This Small Restaurant seems to have something special.
Zhao Lili's gaze unconsciously shifted to the plate in front of her.
It was a simple, clean, plain white ceramic plate, commonly used in Small Restaurants, without any patterns.
A layer of steaming white, glistening rice covered it, clearly good quality rice.
On top of the rice was a braised lion's head, bigger than a fist.
When gently poked with chopsticks, the surface was slightly crispy and shimmered with a translucent sheen of oil, looking like a very solid meatball.
A circle of vibrant green bok choy surrounded it, creating a striking color combination that added a touch of elegance.
It was as if the dish in front of her was no longer just an ordinary rice bowl.
Zhao Lili suppressed her craving and used her chopsticks to break open the stewed meatballs in front of her, and an even richer, more fragrant aroma of meat wafted out.
The meat filling inside was brighter in color than the surface, and the texture was softer and stickier.
Taking a bite, it was full of meaty flavor and rich in juices.
The rich meat aroma, intertwined with the fresh sweetness of water chestnuts, filled her mouth.
Delicious.
Zhao Lili's eyes widened, and she eagerly picked up another piece and put it into her mouth.
Soft and full of meat with every bite.
This delicious and familiar taste immediately reminded her of Chinese New Year when she was a child.
Back then, her family was poor, and they only had a good meat meal during festivals.
And braised lion's head was her favorite.
It was large, full of meat, and very satisfying to eat.
“This Small Restaurant does have something special; at least the meat is good meat and quite substantial.”
To make delicious stewed meatballs, the choice of meat is crucial.
Seven parts lean meat, three parts fatty meat, finely sliced and coarsely chopped, the size should be like grains of rice, not too finely minced, to maintain gaps in the meat texture so it can retain its juices.
Paired with water chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms, and other ingredients, made into meatballs, then first fried and then stewed.
Moreover, the meat filling for stewed meatballs must be hand-chopped, not machine-ground; hand-chopped meat filling results in meatballs that are incredibly soft and melt-in-your-mouth when stewed.
If machine-ground, many pieces of meat and fascia are connected, which will not give a soft texture, greatly diminishing the dish.
It's a rather laborious task.
Many Small Restaurants like to cut corners this way.
Unexpectedly, this small shop was so meticulous and serious about its cooking.
Very good, very good.
Zhao Lili praised it in her heart.
However, although the stewed meatballs were delicious, after eating more than half, she started to feel a bit greasy.
After all, she was no longer the meat-craving child she used to be, and her obsession with meat wasn't as strong.
She moved her chopsticks towards the green vegetables on the side.
A few bites later, the greasy taste in her mouth completely disappeared.
A bite of greens, a bite of meat, paired with rice drenched in the soulful sauce.
Unconsciously, Zhao Lili finished the entire plate and revealed a happy smile.
【Ding – Favorability +15】
Su Haoze heard the system prompt, looked up at Zhao Lili, who was the only new face today.
She seemed quite picky about the shop at first, but in the end, she was conquered by the deliciousness of the braised lion's head.
......
Burp~
Zhao Lili couldn't help but let out a satisfied burp, patting her full belly.
It had been a long time since she had eaten so heartily.
If every meal was of this standard, then eight hundred yuan didn't seem that expensive after all.
She just wondered about the hygiene.
She thought for a moment and then called out to Su Haoze, who had just finished serving a meal: “Boss Su, another vegetable and shrimp roll for takeout, please.”
“Alright, please wait a moment, customer.”
Su Haoze immediately returned to the counter to start cooking.
At this point, Zhao Lili noticed that the kitchen of this small shop was different from other Small Restaurants.
Not only was the kitchen transparent, allowing every customer who came in to see his actions, but the hygiene inside was also clear at a glance.
Clean, hygienic, neat, and orderly.
This surprised Zhao Lili greatly; such a transparent kitchen model was not common in Small Restaurants.
Usually, only star-rated hotels in economically developed cities dared to do this.
She didn't expect the hygiene level of such a small shop to be comparable to that of a high-end hotel.
It was indeed quite impressive.
“Customer, your takeout is ready.”
“The shrimp might not taste as good after cooling, please eat it promptly.”
“Also, don't leave it overnight.”
Hearing this, Zhao Lili nodded and then said, “Boss Su, I want to get a membership card.”
“A membership card?” Su Haoze was slightly taken aback.
“Yes, my son also goes to Little Sun Kindergarten, and I heard the food here is especially delicious, so I wanted to get one for my son too.”
“No problem, please fill out the information.”
“Okay.”
Zhao Lili paid the money cheerfully, filled out the information, and then left with the packaged food.
......
After returning home, Xiao Pangzi quickly ran over and hugged Zhao Lili's leg, his round little eyes eagerly looking at his mother.
“Mommy, did you get the card?”
“Yes, yes, you'll be able to eat the same delicious food as the other children tomorrow.”
Zhao Lili gently coaxed him, patted Xiao Pangzi's head, and shook the packaged food in her hand.
“Look, I even brought you back a shrimp roll.”
“Wow! Mommy is the best!” Xiao Pangzi clapped his hands happily.
The mother and son shared a rare moment of warmth, sitting close together.
The still-warm vegetable and shrimp roll was opened, emitting a faint aroma.
There was the freshness of vegetables and the fruity scent of fruit.
“Mommy, you eat.”
Xiao Pangzi swallowed, and with an unpracticed, trembling gesture, he picked up a vegetable and shrimp roll and fed it to Zhao Lili's mouth.
This was the first time her son had encountered something delicious and actively offered it to her first.
“Good, good, good, thank you, baby.”
Zhao Lili bit into it with a pleasant surprise, catching the drips with a bowl, her heart as sweet as honey.
She suddenly felt that the eight hundred yuan was well worth it.
She really shouldn't have spoken that way in the parent group back then.
Zhao Lili took out her phone, first taking a flurry of pictures of the takeout shrimp roll, then selecting the best one to post on her Moments.
She also added a special compliment.
Less than a minute after her Moments post went live, she received many likes.
Her phone kept dinging with messages.
Several familiar parents came to ask her if it was really that delicious.
Zhao Lili looked at these messages and directly opened the parent group.
“What happened yesterday was due to my thoughtless words; Su Ping'an's father's cooking skills are indeed very good.”
“And the shop is also very hygienic and clean; I've already gotten a membership card there, it's absolutely great value for money!”
These two sentences immediately attracted more parents to join and discuss.
“Yes, yes, yes, Su's Little Dining Table's taste is absolutely amazing, you absolutely won't lose out or be cheated.”
“Isn't that right? Even my old mother praised Boss Su's cooking skills.”
“Not to mention, the food my little one had today was different again, and he even came home nagging me to learn how to make it.”
“Who says it isn't? It seemed to be candied apple or sweet potato, I don't know how to make that.”
“This is the first time I've heard that sweet potato can be candied, it's truly amazing.”
“Say no more, hurry up and get a card, otherwise your child won't be able to eat it then.”
As soon as this was said, many parents started @Su Haoze in the group, and some even went directly to add him as a friend.
Ding – Ding – Ding –
At the same time, both his phone and the system kept ringing.
【Favorability +10】
【Favorability +5】
【Favorability +8】
......
【Current Favorability: 100】
【New recipes unlocked – dongpo pork, chicken tofu】