Chapter 353: The Outcome

“We have tasted dishes from both sides.”

Xin Yimin, the chief judge, sweeps over the two Spirit Chefs on the stage and begins to speak, “Next, from left to right, each Food Recommender will choose the dish they believe to be superior and explain the reasons.”

“As the chief judge, I will vote last.”

As his remarks end, the atmosphere on-site instantaneously intensifies. Even the onlookers cease their whispers, staying silent so as not to interfere with the Food Recommenders’ final decision.

In the tense atmosphere, a middle-aged woman seated to the left of the judges’ seats smiles slightly, “I select the Jiuhe Restaurant. I have tasted their Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef before, but this time, I can clearly taste improvements, which surprised me a lot.”

A vote for the Jiuhe Restaurant!

The onlookers from the Jiuhe Restaurant erupt into cheers upon the first vote, while Bai He on-site also cracks a smile.

On the contrary, the Breeze Restaurant’s side does not look so good.

Su Henian’s face hardens.

The first vote going to Jiuhe Restaurant is not a good sign.

And according to that Food Recommender, the Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef has been improved?

“I choose the Breeze Restaurant.” A young man sitting next to the previous judge smiles, “This Sleeping Bull Silk, in both its presentation and taste, is quite original and unique, I really like it.”

A vote for the Breeze Restaurant!

Su Henian’s tight fist loosens slowly as if infused with a strong dose of confidence.

Having got a vote, it means the gap between the two sides is not large.

There’s still hope!

Even Qin Lang at the scene, who seems to be keeping a calm demeanor, secretly heaves a sigh of relief.

A tie for now is acceptable.

He subtly glances at Bai He’s kitchen cabinet car, predicting that there will be a Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef prepared for him.

He is very curious to taste how this dish is actually like.

On the other side, Bai He’s expression starts to become a little strange.

The Breeze Restaurant managed to garner a vote?

How could that be?

The Breeze Restaurant discreetly visited their place, and Bai He likewise had a friend take away a dish from the Breeze Restaurant for him to try.

Of course, he didn’t miss out on this Sleeping Bull Silk.

Amid his certainty, as Bai He saw it, both the Sleeping Bull Silk and the Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef from his restaurant were evenly matched. In order to have a better chance of winning, he strived to improve during the preparation period.

Upon hearing that the head chef of the Breeze Restaurant could not personally attend due to illness, Bai He thought he had this win in the bag.

He didn’t value any other chef from the Breeze Restaurant.

But who knew that Qin Lang would come along.

This excessively young boy was a formidable chef, but Bai He still didn’t think he was capable of surpassing him.

The young chef may have been able to render the Sleeping Bull Silk to eight or nine parts of Chef Zhong’s level within a short time, but it wasn’t enough.

The current voting, however, didn’t align with his predictions.

After the first two Food Recommenders, their successors give their choices one after another.

The number of votes from the Breeze Restaurant and the Jiuhe Restaurant keep changing, but they remain in a tug of war.

2:1.

2:2.

3:2.

33-

43-

53-

5:4-

With nine judges having made their stances, the atmosphere on-site becomes more tense.

Now only the Food Recommender on the far right and Xin Yimin, the chief judge in the center, have yet to declare their stances.

“I choose… Breeze Restaurant!” The Food Recommender on the far right hesitated between the two dishes, then decisively stated, “Both dishes are delicious, but the Sleeping Bull Silk from Breeze Restaurant was more surprising to me.”

“Cooking beef in a never-before-seen way resulted in flavour completely different from my previous experiences with beef; I really liked that.”

Breeze Restaurant, six votes!

With eleven judges, the final result has been determined!

Su Henian’s clenched fists relaxed subtly. Behind him, the three chefs from Breeze Restaurant let out cries of joy.

We won!

Breeze Restaurant has earned a place in the Tower of Food!

This development establishes his restaurant, which he’s devoted months to, in this unfamiliar city.

Su Henian allowed a relaxed smile to creep onto his face, his thoughts drifting to his wife and daughter, to whom he owed so much.

He would have much more time to spend with them now.

In contrast, the faces of those from Jiuhe Restaurant turned gloomy after the evaluation ended.

They had lost…

They had lost this battle.

This means Jiuhe Restaurant will leave the Tower of Food, and their only chance to return will be during the next Qualification Battle.

It was foreseeable that their restaurant would witness a significant decrease in popularity during this time.

The mood on the stage was visually evident with Bai He’s sullen expression.

He couldn’t fathom how Qin Lang won.

This Spirit Chef is clearly an outsider who Breeze Restaurant brought in. Could he have made the Sleeping Bull Silk even better than the Breeze Restaurant’s head chef?

Is that possible?

“It seems I don’t need to cast my vote,” Xin Yimin said with a laugh. “Although I chose Breeze Restaurant as well, my vote doesn’t matter now.”

“In this Qualification Battle, Breeze Restaurant wins.”

“Now, both sides can exchange dishes for tasting.”

“Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef, please.” Bai He hastily offered his dish to Qin Lang, an eager and analyzing look in his eyes.

He wanted to see how he lost.

“Sleeping Bull Silk, please,” Qin Lang said with a smile, accepting Bai He’s dish and offering his own in return.

Once the exchange was complete, both started to taste each other’s dishes.

In front of Qin Lang was an exquisite small steamer made from a type of light purple bamboo that he could not identify. This bamboo’s unique aroma would seep into the dish during the steaming process, serving as a garnish.

Of course, it was just a garnish.

Compared to the chunks of beef resting silently on a lotus leaf inside the steamer, this trace of aroma seemed insignificant.

The delightful fragrance of the beef combined with the scent of diverse grains was enticing.

The surface of the beef was covered in a layer of glutinous rice, within which were grains of different colours like millet, rice and corn.

Upon closer inspection, he realized there were nine types of grains—perhaps this was the significance behind the name “Jiuhe”.

Gently moving aside the glutinous rice with chopsticks, he exposed the marbled interior of the beef.

Beef Brisket… this part of the beef is indeed suitable for this style of cooking.

After observing the dish, Qin Lang did not hesitate to place a piece in his mouth.

The taste was deliciously soft and the beef tender.

The taste was exquisite with each bite.

The Jiuhe Glutinous Fragrant Beef was indeed amazing, no wonder his victory had been hard-earned.

On the other side, Bai He tasted the Sleeping Bull Silk, stuffing it directly into his mouth.

The next instant, his pupils constricted.

This flavour…

Something’s wrong!