National Tide 1980.

Chapter 465
Ning Weimin never wastes time when doing things.

He had just eaten Sophora japonica Lazy Dragon, and early the next morning, he took the initiative to invite several main leaders of the Temple of Heaven, as well as Qiao Wanlin and his immediate boss, to eat palace dishes together.

Speaking of which, the gap from home-cooked meals to top-level delicacies from mountains and seas is a bit big.

Moreover, he came up with such an idea of ​​"field investigation, eating and learning" without hesitation.

It is indeed a bit hasty for others, which makes people unprepared.

After all, people in the capital care most about etiquette and courtesy when it comes to treating guests to dinner.

As the saying goes, three days are for invitation, and two days are for invitation, and those who greet on the same day can only be regarded as presents.

But the problem is, such an "emergency official business" is a beautiful job like the promotion of the second senior brother to the "Purification Envoy".

No one can escape this temptation, it is human nature.

There is absolutely no one who is unwilling to put aside the things in hand and try to cooperate with them.

Especially according to the common sense, even the cadres of the Temple of Heaven and the Service Bureau have no chance to taste those expensive things that ordinary people can only hear about.

In other words, their positions and ranks determine the level of banquets they can participate in. At most, they are in the category of ordinary restaurants such as Bianyifang, Laozhengxing, Duyi, and Yilong.

Lian Cuihua Building, Fengze Garden, and the popular "Judequan" are not very likely to go.

It is really thanks to Ning Weimin, with the attitude of "wrapping a hundred thousand guan, riding a crane to Yangzhou", he treats guests with French money without any distress.

Only then can everyone have such a rare opportunity to experience together what the emperor eats.

So it doesn't really matter.

As long as you can experience those delicacies from mountains and seas that are praised by the world and seem to best reflect the pinnacle of Chinese food.

No one would be unhappy about such a little disrespect in etiquette.

On the contrary, they are all willing to dress decently, wishing they could "lift their arms" around their necks and go.

They didn't even need to be reminded, so they each took their camera rolls and prepared to take some photos and bring them back for discussion.

In this way, the first day was at the Tingli Pavilion in the Summer Palace, and the second day was at Fangshan in Beihai.

Sitting together in the exquisite hall with carved beams and painted buildings, looking at the beautiful lakeside, they let go of their belts and cheeks, eating happily and talking happily with wine.

Since they were lucky enough to participate in it, everyone did not hesitate to waste their spleen and stomach, and they were all dedicated to contributing to the country's foreign exchange earnings.

As far as these two meals are concerned, I have to say that they are really not in vain!

That is a long-sighted and eye-opening experience.

Calligraphy and paintings of celebrities, hardwood furniture, exquisite tableware, gorgeous dishes, ladies in ancient costumes, thoughtful service, ostentation at official banquets, and all aspects of the imperial banquet.

These people can be regarded as understanding what's going on, and it's not an exaggeration to say that they will never forget it.

But the other way around, and because of this, everyone was greatly stimulated mentally.

When everyone came back, they were a little vague about opening a palace catering.

It seems that they are no longer so confident, thinking that the restaurant jointly established by the three parties can really compete with Tingli Restaurant and Beihai Fangshan.

Nothing else, "Being famous is worse than meeting, and meeting is better than being famous".

Whether it is the Tingli Pavilion in the Summer Palace or the Fangshan in Beihai, it is indeed well-deserved!It's so shocking!

Let’s talk about the Oriole Pavilion first.

Before going there, Ning Weimin and Qiao Wanlin once mistakenly thought that it was a place where the Qing royal family played with birds and parrots.

Thanks to the explanation of several cadres in Tiantan Park, they knew that it was the theater garden of Empress Dowager Cixi in the past.

It is an important place for the old ladies and their favorites to enjoy music and entertainment.

Because the sound of orioles is used as a metaphor for the beauty of music, it is named "Ting Oriole Pavilion".

When they went there, a group of them drove in two cars from the northwest gate of the Summer Palace to the gate of Tingli Hall.

It feels really convenient.

For this reason, everyone discussed optimistically, saying that if they run a restaurant in Beishenchu, they can learn a lot.

However, when they stepped up to the upper stone platform, they saw the words "Jinzhixiuhua" written on the plaque directly above.

I also heard from the waiter responsible for leading them that this plaque was written by Empress Dowager Cixi herself.

They unconsciously felt the weight of history.

They all agreed that this red-lacquered pavilion surrounded by green bamboos, a beautiful place surrounded by mountains and rivers, and its level of court endorsement have already made Beishenchu's house a bit unattainable.

What's more, they didn't expect that when they really stepped into this threshold, this feeling of self-indulgence became even worse.

Because from this time on, they have come into contact with "the way of life of the Empress Dowager Cixi", and they cannot help but admire the good places for the Empress Dowager Cixi to eat, drink and have fun.

It covers an area of ​​more than [-] square meters, and the business area is almost [-] square meters.

In addition to a two-story theater facing south and north, there are eight large and small restaurants such as "Shoushan Hall", "Fushou Hall", "Guishou Hall" and "Medicine Hall", which can accommodate more than [-] people for dinner at the same time. .

The key is that the interior is extravagant, the restaurant is decorated with carved beams and painted buildings, the palace lanterns are hung high, and the antique mahogany furniture presents a magnificent royal style.

Then look at the thrones, screens, clocks, palace lanterns, round fans dedicated to the Empress Dowager Naxi and the emperor, and the special tables that have received many Chinese and foreign historical celebrities.

In such a scene, accompanied by waiters dressed in imitation Qing costumes, one by one, it makes people feel like they have traveled through time.

In a daze, it seemed as if he was witnessing the scene of the emperor and concubines having a family banquet together.

However, when the menu is actually brought out, it will be even more amazing for everyone to sit down and order.

Because no one would have expected that Tingli Pavilion, in addition to the well-known court dishes, also has its own unique "medicinal diet" and "whole fish feast".

In addition to sorting out the royal meals and the Queen Mother's health-preserving medicinal meals, this restaurant also regards the Kunming Lake in front as a farm for its own freshwater fish.

There are carp, herring, grass carp, silver carp, mandarin fish, bonito fish...

It can even be killed and cooked right away, using the live fish raised in Kunming Lake to make more than 200 kinds of delicious dishes, which are called "whole fish feast".

Of course, if you want to eat so much, you must make a reservation in advance, otherwise there will be enough fish and people will be too busy.

But even if you only order one dish of "Dragon Boat Live Fish", you can probably know how well the fish is cooked here.

For this dish, the chef must first cut a live carp or grass carp from the abdomen.

After removing the internal organs, cut the four corners on the back with a knife, then turn over the fish body to make a warehouse shape, mix the muddy chicken with egg white, salt, and wine to taste, stuff it into the boat warehouse, and steam it with fish soup, green onions, ginger, and salt for 15 minutes about.

Finally, boil the whipped egg whites and spread them over the dashi.

Sprinkle rape leaves and ham on the egg whites, and put steamed fish - dragon boat fish on top.

The trick is to steam the fish with bubbly protein and float on the soup.

As soon as the soup moves, the dragon boat fish also moves, just like the picture of the dragon boat swaying with the waves, which is wonderful.

In addition, Tingli Pavilion also has a four-color main course called "Longevity Without Borders", which is also remarkable.

The dishes of these four seas have beautiful color, complete aroma and unique flavor.

The best part is exactly what Kang Shude once said about using vegetables to write and decorate.

Wanzi jelly rolls, decorated with the legendary Cao Guojiu.

Duck with ginseng in Chinese characters for longevity, decorated with Shouweng.

Wordless scattered flower fish, decorated with scattered flower fairies.

The Xinjiang character makes a sea shrimp, and it is decorated with Nezha who makes a big noise in the sea palace.

It is with the blessing of these decorative characters that the four dishes of Longevity and Wujiang look particularly lively.

Of course, the taste is also good, probably because the various methods of frying and frying of the four dishes are quite different, or the cooking skills have improved.

Mr. Song once commented on the disease of "the taste is too similar", which does not seem to be very obvious.

And with such a banquet, it is impossible not to admit that the internal and external environment is too glamorous.

You know, the Tingli Pavilion is built on the southern foot of Longevity Mountain. It is separated from the promenade in front, facing the rippling Kunming Lake, and backed by the famous "Swimming in the Painting" on Longevity Mountain.

Where they eat, when they open the window, they can see the shade of green bamboos, the breeze is blowing, and the scenery is pleasant.

Especially the sun's rays reflected on the beautiful Kunming Lake, and the sparkling water waves can easily ease people's minds.

It is really rare to have such an elegant world, which is the charm of Tingli Pavilion.

This is true of Tingli Pavilion, but the long-established Beihai Fangshan is even more astonishing.

Perhaps because of its superior location, Fangshan has a longer history than Tingliguan Restaurant.

Beihai Fangshan Restaurant has top-notch hardware and software facilities as well as the level of customers.

There are 500 large and small restaurants in the three courtyards including Daoningzhai and Yilan Hall, with more than [-] seats.

The quality and area of ​​the houses are not weaker than Tingli Pavilion, and it is also surrounded by mountains and rivers, with a good view of lakes and mountains.

As far as the antiques, calligraphy and paintings displayed here are far more and more precious than those in the Tingli Pavilion.

The utensils, utensils, and furniture used here are also better than Tingli Pavilion.

The decorations in the hall are all based on the theme of dragon and phoenix, decorated with large-scale painted palace lanterns, accompanied by bright and often yellow tablecloths, napkins, and chair covers.

Not to mention the dishes, there are abalone, bird's nest, shark's fin, sea cucumber, venison, and bear's paw.

In addition, there are "Four Claws", "Four Sauces", "Four Crisps", minced meat pancakes, and steamed buns with chestnut noodles, which are countless famous palace delicacies.

Therefore, there are more various items of imperial banquets than Tingli Pavilion.

Even the number and level of people who hold banquets here are higher than those of Tingli Pavilion.

Many of them were banquets at the ministerial level, and there were more people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs than Guo Jiangzhiqing.

It can be said that in this special period, here has been playing an important role in entertaining foreign guests.

It almost covers a part of the functions of Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

So if the Tingli Pavilion is full of seats, Beihai Fangshan is simply overcrowded.

Like Ning Weimin and the others, they don't always get a seat when they go.

As soon as they entered the threshold of the restaurant, they were stopped by the smiling usher.

Inform them that there are no large tables for more than four people, and they need to wait in line for a while.

However, after more than ten minutes, seeing two people who were the same as translators come in with a few foreigners, and they were arranged in a private room directly in front of them, they also did not dare to express any objection.

Not for anything else, just because the people from Fangshan told them that these people came to discuss with the civil aviation company about the purchase of aircraft, and they were invited by the director general of civil aviation.

They all consciously approved of this arrangement, giving convenience to national affairs and sacrificing their ego.

As for the meal they ate at Fangshan, it was worth 250 yuan per person.

Although it is more expensive than Tingli Pavilion, whether it is desserts such as lotus seed soup, white fungus in clear soup, or palace desserts such as pea yellow, kidney bean rolls, small steamed buns, and thousand-layer cakes, they are all delicate, sweet and delicious People admire.

And the four sea bird's nest cooking dishes regulated by the imperial court have brought the skill of using vegetables to make characters to the extreme.

Together with those "pictographic dishes" with both color and fragrance - oolong spitting pearls, phoenix nests, goldfish duck feet, arhat prawns, toad abalone...

The color is as bright as a girl in colorful clothes, the shape is graceful like a sultry singer dancing, and the flavor is fresh like a girl who is not shy with pear blossoms...

All of them are lifelike, and the dishes live up to their names.

In short, Beihai Fangshan is like an all-round upgraded version of Tingliguan.

Not only is it full of royal luxury, but also the dishes are very attractive.

Therefore, after challenging the vision, hearing, and tip of the tongue of the host and the guests, generally speaking, the effect of "the host and the guest enjoying themselves" will be achieved.

Well, if we talk about Tingli Pavilion, it can make everyone want to compare it with Beishen Kitchen in all aspects.

Fangshan simply makes everyone unable to have this kind of thinking, it is crushed by the absolute disparity in strength.

Even Ning Weimin was the same.

Even if his soul came from 30 years later, when he saw many luxurious dishes and lively scenes, he was still taken by this kind of royal extravagance and court gimmicks, thinking that such a grand banquet would cost so much money.

Even if he did agree with Kang Shude's recitation of Mr. Song's evaluation, he finally felt a certain degree of "one taste of all dishes, similar taste" phenomenon in the big dishes with similar cooking techniques to Fangshan.

But he also has to admit that at least the palace flavor of Fangshan is well-deserved as the highest level of decoration and decoration skills in Chinese food culture.

Every dish presented here is like a finely crafted work of art.

The so-called eating in the palace can really be said to be eating in Fangshan at present.

Even if there is no accident, this will remain unchanged for 100 years.

So the most critical question came, what was the palace restaurant they wanted to do, to compare it with such two outstanding restaurants.

Or even divert the business that originally belonged to these two restaurants?To pull away other people's guests?
If you reluctantly try to take pictures of cats and tigers, I'm afraid it will be ridiculous.

To put it bluntly, there are two restaurants, the standards are too high!
Can everyone here not feel guilty?
(End of this chapter)