NOVEL FROG Chapter 82: Meal
There were a large number of interesting options. I enjoyed spicy food in my old life but I never went for the really crazy stuff. What could my new body handle? “What do you think about the death scorpion curry? It sounds a bit scary but also delicious. My body should be able to handle spice, I hope.”
“I am not sure. It’s not a dish I could have survived eating in the past. I think people would be more concerned with the toxin than the spice level. Somehow I doubt anything on this menu could scratch us though. It will only pose a danger to your funds, they don’t even list prices!”
“I think that is a rich people thing. But we do have enough money, no worries. Order anything you like! I certainly will.”
When Miri returned we both ordered our food. We chose the same starter, a blood vine salad. The dish looked rather pretty when it arrived. The vine was about the thickness of a cucumber. It was sliced into disks, which lay on a bed of sweet corn and carrot shavings. The vine itself was mostly green with some red lines within. A white sauce covered the dish.
“This tastes surprisingly meaty.” I said after trying it. “Quite the rich flavour and a real enjoyable aftertaste.”
“I have heard about those vines. They latch onto animals, or people, and sedate them. Then they drain their blood. The meaty taste comes from that.” Lucy explained.
Maybe I should have been horrified. But humans eat animals who eat other animals. So why not eat a plant that eats animals? I was quite happy with the taste and it certainly was something exotic.
A little later the main dish arrived. I did go for the curry. It was served in a large bowl. I could see pieces of vegetables and some white meat (presumably scorpion) in the green sauce. It came with some flat bread as a side. Lucy had a wyvern steak with roasted potatoes. We both ordered some dwarven ale as well.
I had a spoon for the curry but first I took a piece of bread and dunked it into the sauce. I was slightly nervous as I took my first bit. Flavour exploded in my mouth. I could definitely feel the heat. But it was not overwhelming. A deep and rich flavour was underneath.
“This is amazing!” I proclaimed. “Do you want to try?”
“Sure.” Lucy took a piece of bread and used it as a spoon. She also made sure to get some of the scorpion meat. “Quite tasty, although not something I would want every day.” Lucy concluded. “Probably really nice in the winter to warm you up.”
I started devouring my dish. While it made me sweat a little I enjoyed every bite.
“Want to try some wyvern?” Lucy asked. She had a piece on her fork and held it in front of me. I took the offering.
“Interesting taste. Very tender. Kind of melts in your mouth.”
“Apparently they softened the meat with some acid. Wyvern is usually too tough to eat but like this it becomes rather delicious.” Lucy said.
We finished our meal in silence. Simply enjoying the food, the ale and each other’s company.
“Was everything to your liking? Would you be interested in some dessert?” Miri asked when she returned.
“It was excellent! You know, you should open a restaurant in my county. It’s close to the black forest, so there should be some decently strong people around who might appreciate the menu.” It was just a random thought but Miri looked thoughtful.
“That is a generous offer, I will relay that to the owner.”
Oops. I had never even set foot into my lands. But I am sure we would figure this out. I definitely wanted a restaurant like this nearby if I ever retired. Back to more important matters!
“I would like some ice cream and some coffee please. Anything you can recommend?” I asked.
“We have an iced coffee special. We roast the beans ourselves with magic to enhance the flavour. The coffee is served in a tall glass with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream on top. It comes with some biscuits as well.”
Yes! This is what I have been looking for. “I will have that!”
“For me as well.” Lucy said.
Miri left and I quickly finished my ale. The dessert arrived soon and it was everything I wanted. “We have to come here more often.” I stated.
“I hope we will find the time for that. Who knows how much longer we will be in the Empire.”
“True I suppose. But now that I know such cuisine exists I definitely want more of it.”
We left the restaurant in a good mood. I paid 15 gold in total, including a tip. It was an insane amount of money for food but well worth it. The man at the entrance bowed deeply as we left. It was good to see that he recovered from the earlier encounter.
“What shall we do next?” I asked Lucy.