American cuisine may in fact be deeper than a sloppy American cuisine chef’s.
However, in that moment, Lee Duho was actually more shocked. It was an offhand remark. It sounded like one, too. After having intended to make bruschetta, it was determined that it was not appropriate for the menu, so the baguette was abandoned and it was redone as an amuse-bouche. At a glance, this seemed like a normal rational way of thinking.
And that was why it was not normal. Once normal chefs have chosen a certain direction, it is difficult for them to see outside the direction they chose. For example, if you say that a Chinese cuisine chef developed a black bean sauce., and then, for some reason, the chef realized the black bean sauce wasn’t suited for the menu.
Normally, at this point, people would abandon it altogether or think to put that black bean sauce in a black bean sauce with noodles dish instead. However, Jo Minjoon and Kaya do not think like that. Instead, they would think to take the black bean sauce and send it out with some black bean paste and sliced onions to use for dipping. That idea was not common. It was basically the same as someone who had played soccer2 throughout grade school suddenly becoming a baseball player.
Of course, it was only Hong Mangil’s hypothesis, but Lee Duho felt that this hypothesis was actually correct. That was why he had goosebumps from it. The important part was that this was only touching the surface of who Jo Minjoon is.
And it was at that point when Simon approached them with a beaming smile.
“Let me clear these plates for you. Please wait a moment. The next dish will be coming out immediately. Is there anything I can assist with?”
“No, there’s nothing in particular… Everything tastes wonderful so far. I’m in admiration. Chef Minjoon really does live up to his reputation,” Park Shiwoo replied with a smile.
However, Simon did not respond immediately. He had a bewildered look on his face for a brief moment and soon smiled gently as if he understood.
“I’m glad to hear you are enjoying the food! However, I think you misunderstood one thing. That dish was not created by Chef Minjoon.”
“Sorry?”
“The amuse-bouche you all had just now was designed by Chef Kaya. It’s hot off the presses. It has only been a few months since it got put on the menu.”
“Ah… Ah, I see,” Park Shiwoo nodded his head with a confused look.
As soon as Park Shiwoo told the others that Kaya had designed the dish, Hong Mangil scoffed.
“You’re telling me that this dish is not Minjoon’s?”
“Yes. That’s what he said.”
“Huh… Eesh.”
Hong Mangil stroked his chin as if it were something he had not even thought of. Actually, it was not just Hong Mangil. Everyone at the table had not paid much attention to Kaya. They had all heard how excellent of a chef she was this entire time, but that was it. Kaya was four years younger than the already young Jo Minjoon, was she not?
Although Kaya was head chef alongside Jo Minjoon, they had thought that was a result of their relationship and not because of her skills. Given how they were to be together for the rest of their lives, even if there was a gap in skill levels, if they left a gap in their positions, working together would become meaningless.
However, that was not the case. Hong Mangil finally recalled what Jo Minjoon had always told him.
‘…Did he say that he isn’t as good as Kaya?’
When he had heard that, he thought that was just Jo Minjoon’s foolish tendency to come out strong. However, Jo Minjoon’s words had not been empty words. If the amuse-bouche boasted of her presence from the start, then what would the other dishes be like?
“Shiwoo.”
“Yes, sunsengnim.”
“Tell that person to let us know who made each dish that comes out from now on.”
“Okay, I will.”
Park Shiwoo explained it to Simon. Simon nodded and headed to another table. For a while after, the three of them sat without saying a word. Im Taehyung, who could not take it any longer, finally spoke.
“I guess the dish we had just a moment ago was rather impressive?”
“I didn’t realize it was the dish of Minjoon’s wife. Actually, I had no idea his wife was this good at cooking.
“Is she that amazing?”
“It looks like she could stand on par with Minjoon,” said Hong Mangil calmly.
He could have asked just how Hong Mangil came to that conclusion from just a single amuse-bouche, but there were times when one could grasp the full situation from just a single bite.
Im Taehyung was unable to ask another question. It was not because he had nothing to ask but because the next dish had just come out. What was placed before them was a steak tartare dish.
Simon said in a calm voice, “This is a sashimi dish made with foie gras and beef tenderloin. It is accompanied by béarnaise sauce. Also, this is Chef Minjoon’s creation.”
Park Shiwoo swallowed his saliva.
‘But, even so…’
He wondered if this restaurant was really managed by a couple in their 20s. The sour smell of the white wine vinegar used in the béarnaise sauce tickled their noses pleasantly. The aroma was mixed with a subtle smell of butter and olive oil. Just getting a whiff of it made them salivate in anticipation.
This was not an issue of talent. It felt like they were witnessing seasoned experience. Park Shiwoo took a fork and nimbly placed a bite of foie gras and beef in his mouth. On top of the cold touch of the fork, he could feel the even colder touch of the beef.
“Errm…”
A sound of happiness escaped from his lips. At the beginning, he intended to see how amazing their young junior was, but now he was simply a guest who was enjoying the food.
He was just happy. Thoughts of what kind of person Jo Minjoon could be no longer surfaced in his mind. He was just full of admiration for how Jo Minjoon managed to think of a dish like this and express it.
Lean tenderloin had been paired with fatty foie gras. This was a killer technique Jo Minjoon had used often in the past. The taste born from pairing the beef that was lacking in fat with the accompanying foie gras was so overwhelming that it was easy for anyone to capture it.
However, his current usage of foie gras was different from his past usage of it. It was not because he had achieved cuisine level 9, either. It was due to him laboring over it a countless number of times over that timespan. It was a time when he focused more on his cooking than on his life. That time he spent ultimately did not fail him. Since he had no time to fail, anyhow.
Now that it had come to this, Park Shiwoo could not fail to understand who this Jo Minjoon person was.
“He put an incredible amount of effort into this.”
His voice was filled with respect. Even though Jo Minjoon was far younger and a junior chef to him, he honestly could not help but respect these young chefs. If he were to set aside his pride and take a look, Park Shiwoo did not get a feeling that he would be able to do better than Jo Minjoon. The standards for judging cooking may differ from person to person, but Jo Minjoon’s cooking was absolutely superior. It was not just him, but there were countless other chefs who would be unable to stand before Jo Minjoon’s dish and easily say that he or she was better.
And Lee Duho was no different in that respect. Lee Duho put a bite of Jo Minjoon’s dish into his mouth with a serious expression. At this point, rather than feeling competitive with Jo Minjoon, he had decided to find in Jo Minjoon’s dish something he would normally have missed himself. It was the same determination he had made the day before at Rose Island. It was the mental attitude he took when it came to maestros.
“You can’t make a dish like this with talent alone,” Hong Mangil said in a quiet voice.
Only through repeated failures can a chef finally be reborn. And right now, that saying suited Jo Minjoon the best out of anyone possible.
‘And to think that his wife is a chef at a similar level.’
Hong Mangil had high expectations from the start for Lotus Bridge because it was the restaurant run by his advisor. He could not stop himself from having these expectations.
And now that he was faced with it in reality, Hong Mangil was certain that the expectations he had been building up were not in vain. No, rather, the expectations themselves had fallen short of where they should have been. For he had not accounted for Kaya in calculating any of his expectations.
“Korea should be watching Minjoon and not other star chefs. A chef who would not appear ever again in Korea’s history is rising, but only a few cameras are here present to film him…
“It’s quite a shame.”
“…I can’t even refute that.”
Lee Duho nodded his head. He was not completely lacking in envy, but he had to acknowledge what he should acknowledge. Lotus Bridge was so real of a restaurant, it shattered all the narrow-minded thoughts he had been holding in an instant. And that was due to the two head chefs standing in the kitchen.
Lee Duho glanced at the kitchen. Jo Minjoon and Kaya were either each cooking with a composed look on their faces or they were giving out orders and leading the kitchen.
Lee Duho said in a quiet voice, “Even though those two had opened this restaurant only a year ago, they look like they’ve been handling it for years. It’s not like this has never happened before. While improvement in cooking normally is influenced significantly by talent, the ability to lead a kitchen is completely different. That is why if you look at people who had immediately succeeded as head chefs, they always show almost no interest in anything outside of cooking.”
Lee Duho was speaking to the future viewers of the show. That was why no one else at the table responded. Lee Duho slowly continued talking.
“Actually, when I first got here, my expectations were not high. Fame does not always guarantee substance. And so I came here half-doubting… But I’m quite embarrassed by myself.”
“I wish for every customer of Lotus Bridge to try their dishes without any bias.”
Even after having only tried two of their dishes, Lee Duho’s voice was already full of trust and affection when it came to Lotus Bridge. He could not help it. Because the two of them had sufficiently proven how special they were.
It felt like the taste of the foie gras and beef were lingering in his mouth, still. The aroma of the aged wine clung to their mouth.
Lee Duho then spoke, “The talent of Chef Minjoon and Chef Kaya is truly as the public has said. In fact, their talents have not been properly expressed. If you want to experience their level, then you must come here and try their food for yourself. While I don’t know about myself, I’m not one to want to puff up others… But, at the very least, I want to say at least this much.”
Lee Duho looked straight at the camera.
“If you are watching this show, please keep these two people in mind. These two have grasped both talent and effort in their hands, and they know how to make the best food.”
He let out a sigh and acknowledged them.
“These two… are the best. Truly.”
CREDITS:
Original author: 양치기자리
Translator: Comic Seoul
Proofreader: Potato