Chapter 23 Chapter two

The "Mount of Olives Restaurant" is bigger than I imagined.I thought it would be a small and elegant store, but I didn't expect that not only private rooms, but also wedding parties can be reserved. The display in the store is a bit strange, and the display cabinets for selling cakes are set at the entrance, so that customers can buy the products in the display cabinets without going into the store.I think the reason for this design is to avoid frequent in and out, affecting guests' dining.It seems that a lot of painstaking efforts have been made to combine the style of a French dessert specialty store and a restaurant.

The display cabinet is dominated by fruit tarts filled with fruits, and many colorful cakes are displayed. It seems that the boss particularly likes fruit-flavored desserts.These pleasing and elegant cakes were bought by customers one after another when we visited. The service staff led us to the reserved seats, and the ordering was handed over to Mr. Okimoto.The waiter brought up a bottle of red Bordeaux with an ink painting-like illustration on the label.In my opinion, it happens to be the best year to uncork and taste this year. The cuisine here uses a lot of tomatoes and olive oil, which tastes very similar to Italian cuisine, which is also a major feature of Southern French cuisine.Snails with a bit of garlic, crispy vegetables, seafood and meat with delicious sauces, each dish is impeccable.

"The next dish is dessert!" Mr. Okimoto whispered, this is the part he cares about most, and I am also looking forward to it. On the square plate sent by the waiter, there are three kinds of desserts, namely French baked buds decorated with strawberries, blueberries and cranberries, French chocolate cake (Gateau au chocolat) sprinkled with powdered sugar and cherry blossom color Macaron. The combination of perfectly toasted caramelized brulee and tart fruit is perfect.Raspberry-flavored macarons, the filling jam melts in the mouth, the crispy texture on the surface and the smooth texture of the filling form an excellent contrast effect.The French chocolate cake is made of two different flavors of raw chocolate, and the interlayer is pistachio cream. Although there is only a small piece, you can taste the rich chocolate aroma.

Mr. Okimoto asked, "How does it feel?" "Very satisfied," I replied, "It's no wonder that I'm friends with Mr. Okimoto and Mr. Nagamine, and my skill in choosing chocolate is first-rate." "Where's the baked brulee?" "The sweetness of the baked brulee and the sourness of the fruit are perfectly balanced. Macarons are also very good. The simpler the dessert, the more it can show the personality of the pastry chef." "Would you like to come again?" "Even if you pay for it yourself, it's worth it. Next time, I will bring a friend with me."

"Thank you! My friend must be very happy to hear that." "Please also pass it on." After the snack tray was taken away, we chatted while sipping black tea. It seems that it's time to get to the point. "Mr. Okimoto, when did you and Mr. Changfeng meet?" "We've known each other for over ten years!" "Where did you meet?" "Tokyo. After graduating from high school, I worked in a store in Kansai for five years, learning skills, and then resolutely went to Tokyo to develop. The business model of the French dessert specialty store in Kanto is different from here. I want to learn more. "

"So have you stayed in several stores in Tokyo?" "Actually, I only stayed in one store. At first I wanted to stay in a few more stores, but the working environment of the first store made me feel very comfortable. It was a store famous for its chocolate, and I liked it very much." "Don't you want to go to Europe to develop?" "If we don't have background and contacts in our industry, it is unlikely that we will have any decent job opportunities abroad, and we can only be reduced to odd jobs. For them, 'we are just cheap foreign workers from the East', so I want to start with After accumulating experience in China and cultivating a certain strength, go to Europe to learn new knowledge. Recently, there are even top-notch pastry chefs in Paris who come to Tokyo pastry shops to learn from Japanese chefs!"

"Mr. Changfeng has always been like that?" "What's the meaning?" "Always full of great truth, not easy to express emotion..." "Yeah! His love for reasoning has never changed, but when we first met him, his personality was even more aggressive! Maybe it's because he's too busy with work to care about trivial matters!" Most likely it was because I looked very interested, and Mr. Okimoto showed narrow eyes and said with a smile: "You want to know more about Mr. Nagamine, right?" "Ok." "Then just ask him directly."

"I'm sorry." "Actually, I don't know him very well. I just happened to work together in 'Louis' again, because he never mentioned personal affairs." "Can we start talking about Mr. Okimoto when he was studying art? I can imagine what happened to Mr. Nagamine from it." "Talking about my learning process is too boring!" "But isn't that a great shop? It's okay to talk about making cakes!" "Well... that's good. How about talking about this restaurant? Both Changfeng and I have something to do with this restaurant, although only a little... But it's quite complicated."

"But don't say it!" After Mr. Okimoto urged, he began to speak with nostalgia.