Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Selling Steak at a Snack Stand, What a Talent!
"Boss, I’m all ready." Sun Zhuangfei hurried over to help as soon as he saw Jiang Feng’s food truck pull in.
Jiang Feng slightly furrowed his brow upon seeing him dressed in a suit.
"Seriously, why are you wearing that?" Jiang Feng asked.
"Ah, Boss, didn’t you say to dress cleanly? This is super clean," Sun Zhuangfei said, his words carrying a hint of pride, seemingly quite pleased with his own decision. "It’s perfect for Western cuisine."
"Fine then," Jiang Feng sighed.
Jiang Feng wore casual clothes and would put on an apron when it was time to cook, looking very simple. Sun Zhuangfei, on the other hand, was in a crisp suit.
If it weren’t for Jiang Feng’s impressive demeanor, this would be a true ’Young Master and I’ scenario. "I, Long Aotian, swear to protect Liu Bo with my life." Thankfully, even in simple attire, Jiang Feng managed to command respect.
The surrounding street food vendors were stupefied at the sight. What was going on here? Who wears a suit to a snack street? What was this all about? They had never seen anything like it in their years of vending.
The food truck parked in the designated spot, and Jiang Feng and Sun Zhuangfei began setting up folding tables and small stools on the ground: five tables and twenty stools in total. The area Jiang Feng had rented was fairly large, storefront-style, allowing customers to eat there.
The food truck displayed:
Premium Steak: 35 per serving.
Special Secret Recipe Steak: 40 per serving.
The prices weren’t high.
The method of cooking steak was quite simple: just pan-fry the sliced beef until cooked, sprinkling some salt and pepper in between. The main thing that needed to be controlled was the cooking temperature. Since most people weren’t used to Western food, Jiang Feng adjusted the seasoning to what he thought would best suit his customers’ tastes. If someone specifically requested a certain doneness, he could also accommodate that.
In a basin beside him, many pieces of beef were marinating. These were specially prepared by Jiang Feng for making the Special Secret Recipe Steak. He took the best fresh beef tenderloin cuts, tenderized them repeatedly by pounding them with the flat of a knife, and then soaked the beef in milk. The enzymes in milk would soften the meat, ensuring the steak fried up juicy and tender, not dry. This was the secret steak recipe provided by the system. Next, he cracked an egg into the beef, added some pepper and chopped onions. He mixed the meat thoroughly by hand and let it marinate for a while. It would be ready to fry up later.
Everything was set, just waiting for customers to arrive.
Jiang Feng busied himself in the food truck, while Sun Zhuangfei stood beside it.
"Haven’t had dinner yet, have you?" Jiang Feng asked him.
"Boss, not yet," Sun Zhuangfei replied hastily. It was only around five in the afternoon, not quite dinnertime yet.
Jiang Feng nodded. "Alright, I’ll make one for you first. Eat your fill."
With that, Jiang Feng drizzled some oil on the griddle, took out a piece of the Special Secret Recipe Steak, placed it on the hot surface, and began to cook.
Sun Zhuangfei hadn’t expected the boss to be so generous. "Boss, this isn’t appropriate, is it?" he said, somewhat anxiously.
"What’s not appropriate about it? It’s a good way to get some aroma going and attract customers," Jiang Feng said nonchalantly. "Besides, I’m not busy right now anyway."
Accompanied by a sizzling sound, a thick piece of beef seared on the hot griddle. Jiang Feng controlled the temperature perfectly, ensuring the meat cooked thoroughly from the inside out. The first side browned quickly, then he flipped it to cook the other side. Once both sides had developed a cooked color, he removed the steak and set it aside to rest. He then added a small pat of butter to the griddle. When the butter melted, he returned the steak to the griddle, basting it in the butter as it underwent a second searing. Resting the meat twice allowed it to cook thoroughly from the inside out. This was a method of pan-frying steak that incorporated two resting periods. Another method involved melting butter over high heat, then switching to low heat to cook the steak slowly. The results of the two methods were similar, but the first was a bit quicker.
After the steak was cooked, Jiang Feng poured some sauce over it, took a long knife to cut the steak into small pieces, and placed them on a paper plate. And that was it. Since it was a street stall, they used disposable paper plates and also provided disposable chopsticks and forks.
Sun Zhuangfei couldn’t stop swallowing. The steak smelled so incredibly good, he could hardly control his drooling.
The snack street was bustling with people. Being one of the most popular food streets, there was no shortage of customers. Soon, some people noticed what was happening at Jiang Feng’s stall.
"Look over there! Are they selling steak on the snack street? Am I seeing things?"
"A street stall selling steak? That’s pretty down-to-earth, isn’t it?"
"Thirty-five a serving? That’s a bit pricey."
"Hmm, let’s go try it. It smells so good."
A couple immediately made their way toward Jiang Feng’s stall.
At that moment, Sun Zhuangfei was sitting at a small table, eating steak. The young couple was a bit surprised to see him and began to discuss in low voices:
"Look at that guy! He’s really making an event of it, eating steak in a suit."
"And that fork he’s using... it looks like one of those disposable ones from an instant noodle cup."
"It’s already odd enough that this stall sells steak, but why is this customer so strange too?"
"Eating this steak won’t lower your IQ, will it?"
Chattering, they approached Jiang Feng’s stall.
"Boss, what’s the difference between the Premium Steak and the Special Secret Recipe Steak?" the young man asked, looking up at Jiang Feng.
"The Special Secret Recipe Steak is marinated with milk, eggs, and onions, making it smoother and more tender. The Premium Steak isn’t marinated, so it’s closer to its original flavor," Jiang Feng replied calmly.
The young man listened seriously, while the girl stared intently at Jiang Feng, thinking the stall owner was rather good-looking. Quite rare.
"Then give us a serving of the Special Secret Recipe Steak."
"Alright. Would you like it cut into small pieces? It makes it easier to eat."
"Yes, please cut it."
"Sure."
Jiang Feng got busy. The steak went onto the griddle; since it was marinated, it didn’t need any salt. After it was cooked, he placed it on a disposable plate, adding four spotlessly clean cherry tomatoes and a lettuce leaf on the side. The steak was ready.
Just then, Sun Zhuangfei finished eating. He hurried over and took the disposable plate from Jiang Feng. "Hello, where would you like this?" Sun Zhuangfei asked politely.
Only then did the couple realize that Sun Zhuangfei was an employee.
"Just put it here," the young man said, pointing to a table.
Sun Zhuangfei placed the plate on the table and brought over two disposable forks. There was a chopstick holder in the middle of the table filled with disposable chopsticks, so customers could use those if they preferred.
The young couple felt awkward sitting at the table, especially holding the disposable forks. In the past, eating steak always meant being in a quiet restaurant, listening to soothing music, with proper knives and forks in hand—the whole atmosphere. Now, they were eating steak at a roadside stall, and the utensils were rather crude. They noticed some other customers looking at them, which made them feel even more self-conscious.
Just then, Sun Zhuangfei approached, holding a bottle of grape-flavored Mirinda. "Hello, would you like some grape soda? It’s three yuan a bottle," he recommended.
"No, thank you, we’re fine," the young man hurriedly waved his hand.
Definitely not. Other people pair their steak with wine in stemmed glasses. And here we are, with a bottle of grape Mirinda. It really is too down-to-earth.
The two exchanged a look and smiled, thinking this little stall was truly outrageous. Could they actually get business selling steak like this?
Then, they picked up their disposable forks and put a piece of steak into their mouths. Eating steak this way was certainly a novel experience.
As soon as the beef entered their mouths, a fragrant, sweet taste instantly emanated from its surface. The meaty aroma seemed to penetrate their very souls, spreading from their tongues throughout their bodies. The beef was marinated to perfection, making it incredibly smooth and tender. When they chewed, they could feel the beef breaking apart, but the strands didn’t get stuck in their teeth; instead, it was very easy to chew thoroughly. Once chewed, the savory, delicious flavor of the beef became even more pronounced.
"Wow! This is so delicious!" A glint of excitement flashed in the girl’s eyes. The unexpected texture and taste were an extraordinary surprise to her. It was truly amazing.
The young man also found it delicious. "This is really good," he said, very surprised. "Steak from a street stall can be this good? How come I’ve never seen anyone selling it like this before?"
At this point, customers began to arrive one after another to buy steak. Jiang Feng had prepared about 150 servings of steak for the day and planned to close up once they were sold out. Sun Zhuangfei helped out nearby. There wasn’t much for him to do in the food truck itself, so he focused on cleaning up and arranging seats for customers.
The other stall owners nearby watched the scene, clicking their tongues in amazement.
"Look how professional their employee is, wearing a suit to clean up!"
"Selling steak at a snack stall—I’ve never seen anything like it! What a genius!"
"It smells really good. The beef must have been marinated with onions."
"This stall is really interesting!"
It had to be said that Jiang Feng’s stall was very eye-catching. Whether it was passersby or other stall owners, it was hard for them not to notice. This wasn’t because of the food truck, but because Sun Zhuangfei’s attire was so comically over-the-top. When customers glanced over and saw a young man in a suit bustling about at a food stall, their attention was instantly captured. Consequently, many people would wander over to see what was going on. Upon seeing that steak was being sold and finding the price reasonable, they couldn’t resist placing an order.
A few customers stood by the food truck, watching. Some enjoyed observing the steak cook from raw to done, finding the process stress-relieving and appetite-stimulating. Others stared at Jiang Feng, feeling that the owner looked somewhat familiar, as if they had seen him somewhere before.
Jiang Feng remained calm. He was used to it.
If nothing unexpected happened, by this time tomorrow, there would probably be a queue here.
And that, indeed, turned out to be the case.