The Other World Dining Hall (WN) Chapter 65

Sake Steamed Clams

He cooked "it" after thoroughly removing the sand and tasted one that was done.

[…Un, tasty.]

He nodded to the taste and fragrance spreading in his mouth and called Aletta.

[Deliver this one.]

He served it on a deep bowl, added b.u.t.ter to the baked bread and pa.s.sed it to Aletta.

[Yes! I'm off.]

After receiving it, Aletta went to the mobile device named "elevator" (that she thought moved using magic).

That time was right before Sat.u.r.day evening… a little while before the second floor bar "Leonhart" opened.

The master of Leonhart would put in an order for dinner right around this time, as a living preparation before continuing his work from evening to late at night.

The things he asked were various based on his mood at that time, but every year when this season came, he always ordered this.

The main character of this dish was sake, and the master was naturally an alcohol drinker.

[…That's right. Today's long awaited side dish is this.]

The owner decided to cook this as that day's side dish for alcohol.

…He was aware of the customers who seemed to like this.

[For those small old men, this must be delightful.]

Every time they came, they would surely drink so much that he would make a huge deficit if he had an unlimited drink service, those small old men customers.

Although they had not shown up for the last few weeks, it seemed they would come today, that's what his intuition as the owner said.

Gard and Guilem, the dwarven craftsmen, climbed steadily up the spring mountain where some snow still remained.

[Seriously, it's so cold!]

[Look, just a little more! Keep it up!]

Although the season was finally spring, it was still located at the top of the mountain.

It was still cold though they wore coats that served as thick leather armors and armors made of bear fur.

[The weather is clear! If we miss it, we're going to regret it!]

[Nou! If it snows every Satur's day, I would wonder if the G.o.ddess of Fire had changed her job to the G.o.ddess of Sky!]

Guilem nodded to Gard's words.

It would be their first time in twenty days they could drink otherworld alcohol.

Even during winter, the two of them went through a lot of trouble just for "that".

Gard and Guilem were about the same as ordinary dwarves…

As alcoholics, they would brave snow and cold winds for delicious liquors.

However, the opponent was a winter mountain.

Whenever there was a snow storm at the mountain, it would be life-threatening for them no matter how st.u.r.dy a dwarf was.

As expected of a dwarf's life… if they went to the netherworld, they would never be able to drink alcohol ever again.

For the last two "Satur's Day", the mountain's weather was rough as there were snow storms, so they could not help but to give up while crying.

And today.

The weather was beautifully sunny.

The ideal weather for "Satur's Day".

That's why they gladly carried their axes and climbed the mountain while donning thick coats instead of their armors.

[Ou. I see it.]

[Ou. Let's go.]

They walked for a while and reached their destination.

A heavily constructed and st.u.r.dy mountain hut with snow piled on the roof.

Formerly, Gard and Guilem cooperated and rebuilt it quietly on a mountain road where people seldom pa.s.sed through.

[Hey, hurry up!]

[I know!]

After they entered the cabin, they swallowed their spit while opening the st.u.r.dy steel door that was the entrance to the very small room at the back of the cabin.

The door was heavy enough that several people were needed to open it and the room was so small that even an ordinary human couldn't lie on the floor.

A mysterious door appeared in this room once in 7 days.

[Okay! Let's go!]

[Ou, I can't wait to drink the otherworld liquors!]

A black wooden door with a picture of a cat was hidden behind the steel door.

Gard turned the bra.s.s handle and they rushed into the restaurant with enough speed to drown the bell sound.

They sat on an empty table with enough momentum to rock their chairs and yelled.

[[Three mugs of beers for now! Immediately!!!]]

To drink cold beer in a warm room.

It was essential for wetting their thirsty throats after climbing that mountain.

After gulping down two mugs of beers each, they looked at the menu while sipping at their third mugs.

[For the liquor… after the cold morning, I want something hot.]

[Then it's atsukan. Though there's a problem of its small quant.i.ty.]

The first to be decided was the alcohol.

The warmed sake made of rice was precious for both of them who lived in the Eastern Continent.

Though they were thirsty, their bodies were cooled even further by the cold beer, so it would be a treat.

[Then the food…]

[Well… oi, waitress! What is today's side dish for liquor!?]

The sake they ordered did not fit deep fried seafood.

Whenever that happened, Gard would ask Aletta who naturally remembered this kind of thing.

That day's side dish for alcohol.

This was something the otherworld dining hall would prepare for their customers who ordered alcohol. The food served would change every day.

They had recently started to order this because they could enjoy dishes that were not in the menu.

[Yes. Today's dish is sake steamed clams. It's a dish in which sh.e.l.lfishes are simmered in sake.]

Aletta told them that day's recommended dish.

[Hoo! To think there's such a thing!]

[Then we'll order it! Two servings per person for now!]

Sh.e.l.lfish boiled in liquor.

When they heard that, the dwarves couldn't afford not to order it.

With their mouths aligned, Gard and Guilem ordered that.

[I understand. Please wait a moment.]

Aletta should have known.

She replied pleasantly and went back to the kitchen for a while.

[Thank you for waiting! Here are your atsukan and sake steamed clams. Etto, I was told that it tastes better with shoyu.

Well then, please enjoy.]

Placed before them was food heaped on a large dish, warm sake inside a small pottery and two small cups made of pottery.

[Ou! Then, let's eat!]

[I'll certainly order this again after it's finished!]

While Aletta turned to attend other customers, Gard and Guilem looked at the food.

[Hoo! This is really boiled with sake!]

[It certainly smells of sake! The scent of alcohol!]

They gazed at the unknown dish that looked delicious.

Small sh.e.l.lfishes, smaller than oysters, were piled in the bowl with their sh.e.l.ls open. Chopped green herbs were then placed above the pile.

The scent wafting from it was a mixture of melting b.u.t.ter and sake made from Western Continent's rice.

But, it wasn't cooked for a long time judging from the distinctive scent of sake.

[Let's eat!]

[Ou!]

Their mouth watered after smelling the drifting scent of delicious liquor, so they started to eat.

They grasped the full bottle of warm sake with their left hands, though it's nothing to their thick dwarven palm, and picked up the clams with their right hands.

While dwarven teeth were st.u.r.dy, it was not tasty to eat sh.e.l.lfish with its sh.e.l.l, so they only ate the body.

[[Umu! Delicioius!]]

They nodded to that taste.

A thick, fresh clam wrapped in the flavor of b.u.t.ter and aroma of sake.

The seasonings were only salt and spices, but it made the taste of clams to be fully enjoyed.

And more than anything…

[It absolutely fits with atsukan!]

[Ou!]

With confidence in its taste, they fully enjoyed it with sake this time.

They discarded the sh.e.l.ls, picked up the next clams, ate it, and drank the atsukan while the taste of clams still lingered in their mouth.

[This is effective!]

[Drinking hot sake while eating food made with sake! Oh yeah!]

They were convinced with the compatibility.

The atsukan had sweet scent similar to a fruit. Went the hot sake warmed their throats, that scent mingled with the taste of herbs and clams remaining in their mouths and enhanced the umami of the sake.

The way they learned from the samurai hailing from the Western Continent greatly satisfied them.

After they ate all the clams, they drank the soup remaining in the bowl and emptied their sake bottles.

[Ou! Another serving!]

[Two servings per person! Another atsukan too!]

[Ye-s! I'll be right there!]

They ordered again and noisily waited for their food.

[Next, let's eat it the way the girl suggested!]

[Shoyu! Here!]

As they were accustomed to it, they sprinkled the shoyu to the dish and ate it again.

[Hoo… it certainly makes a difference with shoyu!]

[Certainly, the taste is clear! After all, with the exception of deep-fried, it should be shoyu!]

The taste changed drastically when shoyu was added to the sake steamed clams compared to earlier.

Instead of thinning the taste of sh.e.l.lfish, shoyu's refres.h.i.+ng saltiness was added.

The clean saltiness of shoyu stood out exceptionally for seafood.

It's no exception for the sake steamed clams.

[I can't stop! Let's eat more!]

[The problem is the amount is too small! …Oi, waitress, keep bringing more!]

Delicious sake and otherworld dining hall's cooking for the first time in 20 days.

To this combination, the dwarves' drinking bout showed great excitement.

…As a result, they continued to eat and drink until late night as usual.

TN: When the author wrote the dwarves had to give up climbing the mountain while crying, I imagined them in orz position while crying with those sad background effects. Quite funny indeed.