Food Wars: Tavern

Chocolate brownies!

Square, with sides about 10 centimeters long.

Its surface shows a rich chocolate color, derived from the chocolate, no, it's rice bran used in it.

The surface looks smooth, the color distribution is even, giving a sense of elegance and nobility!

Upon closer inspection, beneath the chocolate topping, the texture of the brownie can be felt, even more enticing.

Whether it's the square shape, chocolate color, smooth surface, or delicate slices, these factors together form a unique charm.

Without being told, one might not believe that such a beautiful chocolate brownie is made from rice bran.

It not only looks delightful to Erina but also fills her with anticipation and desire.

...

Then, she takes a bite.

Similar to the previous two dishes, the original taste of the ingredients is not felt at all, there is no rough or difficult-to-swallow sensation from the rice bran.

All that's present is the rich chocolate aroma!

Unconsciously, Erina gets lost in it.

The brownie is also filled with chocolate sauce and nuts, rich in flavor and distinct in layers.

With every chew, she can feel the silkiness of the chocolate and the crunchiness of the nuts.

Oh, this is... irresistible!

"Burp~" Finally, Erina, after eating her fill, involuntarily burps!

"I burped?"

Erina pauses for a moment!

Immediately she understands what happened, she quickly covers her mouth, and her pretty face instantly flushes with a slight blush.

Oh my!

I actually feel full.

And... I burped because of it?

This is tarnishing my elegant image!

...

"Amazing."

"No matter how excellent a chef is, it's hard to satisfy Erina with plain ingredients like toast, tofu dregs, and rice bran."

"However, Zane managed to do it!"

Taking a sip of sake, Rindo raises his head slightly.

She sees the three Western fast food items that were just served, completely cleaned by Erina.

It's a bit unbelievable, even though she has witnessed Zane's amazing culinary skills early on.

But the question of whether Zane's dishes can satisfy the God Tongue left her uncertain.

After all, the God Tongue is beyond human understanding.

Even if someone tries to learn or imitate to reach the same level, they can't truly reach Erina Nakiri's level.

After all, Erina can not only judge the characteristics of dishes based on her taste but also feel the characteristics of each ingredient!

That is to say, the ability brought by the God Tongue.

Naturally, it makes her highly insightful and empathetic compared to other chefs in the culinary world.

Even from the perspective of a customer, she can understand everyone's needs and psychological states, as she can be both a chef and a customer!

However, this special ability also makes her quickly lose interest in various dishes.

Eventually, due to tasting too many times, she gradually develops a sense of disgust towards food!

Therefore, in Rindo's eyes, although Zane's culinary skills are strong, it's difficult to conquer the God Tongue.

But clearly, the development of the whole situation has completely exceeded her expectations and understanding!

...

Honestly, when it comes to the butterfish fries, Erina no longer needed to taste that chocolate brownie.

Because no matter how much she tastes it, the answer she gets will naturally be the same as the previous two Western fast food items!

Yet for some reason, when faced with Zane's cooking, Erina found herself powerless to resist.

Every bite would arouse every nerve in her body, even making her want to capture the fleeting flavors of these dishes!

"Here, this is self-steeped floral tea."

"It can help alleviate the sweetness from the brownie!"

At that moment, Zane brings over a cup of fragrant floral tea and places it in front of Erina.

"Thank you." Erina was slightly stunned!

She quickly picked up the clear teacup and noticed that the tea "soup" is light in color, displaying a pale yellow hue.

She takes a sniff with her delicate nose, discovering a unique jasmine floral aroma.

The fragrance is fresh and pleasant, with just a few sniffs calming her gradually restless heart.

Unconsciously, her eyes light up as she starts to sip the tea under Zane's gaze.

...

In terms of taste, this jasmine tea is exceptionally smooth, with a hint of sweetness.

And as each drop of pure water enters her mouth, flowing down her throat swiftly throughout her body.

At that moment, with her eyes tightly closed, Erina felt a cool sensation coursing through her body, making her feel refreshed all over!

She even senses the unique fragrance of jasmine flowers and the rich aroma of tea leaves interweaving together.

"This floral tea..."

"Oh, I see, the tea buds are carefully processed from spring tea and then dried for storage."

"It's only brewed when the season of jasmine flowers blooming arrives!"

"Traditional jasmine tea usually requires three times of scenting, taking three days; if it's six or seven times, the aroma will be rich, sweet, and refreshing, but the time needed would be nearly a month!"

"Huh? Wait, could this delicate taste be from the legendary nine times scenting method?"

Staring blankly at the cup of floral tea, Erina's heart feels like turbulent waves, becoming very unsettled!

At first, she didn't pay much attention to the floral tea that Zane handed her; she thought it was just slightly better in quality and taste compared to the common jasmine teas in the market.

But when she took a sip, she realized that this cup of jasmine tea from him wasn't that simple.

The intricacies in it are entirely worth pondering for those tea connoisseurs who appreciate fine teas!

"Could it be that everything here has to be done so perfectly?"

Thinking about this, Erina couldn't help but look at Zane.

At that moment, Zane also slightly lowered his head and looked towards Erina.

Their eyes unintentionally met, locking gazes.

This unexpected coincidence made Erina's heart feel like it was halfway electrified, causing some inner turmoil.

The unfamiliar feeling left her momentarily unable to explain or understand it.

Therefore, she quickly averted her gaze, and turned her head away, no longer daring to look directly at Zane, her expression also becoming somewhat unnatural!

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Thanks for the power stones, keep it up.