The key to a delicious hot pot lies in the hot pot base. Chef He could copy the dual - flavored hot pot and the set menu from Li Zhichen's restaurant without any changes, but he couldn't replicate the recipe of the self - made hot pot base.
The reason was that there were no chili peppers in this era. People usually got spiciness from dogwood, Chinese prickly ash, and ginger, which were the three major pungent seasonings among the common people. Among them, dogwood was used more often. However, dogwood tasted extremely bitter. Even in later generations, people hadn't been able to develop a way to remove its bitterness, so they had to try to cover it up with other flavors.
As a result, the hot pot base made by the chef Chef He invited was both bitter and spicy. The food cooked in it tasted extremely strange. One had to drink several sips of water to recover after taking a bite.
Li Zhichen, on the other hand, not only had a spice gift pack but also chili peppers that didn't exist in this era.
Her hot pot base was simmered with chili peppers, lard, and dozens of spices. It had a unique and rich flavor. The faint spiciness made people want to take another bite. It tasted fragrant, and those who were used to it would get addicted. If they didn't have it regularly, they would feel something was missing.
At this moment, Chef He, who was still struggling with the charcoal fire, heard that the diner wanted a refund. The forced smile on his face completely disappeared, and he shrieked:
"You've cooked the dishes and eaten the meat. You still want a refund? No way!"
"You! How can you do business like this?"
Chef He snorted and pointed at the sign on the wall. "Sorry, this is the rule of our restaurant. All food is non - refundable once sold!"
The diner didn't expect Chef He to be so rascally. He was almost fuming with anger!
He originally thought he could get some bargains at Drunken Immortal Pavilion, but instead, he ended up getting angry without even having a decent meal!
Just then, the hot pot soup base in Three Thousand Eateries boiled. The aroma wafted out through the open windows, and passers - by in the alley couldn't help but stop and take a deep breath.
The diner in Drunken Immortal Pavilion smelled the aroma and looked at the insipid hot pot in front of him. Immediately, he lost all his appetite.
So the diner cursed and said, "You won't refund, right? Fine. With your attitude, I don't think anyone will come to your restaurant in the future!"
After saying that, he rushed out angrily. He bumped into several passers - by who didn't know what had happened and were about to enter Drunken Immortal Pavilion. He quickly fanned the flames and said:
"Get out of here quickly! This restaurant is so unpalatable. You're just wasting your money. Don't be deceived by these little bargains!"
The passers - by were a bit confused, but seeing that he came out of Drunken Immortal Pavilion, his words must be his real feelings after the meal. So they immediately stopped in their tracks.
"So it's just a half - baked place. No wonder it's so cheap!"
"As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. It's reasonable that the hot pot in Three Thousand Eateries is more expensive!"
After saying that, everyone flocked after the diner and went straight to Three Thousand Eateries across the street to queue up again!
Those who were queuing up outside Three Thousand Eateries saw that those who had entered Drunken Immortal Pavilion came out soon. They knew that Drunken Immortal Pavilion must be unpalatable and were secretly glad that they hadn't left the queue to go to Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Otherwise, they would have to queue up again like them!
Chef He, who witnessed all this, was almost furious!
The diners scattered in a rush. Drunken Immortal Pavilion lost all its face. Chef He couldn't vent his anger, so he took it out on the waiter in the restaurant. He kicked the waiter hard twice and roared:
"You useless fool. Close the door quickly!"
The waiter was kicked for no reason and felt quite aggrieved. Since Chef He decided to imitate Three Thousand Eateries and sell hot pot, they had been suffering. They were even forced to work overtime in Drunken Immortal Pavilion during the Chinese New Year. Not only did their wages not increase, but Chef He also always took his anger out on them!
Thinking of this, the waiter couldn't help but glance in the direction of Three Thousand Eateries and sighed silently. Why were the employees in the neighboring restaurant treated so well?
If his indenture wasn't still in Chef He's hands, he really wanted to resign and apply for a job at Three Thousand Eateries!
Outside Three Thousand Eateries, Li Zhichen calmly withdrew her gaze and slightly curled her lips.
Compared with the chef of Drunken Immortal Pavilion, Li Zhichen's greatest advantage was that she clearly knew the strengths of her own restaurant. Coupled with appropriate marketing strategies, her restaurant was able to become popular in a short time.
Drunken Immortal Pavilion simply copied the business model of Three Thousand Eateries, and they didn't even change a single word of the promotional slogan.
Although in later generations, many shops chose to imitate others to get a foothold and survive the most difficult times.
But imitation should be combined with innovation. Drunken Immortal Pavilion simply copied everything, and in the end, it was just like the ugly woman imitating the beautiful one.
It was all show and would collapse sooner or later.
Coming back to her senses, Li Zhichen said to the diners who had come back to queue up:
"Three Thousand Eateries has been open for half a month. Thanks to your support, today we are offering free pomelo - flavored lemon tea. The quantity is limited. First come, first served!"
In fact, in Li Zhichen's opinion, the most suitable drinks to go with hot pot should be iced plum juice or milk tea.
However, plums, also known as green bamboo fruits, only ripened in late spring and early summer, and milk was too rare in this era.
It was winter now, and it was more suitable to eat pomelos.
The way to make pomelo - flavored lemon tea was very simple. First, rub the pomelo and lemon with salt repeatedly to remove their original bitter taste, then cut the outermost skin into shreds.
Prepare the pomelo pulp. Squeeze the lemon juice. Put rock sugar in a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, and heat until it melts. Pour the pomelo peel and lemon juice into the pot, cook for a while, then add the pomelo pulp and continue cooking. Turn off the heat when it becomes thick. Let it cool, add an appropriate amount of honey, and stir well. When drinking, take some out and dissolve it in warm water.
A cup of fresh pomelo - flavored lemon tea paired with hot pot was simply great for digestion, getting rid of greasiness, reducing internal heat, and detoxifying!
The diners were immediately happy when they heard this:
"That's great! In my opinion, although Drunken Immortal Pavilion is cheap, its hot pot is far inferior to that of Three Thousand Eateries. I think it's much better here with Miss Li!"
Seeing this, Lu finally felt relieved. In the past few days, she was really afraid that Drunken Immortal Pavilion would find out the secret of making hot pot and snatch the business of Three Thousand Eateries. Unexpectedly, they only learned a little bit!
Except for a little impact at the beginning, Three Thousand Eateries was back to normal. People were either eating hot pot or queuing up to buy snacks. Soon, everything was sold out!
Inside Drunken Immortal Pavilion, Chef He peeked through the crack of the door at the bustling Three Thousand Eateries. When he saw Li Zhichen smiling brightly, his eyes instantly turned venomous!
Excluding the cost of purchasing ingredients, just making these iron pots cost him a lot of money. Naturally, he wasn't willing to give up easily!
Let this reckless girl be proud for a few more days. One day, he would surely trample Three Thousand Eateries under his feet!