183: Flame Drunken Shrimp

After breakfast, Lu Chuan and the other two bought some local specialty snacks from Modu and started eating and sightseeing at the nearby attractions.

However, after experiencing the wonders of the 異界 (otherworld), Lu Chuan and He Jingrui found themselves somewhat unenthusiastic about these man-made sights.

Ding Xinyang had also seen a lot of the motherland's beautiful landscapes and local customs, so while it felt fresh at first, he became indifferent once he got used to it.

So, the three of them decided to call and move up their reservation time, then swiftly headed to the high-end seafood restaurant located on the top floor of a landmark building.

Upon entering, they were first dazzled by the luxurious decor.

Then, two rows of gracefully posed greeters warmly greeted them, politely inquired about their number, and led the trio to a window seat.

This restaurant was on the top floor, and looking down through the floor-to-ceiling windows was truly refreshing.

Putting everything else aside, just the service attitude of the staff and the dining environment already made the three feel that "the money was well spent."

"But whether it's truly worth it depends on the dishes provided! Listen to me, I have the most experience with buffets. To get your money's worth, we'll just grab the expensive seafood later!"

Ding Xinyang said, patting his chest with a confident expression.

He Jingrui heard him and looked a bit troubled.

"But, besides seafood, I also want to eat fried rice and dessert!"

Ding Xinyang immediately said with a look of exasperation:

"You spent two thousand big bucks just to let cheap things like fried rice, cake, and dessert take up your precious stomach space? Do you have a mine at home?"

He Jingrui pouted, somewhat unconvinced.

Seeing the disagreement between the two, Lu Chuan quickly stepped in to mediate, chuckling:

"Alright, alright, it's a buffet, the point is variety. Don't worry too much about getting your money's worth, eating happily is what's important."

Hearing this, Ding Xinyang and He Jingrui exchanged glances, said nothing more, and went their separate ways to "stock up."

Lu Chuan watched their retreating figures, shaking his head helplessly.

He picked up the menu on the table and found that the back also had a map of the restaurant, which immediately piqued his interest.

"Wow, the restaurant is quite big, you could really get lost if you're not careful."

He followed the map's directions and explored around.

A few minutes later, Ding Xinyang returned first, pushing a dining cart laden with various valuable seafood.

Such as Australian blue lobster, Eastern star grouper, Alaskan king crab, New Zealand scampi, Norwegian salmon, sweet shrimp, and more.

He Jingrui was only a dozen seconds slower, also pushing a dining cart back, mostly filled with seafood fried rice and various delicious cakes, ice cream, etc.

Ding Xinyang saw that He Jingrui had indeed brought fried rice and cake and couldn't help but sigh.

However, he said nothing more.

After a while, Lu Chuan also returned, but what he brought were all fresh ingredients, including ginger, scallions, garlic, and bottles of sauces.

Ding Xinyang asked with some surprise:

"Hey, are you going to cook it yourself?"

This buffet restaurant also provided equipment for guests to cook themselves, but guests usually didn't choose to, preferring to eat ready-made dishes.

The reasons were easy to guess: on one hand, they felt their cooking skills weren't good enough and feared wasting such good ingredients.

On the other hand, cooking would take up valuable dining time.

"Yes, I just observed the restaurant staff's cooking process, and I thought I'd rather do it myself."

Lu Chuan smiled and nodded.

Hearing this, Ding Xinyang was somewhat taken aback, then looked at the various cooked seafood he had brought, and was filled with regret.

If he had known Lu Chuan was going to cook himself, he wouldn't have taken any!

Now, this is great, this is great!

Ding Xinyang was on the verge of tears, already imagining the terrible scene of himself trying to stuff those "tasteless" seafood into his stomach while smelling the delicious aroma of Lu Chuan's cooking.

What a sin!

Lu Chuan gave Ding Xinyang a strange look, then began to heat the griddle, followed by a piece of butter.

As the temperature rose, the butter gradually melted, making a sizzling sound.

A rich aroma began to waft out.

Lu Chuan stir-fried the shredded onion, minced garlic, and minced ginger until fragrant, then placed fresh ingredients like wagyu beef, sweet shrimp, squid, and scallops in separate areas.

The butter completely melted on the griddle, gradually permeating the ingredients themselves.

Under high heat, the squid and scallops were the first to change color and curl.

Lu Chuan quickly brushed them with sauce and flipped them over.

Soon after, the wagyu beef and other ingredients also began to sizzle, with steam carrying the aroma rising.

At this point, Lu Chuan quickly chopped the wagyu beef into square pieces with a spatula, making them dance on the hot griddle.

Ding Xinyang watched Lu Chuan's knife skills in astonishment, his hands, which were peeling shrimp shells, stopped.

Lu Chuan's movements didn't stop. He butterflied the shrimp, deveined them, spread them on the griddle, drizzled them with garlic sauce, then poured high-proof white wine along the edges and ignited it to enhance the aroma.

Then he stir-fried them with squid and wagyu beef, added oyster sauce and green and red peppers, and finally laid them over eggs preheated on the griddle.

"Flaming Drunken Shrimp, revised version, cooking complete. Would you like to try some?"

Lu Chuan asked Ding Xinyang with a smile.

Ding Xinyang looked at the pile of dry seafood in front of him, then at the enticingly colored, wine-fragrant Flaming Drunken Shrimp on the griddle.

He was silent for a moment, then pushed aside the seafood, picked up his chopsticks, and grabbed a sizzling, oil-dripping large shrimp.

This was an Arctic sweet shrimp, displaying a visually striking color.

After being seared by the flames, the shrimp body was entirely translucent red, the shell tightly curled, and the surface glistened with an oily sheen, like sculpted amber, complementing the dark brown sauce clinging to its surface and permeating the shrimp meat.

Its aroma was equally rich and layered.

The initial scent was the unique char of burning alcohol, mixed with the distinct fresh, briny aroma of seafood. As the heat rose, the rich aroma of Huadiao wine gradually permeated, intertwining and blending with the sweetness of the shrimp meat.

As the temperature slightly dropped, the complex spice notes from the sauce emerged, including the pungent aroma of green onions and ginger, the rich taste of soy sauce, and a subtle hint of smokiness. Multiple aromas intertwined in the nasal cavity, forming a mouth-watering complex fragrance that lingered, stimulating the appetite.

Ding Xinyang swallowed, then began to taste it.

The taste upon entry was rich and layered. The shrimp meat was firm and springy, its freshness bursting on the tongue, while the wine aroma permeated from inside out, bringing a subtle intoxication.

The initial taste was the inherent sweetness of the seafood, followed by the savory umami of the sauce enveloping the shrimp meat, subtly blended with the sweetness of sugar and the spiciness of chili, creating a balanced flavor experience.

In the aftertaste, the warmth of the alcohol lingered in the throat, with a faint charred aroma remaining, making the overall taste long and memorable.

Ding Xinyang's eyes widened instantly. Freshness, tenderness, richness, and spiciness bloomed in his mouth, distinct yet naturally connected, a world apart from the taste of simply boiled shrimp.

After eating this Flaming Drunken Shrimp, he found he could no longer stomach the seafood cooked by the staff.

But wasting food incurs a penalty!

Based on the amount of seafood he had taken, he might as well work for several months for free!

Thinking of this, Ding Xinyang felt his heart and guts tremble.

Lu Chuan looked at Ding Xinyang, whose expression was changing dramatically, and asked curiously.

Upon learning of Ding Xinyang's concerns, Lu Chuan couldn't help but laugh out loud, then patted He Jingrui's shoulder, who was buried in his food nearby.

Just as Ding Xinyang was confused and bewildered, He Jingrui had already swallowed the last bite of cake, then looked at Ding Xinyang and said calmly:

"It's fine, I'll take care of it."

Hearing this, Ding Xinyang burst into tears.

"Brother, I spoke too loudly earlier. There are many people here, but when we get back, I'll bow my head and apologize to you!"