The Other World Dining Hall - Chapter 126

Chapter 126 – Tenshinhan
The third floor of the Nekoya building is the owner’s house.

In the past, when the previous owner was still alive, he still had a separate house, but after he took over the shop, it was too much trouble to go back, so he turned the shop into his home.

There was a bedroom to sleep in and a storeroom and where Aletta now stays.

A small kitchen for experimenting and a toilet. For bathing, he uses the shower room in the shop.

It was originally intended as a place where he could take a nap for the night when he couldn’t be bothered to return home, so it wasn’t designed to be lived in all the time, but that wasn’t too much of a problem for the owner, who had no hobbies other than cooking.

It all started on a Sunday, the only day of the week when the shop was not open.

On that Sunday, after having breakfast and sending Aletta home, the owner decided to clean his room.

(I haven’t cleaned up for a while.)

Aletta has been staying in his old bedroom since his niece pointed out that it used to be a nap room for him and his predecessor.

Since he vacated it, he had to get another room.

The owner chose the room which had been used as a study by his predecessor as his new bedroom.

There were some old books, yellowed by the sun, and a few photos of the old lady and two children in their youth. In other words, they were photos of the owner’s parents.

After the death of the previous owner, this room had been used as a storage room for random things, because he felt it was wrong to play around with it.

Pick up the dusty things, and clean them up.

While he was cleaning like this, he found something.

“…What is this?”

The owner of the shop tilted his head when he found a can of food that he did not remember buying.

It was in a large gold can with a paper label wrapped around it.

It’s probably expensive, and it’s a bit much for one person to eat and too little for the shop to serve which means it’s not the sort of thing you’d buy for the shop’s stock.

So it’s probably not something I bought myself.

“It’s… crab.”

I look at the label on the can and see what it is.

It was a can of a very expensive kind of ingredient that was rarely used in the shop.

If it was used, it will be from a more expensive restaurant than Nekoya, or a gift of some kind.

“I’m pretty sure it was the one I got from the master of Leonhart.”

I thought for a while, then I remembered.

As I recall, about two years ago, he had received a lot of gifts as a mid-year gift or a year-end gift, and he was given this as a share of the gift.

After that, I must have put it away and forgot about it, thinking that I would eat it sometime soon.

It was made a little more than two years ago.

I’d better eat it as soon as possible.

The best-before date on the can was much closer than it had been in two years.

The owner concluded that the best thing to do was to eat it.

“I guess I’ll use it for next Saturday’s staff meal.”

The faces of the two people who work in the restaurant come to mind. If the main ingredient is crab, the meal should be…

“Tenshinhan,” he said.

One of the specialties of the restaurant where I once trained came to mind and I couldn’t resist mentioning it.

And so, the next Saturday’s staff meal was decided.

＊

The following Saturday.

After closing the restaurant at 9pm, sending off the last customer and cleaning up, they had free time until the staff meal was ready.

Saki and Aletta had some time to chat while the owner was preparing the meal.

“Good work! It’s been busy today.”

As the owner cooks in the background, they exchanged a few words of appreciation.

Over the past few months, I’ve become much more comfortable with Aletta. We don’t have to speak to each other in honorific terms.

“You too! Really, it’s been a tough day.”

I’ve been working at Nekoya for a few years now. As usual, Saturdays are always busy.

In the morning, after opening the shop, there may still be free time, but at lunchtime, a variety of customers come, mainly for tea and pastries in the early afternoon.

In the evening, after a hard day’s work, customers order food and drinks, and by the time night falls, they are enjoying a hearty meal and drinks.

At the end of the day, when a customer leaves with a big pot of beef stew, the only time you can relax is during the breaks.

That’s why the feeling of release after a day’s work is such a rare combination of accomplishment and exhaustion.

“It’s not so busy on weekdays, except for lunch, but Saturdays are really something else.”

“Eh? Is that so?”

Aletta was surprised to hear Saki’s words and raised her voice.

I know that weekdays refers to days when Nekoya is not open, other than the Day of Satur and the following day.

You can find many of the same things in the changing room that’s being lent to Aletta.

She also knows that there are otherworldly people working here.

However, there are only a few otherworldly people that Aletta knows, including the owner of the shop.

Aletta didn’t know much of what went on in the weekdays.

“We have a lot of people here. But on weekdays we have a different number of people in the kitchen and in the hall, and we don’t serve so many different dishes…Well, we get a lot of people at lunchtime.”

“Is it more than the Day of Satur?”

Aletta asked back in surprise, remembering how crowded Nekoya Diner was at lunchtime.

There will be so many that all the chairs in the shop will be filled.

“Yes. You can find a lot of them during the lunch hour, because they work for the nearby companies. We ask them to share a table, but even then they have to wait a bit. I only help out on days when I don’t have lectures, but even then it’s hard.”

“I see.”

Saki, who is also from another world like the owner and usually lives in the 『outside world』 , has a lot of amazing things to tell.

She really knows a lot of things and I envy what she sees.

“Uncle is really amazing. He’s been running it all by himself, even on Saturdays, with me helping out.”

As we were talking, the subject of the owner suddenly came up.

Recently, Saki has been able to take care of some of the simpler parts of the preparation, but the owner does all the finishing touches.

His handiwork is fast and brilliant.

“I think he’s really great. I really think the master is amazing.”

Aletta, who is an amateur cook, knew this.

It takes a great person in the service of a nobleman to be able to cook more than just boiling, baking and cutting.

This is why every dish is delicious, even if it’s just a staff meal.

“What’s on the menu today?”

“He’s using a wok, and he said this morning that he had found some expensive canned crab he got as a gift and that I should expect it at dinner. So maybe crab balls or something like that.”

“I don’t know what you mean by crabs and canned.”

“Crabs… they’re a kind of sea creature with big scissors for hands. They’re a relative of shrimp. And canned food is food that is put into a metal can to prevent it from spoiling.”

I remembered that Aletta was from another world, so she didn’t know much about ours, so I explained.

I’m not sure if I’m getting the point across with my vague and questionable explanation.

(Well, it’s hard to explain because we have very different ways of thinking.)

Aletta has never seen the sea, and from what I’ve heard, her situation is very different from ours.

She’s never been to school, or rather, there was no school for a girl like Aletta.

So, if you are trying to explain something that is not in her knowledge, it is quite difficult.

This is partly because Saki herself doesn’t know enough about these things to be able to teach about them.

“I see. Crabs, like prawns, are sea creatures, and the canned crab is a preserved food that does not spoil. Thank you for telling me.”

In the first place, Saki herself didn’t know much about it.

So when Aletta thanked her with a beaming smile, it made her itch.

Having eaten many different kinds of food, she can give recommendations to customers from the otherworld, but her knowledge of other things is often vague.

(I need to study!)

While I was thinking about the importance of knowledge, the owner of the restaurant called out to us.

“Your meals are ready. Please take your seats.”

The two of us stopped chatting and we quickly took our seats.

＊

Yellow mountains covered by something white, something red, something green, something black was put on a white plate.

A yellow mountain with things of varying colors on top. That was today’s meal

“Is this an omelette?”

The appearance of the dish reminds Aletta of a similar dish.

It’s a favorite dish of that person with a lizard face… monsters called lizardmen, according to Sarah, her other employer.

Judging from the conversation I had with Saki earlier, it was probably a dish made with crab.

“It’s similar, but not quite the same.”

As he said this, the owner came with a saucepan and as a final touch, he poured the sauce he had made in the saucepan.

The thick, slightly reddish sauce enveloped the yellow eggs.

The smell of the sauce is so different from what I’m used to that it made my stomach growl.

“It’s Tenshinhan. It’s been a long time since I made it, but it’s delicious.”

The owner said it with a hint of nostalgia, as he was referring to one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant where he used to work at.

“Wow. I’ve never had Tenshinhan in a while, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Saki also couldn’t help but smile at the food in front of her.

Then, when the three of us were all together.

“””Itadakimasu!”””

The three of us began to eat in unison.

Aletta picked up a large white ceramic spoon, not the usual silver spoon, and looked at the food in front of her.

(It looks like an omelette after all.)

She has been working here for several years now. She has served many different dishes to customers and eaten many for her meals.

Her experience lead her to believe that the dish in front of her is a rice dish with eggs.

But the ketchup used to flavor the omelet wasn’t this clear, and the color was a much brighter red.

(What does it taste like?)

After a quick look at the Tenshinhan, Aletta dipped her spoon into the yellow eggs.

The soft, not fully hardened eggs split open as she dipped her spoon in, and she scooped up the eggs.

It is then dipped in the thick sauce and brought to her mouth for her to eating.

(Oh, there’s so much in here.)

Aletta noticed the difference between an omelette and a tenshinhan with that bite.

The eggs are mixed with a variety of ingredients.

There were mushrooms with a plump texture, bamboo shoots chopped into crunchy vertical strips.

The crunchy spring onions give the egg a strong flavour.

The sauce, which is much softer than Nekoya’s usual sauces, has a hint of shoyu, a touch of pepper and sweet and sour flavors that go well with the lightly seasoned eggs.

And…

(It’s sweet…?)

It was the soft, sweet taste of the meat that stood out among the eggs.

Aletta had never tasted anything like it before.

It was different from meat, fish, and of course, shripe.

It was tender, and with every bite, it released its delicious flavor.

(Oh, this is…)

“I haven’t had crab in a very long time.”

Saki, who was eating the same thing next to Aletta, let out her thoughts.

“Me too. I think I did pretty well.”

The owner of the restaurant nodded in satisfaction as he ate his own tenshinhan.

Aletta, watching the two of them, took another spoonful.

Once she got past the delicious egg omelet and the yellow one, white rice appeared.

Unlike fried rice, there was no seasoning on the rice.

On its own, it seemed a little bland to Aletta, but it was a different story when it was topped with an omelet covered in a thick sauce.

The rice was soaked in the sauce, and when eaten with the egg rolls, it was a feast in itself.

They continued to eat the hot Tenshinhan. Everyone was silent.

It was a common scene in the otherworldly restaurant late at night, and at the same time, it was a happy time.

Tenshinhan (天津飯), also known as Tenshindon (天津丼) or Tianjin Rice, is a crab meat omelette on rice. It is named after Tianjin City. (Source)