Chapter 13: Sandwiches

Chapter 13:
Sandwiches

The Restaurant to Another World had a number of regulars.

They lived all over their world, but they all managed to discover a door of their own. Once every seven days, they used this door to visit the restaurant. They were the kind of customers who made eating the other world’s cooking a part of their lives.

The doors themselves appeared in locations that had relatively strong magical power but otherwise were not particularly picky about where they materialized.

It was actually quite rare for a door to appear in towns, back streets, or places like castles. More commonly, the doors would appear in areas far removed from civilization, awkwardly standing out in the middle of nowhere. In fact, there were still plenty of doors that had yet to be found or used.

As such, the customers at the Restaurant to Another World, especially the regulars, tended to be a weird bunch even among the citizens of that world. These folks who came from all over did their best not to dig too deep into each other’s backgrounds. Even if there was someone world-famous present, or even someone they were mortal enemies with, it was good manners to look the other way and pretend they didn’t see a thing.

After all, this was another world.

What they believed to be common knowledge didn’t necessarily mean anything here, and they shouldn’t assume it did. Plus, if they got out of line, the master might ban them from the restaurant forever.

And so the regulars made it a point to forget their petty squabbles and respect each other while in Nekoya, occasionally stepping in to stop new customers when they unknowingly started trouble. The only exception to this was when it came to food.

The regulars who dropped by once every week without fail all generally had a dish they loved so much that it became their nickname. Each and every one of them believed that dish to be the best of all items served at Nekoya, so when the conversation turned to food, arguments frequently arose.

This just happened to be one of those days.

“Say what?! Are you out of your mind?! You’ve never even experienced the divine taste of bread and minced meat cutlets that’ve been drenched in sauce overnight!”

“Hmph, right back at you, girl! You know nothing! The combination of shripe and tartar sauce is delectable even when cold!”

This particular war of words was being held between the seemingly well-raised, lightly dressed adventurer known as Minced Meat Cutlet, and the young, well-built knight with a famous blade known as Fried Shrimp. The two of them had only recently begun coming to the restaurant but quickly became regulars in no time at all. They started arguing amongst themselves after just happening to take seats next to one another.

“Hm? Are those two youngsters having an argument?”

The older samurai, Teriyaki, arrived after the pair’s squabble began and so turned to his friend, Pork Loin Cutlet, for answers. The latter was a thin, elderly gentleman who was a veteran regular at Nekoya.

“Yes. They’re apparently arguing over what dish makes for a better sandwich.”

As always, the older gentleman was drinking a cold mug of otherworldly ale while nibbling at his order of pork loin cutlet. He explained that this all began when the pair each ordered their favorite dish in sandwich form to go.

A sandwich was a meal made of two slices of white bread with various ingredients placed in the middle. It was delicious when cold, and it was possible to order as takeout.

Or at least that was how sandwiches were described in the Eastern Continent’s language in Nekoya’s menu. When it said various ingredients, it meant just about anything that the master made outside of soup. He could turn most anything into a fairly delicious sandwich.

Generally speaking, there were three basic kinds of sandwiches on the restaurant’s menu. The first was Nekoya’s specialty, two slices of white bread with thinly cut eggs, topped with mayo. The next was a sandwich containing some kind of pink, sliced meat topped with cheese and leafy vegetables. The last was a sandwich made with fish marinated in oil with mayo. However, most regulars tended to order their favorite dish in sandwich form. One could describe this as the restaurant’s secret menu.

“Dear me, they’re fighting over that?” Teriyaki let out a sigh. How absurd it was. What point was there in getting so heated over sandwiches?

“Indeed. How are we supposed to relax and enjoy our meals like this?” said Pork Loin Cutlet.

The two men stood up, clearly used to having to step in, and approached the youngsters embroiled in argument.

“Why don’t you understand?! Minced meat cutlet sandwiches are the best! It’s good even when it’s cold! The thinly sliced pieces of meat are stuffed with delicious juices that just come pouring out when you bite into them! Plus the sweet and sour sauce goes perfectly with the vegetables. It’s an amazing dish!”

Minced Meat Cutlet refused to step down. The first time she visited Nekoya, the master gave her a minced meat cutlet sandwich to go as a gift. She ended up leaving the dish to sit for quite some time, and it eventually grew cold. When she finally ended up eating it, it turned out to have a completely different flavor to it than before, yet it was still delicious. Since then, she made it a point to always order one on the way out. It was that good.

“Hmph! This is the problem with Kingdom girls such as yourself! Like I said earlier, the brilliance that is shripe and tartar sauce is just as strong when cold! By frying the fluffy shripe, you get a wonderfully crunchy texture from each and every bite! You can feel the sweetness of it spread throughout your mouth! Combine that with the sourness of the tartar sauce, and you’re left with something simply divine! Did you know that the fried shrimp sandwiches here have a fruity red vegetable and leafy green vegetables in them as well? So after you take a bite, you get to see the delightful juxtaposition of the white shripe meat and the colorful vegetables! Not only is it delicious, but it’s a work of art in and of itself! Minced meat cutlet, with its brown surface and insides, could never hope to compare!”

On the other end, Fried Shrimp refused to back down as well.

On his second visit to Nekoya, he was made aware of the secret menu by the legendary swordsman who accompanied him. By putting the fried shripe between slices of bread and letting it sit, the dish transformed into something else entirely. While Fried Shrimp agreed that the minced meat cutlet was indeed one of the restaurant’s finer dishes, it stood no chance against the allure of fried shrimp.

Teriyaki and Pork Loin Cutlet cleared their throats in front of the pair that refused to back down.

“Now, now. There’s no need to fight, you two.”

“This is a place for enjoying the finest of foods. They say that conversation can spice up a meal, but if you go overboard, you’ll spoil the taste.”

The young pair went quiet and turned their gaze to the two older gentlemen. One of them was a great hero and the greatest sage in all the world. The other was a wandering foreign swordsman whose skills were renowned across both continents. Having two of the restaurant’s most famous regulars chide them was enough for the two newbies to quiet down.

“I’m sorry. I went overboard. Fried shrimp is certainly delicious in its own right,” Minced Meat Cutlet conceded.

“No, no. I’m also sorry. We all have our favorites, right?” Despite their reluctance, the two apologized to each other.

Teriyaki and Pork Loin Cutlet quietly reminisced about how they too used to squabble like that back during the days of the previous master.

This brings me back. We always used to fight over which dish was the most delicious, Teriyaki thought to himself.

The first Minced Meat Cutlet would always get into fights with Croquette about how his dish was the most delectable of them all, remembered Pork Loin Cutlet. I suppose it runs in the blood.

And so the pair of older men reflected on the past, all the while admonishing the hot-blooded youngsters in front of them.

“Exactly. Minced meat cutlet and fried shrimp are both delicious. But if we’re talking about what makes for the best sandwich, pork loin cutlet is the clear winner.”

“No, no. Pork loin cutlet tastes best when served hot. If you’re going to make anything a sandwich, teriyaki chicken is the one true answer. It tastes great even when cold.”

The two veterans instinctively faced each other, looks of disbelief on their respective faces.

“Weren’t you supposed to be a rice man? And anyway, how’re you even supposed to put teriyaki chicken between slices of bread?” Pork Loin Cutlet stood up and shot his old friend a pointed question.

Teriyaki normally ordered rice with his dish of choice. Only on the rare occasion that he ordered a different meal would he request bread. That made his suggestion of a teriyaki chicken sandwich all the more puzzling. It certainly didn’t help that Pork Loin Cutlet couldn’t believe that the sweet and sour soy sauce of the teriyaki chicken went well with bread.

“Right back at you! You never eat bread! You always order your pork loin cutlet with a large beer, do you not? Why would you bring it up now?”

On the other hand, Teriyaki found himself puzzled. Pork Loin Cutlet always got to the restaurant earlier than he did and was always there for much longer as well. In all of his days as a regular of Nekoya, he only ever saw the man eating pork loin cutlet and drinking beer.

In the handful of instances that Teriyaki witnessed Pork Loin Cutlet order something else, he always made sure to have it with a beer, not bread. The swordsman was more than aware that bread and cutlet went together well, but he was shocked to hear that Pork Loin Cutlet ordered them together. Both men replied to each other in disbelief.

“That’s not true at all! Once a month I order a pork loin cutlet sandwich to go. No vegetables, just meat, sauce, and mustard. Put some butter on the bread and eat it when it’s cold! That’s the best way to enjoy the savory, greasy pork. The bread even softens up from the overflowing meat juices and sauce. Add a dab of mustard for that extra zap of hotness and you have a masterpiece!”

Pork Loin Cutlet explained his once-a-month tradition to his friend. He would stay at the restaurant until just around the time the magic dragon showed up, go home, sleep, and then the next day he would indulge in the sandwich. Compared to the bread itself, the actual pork loin cutlet was thick, topped with plenty of sauce. It was more than enough to fill the legendary hero’s stomach, and it felt great. This was his special lunch that he had enjoyed since the days of the previous master.

“Now hang on there. You see, I only just found out recently, but teriyaki goes extremely well with bread. The thinly sliced teriyaki chicken and fresh cucumber drenched in that sweet and sour sauce, combined with oranie sandwiched between slices of bread with mustard spread on them… Somehow, it all mysteriously comes together! Not to mention, I hear that teriyaki chicken sandwiches are quite popular in this world!”

The samurai learned of teriyaki chicken sandwiches from the master on the same day that he brought Fried Shrimp to Nekoya and told him of the hidden menu. He’d never forget the first time he ate it. His preconceived notion that teriyaki chicken and bread didn’t match was blown away by the tremendous explosion of flavors in his mouth.

It didn’t take long for the two stubborn old men to exchange fierce glares and start arguing.

This of course led to the other customers getting into their own squabbles.

Around this time, both old regulars and new regulars alike were gathered together, and they all began to argue for their personal favorites.

“I personally like a good Neapolitan spaghetti dog on a roll. Did you know that the Neapolitan spaghetti served here has quite the strong flavor when put between slices of bread? The tangy flavor of the ketchup holds its own against the soft white bread. It’s really something else!” The heir to one of the Kingdom’s great merchant businesses suggested the rather fantastical option of combining noodles with bread. According to him, it was delightful.

“Oh, my. I see the young one there hasn’t quite figured out the way things work. If you want to talk about noodles that go wonderfully with bread, speak of none other than yakisoba with its aromatic, thick sauce. With just cabbage, noodles, and that meat, the red ginger and greens stand out that much more elegantly. It’s truly a sight for sore eyes,” a new voice spoke up.

“I hate agreeing with you, but nonetheless, I must. While it’s not quite as good as freshly cooked okonomiyaki, yakisoba in a roll is a true delicacy. The sweet yet sour flavor of the sauce combined with the pork, cabbage, and red ginger make for a savory, dare I say, heavenly, experience.”

Both the diviner and the samurai from the Western Continent spoke of the majesty of yakisoba with its cabbage and sauce.

“Um, when it comes to sandwiches, I personally adore ones with sweet fruits and cream inside. The gentle sweetness of the latter and the tart flavor of ripe fruit seem like they should clash, but when combined, they’re really quite delicious!”

The radiant princess from the Empire spoke of the joys of the fruit sandwich, a food that she recently began ordering on the way home every time she dropped by.

“If we’re talking fruit sandwiches, I think custard is the way to go. Its rich sweetness blends beautifully with the fruits and bread. It also doesn’t make the bread soggy.”

Meanwhile, the Witch Princess from the Duchy who loved Nekoya’s pudding spoke highly of the fruit sandwich as well. Only unlike the other princess, she recommended using custard cream, an ingredient that held a similar flavor to pudding.

And so the restaurant was enveloped in a fierce war of words for some time.

Which sandwich was the best?

It was a battle reserved only for customers who knew of the secret option known as takeout.

“How absurd.” Fardania, a traveling elf who hadn’t dropped by the restaurant in about half a year watched the fighting go on with exhausted eyes.

She ordered the same tofu steak she did on that unforgettable day when she first visited Nekoya and had her pride wounded, prompting her to set off on a journey around the world. Fardania watched the other customers bicker amongst themselves while she ate.

She wasn’t a regular. She only just happened to hear from a halfling that there was a door nearby and swung in for a bite. The journey to the restaurant took her on a roundabout path that put her three days away from her next objective, the elven capital. However, given the lifespans of elves, this was an extremely minor delay.

“Phew.”

The elf placed her fork down after finishing her tofu steak. It was just as delicious as the one she ate half a year ago.

“Thank you, Master. It was delicious.” As much as it pained her to admit it, if she wasn’t honest here, that in and of itself would mean admitting defeat.

“You’re quite welcome.” As usual, the master nodded his head without saying anything unnecessary to the elf girl.

“By the way, does this place have any rice dishes available for takeout?” Fardania had been wondering about this for some time. Unfortunately, the bread at Nekoya smelled ever-so-slightly of milk, making it impossible for her to eat. The rice on the other hand was tremendous.

“Yeah, we have something, I suppose.” The master thought to himself for a moment before replying.

“Really?” Fardania was both surprised and not surprised by the answer that came back to her.

“Well, since we call ourselves Western Cuisine Nekoya, we don’t really have it on the menu, but…” Nonetheless, the master went on.

“I think I could make some grilled rice balls for you as takeout.”

As a result of Western Cuisine Nekoya’s promise of free rice refills, the restaurant frequently had an abundance of leftover rice at the end of the day. Since the master couldn’t just reuse rice the next day, he would often either offer it to employees or eat it himself after work. He didn’t like wasting food. It was during these times that the master would baste the rice with sweet sake and soy sauce, and make them into grilled rice balls.

It was a simple dish that involved rolling the leftover rice into balls and covering them with mirin and miso before grilling them. The smell of the crisp surface combined with the aroma of the mirin and miso made for an appealing scent. The dish was so popular with the master’s employees that on days with lots of leftover rice, an entire plate’s worth of rice balls would disappear into their stomachs in mere moments.

Of course, it went without saying that if he were to serve them to customers, he’d have to make them a bit fancier than the ones he served his employees or ate himself. As long as he made sure of that, he saw nothing wrong with accepting money for them.

“Then can I have whatever that is? The food in the human town I’m staying in isn’t very good at all.” Fardania wore a composed expression on her face as she placed her order. She knew full well that this restaurant would once again surprise her with something she never saw coming.

“Coming right up. It’ll be right out.” The master returned to the kitchen, pondering what to do about seasonings.

I suppose I’ll just roll with the usual combo of seaweed soy sauce, mirin, and a dash of sesame seeds sprinkled on top. One of them can be onion and miso… Ah, and for the last one, maybe I can toss in some seaweed strips.

And so the master got to work grilling the rice balls while also preparing some bread. Having run this restaurant for over ten years now, he knew what was coming next. It always ended up like this on days when the customers started arguing amongst themselves.

“Ah, geez! Look, you’ll understand once you try it, okay?! Master! Get this know-it-all a minced meat sandwich, please!”

“In that case, one fried shrimp sandwich for the girl, sir!”

“Hey, Master! I’d like one of those teriyaki chicken sandwich things! If you’re going to be that stubborn about it, fine! I’ll give it a try!”

“Then get me a pork loin cutlet sandwich! Though we all know it isn’t going to taste better than a teriyaki chicken sandwich!”

“Master, I’d like one of those yakisoba sandwich things. I’m rather curious about the combo of noodles and sauce.”

“Master, get me a Neapolitan on a bun! Let’s see what all the fuss is about!”

“Then I will have the same thing. I leave it in your hands, Master.”

“In that case, how about we compare them here and now? That way we can be sure,” said the Witch Princess.

“Bring it on! Excuse me, could we get two fruit sandwiches, one made with cream and one made with custard?” replied the imperial princess.

And just like that, the orders kept on coming. The master couldn’t help but chuckle at how predictable it all was.

“Aye, you got it!”

The master wore a grin on his face, his hands moving as fast as they could to prepare his customers’ orders.