Why did you eat roast pork with Li Ao that year? There are so many adventures in life.
Thirteen years ago, I made an appointment with a friend who started a clothing e-commerce business to have a meal together at Ganbei. Ganbei is a Japanese-style grilled meat restaurant founded in East District, Taiwan in 1999. It is not an exaggeration at all. It is said that Ganbei created the trend of Japanese-style yakiniku in Taiwan. It was the most popular restaurant in East District of Taipei at that time. It was a small restaurant, always filled with smoke and crowded with people. The most famous thing was the "Kissing Beef Five Flowers" that was performed every night. , as long as you kiss on the spot for 10 seconds and take a photo, you can get a free beef belly. This activity has made the walls of the store full of kissing photos, and it has even become a classic part of the TV series "The Lost Dog Queen" .
When we were standing outside the exit of Zhongxiao Dunhua MRT Station in Taipei East District, waiting for other late friends, a familiar figure was looking around and taking pictures of buildings with his mobile phone. That was Li Ao! Celebrity Li Ao was standing alone on the road. We walked up to chat and asked for autographs and photos. Li Ao asked us enthusiastically where we were going. I don’t know where the courage came from. We just invited Li Ao to have a toast with us, and he actually agreed. He said that he had a fight with his wife and was kicked out by her. He had nowhere to go and he didn’t know where to eat dinner. What, just hang out with the young people and see where young people go to play now.
What is it like to dine with celebrities? When we walked into the store, everyone in the store was looking at us, which was really embarrassing. But Li Ao looked around with great interest and chatted with the store clerk. He was super friendly and had no airs at all. He said he had never been to a store like this before, no. He knew what was delicious and let us order everything. He also encouraged us young people to play Cheers' most classic kissing beef and pork belly. Of course, no one dared to kiss Li Ao, no one dared....
At that time, I was sitting directly opposite Li Ao. When everyone was a little drunk and the atmosphere was extremely lively, suddenly, the pork belly being grilled on the grill sprayed oil on my hand, and I shrank in pain reflexively. This movement was not big, and no one at the table noticed me, but Li Ao did. He "immediately", really immediately, in less than 3 seconds, took out a handkerchief (it was a handkerchief! Not a tissue!) from his pocket! ) looked at me with quite worried eyes and said in a nervous tone: "Is it okay to wipe it off quickly?" I was just burned by a drop of oil. I usually don't pay attention to such things nervously, but I didn't expect that he noticed it. , this kind of thoughtful and considerate attitude towards women is simply a warm-hearted man, as warm as a bowl of hot soup.
When checking out, the young people all ate their meals in AA style. When the bill came, everyone calculated it carefully. They all said not to let Li Ao pay. Li Ao first said that he would pay us no matter what. Together with AA, he is also a young man! Okay, we did the calculations carefully, probably because we were drunk and our brains were not clear. Anyway, we did the calculations for a while, but Li Ao took the bill directly, took one look at it and said, "What? It's only 4,000 yuan." (About RMB 800), it’s so cheap, why not! I’ll pay it, thank you for accompanying me today, I’m very happy.” Then he called the waiter and took the card. The waiter saw that the master was talking and didn’t dare. We, the little ones, were asked to spend more money on the barbecue, but we were dismissed by Li Ao just like that.
After leaving the store, Li Ao waved to us and said that he was very happy that he was full, but it was time for him to go home and apologize to his wife. He also joked and looked around and said, "I won't hug you and shake hands to say goodbye." , lest paparazzi take pictures again and say that I went out to dinner with a group of sisters. That meal was the most amazing celebrity dinner in my 34 years of life. After that time, I never had the opportunity to eat face to face with such a high-level celebrity at the same table. Memories are always unforgettable and untouchable. An unprecedented dinner party with Li Ao made me never go to Cheers again. I was deeply afraid that I would never be able to experience the beauty of that meal again. Until thirteen years later, I Shanghai, meet Lao Ganbei again.
In the Taiwanese circle in Shanghai, information circulates very quickly. When a Taiwanese-owned restaurant opens, all Taiwanese people will receive first-hand news immediately. The words "Laoganbei" just appear. Among my circle of friends, it is located on the fifth floor of No. 5 on the Bund. It is adjacent to Taihe Dian, another famous Taiwanese spicy hot pot restaurant. Although the location does not face the Huangpu River, the decoration is not sloppy at all. .
The article after article in the circle of friends recommends food restaurants, introducing in detail the tall and elegant decoration design of Lao Ganbei at No. 5 on the Bund, including "Japanese style", "irregular grille", "outline" "Rope Wall", "Light Source Festival", all kinds of unclear design concepts made me confused.
"Are you going to make a date?" A message like this popped up in the WeChat group of Shanghai Fu Jen Catholic University Alumni Association. Well...I seem to have forgotten to mention that the boss of Ganbei Group is an alumnus of Fu Jen Catholic University and is considered my senior. Bar! Although we don’t know each other, we are at the same school at least. The senior came to Shanghai from Taiwan to open a store. How could we not make an appointment? So 13 years ago, I walked out of the young and affordable brand Ganbei in Taipei East District. Thirteen years later, I stepped into the mature high-end brand Laoganbei in No. 5 on the Bund in Shanghai.
As a high-end brand of Ganbei Group, Lao Ganbei has gorgeous decoration created by international space design masters. The exhaust ducts hidden under the ground ensure the air quality of the dining environment. The venue is filled with considerate and friendly Taiwanese service staff. , what really makes this store sell at a price of 500 per capita at No. 5 on the Bund is Australian Wagyu beef aged 8 to 9 or above in cold storage, raised on grains for more than 450 days, and delivered directly from the place of origin.
It’s been a long time since I’ve stepped into this store, let alone the upgraded version of Lao Ganbei. Faced with a dazzling array of professionally explained meat menus, to be honest, I really don’t know how to order. The simplest method, just serve the set meal directly to the table. In such a high-end store, trusting their professionalism means that once the menu is closed, the task of ordering is left to the store owner.
The seemingly ordinary sushi roll, the first thing you feel when you eat it is the rich and sweet flavor of the braised beef, which gradually spreads between the soft sushi rice grains and sesame seeds, making it unforgettable for a long time.
Red wine and beef are the best pairings. Australian Wagyu beef is slowly simmered in red wine to release the maximum flavor of the meat. The toasted bread is dipped in the sauce and goes into the mouth together. It is a perfect match.
The store highly recommends Korean-style raw beef. Only the freshest beef can be eaten raw. It is prepared with exclusive sauce and scoops a small spoonful on the crispbread. Every bite will make you appetite.
The chef’s professionalism even includes salads. He purchases different fresh ingredients every day and carefully prepares Japanese salads. On this day, we had crab meat and avocado salad. As a meat-themed restaurant, Salad, this bowl is made with care.
The highlight of this meal is the "Australian Wagyu" roasted pork. The Australian Wagyu beef is freshly cut piece by piece on bamboo leaves. Various parts are fat and thin. The snow-like oily splatter makes people point their fingers just by looking at it. The attentive and attentive service eliminates the need for guests to worry about the length of time to roast the meat. Each table has a dedicated person serving the barbecue at the table, so that each piece of top-quality meat can present its most perfect aspect under the appropriate heat. As a result, I no longer have to worry about the barbecue being burnt by oil splashing halfway through the cooking process.
After eating slices of delicious roast pork, I always feel a little bit disappointed, as if something is missing? You can't be happy without meat, and you can't be full without rice. Come to Lao Gan Bei to eat roasted pork. One dish you can't miss is "Chicken Kama Rice". Kama rice is a traditional Japanese way of cooking. Lao Gan Bei puts Akita Komachi raw materials in the pot. Rice, broth, and various ingredients are put into the cooking process. The crystal clear rice grains are full of broth juice. Eat it dry and it will be full of fragrance. Pour it into the tea soup and eat it to warm your heart and stomach.
This meal was eaten quietly. My friend opposite me and I quietly tasted the top-notch delicacies. He was scrolling through WeChat on his mobile phone and posting on WeChat Moments to show off eating high-end roast pork on the Bund, and me? You guessed it, I was recalling the toasted roast pork meal with Li Ao thirteen years ago.
How many things can be changed in thirteen years? I grew up from a little girl in my early 20s who had no idea about the world to a married woman in her late 30s. I flew across the strait from Taipei to settle in Shanghai. I changed from an e-commerce entrepreneur to a cultural and creative freelance writer. Cheers from the alleys of East District, Taipei. Ganbei, where young people laugh and have fun in the alley, has become a low-key and luxurious Laoganbei in the historical buildings on the Bund in Shanghai.
Thirteen years later, do you think Li Ao will still remember the Japanese yakiniku meal he had with a group of young friends in a smoky little shop that year when he had a fight with his wife and was kicked out of the house? Meat? If Li Ao came to Shanghai, if he came to No. 5 on the Bund to eat Lao Ganbei, if... No if, no celebrity would compete with us to pay for this meal...