32. Provence Restaurant (6)
The manager runs out of the hall to look for a chair,
I was sitting on my mother’s lap and being kicked by her mother.
Sometimes the head is stroked,
Being patted on the thigh or back,
She was loved by her mother as if she had become a child’s attachment doll.
As I was enjoying my mother’s touch for a long time, I heard a knock.
Soon the door will open,
The manager entered the hall accompanied by three employees. With very quick steps.
The staff who entered the hall each brought three chairs of different heights, and the manager was holding a cushion that looked very soft.
The manager put the chairs in front of us and bowed his head.
“I’m really sorry we didn’t pay attention to you. We have brought chairs and cushions for height adjustment in case you didn’t know about our restaurant.”
At the words of the manager, the mother glanced at the chair, and she pointed to the chair in the middle and said.
“Please use that chair and the red cushion you are holding to the left. And exchange the chair for this chair.”
My mother used to match my height with a chair that was just right for her eyes.
Without me having to sit down and check.
Come to think of it, the chair in the kitchen at home was the perfect height for me.
How the hell does my mother know that she’s got a chair that’s just right for me?
Anyway,
After the mother’s words, the manager and her staff moved quickly and replaced the chairs.
After the replacement of the chairs was finished, the staff bowed and went out of the hall.
When the chair was replaced, my mother looked at the chair with a satisfied smile.
The manager must have been relieved by her mother’s smile, and she let out a small sigh of relief.
After the staff who brought the chairs left, the door opened again and another staff member entered the hall.
The clerk was coming into the hall, pulling a serving cart upholstered in a luxurious white cloth.
From noble mtl dot com
Looking at the serving cart decorated with a white cloth, like only seen in movies, I could feel that I had come to a real high-end restaurant.
The manager came next to us along with the staff pulling the serving cart.
Then the manager picked up the black booklet, the menu board, from the serving cart and politely set it down in front of us.
Accompanied by such a luxurious serving cart just to move the menu?
This restaurant… It’s real.
As soon as the menu board was placed in front of us, my mother naturally reached out and opened the menu board.
When her mother opened the menu, the manager said as if she had waited.
“Lunch will be prepared by the head chef himself. I would appreciate it if you could choose the wine pairing you want and the menu to go with the course directly from the menu board.”
“Oh, we ourselves? Isn’t that Chef Tasting?”
I heard it later,
Originally, it is said that in high-end restaurants, the dishes are always different depending on the best ingredients that came in that day.
It is said that dishes other than the signature menu are different because the ingredients used are different depending on the season or situation.
That’s why it’s common to choose only the ingredients for the main dish or a limited menu.
However, the menu they gave us was very different.
“Yes. The head chef has prepared all the best ingredients in advance, always eagerly waiting for the man to visit.”
In other words, it was a specialized menu board for men-only halls only.
… My stomach hurts again from the pressure.
While I was mentally suffering from the burden, my mother, who had no way to know about it, said, rather, she was very satisfied with her specialty menu board.
“You are a wonderful person. You can feel the sincerity of the head chef just by looking at the menu.”
“Thank you so much for liking it.”
The manager bowed her head in a voice full of emotion.
My mother looked at the menu board slowly, took it in her hand, and she brought it in front of me so I could see it. It’s like you want to see it with me.
“Son, let’s choose together.”
“Yes.”
With my mother, I looked at the menu spread out in front of me slowly.
Wow, that’s a lot of variety.
Besides, there are many menus I like, right?
As I looked at her with her eyes shining with interest, it seemed that my mother was quite happy to see me like that.
Soon after handing me the menu, my mother encouraged me in a kind voice.
“Son, would you like to pick your own?”
“Yes? Me? Would it be okay?”
“Yes. Mom doesn’t have anything to cover, so she wants to eat the same thing as her son.”
“Mmm, I see.”
Then without hesitation…
Hmm, what should I choose?
Everything looks delicious…
I looked over the menu with my eyes shining like that, then I asked my mother.
“Is it okay if I tell the manager directly?”
“Yes, of course.”
After my mother gave permission, I shifted my gaze to the manager.
When the manager met my eyes, he shook his shoulders slightly.
He looked very nervous.
I said with a smile to ease the manager’s tension a little.
“The menu is amazing.”
“Thank you.”
“I want to taste all of them.
Then you will be in a lot of trouble, right?”
“No. It’s possible.”
The manager was looking at me with a very serious expression.
I was startled and said while waving my hands.
“Ahahahaha, I’m kidding~ Just kidding.
I’ll leave the other dishes for your enjoyment next time.”
“Next time, can you come find me? Really?”
“Yes, I will.”
“I must… Please.”
The manager said with a requesting expression.
I moved on to the main topic with the words that I would definitely do so.
“First of all, it’s because I have a strong personality. So I’d rather add a little bit of elimination and get the manager’s recommendation, is that okay?”
“Yes, gladly.”
After nodding once, I opened my mouth.
“First of all, it’s because I can’t eat the three major delicacies, caviar, foie gras, and truffle…. Oh, Mom. Does mom like the three major delicacies?”
“Huh? Umm… Mom doesn’t care about foie gras and truffles, but caviar is a bit disappointing.”
As expected, I think it was a good idea to ask.
Unlike its name, the three major delicacies were cooking ingredients with very different likes and dislikes.
And as much as there are strong likes and dislikes, people who like it really like it a lot, but my mother seems to be on the ‘extremely’ side, who really likes caviar.
I nodded at my mother’s words and went on.
“Then, I will only exclude foie gras and truffles.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“And I don’t have any allergies, umm— my mother—”
“My mom doesn’t have any allergies either. And it’s okay to call me mom in front of people.”
“… Yes. Okay. You say she doesn’t exist.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Before we knew it, the manager took out a writing instrument and listened to us while taking notes.
You are a thorough preparation person.
“And, personally, I like langoustines.
I wish there were dishes with langoustines in amuse bouche or appetizers.”
“Is that so? Just happened to have the langoustine consommé that our restaurant is proud of.”
“Is that so? Then, the appetizer is decided. Include it on the menu.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Then, I think it would be nice to have caviar in the amuse bouche.”
“Then, for amuse bouche, we will prepare caviar for the mother and caviar for the son separately.”
“Wouldn’t it be a hassle?”
“It’s okay. Do you have any amuse bouche you want?”
“Uh… Personally, I prefer bread or crackers. Can you recommend something based on that? And, if possible, toward seafood.”
“Yes, I will prepare like that.”
Looking at the manager transcribing my words, I nodded and then moved my gaze to the pasta on the menu.
“I see you can replace pasta with fish dishes?”
“Yes. Do you have any favorite fish dishes?”
“Uhm, not really? Um- how is Ma?”
“Mom likes fish dishes more than pasta. Is that okay?”
If you are a mother who pays a lot of attention to beauty,
No matter how good it tastes, you probably don’t like flour foods like pasta.
Also, I think it was a good idea to ask this.
“Then, would you like a fish dish? It comes out as soup in the appetizer, so please exclude the soup side dish.”
“Okay. Would it be all right if I came out with steamed rice?”
“Um… I think it will be fine. Do you use mushrooms when steamed?”
“Yes. Do you hate mushrooms?”
“No, I rather like it. I especially love oriole mushrooms.”
“I see. I will refer.”
I was satisfied with the manager’s answer that he would refer to it, and this time I moved my eyes to the main.
Main. Isn’t that obvious?
Steak, of course!
“I think the main would be steak. Is the grade of wagyu that came in today good?”
“It is prepared with A5 wagyu beef.”
“How many grams?”
“It is 120g.”
“Wonderful! It’s good.”
If you calculate the composition in front of you, you should be able to fill your stomach in moderation.
Excited about the composition of the main dish, I unknowingly spoke while mixing English choo-im-sae.
Having decided on the main dish, I moved the menu to the dessert section.
“The sherbet menu stands out for free desserts, so please make it the sherbet. Can you match the main dessert that follows with the sherbet?”
“Okay. What would you like to drink during Putipur?”
“I am very curious about the signature hot chocolate here. I want to try it. What about mom?”
“Huh? I’ll make it with Ah, Mom.”
Ice coffee?
Could it be that your mother is sick?
I have to remember.
“Please prepare side dishes such as pre-meal bread that you recommend.”
“I will.”
“I think it would be better for mom to choose the wine pairing.”
“Huh? Is your son not choosing?”
Mmm, sure. It didn’t matter which one I chose.
Under the laws of this world, it didn’t matter because my age was an adult male standard.
In other words, even if it looked like this, it was legally possible to drink alcohol because it was an adult.
But I’m not particularly fond of alcohol, and most of all, it’s a bit hard to show my enjoyment of alcohol in front of my mother…
Could it be that the instinct of the Confucian dragon hidden within me did not allow it?
“I don’t really like alcohol.”
“Really? Hmm… Mom is happy then, so I’ll just drink a little champagne.”
“Then, I would like to recommend this pairing menu. We will prepare high-quality champagne to match the dishes.”
“Hmm, it looks fine. Please do so.”
After all the menu selections were completed, I closed the menu board.
When I handed the closed menu to the manager, the manager politely took the menu from me and put it on the cart.
He then held up a luxurious silver handbell on the cart and showed it to us, explaining.
“If you need to answer or call a waiter, please ring this bell.”
The manager waved the handbell for the demonstration car, and despite the small bell, the clean and clear bell rang loudly.
After the demonstration, the manager put the handbell on the table along with the silver tray.
“Don’t be afraid to ring the bell anytime. Do you have any other questions?”
“No, no.”
“Me too.”
“Then, I will prepare.”
After the order was finished, the manager bowed to us and headed towards the door with the staff who had brought the cart.
The two of them moved their steps while maintaining a respectful posture until they went out the door, and here I was again amazed.
The two of them walked out without showing us their backs until they left the hall, and I could feel the dignity even when they walked backwards, so I thought that the pros were different.
As I admired it like that, I felt a warm gaze. So I turned my head to where I could feel the gaze.
The true identity of the gaze was, of course, her mother.
My mother was very surprised and she was looking at me with an expression of admiration.
Feeling puzzled by her mother’s face, I tilted my head and asked her.
“Why is that?”
“Yes, no. I just did it out of admiration for my son doing well with difficult orders.”
As my mother stroked my hair once, she said.
“But how did you know that?”
“Uh… I learned it at the shelter.”
“… Okay? Shelters teach you unusual things.”
“Rather than learning….”
To be honest, it was more correct to see it as a habit that came naturally to the body rather than being learned.
Shelter life lacked entertainment,
In such a life, the only thing I enjoyed for pleasure was eating.
At the men’s shelter, the best chef took care of our table for men who are already picky about their appetite.
As a result, I unintentionally became a foodie.
Of course, being a gourmet doesn’t mean you only like high-end cuisine.
First of all, my favorite dish is meat, then chicken.
“I just got used to it naturally after living at the shelter.”
“Hmm, so?…
… Should I ask for a cook in the men’s department….”
After hearing my words, my mother began to ponder in small words with a serious expression on her face.
I just laughed awkwardly at my mother.
Just then, a knock was heard.
The mother lifted her handbell from her table and she gave it a slight shake to ring her bell.
It was a signal that it was okay to come in.
When the bell rang, the door opened,
The manager entered the hall with three employees and a serving cart.
The manager approached us, bowed slightly, and began to explain.
“The welcome meal is ready. And I’ll prepare tableware and drinks.”
With such a welcome food,
Eating out with my mother at a restaurant really started in earnest.