Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Masked Gourmet Meeting

"Who on earth was that old gentleman?"

Marcus Samuel blurted monologue, and fiddled with the splendid mask covering half his face.

The Venetian mask hurriedly bought at Harrods department store yesterday.

Anachronistically even duke tail feathers were attached so embarrassing but there was nothing else worth buying. Somehow the stock was empty.

By the way masked gourmet meeting.

Not even a masked ball just a gourmet event held at a restaurant is there a need to even wear a mask?

If the intention of stimulating curiosity it succeeded. Thanks to that even he who thought his butt was quite heavy came looking riding a carriage busily such a long distance.

Looking into it, the place called Culina Divina, was a quite famous restaurant in high society.

Because staying long in Russia he didn't taste directly but they say the only place with the high-end menu of Chicken and Chips that's a big trend in London now? Not only that the random dessert the sous-chef makes is also a delicacy among delicacies they said.

Still Chicken and Chips was the only menu, but that was very addictive so once eaten people unconditionally come looking again within a month was the review.

Rumors about this 'spicy taste gourmet meeting' spread quickly in social circles.

However most people he met hesitated to participate. That was so because not just spicy taste but the condition of inviting 'only people confident of enduring' was attached.

Marcus Samuel didn't care. His purpose was only one, tasting spicy taste dishes.

Considering the unconventional content announced in the newspaper, the person who visited that restaurant today would only be him—

"What, this landau carriage procession?!"

For a moment he thought here was Piccadilly. On that upper street dense with Harrods and Ritz Hotel, St. James Theatre gentry and emerging wealthy who accumulated enormous wealth with commerce and trade always overflowed.

One knows just looking at the horse breeds. People with wealth to the point of making carriages pulled by sleek and elegant racehorses thoroughbred instead of large and sturdy hackney were rare even in London.

And those dozens of carriages were all lined up widely keeping appropriate distance from each other in front of one stone building.

Lombard Street. A financial district even counted in the City of London. A place dense with banks and companies, liaison offices, offices.

Here was a street mainly middle class and laborers wearing suits and busily running come and go, not a place upper class carriages would line up like this.

But seeing people walking around as if nothing, this scene also didn't seem an unfamiliar appearance to them.

"Hmm."

I heard it's famous, but I didn't know it was a place with such thick trust.

He who rose from a Jewish family socially oppressed even among London lower class, exchange with British nobles or gentry was always awkward.

Even if Jews earn money and succeed not only not getting along together, only sounds of laughing behind calling Shylock were heard.

Fortunately in Samuel's case, based on commercial success he obtained the alderman position of the City of London so he could avoid blatant discrimination.

However until rising to that position, he had to pay enormous costs. Because he had to diligently grease upper figures who were displeased.

Samuel touched the half mask covering his face once more and let out a sigh of relief. Now looking this mask was an essential condition to enter that restaurant.

"Good, shall I go in once."

The moment he was about to move his footsteps toward the large front door of Culina Divina, Samuel discovered an old man approaching wearing a Venetian mask the same as himself.

Large height and eye-catching splendid attire, gold lace justaucorps and leather shoes covering up to the ankles that nobles of the Sun King Louis XIV era might have worn.

It wasn't difficult to recognize. It was that old gentleman he met at the spa of the Carlton Hotel.

Certainly he seemed a person with quite high social position. If accompanying as many as ten escorts while walking confidently in the middle of London, what position on earth is needed?

"...Hello."

"Hmm. Meeting here again. In fact I had a feeling it would be so. Taking this opportunity as a connection will you sit together?"

"Please do."

The old man still didn't reveal his name. Samuel also decided not to say his name first. Even if a bit known in London, looking at all Europe his name wasn't that famous.

Samuel turned his gaze forward again. In front of him a youthful young man of quite large height wearing hotel doorman attire was standing.

"Two people?"

There were no other questions. Samuel nodded.

"Fortunate. Just in time one table remains. Today's entry you two are the last."

"Last?! I deliberately came thirty minutes early?"

"I'll guide. Please come this way."

The young man smoothly turned his body and guided the way.

###

My, there are so many leisurely people! Are they all in their right mind? Willingly paying 3 gold coins for one meal?

It was the first impression Samuel felt entering the hall of the restaurant.

The hall full of colorful splendid masks, created an overwhelming atmosphere as if a scene of a carefully made silent film.

And among them some were faces familiar even to Samuel.

Although covering the face with a mask, just with hair color or unique style one could easily recognize. The higher one enters high society the narrower their own pool there was.

Even if covering the face the individuality of voice tone and beard design can't be hidden.

The moment taking out even one word out of the mouth, people whose identity would be revealed were sitting quite around.

And some among them were even wearing masks roughly. Wearing small masks covering only the eyes saying they'll roughly match the dress code form so it wasn't hard to recognize.

"Wells? Did that friend also come here often?"

British novelist Herbert George Wells famous for The Time Machine. And next to him, the man with white shaggy hair together with a reluctant expression...

"Mark Twain?! There even Professor Thomas Wilson?"

Samuel occasionally stepped into American social circles for business, so he already had acquaintance with two famous American figures.

One was a famous bestseller writer of America the same as Wells, the other was a political scientist of Princeton University with great influence in American politics.

Whether the sound Samuel muttered was heard, gazes met right away with the two people. They also seemed to have recognized him and slightly nodded and sent greetings.

The one passionately speaking about the advantages of this restaurant to the point veins bursting on the neck was mainly Wells. The remaining two people one couldn't know for what reason they were together, but looking at the expressions it seemed forcibly dragged by him.

Recognizing the people sitting wasn't only Samuel.

The old man who sat together with him, also stared piercingly at one corner of the hall and let out a deep sigh.

"Hmm, Bertie finally went crazy. There was a carriage with a familiar pattern so I wondered... Now is he thinking of openly coming and going."

"Yes?"

"Monologue."

Bertie? Was there an upper class figure with such a name?

Samuel tilted his head and looked at the old man. At the end following that gaze, a man of huge build tilting a wine glass alone in the corner was sitting.

Strangely no one sat together with that man, and didn't try to look that way either.

The attire was even excessively modest. If not for the large leather mask covering even the head he would have listened to the voice, but the distance was far so he absolutely couldn't guess.

Then, another middle-aged man of grand physique hurriedly entered and greeted him. What? It seems he's being scolded for being late?

Anyway the two sat at the table. Although said the last table, in fact about one third was still empty. Somehow it seemed they restricted entry to serve dishes simultaneously.

Samuel's gaze headed to the center of the table. Usually a place where flower decoration would be, but there one not unfamiliar bottle was placed lonely alone.

"It's Tabasco sauce."

A famous hot sauce even in London. They said a course dish with spicy taste as the theme, how faithful to the concept that they even put this out?!

Thirty minutes flowed faster than thought.

Although everyone was wearing masks, whether because of that the heart loosened a bit secret stories came and went here and there so the thrill of guessing who is who overflowed.

And the most shocking was the fact that the Marquess of Salisbury who was scheduled to have dinner together with him was also sitting at this place!

It was certain. Because the person sitting next to him was Chairman Balfour he met the day before yesterday!

Moreover even three people with duke positions were seen! Duke of Wellington, Duke of Norfolk, Duke of Argyll! By any chance are there others too?

"Here is exactly Britain's pandemonium. Everyone went crazy. What on earth did that guy do?"

The one who muttered as if absurd was the same for the old gentleman sitting in front of him.

In fact such atmosphere was the same from earlier. Appearances of secretly recognizing each other and being absurd were caught in the eyes from all sides.

Fortunate wearing masks. Samuel lost spirit and naturally crouched his body.

Should one say fortunate that the ones who recognized him weren't political and business figures but writers and artists?

Creak.

From dozens of serving carts dishes started coming out in order.

They said course dish so the first start was as expected amuse-bouche.

But what Samuel faced was a food seen for the first time in his life.

A very thinly sliced red meat dish, only three pieces were placed and decorated on top with thinly sliced nuts and herbs.

"It's Durand Grilling. It looks very spicy."

Durand Grilling? Samuel after becoming rich has indulged in gourmet food of various countries in the world but Durand Grilling was a name heard for the first time.

Anyway he stabbed the meat with a fork and put it in his mouth.

And at that moment his waist trembled!

Spicy! And savory! It was a dish of grilling pork thickly applied with spicy sauce of unknown deep taste.

The secret of spicy taste was exactly chili.

The hot and stinging spicy taste unique to chili dug into his taste together with the chewy texture and momentarily his mind became dizzy.

Samuel in an instant cleanly emptied the amuse-bouche in front of his eyes. And the emotion that soon surged was regret!

What if this dish came out as the main dish?! Such an excellent meat dish being only an appetizer didn't make sense!

Sighs also burst from surrounding tables. Somewhere sweat slightly formed inside the mask worn on the face.

He wanted to throw off the mask due to stuffiness but had no choice but to endure.

Leaving regret and resentment behind a short time later serving carts carrying the next dish appeared lined up from the corridor.

"It's entrée... What is this?"

A very thin red soup with an aroma smelled for the first time. Just looking at the concentration it was almost close to water.

The answer was simply given by the clerk who put down the dish.

"It's fermented vegetable soup made with cabbage and beet. It might be somewhat spicy, but if the spicy taste is insufficient you can sprinkle the hot sauce in front and eat. Eat slowly. You might choke."

"Fermented vegetable soup...?"

There's not much garnish either can I hold the bowl and drink like water?

The moment immersed in worry screams of the advance party echoed from the side table.

Coughing sounds coughing in pain. It was certain a dish one shouldn't drink recklessly as the clerk warned.

Samuel carefully scooped a spoon and brought it to his mouth.

The first taste was slightly sweet but soon the fiery spicy aroma of chili and the pungent taste of onion pierced the tip of the nose and passed.

Refreshing yet cool, and clean spicy taste!

This doesn't make sense! Among soups he's tasted until now it was a unique and attractive soup to the point of counting on one hand!

"Hmm, quite good. Bringing out such deep taste with only vegetables without broth. A spicy taste that strongly stimulates appetite. Placing a palate cleanser in the entrée, they paid quite attention to the composition."

The old man in front seemed not affected by the spicy taste at all. Differently from him whose heat was gradually rising the old gentleman had no change in expression.

A short time later the next dish that came out was poisson. Salmon steak.

Smoked salmon steak thinly applied with red sauce like tasted in the amuse-bouche earlier, and lightly decorated with finely shredded leek.

How they did the inside flesh maintained fresh light pink and only the outer surface thinly browned.

Salmon is a fish harder to cook than thought. The flesh is soft so if fire control is even slightly wrong it soon becomes dry.

Maillard cooking method that reached a high level. Skill rare even at authentic French restaurants Samuel unconsciously admired.

"...Delicious."

"Delicious."

The taste of salmon was as imagined. The greasy inside flesh spread as if melting in the mouth.

And that aftertaste the spicy taste of chili and leek covered at once.

Samuel got goosebumps. This was really crazy level cooking.

Fatty salmon becomes greasy soon even eating two or three pieces, but thanks to the spicy taste sauce it didn't get tired at all.

Rather the balance of taste that was tilted to one side exquisitely centered thanks to the spicy taste.

If full score is 10 points, perfect taste to the point of willingly giving 10 points!

From the side table that was making painful coughing sounds until just now similar favorable reviews poured out. Unanimous shouts of wanting to know the recipe!

If amuse-bouche, entrée, poisson up to this point what on earth is the plat principal...?!

Samuel swallowed saliva with tension.

But the fourth that came out wasn't the plat principal.

As if telling to completely forget the spicy taste until now, cold lemon sherbet ice cream was delivered one each to each table.

This was the real palate cleanser. A resting menu to reset the taste before eating the main dish.

How much spicier dish is scheduled to come out on earth?!