Chapter 170 The Grand Opening of the Garden Eatery
It was around nine in the morning. Henry emerged from the carriage and was greeted by a crowd, their eyes fixed on him. He couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"Good morning!" Henry greeted, raising his hand.
"Good morning, Lord Henry!"
The crowd erupted into cheers. It was a rare sight for a noble to greet commoners, and the people felt honored.
While most bowed in respect, there were some who didn't, like Elisa, who stood there with a hamburger in her mouth and a bag of them in her hand.
After receiving her coins from the bank, Elisa had gone to buy the legendary hamburgers. However, she were unable to sleep that night because of her stomach aching from overeating.
"Why couldn't I have a stomach like an orc?" Elisa lamented. Her appetite was similar to that of a human, so she could only eat a little before feeling full.
Feeling her stomach almost settled, Elisa decided to buy more hamburgers. While waiting in line, she overheard people discussing the opening of the Garden Eatery.
The Garden Eatery? A restaurant or a tavern?
Elisa's mind immediately filled with questions. She had no interest in alcohol, but the mention of food caught her attention.
The Garden Eatery was known for its delicious food, prepared by the chefs from the Lord's Manor. Everyone knew that the hamburgers were also made there.
Of course, Elisa was also there to watch, hoping to have a chance to enjoy a meal. But who would have thought that the noble would actually greet the commoners, making her feel a bit out of place now.
Fortunately, she wasn't the only one doing so now. Elisa still hesitantly bent down, noticing that those who didn't were merchants, dressed much better than her in refugee attire. Elisa disguised herself as a commoner but didn't bow to the noble. Wasn't that suspicious?
Henry glanced in Elisa's direction, feeling that the green eyes he had just seen seemed familiar. Scanning the crowd with his black eyes, he didn't notice anything peculiar.
"Let's go in! We'll go in first," Henry stepped toward the Garden Eatery.
Others replied, "Yes!"
The War Wolf Battle Squad split the crowd, creating a path, escorting Henry and the others into the Garden Eatery. As the doors opened, the aroma of meat wafted out, causing the people waiting outside to widen their eyes.
Many people swallowed saliva. Elisa even put the half-eaten hamburger back in her bag, saving room in her stomach for other delicacies.
Soro stood outside with his son Gael, accompanied by Brandon and Riley, all waiting for the opening. They were all curious about what was inside.
Inside the Garden Eatery, the air was filled with the aroma of dishes. Henry, Ellie, Tess, and Willow stood in front of the counter, gazing at the large pots of food.
"So fragrant!" Tess felt her mouth watering, her eyes fixed on the meat.
"I'll have some spaghetti, with extra vegetables!" Henry chuckled, shaking his head, whispering to the women, "Just order whatever you want."
"Really?" Tess exclaimed.
"Of course!"
Henry took the spaghetti and found a seat to eat breakfast. After a few bites, he didn't feel like eating much more. The taste was inferior to the delicacies made in the castle.
"Henry, how is it?" Willow approached with a bowl of porridge. "Does it suit your taste?"
Henry shook his head, put down his fork, and said, "It's far below what you make."
"They've had too little time to learn, and many seasonings and spices are missing," Willow said softly.
The scarce seasonings from the castle couldn't be used at the Garden Eatery, so they had to use common ones like scallions, ginger, and garlic.
In reality, Henry was just being picky. Having been accustomed to the exquisite cuisine of the castle, how could he adapt to the more common fare at the Garden Eatery?
"The seasonings was a bit lacking, but it will be better next year when the greenhouse is set up, and all the vegetables inside have grown. Then we won't have to worry about lacking seasonings," Henry said with a slight smile, watching Tess picking and choosing at the counter, and Ellie looking perplexed about what to eat.
"This meat, and this one too, oh, this one looks delicious too..." Tess licked her lips, taking a plate of a pile of meat from the server.
"Eating so much meat early in the morning isn't good for you," Henry said, looking at the huge pile of meat on Tess's plate.
"It's okay, I can finish it," Tess's mind was already on a different channel, with only the meat on her plate in her purple eyes.
Ellie also made her choice, bringing over a large plate of Roasted Vegetable Salad, her favorite.
"This taste?" Ellie's face twisted in bitterness after the first bite. It lacked sweetness and was too salty, nowhere near as delicious as the castle's dishes.
"This..." Henry sighed, realizing he should have gone upstairs to eat the stir-fried dishes. The dishes on this floor were far inferior in taste.
"Finish your meal!" Henry patted Ellie's head and got up to inspect the Garden Eatery, occasionally pointing out what needed to be fixed.
The main concern was the second floor, where the kitchen was strictly off-limits. Besides the servers and chefs, no one else could enter, as the entrance to the underground surveillance system was in the kitchen's storage room.
"How is the menu on the second floor coming along?" Henry asked.
"It's ready, and the servers have memorized it," Willow replied, flipping through her notebook.
"Have them start preparing the food for the luncheon. Only those with invitations should be allowed in," Henry instructed.
"Yes, I'll have someone guard outside the private rooms," Willow nodded, jotting it down.
"Tell the staffs that one percent of today's sales is their reward," Henry said with a light chuckle.
"Yes!"
Everything was set, and as the clock quietly struck twelve, it was time for the Garden Eatery to open for business.
