I’m Quitting Everything and Selling Cola

Chapter 144

Chapter 144. Royal Kitchen

There is a reason why social circle figures were crowding Royal Kitchen's Opening Day.

The goal Y&P Trading Company set in launching Royal Kitchen was this: To sow the seeds of a proper high-end food culture in Britannia, a wasteland of fine dining.

And the most fertile soil in which those seeds could most surely take root was none other than these upper-class figures.

The choice of Braised Ribs as the menu was rooted in the same thinking.

An overwhelming taste and experience. A menu that, once tasted, could never be forgotten — one that was accessible to all yet could simultaneously stand at the very pinnacle of fine dining.

Jurgen had seen that potential long ago in New York, the birthplace of gastronomy.

In New York, known as the culinary capital, 'high-end Eastern cuisine' had meant the delicacy of Japanese food — represented by Cuisine meal and Sushi. But when the great wave known as Hallyu had overturned the world, the standing of Seasoned Ribs, which rose sharply to prominence, was nothing short of violent.

With its addictive flavour that transcended age and gender. It had shaken up the culinary market from casual restaurants all the way to fine dining charging five hundred dollars per person.

And here in Britannia too, history would repeat itself.

"Oh my, the ambiance of the East flows through this place."

"Just as I'd heard. It feels as though one has entered an entirely different world."

The moment they stepped inside, guests gave voice to their admiration one after another.

Wood and Korean Paper instead of gold leaf. Soft lamplight instead of gaudy lighting. Even the custom of removing one's shoes and sitting at low tables was a fresh and exotic experience.

"One can feel what they speak of as the beauty of restraint. Alongside this monotone quality……"

"Enough of your prattling, sit down."

"Ahem, yes, sir."

Baron Keystone, hands clasped behind his back, took a seat alongside Marquis Ashford — today's VVIP and one who had responded to the invitation at a moment's notice.

As a rule, from Marquis upward one is accustomed to being addressed as 'Your Excellency' by those around them. Even when invited to a gathering as transparently purposeful as this one, it is standard to demur with a show of modest reluctance.

Marquis Ashford was a typical Britannia noble with no interest whatsoever in fine dining, and he had not wished to come.

But for Marquis Ashford, it was an invitation he could not decline.

The End Order, which had attacked the charity event his daughter had organised. It was Y&P Trading Company that had resolved that End Order attack.

Moreover, Y&P Trading Company was in close relations with Baron Keystone. And Baron Keystone was the man to whom he owed a debt of gratitude for the enormous political funding provided when he first set foot in central politics.

"My daughter has been going on and on about how splendid the Seasoned Ribs were. Thanks to you, sir, I am finally able to taste them today."

Marquis Ashford forced the corners of his mouth up and added a hollow pleasantry.

Naturally, he had no expectations of the food. It was the smile of complex political calculation and a sense of duty.

There was no way the seasoned Baron Keystone could fail to read what lay beneath that expression. Inwardly, he was rather curious to see how that expression might change.

"Ha ha, Marquis. It is not thanks to me — it is Y&P's ability. That Lady Penelope Rosemore in particular. She is no ordinary figure. I hear your daughter has been making quite a tidy sum of money lately thanks to that girl. Is that not so?"

"Ahem……."

Marquis Ashford, who had been drinking water, gave a forced cough.

"I am not pleased about that."

"Is that so? Why."

"As you will know, sir, the F&B business has clear limitations. Just look at this very restaurant. The prices. What in the world are these?"

"And the time you dug a mine straight into bankruptcy — that made sense to you?"

"Come now, sir. That was so long ago……"

"As I see it, Y&P is different. It is going to bring about great innovation. You would do well to stake a foot in now while you still can."

"Yes, yes."

Watching the grumbling Marquis Ashford, Baron Keystone clucked his tongue inwardly. Having gotten a taste of politics at his tender age, the young upstart had grown a little stiff in the neck.

Well, Baron Keystone himself had once thought the same way.

Other nobles took their seats one by one at the tables around the two prominent figures.

Shortly after, a neatly dressed server approached the table and first bowed respectfully toward Baron Keystone.

"Baron, Your Excellency, Marquis, Your Excellency. I am the server who will be attending to your meal today."

"Miss Brigitte, it has been a while."

That server was Brigitte. Given that he was a VVIP, Y&P Trading Company had brought out their trump card.

"Hehe, it has been a while, sir."

Brigitte smiled her bright, sunny smile and, with practised ease, lifted the lid from the brazier at the centre of the table. Then she filled it with glowing red-hot coals. The fierce heat of the finest White Charcoal made Marquis Ashford flinch involuntarily.

Brigitte laid out the Braised Ribs Full Spread one by one in brass bowls and earthenware pots.

"This here is a crisp cucumber kimchi stuffed with garlic chives you can have in place of pickles."

"And this is rice cooked from this year's freshly harvested new crop. It came out wonderfully fluffy."

"And this is Steamed Egg Custard…… and this is a refreshingly spicy Clam Broth made with clams and red peppers……"

Marquis Ashford still wore a sceptical expression, but Baron Keystone listened to the explanations at leisure and nodded along.

And then, at last, the star of the evening made its appearance.

"And finally, the eagerly awaited Seasoned Ribs. Sir Baron Keystone sent over the finest cut especially."

Prime Cut ribs marinated in rich, deep brown seasoning that boasted thick, vivid marbling.

Ordinarily they would come out after an initial round in the kiln, but tonight everything rested in Brigitte's hands.

The moment the Prime Cut ribs were placed upon the blazing-hot grill. 'Tssss' — along with an entrancing sound, a sweet and savoury smoky aroma erupted in a burst.

"Oh? The smoke is all being drawn inward."

"Yes! Lady Serena made it so the eyes of our precious guests would not sting!"

At Brigitte's reply, Marquis Ashford cast a briefly displeased glance. The audacity of a commoner cutting into a noble's conversation.

"Ahem, are you going to keep looking at her like that?"

"Even so, there is such a thing as propriety……."

"Do you wish to behave that way in front of a girl young enough to be your daughter?"

Regardless, Brigitte took up tongs and scissors and began grilling the meat with practised skill.

So as not to lose a single drop of the juices. To catch the precise moment the meat reaches its perfect state of doneness.

She poured every last drop of her concentration into it.

"……."

Even Marquis Ashford, who had been briefly irritated, found himself swallowing unconsciously at the sight of that earnestness.

The eyes of the commoner server, gazing at the blazing grill without so much as a breath. That image overlapped in some way with the sight of a stonemason carving stone with every ounce of his being.

And on top of that, meat grilled over fire is the food that stirs the most primal of human instincts. As if that were not enough, when the nose-piercing aroma of the savoury seasoning and the sight of the meat sizzling before his eyes entered his senses, a rumble escaped from his stomach without his permission.

— Click

Brigitte rested the perfectly cooked meat briefly inside a silver dome. A technique of using the residual heat left in the meat to cook the interior — preserving the juices to the fullest and preventing overcooking.

That way, Brigitte took the very first piece cooked to the most ideal point of eating. Without hesitation, she placed it politely on the plate before Marquis Ashford.

"Marquis Ashford, sir, please first try it as it is without dipping it in anything, and savour the natural flavour!"

Under normal circumstances, Marquis Ashford would have thought 'it is Marquis Your Excellency, not just Marquis' — but just for this moment, he picked up the meat with his fork with curious eyes.

"My……."

Marquis Ashford let out an involuntary low exclamation.

Enveloping his tongue was a deep, rich umami the likes of which he had never experienced in his life. Following it came the subtle sweetness of fruit, then the smoky charcoal aroma hitting the back of his nose. The abundant juices that welled up as the meat melted.

"Well? I told you it was different, didn't I?"

Baron Keystone laughed heartily watching Ashford's reaction.

Indeed — how could one possibly imagine this without tasting it for oneself? And what was more, the one who grilled the meat was Brigitte.

Britannia's greatest culinary genius, who could turn even ordinary cooking into a feast worthy of the gods' table.

"And are you not going to give me any, Miss Brigitte?"

"Oh! Forgive me. Lady Penelope asked me to pay particular attention to the Marquis!"

"That is not something you say in front of the person himself."

"Oh dear!"

Baron Keystone savoured the meat portioned onto his own plate with equal satisfaction.

"Ha ha……."

Indeed, a flavour that seems as though one ought to have grown used to it, yet draws out a gasp of admiration every single time.

Marquis Ashford's eyes had already gone half-unfocused. He began eating the meat together with the various side dishes.

"Good heavens, what on earth is this……!"

The fluffy rice tempers the sweet and savoury flavour of the meat while drawing out its depth. In between, the crisp cucumber kimchi stuffed with garlic chives cleanses the palate. A spoonful of the hot, soft Steamed Egg Custard, and there is not a dull moment for the mouth.

And then there was the spicy Clam Broth. Having never eaten anything in the way of clams beyond oysters or pen shells, he could not believe that this much umami could be drawn from such small clams.

"Still think the F&B business has clear limitations?"

Marquis Ashford looked around him.

The reactions of the other nobles were equally enthusiastic.

"Even eating it again, this is truly beyond words!"

"This is supposed to be real meat? This is the first time in my life I have tasted such tenderness!"

"The aroma is extraordinary every time I eat it! What on earth did they season this with?"

"My lady, mind your composure…… ahem, I'll have one more piece myself."

"I've been losing sleep dreaming of this cucumber kimchi stuffed with garlic chives……. Ngh, just as I remembered! The richness is all washed away!"

"This Clam Broth……. It is settling everything inside me. I told you I had a drink yesterday just so I could have this!"

The vast majority had already tasted the flavour once at the charity event, and unable to forget it, had come rushing the moment they received their invitation.

Fine dining. Selling culture, selling experience. Its ripple effect was already sweeping through the Northern social circles.

Baron Keystone had been right. Y&P was different. Marquis Ashford gazed across the hall at Penelope Rosemore, who was speaking with other distinguished guests on the far side.

"Would one enquire with that party regarding investment?"

Baron Keystone laughed heartily.

***

Royal Kitchen's first day was an undeniable, resounding success.

Late at night, after seeing off the last guest. Penelope stood alone at the centre of the empty hall.

Success now taken as a matter of course. No longer was each success a joy in the way it had once been.

"That's not it."

Perhaps it was because of Branch Manager Belheim. He had narrowly kept his life through this affair, but regardless, he had been taken away to the Royal Household.

And perhaps this might not remain such a special matter. 'If you wish to do business, do not make true friends' was a phrase that might as well be gospel in social circles.

Just then, Jurgen approached.

"Alone, are you. Did the reservations go well?"

"Of course, tremendously. An entire month's worth of reservations filled up right away."

Guests who had finished their meals had jostled forward toward Penelope in a crowd.

The clamour to secure the next reservation as quickly as possible had been extraordinary.

Even the sharp-minded Penelope had found herself in quite a predicament.

"Is there any need to be in a predicament?"

"These people keep track of every little order. 'Why am I after that person?' and such."

"Hmm, perhaps a lottery system would have been better."

"It would have. Anyway, you worked hard tonight as well."

"What have I done, after all."

"I am a bit tired today, so I will head in first."

Penelope turned and walked away, the conversation wrapping up sooner than expected. The quicker-than-anticipated end to their exchange made Jurgen pause for just a moment.

Because Penelope, who had been in good spirits right up until the morning, had grown strangely subdued after what had been a successful Opening Day.

"Hmm……."

It seemed as though some sort of measure would need to be taken.