Chapter 55: Seafood Pesto Pasta

Chapter 55:
Seafood Pesto Pasta

After finding the door still standing in the alleyway, the imperial knight Graham Beltran let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness,” he said under his breath. “Nobody’s used it today.”

Seven days ago, under the pretense of going out on patrol, Graham had tried to visit the door only to find that it was already gone.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened. Graham realized that somebody else in town must be using the door, too.

He didn’t particularly like the idea of some unknown using the door, but it wasn’t his place to complain.

Either way, today the door was all his.

Graham put his hand to the sturdy handle and opened the door. His ears were met with the sound of ringing bells, something he hadn’t heard for fourteen long days. And so the knight stepped through to the other side.

***

The room Graham walked into was a closed-off basement of sorts.

The space was brightly lit, although there wasn’t a single window in sight. Hell, it was the middle of the winter and yet the room was pleasantly warm. There wasn’t even a fire on. It was truly a strange place.

“Welcome to Western Cuisine Nekoya!”

Graham was greeted with a smile by the demon waitress, carrying food to and fro.

“Greetings. I’ll be eating in.” The knight found himself a seat at a table. “Excuse me, but could I get a menu?”

“You got it!”

Settling in, he accepted the menu from the young waitress. This menu thing was a book filled with all the different dishes the restaurant had to offer.

“Whenever you’re ready to order, just let me know!”

“All right.”

Graham looked down at the open menu as the waitress went off to tend to other customers. What should he have today?

Seafood is clearly the only choice.

The imperial knight was well aware everything the restaurant offered was delicious in its unique way. But today he had his heart set on seafood. Fish, krakeen, shripe, shellfish, and the like.

How ironic. When I still lived in my hometown, I refused to eat anything other than meat…

Graham reflected on his youth as he perused the menu.

The imperial knight had grown up in a port town that had been absorbed by the Empire years ago.

Every day, trade ships from other ports on the Eastern Continent, and even from the far-off Western Continent, would drop anchor to do business. The whole place had smelled of saltwater.

Graham came from a family of knights. When mealtime came around, there was always seafood on the table. As a young man, Graham had far preferred the meat brought into town by traders. Yet now, as an adult living in the inland Empire, he never spent any time by the ocean. And so after eating meat and cobbler’s tubers every day, he often developed a craving for fish.

It certainly didn’t help that within the Empire, and more specifically in the imperial capital, seafood was an extremely important and valuable food. As someone without many accomplishments under his belt, who had just passed the knight exam (in the Empire, anybody who could pass this exam could become a knight), there was no way he could get his hands on fish.

That’s why the Restaurant to Another World was such an important place to Graham. It was the one place where he could get seafood and booze at an affordable price.

Now then, shall I go with fried food, gratin, or pilaf… Oh, or perhaps pasta of some kind?

The Restaurant to Another World had it all.

There was the fried option. This was particularly beloved by a certain knight, a man who wore high-quality military armor and always had his trusty blade at his waist, and whose strength likely far outstripped Graham’s.

Then there was shripe topped with Kingdom-styled knight sauce, the favorite of a certain commoner girl.

And then there was the Western Continent-style rice dish, beloved of a noble woman of the Sand Nation clad in an imperial-style dress.

Last but not least was the Kingdom-style pasta prepared not just with seafood but with all manner of ingredients and seasonings.

This was the challenge Graham faced every single time he visited Nekoya. To make matters worse, depending on what dish he ordered, he’d have to adjust the alcohol he paired it with.

But after struggling for a time, Graham made his decision.

All right! Today I’m going with white wine and pasta.

He finally beckoned for the waitress.

“Excuse me. I’d like to order now.”

“Of course! What would you like?”

“Could I get a bottle of white wine, please? I’ll be having that with pasta… Let’s see, I’ll start with a dish of seafood pesto pasta.”

This was a green pasta dish with a fragrant herb seasoning.

“No problem! That’ll be right out.”

“Mm.”

The waitress girl left for the kitchen, leaving Graham to lean back comfortably in his chair while he waited.

Surrounding him were the voices of the other customers.

At one table two friends enjoyed a conversation. At another there was a lone diner like Graham, quietly waiting for their order to arrive.

These customers came in all shapes, sizes, and races. Graham found himself surprised by this every time he visited.

I suppose that just goes to show how delicious the food is here.

He totally understood what brought so many different people to this place. Graham had first discovered Nekoya about half a year ago, and ever since then he’d made it a point to come here every Day of Satur.

“Sorry for the wait! Here’s your food and wine!”

And so it was time to dine.

***

The wine came in a beautiful green bottle, a perfect visual pair with the herby pasta.

“Take your time and enjoy!”

“Indeed, I shall,” Graham replied politely. He then turned his full attention to the meal at hand.

I’ll start with the wine.

Graham gently unsealed the bottle and poured the liquid into a beautiful glass the waitress had brought out for it.

It was a faintly yellow, transparent alcohol. The fragrant scent of the white wine filled the knight’s nostrils.

Mm, what a wonderful scent.

Graham took a moment to enjoy the white wine’s aroma before tasting it properly.

He took a sip and the flavor spread through his mouth, slightly sweet but sour overall.

The white wine here had none of the unpleasantness of the swill he drank in the other world. In fact, it was of such high quality that it seemed crazy to be selling it for only two silver coins.

If this stuff ever did the rounds in the Empire, liquor stores would go out of business.

While Graham was in fact a knight, he had been born and raised in a town filled with merchants. It was easy for him to picture what would happen if affordable wine like this ever became widely available.

Everything at Nekoya was of abnormally high quality for how much it cost. If that annoying “door” wasn’t the only way to get here, this place would be a lot more popular.

I suppose I should dig in before it gets cold.

Now that Graham had the chance to enjoy the flavor of the wine on its own, it was time to eat.

The bright pasta was topped with colorful green herbs and a sauce garnished with high-quality oil. Mixed in with the pasta were pieces of various seafood.

The pasta comes first.

Graham gently drove his fork into the pasta, twisting some around the utensil. The noodles colorfully reflected the light of the restaurant, thanks to the sauce’s glistening green coat.

The knight couldn’t help but gulp, smelling the wondeful aroma and beholding the beautiful presentation.

He finally took a bite.

Mm! This is it! This is why pasta is the best!

The boiled pasta was neither too tough nor too soft—“al dente.”

The dish’s various ingredients melded together perfectly.

The savoriness of the fish, krakeen, shripe, and shellfish. The rich aroma of the herbs in the green sauce and the flavor of fried nuts. And then there was the spiciness of the chili pepel that brought it all together.

All of these different flavors and ingredients fused into one, creating seafood pesto pasta.

Mm, mm…

The deliciousness moved Graham to silence as he focused his entire being on eating. He’d twirl some pasta around his fork, eat it, and occasionally take a bite of the delectable pieces of seafood.

After every couple of bites, he took a sip of his white wine, repeating this cycle over and over again.

***

Graham was still a young man, with a young man’s appetite, and it wasn’t long before his plate was empty.

Hmph… I suppose that’s a fairly decent start.

Now that he was nice and relaxed, he gently rubbed his stomach.

Time to get serious.

It went without saying: a single dish of pasta wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy a hardworking young man like Graham. He once again turned his attention to the menu.

What should I order next?

Graham’s eyes scanned Nekoya’s seemingly boundless menu. He slowly ran his finger across each dish as he tried to determine his next order.