The Other World Dining Hall (WN) Chapter 94

TN: I wonder why the author is still insisting that smoked salmon is raw in the chapter even though the name is already smoked salmon. It’s not as if smoked fish does not exist in the otherworld.

Carpaccio Once Again

As he was off-duty during Satur's day, Heinrich, who came to the otherworld dining hall from daytime, was watching certain customers while eating fried shrimp.

[A, this fish, it's more delicious than usual! Give me more of this!]

[Aa, Iris, don't be so noisy! Excuse me, I would like to order the same thing.]

It was a pair of customers that were loudly eating their food.

At first glance they looked like two girls, but it seemed that the customers with wings growing from their back were a pair of male and female from the way they talked.

(Still, is it safe to eat raw fish? Is it because they're monsters?)

Heinrich, born in a lord's house of a seaside town of the Princ.i.p.ality, knew that the two were sirens who were feared as the monsters of the sea.

Living on the seash.o.r.e, as a bird-like monster, it made sense for them to eat fish. He had never heard of sirens using fire, so it's natural for them to eat raw fish.

In Heinrich's hometown, fish was a food that shouldn't be eaten raw.

It's boiled, grilled, dried with its viscera removed or smoked.

Anyway, it's not eaten raw. Children were often told that insects lurked in fishes that were not cooked well or rotten poisonous fish would affect their bellies and cause them to die.

(But it looks really delicious.)

On the other hand, Heinrich thought so while finis.h.i.+ng his fried shrimp.

Yes, it looked really delicious. Even though raw fish was an aberrant cuisine.

What is the most delicious food in otherworld dining hall?

The answer changed greatly depending on who was asked.

Some say that deep-fried meat dishes were the most delicious, some customers said that it was this restaurant's fresh and tasty mushrooms and vegetables.

There were some that said bread was the hidden main lead, others said that rice reigned supreme.

Customers came at noon to enjoy main courses, some customers said that it's best to come at late afternoon to enjoy desserts with tea, some customers said that it's best to come during the evening to enjoy the alcohol.

And according to Heinrich, the real value of this restaurant lied in the abundant fish and seafood.

Those easily perishable Schripes were fresh, coated in breadcrumbs and cooked in innovative way.

Besides, the wonderful taste of tartar sauce brought out its taste.

And the otherworld was the only place that he knew that served it.

(…Considering so, is it possible for raw fish to be delicious in this restaurant?)

Thinking that far, Heinrich suddenly noticed it.

While the ones that ate it were definitely monsters, but the owner was definitely a human boasting wonderful cooking skills though he was from another world.

The dishes made by the owner were definitely something that he considered to be a fine dish that could be sold.

(No, no, the owner made noodle dish with rotten elf bean sauce for the elves, so it's probably exclusive for monsters.)

He stood up to shake off his curiosity.

During lunchtime, there's an elven swordsman who visited the restaurant and two female elves who visited with a woman that looked like a human magician.

Only the elves could eat something that used rotten beans deliciously.

It was at that time he shook off his curiosity about raw fish cuisine.

[Yahoo-! We're here-!]

[It's been a while-! How have you been?]

'Chirinchirin', with the sound of bell, two new customers came inside loudly.

Taking down the hood of cloak that was coated with sand, they were two children with curly hair, pointed ears and sunburned skin.

[We heard that there's a door in the dessert from a jii-chan and baa-chan! So we're here!]

[We want water for the time being! We're thirsty~!]

(They're… halflings.)

Looking at the two hurriedly sitting down on a table next to Heinrich, he identified their race.

This couple were halflings, the eternal wanderers that resembled children, Pikke and Pakke were laughing while looking at the scenery of otherworld dining hall which was familiar in a sense with the Western Continent.

[Welcome. It has been a long time. Here are your water and hot towels.]

Aletta brought a jug of water and two towels while directing a smile towards the two people that were taking off their cloaks, causing sand to rain down to the floor.

[Thanks-!] [Un, un, it will be nice to clean up!]

They wiped their hands and faces with the towel and drank the water in one gulp while chattering noisily.

Then after a breath, they contrived to fill their empty stomachs quickly.

[Since it's been a while, let's eat a lot, Pakke!] [Un! I want to eat a lot!]

When they looked around the restaurant, they saw two female-like creatures who were eating deliciously.

[Un! First, give us that for Pakke and I!]

[I see! It's salmon season right now! It's delicious! Salmon!]

Pikke pointed at the dish they were eating.

In the desert that's hot all year long, the sense of season was lost, but these sharp-sighted couple saw the orange flesh of the fish and knew the current season.

Fish of otherworld called salmon was often served at Nekoya during autumn and winter.

It was a fish with distinctive taste, which was different from both the fishes with rich red meat and the white fishes, and they both knew that it's delicious even when eaten raw as it was rich in oil.

[Yes, that's smoked salmon carpaccio. Please wait a moment.]

It was when she was on the way to the kitchen to answer the two's order.

[A~, excuse me. You're called Aletta? That carpaccio, I would like to order it too.]

[Yes? …Okay, please wait a moment.]

Heinrich finally called Aletta and ordered carpaccio too.

Even if monsters were unaffected, but if the discerning tongues of halflings who had eaten a wide variety of this restaurant's food said that it was delicious, then it shouldn't be poisonous.

When thinking so, Heinrich no longer had a reason to hesitate.

And soon the dish was delivered to Heinrich.

[Thank you for waiting. Here's your smoked salmon carpaccio with cream cheese.]

Together with such words, on top of the plate was pure white cheese scattered on the orange coloured fish meat with sliced Oranie and white sauce.

(As I thought, it's raw…)

Heinrich thought that the meat of the fish called salmon was different from the meat of cooked fish; it had a sense of transparency that it was raw when he lifted one slice up with his fork.

[Un! Delicious!] [Freshness is not limited to just raw fish after all! It's smoked!]

While ignoring the loudness of the table beside him, he pierced a piece of fish with cheese and lifted it.

On top of the orange-coloured fish meat was vivid white cheese that did not preserve for long.

And with the meat was thinly cut transparent Oranie.

As he was filled to the brim with expectation and nervousness, he carried it to his mouth.

(…Oo, it's delicious, it's really delicious!)

The moment he ate it, Heinrich sighed within his heart.

The raw fish meat that he ate for the first time since he was born had different texture from cooked fish, it did not break down even when he chewed and was torn to pieces instead.

And the oil contained in the fish overflowed.

It certainly had the smell of fish, but the fishy scent of raw fish was absent and it went familiarly with the umami of the fish.

And the combination of Oranie and fresh cheese complimented the fish.

The cheese had different acidity then the sauce and Oranie's vivid spicy pungent taste.

These two complimented the strong taste of fish.

(…However, to think that tartar sauce also fits with raw fish.)

And the white sauce poured on top in a line. It was wonderful.

Since he had been continuously visiting this restaurant, Heinrich quickly knew its ident.i.ty after eating it with fried shrimp and fried oyster over and over.

Its peculiar acidity and smell along the taste of eggs.

There're no chopped eggs and herbs in it, but it's definitely tartar sauce.

It was definitely indispensable for seafood, the tartar sauce.

It was the same even for uncooked fish.

[Aletta-chan! Sorry to bother you, but give us baked bread!] [Immediately! We want to eat this in between the bread!]

[Aletta, I also wish to order that.]

Following the guidance of the loud voices from beside him, Heinrich also ordered bread.

(I see…)

Soon enough, Heinrich was convinced to the taste of the carpaccio sandwiched between the bread that arrived just now.

The wonderfully delicious fresh fish meat, it fit the soft sweet bread and even if Heinrich had his fill of fried shrimp not long ago, that one dish was finished in a blink of eye.

(Well, well, the otherworld sure is full of great things.)

Heinrich thought so again after flattening the dish.

A dish of otherworld that could even make raw fish to be delicious.

He guessed that the gem was hidden in a dish that he had never eaten before.

While feeling satisfied with that, Heinrich slowly got up from his seat and paid before returning home.