Dark Cuisine and Unexpected Delights in the Restaurant

The expressions of the two art students were more tangled than their paintbrushes.

They had thought that working in a restaurant was a stable job, but they didn't expect to participate in a "gastronomic suicide attack" on the first day.

Ah, Qiang painted more carefully than when copying famous paintings, fearing that a single mistake with his brush would end his work history prematurely;

Xiao Wang, on the other hand, kept stealing glances at the boss's expression, as if to confirm whether this "mad scientist" was serious or just playing a prank on the newcomers.

Ah, Qiang and Xiao Wang stood by the wall, like two elementary school students being forced to do their homework.

Ah Qiang bit the end of his pencil, staring at the drawing paper, his hand trembling: "'Deep Sea Hell Ramen'... What kind of background should I match it with? Draw hell flames... No, no, that's too scary. Draw sea waves? But the ramen is black..."

He drew and erased, erased and drew again, his seriousness more intense than when he was taking the entrance exam for the art academy.

He was afraid that a careless mistake in drawing the menu too terrifying would force him to update his resume the next day.

Xiao Wang was even worse off, drawing while constantly stealing glances at the boss's expression.

With every stroke, he had to confirm whether Liu Yang was joking: "Boss, for this 'Wasabi Ice Cream'... should I match it with a snow mountain background?"

Seeing Liu Yang nod, he dared to continue, looking like he was defusing a bomb.

"As for this 'Curry Durian Fried Rice'..." Ah, Qiang's hand holding the pen was trembling, "Should I draw it in a golden yellow or... Never mind, never mind, I'll just draw it lighter to avoid scaring the customers away."

"Why don't we go for a cute style?" Xiao Wang suggested in a low voice, "For example, draw a few small flowers for 'Volcano Lava Ramen'?"

"Are you crazy?" Ah, Qiang widened his eyes, "This is like packaging a horror movie as a children's play, isn't it?"

The two of them kept drawing while entangled in their thoughts, occasionally exchanging glances that said, "Are we being fooled?"

Finally, after wearing down three erasers and crumpling five sheets of drawing paper, these two representative works of the "Dark Culinary Art Exhibition" were born.

They looked at their creations, thinking that if they were hung up, they would probably scare away the appetite of many diners.

An hour and a half later, two menus that could be called "the perfect fusion of modern art and dark cuisine" were finally born.

The creativity of this menu completely broke through the boundaries of traditional menus:

New School Creative Cuisine Area:

- The pattern of "Deep Sea Hell Ramen" was drawn as a pitch-black underwater volcano, with the black noodles resembling seaweed moving in the deep sea.

- "Volcano Lava Ice Cream" was paired with a red lava background, with the green of wasabi sprinkled in, like a volcanic crater about to erupt.

- "Curry Durian Fried Rice" was surrounded by a golden halo, complemented by mysterious Southeast Asian style patterns.

- "Five-spice Stinky Tofu Mousse" was written in elegant French font, accompanied by exquisite French court patterns, playing a rogue with a straight face.

Chef's Special Area:

- "Chili Candy Floss" was drawn as thin red flames, as if jumping on the paper.

- "Sweet and Sour Pepper Chicken" was paired with a combination of Chinese and Western decorative patterns, with syrup and chili intertwined into flowers.

- The background of "Seaweed Cream Pasta" was in the style of Ukiyo-e waves, and the Italian pasta looked very much like Japanese ramen.

- "Dried Bamboo Shoots and Cola Meat" was paired with a retro Chinese-style bamboo forest pattern and modern bubble elements were added as embellishments.

Dessert Innovation Area:

- "Wasabi Ice Cream" was drawn particularly dreamily, like a fairy tale ice castle, but hiding a fatal threat.

- The decoration of "Cilantro Rum Mousse" was full of the elegance of French desserts, but a few realistic cilantro leaves were added.

- "Wasabi Truffle Dumplings" combined Eastern and Western elements, with traditional dumplings accompanied by the pattern of high-end truffles.

The entire menu looked both professional and magical, with exquisite hand-drawn illustrations next to each dish name, as impressive as it could be.

This was not a menu, but a gourmet art album that could make Michelin judges break out in a cold sweat.

Liu Yang looked at these "artworks" that could make Michelin judges die on the spot, satisfied as if he were appreciating some rare treasure.

"Not bad, not bad," he nodded, seemingly completely blind to the desperate expressions on the faces of the three employees who said "The job is going to be in trouble again,"

"Put them on the wall, and make it tight."

Overseeing the two art students hanging the menu on the wall, Liu Yang didn't forget to add, "Yes, yes, make it denser. With so many 'surprises,' we should let the guests see them all at once."

Xiao Li, listening to this, felt that this was not about hanging a menu, but clearly about setting up a modern art exhibition that would collectively ruin the appetite of the diners.

But seeing the boss's confident look, he had to hold on to the last hope—

After all, this boss's quirky ideas, although each time seemed to be refreshing his views, ended up becoming the store's signature in a strange way.

At half past ten, the store was so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the wall clock as if it were counting down for the upcoming "culinary tragedy."

The three employees stood by the wall, staring at the two menus, with mixed feelings in their hearts.

Before long, the store door was pushed open, and Aunt Zhang and Aunt Li from across the street wobbled in.

The two elderly ladies almost dropped their reading glasses in shock at the sight of the menu on the wall—

"Chili Candy Floss," and "Sweet and Sour Pepper Chicken," are not dish names...

"Little Liu," Aunt Zhang adjusted her almost falling reading glasses, "Can these dishes... really be eaten?"

Liu Yang poked his head out from the kitchen, smiling mysteriously, "I guarantee you will taste something new!"

The two elderly ladies exchanged glances, and in the end, they still ordered the most ordinary Yangchun noodles, probably thinking this was safer.

Just as they were talking, a young couple bounced in.

The girl's eyes lit up at the sight of those shocking dish names: "Wow! This is so creative!"

The boy also nodded in agreement, with an expression of "for the sake of love, I dare to try anything" as if facing death bravely.

"I want to try this wasabi ice cream!"

The girl was excited as if she had discovered some treasure, completely unaware of the waiter's conflicted expression that said, "Should I stop this tragedy?"

Aunt Zhang and Aunt Li shook their heads at the sight of this "brave" young couple.

Young people are easily fascinated by new things.

They wouldn't dare to try these "dark cuisines," after all, at their age, they can't afford such折腾.

Watching this scene, Xiao Li silently lit a candle for the young couple in his heart—

Hopefully, their stomachs are as strong as their courage.

As for the two art students, they had already started drawing the floor plan of the hospital on a napkin, just in case.

When Xiao Li went into the kitchen, the plate of "wasabi ice cream" was flickering with an unsettling glow under the dim light.

Holding this "beauty of the dark cuisine world," Xiao Li's hands were trembling slightly.

The appearance of this dish could definitely get a full mark, but it's unknown whether the young couple will perform a "human fountain" after eating it later.

The way he held the plate was like he was carrying a time bomb that could explode at any time.

The aroma of the two dishes arrived at the table almost at the same time as the waiter's footsteps. If it weren't for seeing it with their own eyes, who could believe that the order-taking sound was still echoing in the ears just now?

Aunt Zhang and Aunt Li were used to it. After all, in this shop, "lightning-fast cooking" had become a signature—

However, no one could figure out why a former rich second generation could practice cooking faster than a rocket launch.

But the young couple was not so calm.

The boy stared at the "wasabi ice cream" in front of him, which was emitting a strange aroma, and then looked at the two dishes on the next table. His expression was more shocked than seeing a UFO: "Waiter, your pre-made dishes are too fast, right?"

Xiao Li stood there awkwardly, not knowing how to explain this "culinary secret technique."

"All our dishes are made on the spot, there are no pre-made ones. Our boss has a faster hand speed..." he explained.

"Waiter, your pre-made dishes are too fast, right?" The boy looked at the two dishes in front of him with suspicion, his heart pounding.

The "wasabi ice cream" in front of him was exquisitely presented, with a pure white surface covered with a thin layer of matcha powder, like

A new snowfall. Yet, it was oddly adorned with a few drops of emerald wasabi sauce, a color reminiscent of some highly toxic substance.

Besides that, the "Deep Sea Hell Ramen" was even more bizarre. The pitch-black noodles bobbed in a broth that was red with a hint of purple, with cheese puffs floating on top like icebergs on the sea surface. The entire bowl looked like the lair of some deep-sea creature.

But the aroma of these two dishes was irresistible. The fresh scent of wasabi mingled with the creamy fragrance of the ice cream, surprisingly enticing;

The black noodles were incredibly fragrant as well. Despite their ominous appearance, their scent was so alluring it made one's mouth water.

The boy's chopsticks hovered in mid-air, his expression as if he were on a roller coaster – eager to taste, yet fearful of ending up in the hospital after just one bite.

This was probably the legendary "form is emptiness"? It looked terrifying, yet smelled incredibly delicious.

At that very moment, the "lightning-fast chef" was leisurely wiping his hands in the kitchen, looking as if he had just been killing time playing mobile games instead of cooking.

It was the girl opposite who exclaimed in amazement and picked up her phone to start taking photos. She was bolder, taking a small bite with her chopsticks.

"Forget it, if anything goes wrong, we'll just call an ambulance," the girl gritted her teeth and picked up a small strand of the black noodles.

Her movements were more cautious than defusing a bomb as if she were conducting some deadly experiment.

The boy across the table watched nervously, "Hey, are you going to eat that?"

The girl simply stared at the dark noodle, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and put the noodle into her mouth.

In an instant, her expression froze.

"Damn it!" Hearing the scream, Liu Yang almost threw the spatula he had just picked up back out.

The scream was as bad as it could be as if someone was performing a paranormal event right there in the restaurant.

A thousand possibilities flashed through his mind – had the system finally failed?

Or had his "wasabi ice cream" really sent someone to the ICU?

He rushed out of the kitchen faster than he had ever run away from a car accident in his previous life.

But the scene before him left him completely bewildered –

When she opened her eyes, her look was as if she had seen something incredible.

Her expression was dreamy as if savoring some unbelievable delicacy.

"This... this is too..." she blinked, becoming incoherent.

"How is it? It's not poisonous, is it?" the boy asked nervously.

The girl didn't speak, but picked up a large mouthful of noodles, this time even including the broth.

Her manner was a complete contrast to her previous cautiousness as if she were rescuing some rare treasure.

"You... wait a minute!" The boy's attempt to stop her was too late, as the girl ate with abandon, forgetting to even take photos.

The girl, tears streaming down her face, held the bowl of "dark cuisine" as if attending some deeply moving family reunion.

Her boyfriend was frantically comforting her, his expression more terrified than if he had seen a ghost.

Aunt Zhang and Aunt Li's chopsticks were suspended in mid-air, their poses so still that if held for three more seconds, they could have been part of a sculpture exhibition.

The three shop assistants were all petrified on the spot, their faces written with confusion as if to say, "This script is wrong."

"This... this is the taste my father took me to France to experience ten years ago!" the girl sobbed, her tears flowing more fiercely than a leaky faucet,

"It was that three-Michelin-star restaurant... boo hoo hoo..."

Liu Yang stood there, unsure whether to praise his system or to mourn for a few seconds for the girl's life experience.

Aunt Zhang and Aunt Li exchanged glances, their eyes filled with doubt, "Do young people nowadays all have such heavy tastes?"

But looking at the exquisitely presented "wasabi ice cream," they had to admit – this little shop had truly impressed them.