Chapter 2 – Sour
Siebold stepped inside Fleur de la Cerise on the opposite side of Lumiose City to his La Perle de la Mer. Just as he expected, the place looked like it was pulled straight out of a fairy tale, complete with most certainly edible cherry trees, grass and ponds. A whiff of Johto, he felt. Then again, Antonia was from Johto, Cherrygrove City more specifically. She had simply brought a touch from home and made it… well, Kalosian. Or appeal to Kalosian people. Judging by the amount of customers, it had worked really well.
Before Siebold even had time to think all this true, a waiter had come up to him and bowed.
"Bon soir, monsieur. A table for one? Or perhaps you're expecting company, sir?"
"No, I'm on my own. Table for one, please." Siebold said, still scanning his surroundings sharply. Antonia had an eye for aesthetics; that was for certain. The name of the restaurant fit the setting perfectly and vice versa. Johto gardens were the most beautiful Siebold knew, and she had decorated the space to perfectly resemble one of them, and yet so over the top that it was more fairy tale-like and magical… wait. Stop right there.
Siebold clenched his jaw as the waiter politely told the Elite Four member to follow him. He was seated by a small table on the second floor balcony, with a perfect view of the top of the cherry trees. He received the menu and ordered some Johto rice wine to drink as a starter. Perhaps not the most conventional choice, but then again, since the restaurant was run by Antonia, he expected the best quality in the business.
Scanning through the menu, Siebold noticed right away the desserts were in focus. The list of possible desserts was much longer than the entrees and mains, and they seemed much more complex in general than any of the savory dishes. Finally, after much internal debate with himself, he ordered a three course menu: miso soup, stir fried noodles with mushrooms and Flaming Flower, a dessert that sounded quite interesting. Siebold had to admit, though, that all desserts on the menu sounded absolutely brilliant… which was only to be expected by a world class pâtissière, of course. The savory dishes, though, sounded quite plain to him, which was a shame.
In Siebold's mind, he had been right when he got the miso soup. It looked modern and quirky, served with a kind of playfulness only Antonia could create on a plate and still make it look serious, but in Siebold's taste, it wasn't anything interesting flavor wise. It was miso soup. Delicious, yes, but he could make it taste so much better, take it to new heights. Disappointing.
The stir fried noodles and mushrooms weren't that interesting either. The plating looked excellent, a work of art, but again the taste was a letdown. Such a shame. You can do so much better, he thought to himself, sighing slightly. The dish had been delicious, just like the entrée, but it lacked the "oomph". That something little extra was missing, no "zing". Oh well, the dessert would certainly deliver, but that didn't mean Siebold still found the entrée and main course quite average.
The Flaming Flower dessert arrived at the table with style. The waiter placed a delicate, colorful piece of art in front of him on the table, which basically consisted of different kinds of fruit prepared with numerous complex techniques that together formed an orange and red flower. In the middle of the flower lay a bowl made of sugar so thin it looked like glass and inside it some orange liquor. The waiter stroke a match and lit the liquor, making it burn with a blue flame.
"I hope you'll enjoy your dessert, sir." He said, bowing and then leaving.
Siebold examined the creation carefully. Undeniably, Antonia had put much work into this dessert, and every single dessert on the entire menu had probably gone through the same process. The dish was still being made before him, the flambéed liquor finishing off the whole thing. Fascinating indeed.
As expected, the taste was as magical as the restaurant promised it would be. The flavors, textures, temperatures… everything melted together into something truly spectacular. It was sweet, sour, juicy, crunchy, cold, warm, fruity, fresh… everything you could expect from a fruit-based dessert and more. The orange liquor tied it all together perfectly, acting as a kind of flavor-emulsifier. Siebold couldn't deny that the Flaming Flower was an extraordinary dessert.
"How did you find your food, sir?" The waiter asked when he returned.
"I'd like to see the owner, could that be arranged?" Siebold said. It was more of a demand than a question. The waiter picked up his empty plate.
"Mademoiselle Antonia is running the pass, but I guess she has time to exchange a word or two. She has told us to send anyone who asks to see her directly to her, so you're more than welcome to follow me, sir."
"Thank you." Siebold rose from his seat and followed the waiter downstairs. He was going to tell the pastry chef exactly what he thought of her savory food.
Approaching the service area, he heard a familiar voice:
"One Forbidden Fruit and one Lily of Love! Service for table thirty-four!"
"Mademoiselle," the waiter said, walking up to her to return the dirty plate for the plates going to table thirty-four, "A gentleman would like a word with you."
"Une minute, monsieur!" Antonia said, not looking around as she was already focused on the next order. Her pitch-black hair was short, not reaching longer than her cheekbones, and the one rosy streak of pink that was so distinctive to her was still there, perhaps a bit wider than it used to be. Siebold couldn't remember exactly. "One Flaming Flower and two Berry Baskets! How long for the Forbidden Fruit and Lily of Love?"
"Thirty seconds, chef!" Two voices announced simultaneously.
"Excellent!" Antonia said, finally turning around. "Now, how can I-…" She stopped dead in her tracks, her smile fading and her facial expression taking a stern look, her sapphire eyes peering at him through her rosy-framed glasses. "Evening, Siebold."
"Evening, Antonia." He said, meeting her gaze with one just as stern. "Before you ask, yes, I've come to tell you personally how I found my food tonight." Antonia crossed her arms over her chest.
"I'm listening, but being a chef and running a few restaurants yourself, you know I'm busy. Keep it short."
"Fine. The dessert, as always, was excellent. However, it completely overshadowed my entrée and main course. The miso soup was, well, miso soup; you can't make it taste better by simply making it look better. The stir fried noodles with mushrooms were mediocre. Sure, artful looking plate, but still it was only noodles and mushrooms. Why open a restaurant when it really should be a dessert bar? You're no good at savory dishes, and you know it. Risky, don't you think?"
Antonia glared at him, obviously annoyed.
"You're one to talk." She said dryly. "But thanks for the… constructive critique, I shall see to it you get no mediocre noodles in the future. Anything else?"
"How dare you?" Siebold hissed. Antonia huffed.
"Your plating looks boring, and you're desserts are so plain they make me fall asleep at the table. I had dinner at you're restaurant last week, and I was bored out of my mind. Where's the fun? Where's this art you speak of?"
"You had dinner at La Perle de la Mer? So, why didn't you come to criticize me on spot?" Siebold was growing angry, boiling inside with frustration over the pastry chef in front of him.
"Because I knew you'd come here eventually to do it yourself, and thought I'd save it for later." Antonia said, snatching an order from a waiter on the go. "Two Flaming Flowers and one Forbidden Fruit! Service, table fifty-one and sixteen!" She turned her gaze back to Siebold. "Are you quite finished? I have a job to do." Siebold huffed.
"Fine. If my opinion means nothing at all, then thanks for the dessert, but I'm not eating here again." He hissed.
"Good, then I won't have to put up with that attitude of yours. Unless you're plating skills get better, you won't be seeing me anytime soon at La Perle de la Mer either. Bon soir."
With that, she went back to focusing on running the pass, completely ignoring Siebold, who was fuming. He paid for his food and left, thoroughly annoyed. What a nuisance! Still, he was proud at himself for being truthful to the pastry chef about the dessert. It had been amazing.