Chapter 85: Oil Sardines

Chapter 85:
Oil Sardines

 

Among the Sea Nation’s countless islands was a single island where dwarves resided. A massive volcano spit blazing-hot fire from the very top of the island’s center.

Though they couldn’t grow rice, the dwarves could mine for steel. For many years, they’d exchanged their steel goods for food and charcoal.

This island had but a single hot spring. There, the female dwarf elder Meifan rested, soothing her aching muscles. She let out a sigh of relief as the spring’s heat washed over her.

“Now, this is the life.”

Before her eyes, a steel-colored sunset extended out beyond the horizon. That light signaled that Meifan would be spending her night in the small mountain cottage near the spa.

 

***

 

This particular spring’s powers allowed it to relieve physical pain. However, the spring was a tad far from Meifan and the other dwarves living at the foot of the mountain. That’s why there were rarely any visitors besides the elderly, who’d retired and had free time to spare, and those who were ill.

By Meifan’s age, she’d already gotten married, raised children, and even had great-grandchildren of her own. She made a point of commuting to the spring specifically to soothe her aches and pains. She came up the mountain once every seven days, soaked in the hot spring, and spent the night.

“I suppose it’s about time that I head out, then.”

Meifan, now nice and warm, hadn’t eaten anything since the porridge she’d made at the mountain cottage earlier. She rose from the hot spring, wrapped her wrinkled body neatly in a towel, and changed into her clothes.

She was headed to her favorite place at this hot spring.

 

***

 

Indeed, this hot spring had a secret, of sorts. An oak door with a cat illustration was located within the woods a little way from it. Once every seven days, the door appeared in the middle of that wild area and connected Meifan’s world with an otherworldly bar. This was one of the reasons she made a point of visiting every week.

Excitement building in her heart, Meifan stretched her arm out and grabbed the golden doorknob, turning it. As she pulled the door open, she was greeted by the sound of bells ringing and bathed in light from the room within.

The moment Meifan entered, she was welcomed by the master, a smiling man who looked to be around her own age. “Oh, hey! Wanna start things off with a beer?”

“Yeah, that’d be great. I’m dying for a drink,” Meifan responded, nodding as she climbed a chair slightly too tall for a dwarf her size.

Having only just finished bathing, her body was still warm, so the cold air in the restaurant felt pleasant on her skin. “Whew! It’s nice and cool in here.”

As usual, the restaurant was mostly empty, aside from an older gentleman eating fried pork with his beer and a middle-aged samurai having some kind of chicken alongside his seishu. It was quiet.

If I ever brought my guys here, this place’d be a mess, Meifan thought. It wouldn’t be worth it.

Male dwarves loved alcohol. Drenched in sweat from smithing, they’d eat huge quantities of food and drink hard liquor, yelling at the top of their lungs.

If those dwarves ever heard about this wonderful place with nothing but the most delicious foods, they’d probably rush the door and empty it out. That was exactly why Meifan kept the restaurant a secret just for herself.

As Meifan thought about the worst-case scenario, the master returned with her beer in hand. The beautiful yellow-and-white drink had been poured into a completely transparent mug.

“Sorry for the wait. Here’s your beer.”

“Thanks a lot,” responded Meifan, who chugged the beer immediately. The bitter flavor washed down her throat, both refreshing and shocking her system, before eventually ending up in her stomach.

“Ho ho! You sure know how to drink.” The master watched her empty out her mug. He was as impressed as always, especially since he didn’t drink himself.

“Believe me, this isn’t anything,” replied Meifan with a smile. She handed the empty mug back to the master.

A typical trip to the restaurant saw her start with a single beer and then move on to food. That was how she made the most of her once-a-week pleasure.

“Do you have any recommendations for what to have with my drink today?”

“Lemme see.” The master took a moment to think. “Actually, ya know, I got a request to make some oil sardines. They’re a type of fish. Care to give ’em a try?”

A new tenant had recently rented part of the restaurant’s building. They’d requested that the master make oil sardines because they wanted to sell the dish at their joint. It was the perfect season for sardines, so the master decided to whip some up. After taste-testing them the day before, the tenant had given the sardines high marks.

They’d be perfect to serve to an older woman from the other world.

“Sardines? Well, I’m pretty used to eating fish, and the stuff you serve here’s always nice and fresh. Can’t go wrong! Sure, get me some of them.” Taking the master’s suggestion, Meifan also ordered the alcohol she only had access to at the restaurant. “Oh, and do you have any umeshu? I’d love a bottle.”

“Aye, no problem.”

The master returned to the kitchen to prepare Meifan’s order. Fortunately, oil sardines didn’t take long to serve once they were ready. He immediately came back out with a plate in hand, placing it in front of her.

“Hmm. These be the oil sardines or whatever?” Meifan confirmed with the master.

A plate of tiny gutted fish sat in front of her. They were lightly cooked, based on their color. Sitting atop them was thinly cut oranie. Next to the fish was a bottle of bright yellow-and-white something or other, a bottle of red stuff, and a small bottle full of some sort of black liquid.

“Aye! Homemade, at that. They’ve got chili peppers—er, chili pepels and garlik in them as well.”

Taking a moment to explain what the dish was, the master pointed to the assorted condiments on the table.

“These are for some extra flavor. You got mayo, ketchup, and soy sauce. They all pair well with sardines. Oh, and sardines also go great with rice and bread. So if you want some, just lemme know.”

Last but not least, the master placed a glass bottle of yellow liquid on the table, along with a small glass and an ice bucket. “Here’s your umeshu.”

“Thanks a lot.”

Meifan’s eyes narrowed instinctively as she looked at the alcohol. Umeshu was a sweet-and-sour alcohol unique to the other world, made by pickling lots of otherworldly fruit. It was Meifan’s absolute favorite.

“Enjoy!” The master nodded slightly and returned to the kitchen.

Meifan watched him from the corner of her eye and then began to dig in. “I suppose I should give these sardines a try first.”

She reached out with her chopsticks and grabbed one of the small fish, along with several thin oranie slices.

Let’s see what it tastes like without any seasoning. The fish itself was extremely soft, nearly falling apart in her grip. Oh, wow. This smells wonderful. I can tell he used high-quality oil.

The fish was absolutely soaked in oil, yet didn’t smell like it. A very slight but pleasant aroma came from the lightly broiled fish, but the scent wasn’t the least bit oily. That was the ultimate sign of its quality.

Yeah, this looks delicious.

Her expectations appropriately raised, Meifan took a bite of fish. She smiled as those expectations were surpassed.

Oh, my. It’s so tender and delicious.

When dwarves ate fish, they typically devoured the entire thing whole, bones and all. That wasn’t something everyone could do. However, these sardines were different. Anybody could eat them without having to worry about chewing tough bones.

Since single sardines were so small, there was little doubt that they were full of tiny bones, yet it wasn’t unpleasant biting into one.

Did the master debone them? No, he just cooked them so that the bones were as tender as the rest of the fish!

The sardines’ savory flavor put a big smile on Meifan’s face. These really are something else. A feast all on their own.

They were seasoned with salt, chili pepels, and garlik. The spicy, salty flavors melded with the fish’s savory fat to form a delightful medley.

Each bite Meifan took released the fish’s oily, savory juices into her mouth. The oranie topping the sardines was barely cooked, lending the dish a crunchy mouthfeel on top of an extra dash of spiciness.

At first glance, these sardines looked like any other fish. However, they were really their own special feast that the master had worked hard on.

I wonder whether I could make these? Hrm…that’s probably impossible.

As Meifan enjoyed the sardines, she reached for the condiments: the salty soy sauce, the tangy ketchup, and the mayo with its gentler sourness. Meifan knew them well. She applied the seasonings to the fish in front of her and began to eat again.

The sardines she’d bathed in soy sauce gained a saltiness that brought out their flavor. They would probably go great with rice.

The ketchup’s sour taste paired perfectly with the sardines’ greasiness, making Meifan crave more.

Then there was the mayo. That slightly sour condiment was quite the match for the sardines. Both were extremely oily, yet they didn’t clash. Instead, the flavors seemed to hold hands and skip their merry way down the road together like best friends.

Whew! Now that I’ve tried them all…

With Meifan’s stomach full, it was time to indulge in some fine drink. She reached over to put a large ice cube into her glass and then poured herself some umeshu.

As she did, the liquor’s fruity aroma filled the air around Meifan. She sipped from the glass.

“H-hey! Wait a second! Come here!” Meifan shouted for the master, who seemed altogether startled. “What’s with this stuff?! Is it just me, or is it even better than it was last time?!”

The umeshu was indeed more flavorful than the previous time she’d had some. Its aroma was stronger, and although its flavor was as sweet as ever, it also had a strong sour element. On the whole, the umeshu tasted much gentler, and it was easier to drink than ever before.

“Oh, you taste the difference? Wow, I’m surprised! I suppose folks who know, know.”

The master didn’t drink, so while he was startled that Meifan could tell that something had changed, he believed her.

He thought about the new tenant from the other day. I guess that guy knows how to walk the walk and talk the talk. You gotta, if you’re gonna start up a bar in times like these.

After looking at various properties, the new tenant had made the Nekoya Building his location. Since the master had agreed to make snacks and deliver them to his floor, the tenant had signed a contract and used his retirement money to open a bar on the second story.

Before destroying his liver, the new tenant had apparently traveled all over the world, partaking in various liquors from different countries. That was his line of work. After spending some twenty years doing that for his company, he’d become quite the savant when it came to alcohol.

Even though the doctors had told him he could no longer drink, he realized that he still wished to be involved with alcohol somehow. Inspired by one of his favorite manga, which was about a certain bar, he wanted to serve unique, delicious drinks and make customers happy. Thus, he’d decided to open a bar himself. Judging by Meifan’s reaction to his umeshu, he was the real deal.

“Ah, well, I actually get my umeshu supply somewhere else now. The price is just about the same, but the drink’s apparently much higher quality.”

“Is that so? I was wondering why the umeshu was so much better all of a sudden!” The master’s explanation satisfied Meifan. There was always something better out there.

What a shock. Even the other stuff was way more delicious than anything I’d made before.

Meifan had first come across the Restaurant to Another World and indulged in the delicious drink known as umeshu about five years ago. Inspired, she’d tried to make her own. She’d grabbed still-green fruits from her island, washed them, and pickled them in the brandy that dwarves loved to make. Then she’d mixed in lots of brown sugar brought in from outside the island and let it sit for half a year.

The men had thought the umeshu was too sweet and not strong enough, but it was a hit among the women, youngsters, and human merchants who came to the island to trade goods. Eventually, young women and wives had started coming to Meifan to ask her for the recipe, and the merchants who’d once come only for metal goods began requesting entire shipments of the stuff, promising to buy it at a high price.

At the end of the day, however, Meifan’s umeshu didn’t come close to the version the Restaurant to Another World served.

He’s got me. I’m never gonna be satisfied with the flavor of mine if I don’t work harder.

Meifan quietly made up her mind as she drank the delicious alcohol. She wanted to brew even more delectable umeshu while she was still alive and kicking.

“Master! Can I get another bottle of the good stuff?” Meifan ordered an additional round, doing her best to memorize the flavor.