Chapter 56: Pork Chops

Chapter 56:
Pork Chops

In a small, remote country nestled in the high mountains of the Eastern Continent, Albert, the third prince of this nation, kept a cautious hand on his ancestral mythril sword. He was making his way to the “vegetable garden.”

This was an old ruin, where long, long ago, during the ancient times, the elves had grown rare plants from around the world.

Yet over a thousand years had passed since the overseers of the garden vanished. In their absence, the garden was ruled by the golems once designed to monitor it, along with the beasts and insects drawn by its lush plant life. There were even dangerous plants that killed and ate humans for nutrients. And so the garden had become a terrifying place filled with horrors.

“Geez, what’s wrong with that old man?” Albert muttered to himself, hacking away the viney arm of a plant monster as it reached for his thick neck. “Why would you ever open a shop here?”

He had come in search of something very strange.

It was an oak-wood door he’d discovered when he first journeyed into the garden in an attempt to prove his bravery. Now, every seven days, Albert came here in search of the door—and what resided beyond it.

“Phew, I’m finally here.”

He hadn’t traveled far from the garden’s entrance when he came upon the door. Albert cupped his large hand around the handle and pulled it open.

***

Albert stepped forward into the restaurant with all the courage and dignity of royalty, to the sound of ringing bells.

“Yo, old man! I’m back for some grub!”

“Aye, welcome.”

The old man greeted Arnold, real live royalty, as if he were any other customer. The guy might have a head of gray hair and a face full of wrinkles, but he still had quite the aura.

“I see you’re as energetic as ever… Sit wherever you like and call me when you’re good to order. Here’s the menu.”

“Got it!”

Albert found a seat for himself, paying little heed to the old man’s word choice. While he was in fact royalty, he was the third son in his family. It was highly unlikely that he would ever be king. And besides, what point was there in pushing his world’s customs on the inhabitants of the “other world”?

This place always has the weirdest customers…

Albert perused the menu, glancing at the people sitting around him.

There was a group of old men indulging in mugs of cold, golden ale, refreshingly bitter. Their table was covered with all manner of dishes, and they were spiritedly debating whether the mincemeat cutlet or croquettes were the best.

There was a warrior clad in the garb of the Western Continent quietly enjoying some kind of meat along with a bowl of white rice.

There was a large knight devouring some dish smothered in brown sauce, wearing clothes that had once likely been quite expensive but were now in tatters.

Beside him, a wealthy looking merchant was digging into a plate of pasta covered in bright red sauce.

Elsewhere was a giant lizardman, its expression impossible to read, as it silently ate some sort of giant egg dish with a silver spoon.

Sitting at another table was a positively stunning priestess of the Lord of Light, downing “ginjo sake” like it was water. Albert recalled that particular alcohol being delicious but extremely strong. Who was this woman?

At the table next to her sat an older dwarf woman, likely from the Western Continent, enjoying a glass of alcohol infused with some kind of delicious fruit.

One of the other tables was playing host to a group of hard-partying adventurers. All kinds of food and drink were spread out before them. What were they celebrating?

It feels like this place is getting more popular.

When Albert first started visiting the restaurant, it had been significantly quieter. But with each subsequent visit, it seemed like it was getting more crowded.

“Now then, time to dig in,” Albert said to himself, watching everyone around him delightedly indulge in their foods of choice. His stomach was beckoning its master to fill it, posthaste.

“Yo, old man! I’m good to go!”

“Aye,” the old man walked over. “So what’ll it be?”

“I’ll have the pork chop with white bread and soup.” Albert requested his favorite food.

It was a meat dish with a special sauce made from “marmett,” a red fruit available only in his country.

***

After a time, the old man came out from the kitchen, food in hand.

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

This was the only time the old man had ever used an even somewhat polite tone with Albert. But the prince didn’t mind in the least. After all, he was delivering him the greatest gift of all.

The old man placed a black metal plate before Albert. In its center was a sizzling piece of fatty pork topped with dark red sauce.

“Enjoy the food!”

“Will do.”

The words went in and out of the prince’s ears as he slowly picked up the silver knife and fork.

First comes the meat…

Deciding to leave the various vegetables decorating the plate for later, Albert directed his fork toward the mass of meat.

Albert cut off a large piece of the pork chop with his silver knife. While the meat was undeniably thick, it was also incredibly tender; the blade cut through it effortlessly. The prince brought the fatty piece of pork to his mouth.

Mm, I could eat this otherworldly pork forever.

Albert nodded quietly to himself, tremendously satisfied by the flavor. The pork was fatty but lacked all gaminess. He could taste the very sweetness of a fall-fattened pig—a flavor that was impossible to achieve in a pig that had grown thin through the cold winter months.

Bringing out the flavor of the meat was the sour red sauce topping it all. It was composed of all manner of vegetables fused with vinegar and paired with the fatty pork perfectly.

I never realized marmett could be used like this. The other world sure is full of surprises…

The key to the sauce was undoubtedly the marmett. Originally discovered by Albert’s ancestors in the vegetable garden, the red marmett was a special crop that could only be found in his home country. The red sauce that brought out the taste of the meat was filled with the sweet and sour flavor of ripe marmett. Albert’s country may have been a small one, but as a royal, he had access to all kinds of rare foods. And yet the combination of pork and marmett was a pairing that he could only experience at the Restaurant to Another World.

I suppose it’s about time I start eating everything else.

After having eaten about half of the pork chop on his plate, Albert turned his attention to the soup, bread, and vegetables.

The otherworldly vegetables were cooked in oil and lightly salted; crunchy on the surface but satisfyingly soft on the inside.

The boiled karoots were tender all the way to the wick, their sweet flavor providing a counterpoint to the sourness of the fruit sauce on the pork chop.

Let’s see. Next is…

Chewing on the green stalk-like beans, Albert decided to add some extra flavoring to the proceedings. He took some of the marmett sauce from atop the meat and slathered it on the vegetables.

Mm, this is it right here.

The sour sauce paired well with the lightly flavored vegetables.

They were undoubtedly delicious on their own, but the sauce took it to a whole other level.

And so after making a good dent in the sides, Albert finally reached for the bread. He dipped a piece into the milky soup and composed a bite with it and some of the yellow vegetables.

The sweet, soft bread soaked up the soup. With each bit, the liquid poured out into his mouth.

“Hey, old man. Another serving of bread.”

“Aye.”

As far as the prince was concerned, this bread was far too small. The white lump of deliciousness had disappeared into his stomach almost immediately.

All right! Time to get this done.

The old man brought him bread, fresh from the oven. But now Albert turned his attention back to the main course.

He drove his knife into the remaining meat, cutting off a large piece. He then took the silver utensil and sliced the fresh bread about half-way open. Albert’s next move was to insert the meat into the bread itself.

And eat it in a single bite.

The rich flavor of the sauce and the fat of the meat melded with the sweetness of the bread.

Albert was dazzled by the fusion of flavors exploding in his mouth.

He felt tremendously fulfilled and incredibly grateful to the master who had taught him this particular otherworldly method of eating.

Pretty much all of the meat dishes at the restaurant were delicious on their own. Yet eating them with bread took it to another level.

“Yo, old man! Another order of bread!”

Albert’s voice echoed throughout the restaurant.

***

“Whew, now that was some good eatin’!”

Albert mopped the remaining sauce from the plate with his bread, finishing it all off in one big bite. He let out a satisfied sigh and indulged in a cup of “coffee,” a sugary, otherworldly black tea.

The knight had eaten so much that he didn’t want to work just yet. He would relax and enjoy the full feeling until his stomach finally digested the feast.

“Now if only there were a door in a more accessible location…”

Considering how delicious the food and drink was here, it was rather unfortunate that Albert had to go through such dangers to find the door. Once Albert re-entered the vegetable garden, he would have to be on high guard once again.

And so until he regained the ability to do any kind of work, Albert relaxed in the restaurant, full stomach and all.