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“I can’t believe this,” Jason wiped his eyes. “Your own gimbap restaurant!”
“I know, right?” Jun grinned as he adjusted the sign and straightened his visor on his head. “I know it’s one of the Orser restaurants, but it’s still so cool! He said I own it, so I’m basically in charge of everything. Decor, flavour combinations, posters, everything!”
“Well, I’d like a gimbap roll please, as I explain the rules.”
“Rules?” Jun whisked the pencil out from behind his ear and prepared the notepad. “What rules?”
“The Orser restaurant rules! So, you are in charge of all your own upgrades and everything. I would suggest getting a few things for the front area. It will make people less likely to get annoyed if they have to wait a while. Then I’d get a bell so you know exactly as people come in. That way you can get to them and take their order quickly. And then get the little shaper and stuff for the gimbap so they come out perfectly shaped every time.”
“Right,” Jun tapped the pencil against the pad, “but what flavours would you like?”
“One kimchi and one tuna please.”
Jun nodded, jotting it down. “How many do you want that sliced into?”
“Eight. I can be your practice customer.”
Jun nodded and headed into the back. He laid out the nori sheet and layered it with rice, adding the layers of kimchi to one and tuna to the other. He made neat as he rolled the two, and he sliced them into eight pieces each. He plated them up and brought them out to Jason’s seat.
“So… What do you think?”
Jason picked up a piece of one of them and trialled each separately. He gave Jun a thumbs up.
“Okay, these are delicious. For the waiting score, I’ll give you a 95%. You were pretty quick to be fair. For the filling and the shaping, I’ll give you a 98%. That was really nicely done. And then for the slicing accuracy,” he held up two of the slices to compare the thickness, “it’s a little off. I guess you can buy one of those slicer thingies to be able to cut them more accurately.”
“Well, surely if the taste is good, that’s the main thing, right?”
“Wrong, sadly,” Jason gave him a little shrug. “Your customers will judge you on all of those. And you’ve got to be aware of the Closers.”
“The Closers?”
“Mmhm,” Jason picked up another piece of gimbap, “this is delicious by the way. They’re the seven strictest food critics in the area, and all of them have done research on gimbap. They change which day they come each. So, on a Monday, you have Yelim Kim. She’s tough. She’s harsh. On Tuesday, you’ll have Sihyeong Lee. He looks fluffy, but man he isn’t. He can be harsh. On Wednesday, you have Javier Fernandez.”
“He’s Spanish.”
“And he’s studied food from all around the world. Believe me, he’s tough. He might seem smiley but he can be really mean. Thursday is the small but mighty Jia Shin. She has nerves of absolute steel and won’t hesitate to tell you. Friday is Hannah Lim. Her stare alone can cause people to faint. Saturday is Yuzuru Hanyu. He’s Japanese, so sure, he knows sushi better than gimbap, but he’s studied East Asian cooking and can do it blindfolded.”
“And Sunday?”
Jason shuddered. “Sunday, you have the Queen herself. Yuna Kim.”
“The former Michelin Star awarder Yuna Kim? Who denied two Russian restaurants a star?”
Jason nodded. “Now she is her own critic, with her own organisation. She awards a Blue Ribbon if you impress her.”
“A Blue Ribbon?”
“You get a Blue Ribbon, and you get better tips. And better pay. And Brian himself will come to your restaurant if you get five in a row.”
“Woah,” Jun’s eyes went sparkly. “Really?”
“Hey, it’s not easy to get! Most of us haven’t ever got a single one! Miss Kim is the Queen of Critics. She’s ruthless.”
“A Blue Ribbon,” Jun said, not paying attention to Jason anymore. Jason facepalmed.
“Good luck.”
Jun soon settled into the gimbap restaurant. With his first paycheck, he bought a doorbell and the guide for cutting the gimbap evenly so that he always got better tips based on the even cuts. He also engaged the customers faster, getting better tips based on their waiting times. As he built up a connection with them, and recognised his regular customers, he got better tips from them. He even started to recognise the Closers and, while he could rarely get a smile from Yelim Kim, Javier Fernandez started to give him better feedback.
When she first walked through the doors, the air dropped a few degrees. Jun poked his head out at the sound of the bell and froze. She had such an aura about her that he couldn’t help but gulp.
There she stood, sleek black skirt and jacket, with her hair straight and her head held high. He’d know her anywhere. She was a national treasure. Miss Yuna Kim herself. Jun’s brain almost switched off but he maintained his composure.
“Hi! Welcome to Orser’s Gimbap. What can I get for you?”
She looked him up and down before looking around at the restaurant. Jun hadn’t spent much money on decorating yet; he’d been focusing on buying upgrades for the restaurant and kitchen. She tilted her head at him as she looked at the menu.
“I’d like one gimbap with spicy squid and normal white rice, cut into eight pieces. And one with pork cutlet, white rice with sesame, and cut into ten pieces.”
Jun nodded, jotting it all down on his notepad, and gave her a bright smile. “I’ll be back with you shortly!”
Jun disappeared into the back and started preparing the gimbap rolls. He took his time, trying to steady his shaking hands, and he carefully made sure that the rolls were neat. He slotted them into his mould and sliced them neatly as she’d asked, arranging them on the plate. He brought them out with a glass of water and a pair of chopsticks.
“Here you are. This one is the one with spicy squid, and this one is the one with the pork cutlet.”
Yuna nodded and waved him away. Jun stepped back behind the counter and cleaned the top of it, half watching her but too nervous to give her his full attention. She held up a piece of the gimbap made with the spicy squid and studied it, narrowing her eyes. Her pen flew across her notepad as she compared two pieces, nodding at the thickness. She took a bite and paused, letting the flavours settle before she took another bite. She wrote more down and took a long drink of water before she did the same thing with the pork cutlet gimbap. Her eyebrows raised and she nodded to herself as she continued writing. She cleared the plate and, once she was done, she stood up. Jun perked up and went to clear her plate.
“How was it?”
“Good.” She nodded. “You have a good restaurant. I’d give you a 75%.”
“Really?”
Yuna nodded. “You get a Blue Ribbon at 95%. So you’re a little way off.” She handed him a copy of the notes she’d written. “It was absolutely delicious gimbap. The flavours are good. That is not the problem at all.”
“Thank you,” Jun gave her a bow and held the door open for her. She nodded.
“I will see you next Sunday. Keep building.”
Jun watched her go, flipping the sign from open to closed, before he opened up her note. In neat handwriting, Yuna had written a list.
Waiting time: 50%
The owner was quick to take my order, and quick to get started on making the gimbap. However, there is nothing in the restaurant to keep my interest. The restaurant needs decor, music, a gumball machine, anything. This would keep my focus more. If I were more impatient, I would have left.
Flavour: 90%
The flavours were good. The owner used fresh ingredients. The owner also balanced the flavours well. Too much rice compared to pork cutlet for the pork cutlet gimbap. Ratio needs to be improved. The spice squid gimbap was spot on.
Presentation: 85%
The gimbap was cut neatly and evenly for both the eight pieces and the ten pieces. A guide was used, which helps with the presentation. The gimbap rolls were not served neatly on the plate. More care needs to be taken to ensure that the presentation to the customer is good. The evenness was very good, and has brought this percentage up.
Overall score: 75%.
Jun scanned the note, then scanned it again. He nodded as he thought and finished cleaning up. Once he was done, he climbed onto his bike and cycled down to the nearest second hand store.
“Hi,” he said, pushing open the door a little out of breath as they were trying to close. “Do you guys have a radio?”
“What the hell is this?” Jason wrinkled his nose at the beaten up, second hand radio that sat on the counter. Jun just shrugged.
“I got feedback from Yuna Kim. And decided to buy a radio.”
“What score did she give you?”
“A 75.”
“75?” Jason whistled before he dug back into the gimbap rolls on his plate. “I’d give you a 95.” He said through the roll in his mouth. Jun rolled his eyes.
“And this is why you are my taste tester, not the food critic Queen herself.”
“Mmmhm,” Jason shoved another piece in his mouth. “Delicious!”
The scores that Jun got from the Closers since the introduction of the radio increased, mostly based on their waiting score. While he wasn’t getting too high, they’d crept up. He put up a poster advertising some of their new flavour combinations and got high scores still. By Thursday, he’d put up five posters and found two gumball machines at the second hand shop that he’d cleaned and stocked himself. His waiting score from Jia Shin was in the 90s.
“Can you believe it!” Jun practically vibrated with excitement. “A 90 for waiting! This is so good!”
“It is so good! You’re going to get that Blue Ribbon so soon.”
With a 90 in waiting from Hannah Lim, and a 90 from the notorious hard-ass Yuzuru Hanyu, Jun felt confident going into the Sunday. He didn’t expect a Blue Ribbon, but he was hoping for at least an average of 80 this week.
Yuna came in again with the same aura. She met Jun’s eyes and nodded, giving him the faintest flicker of a smile.
“One kimchi gimbap with brown rice, and one bulgogi gimbap with white rice. First one sliced into six, second one sliced into ten. Let’s see how you do with the basics.”
Jun jotted down Yuna’s order and gave her a smile and a nod before he disappeared into the back. He started making them, layering the fillings and observing the quantities by eye, before he rolled them into neat cylinders. He’d improved immensely, and he fried them off before he sliced them. He wanted to just shove them on the plate but, remembering her last criticisms, he arranged each sliced roll in a neat line before he brought them out. As before, Yuna studied the pieces and compared the thickness before she tasted each one. Her pen flew across the paper as she ate. When the plate was empty, Jun approached somewhat cautiously.
“Congratulations,” Yuna dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “You’ve improved. I’m very impressed with your improvements.”
She handed him the note from her pad and gave him a smile. “You’re getting impressively close for such a new business. Keep improving, Jun Hwan.”
Jun closed the door behind her and flipped the sign from open to closed. He looked down at the note, took a deep breath, and opened it up.
Waiting time: 80%
The owner was quick to take my order, and quick to get started on making the gimbap. There is much more decor in the restaurant. I tried the cherry gum and it was very good. I also liked the music on the radio. This helped me to forget that I was waiting for food. The posters with the flavour combinations are a great touch as well. I think that even more posters and more decor will push this score higher.
Flavour: 90%
The flavours were good. The owner used fresh ingredients. The owner also balanced the flavours well as before. The ratios of the flavours need adjusting a bit. Maybe try working it out with a scale, and using that to get the precise balance needed for the best flavours.
Presentation: 95%
The gimbap was cut neatly and evenly for both rolls. A guide was used, which helps with the presentation. The gimbap rolls were served very neatly on the plate with very good presentation. Using a sharper knife will get a cleaner cut on the gimbap, which will stop a little mis-shaping. This will bring this up to full marks. I am very impressed.
Overall score: 88%.
Very impressive improvement, Jun Hwan. Keep going! You are close to a Blue Ribbon.
Jun squealed with delight and jumped around. He was so close! After tidying up, he jumped on his bike and crashed the second hand store.
“I need every single poster you’ve got,” he held out a chunk of cash from his paycheck. “Literally posters for anything. Flavours, KDramas, vintage KPop groups, anything.”
The owner, irritated that Jun had come in one minute before closing, gestured to the pile. “Knock yourself out kid.”
“Don’t you think you’ve gone a tad too far?”
“What?” Jun frowned at Jason.
“There are a lot of posters. And you have them for completely random stuff. Why?”
“Because it gives you something visually to look at!” Jun explained as he pulled plant pots around. Jason watched him, trying very hard not to laugh.
“And the plants?”
“To give a nicer air to the room!” Jun explained with delight. Yelim Kim walked through the door, looked up at the wall and at the plants, and she nodded.
“Nice additions, Cha. I like them. Give me something to look at while I wait.”
Jun beamed. Jason chuckled.
“I like the new method of weighing the ingredients,” Sihyeong looked at the layers in the gimbap with a nod. “I think it gives you consistency balancing the flavours. Great idea.”
“Are you using a new sharper knife?” Javier held up the gimbap and studied the edges. Jun nodded as he set down the other plate for Yuzuru, as the two critics sat next to each other. Yuzuru had already promised him not to judge as it wasn’t a Saturday.
“Yeah. I thought it would help to give cleaner cuts to the edge.”
“You’re right,” Javier nodded. “It’s really clean. I don’t normally give out a 100, but I’m giving 100 for presentation right now.”
Jun beamed.
Jia Shin never really said much, but she gave Jun a huge tip compared to what she normally did, and gave him a sincere nod.
“I love this,” Hannah gestured to the decor. “It’s so like, mid 80’s Korea. It’s great. I love the vibe. And I love the flavours. I’ve always felt they were a bit unbalanced but this is perfect. Really good. You’ll get that Blue Ribbon soon, I know you will!”
Yuzuru came in on Saturday, like the precursor to Yuna Kim. Jun swallowed and got him water and chopsticks as Yuzuru scoured the menu.
“Don’t look so nervous.” Yuzuru said with a little smirk. “I saw how good it was earlier this week. You’ve come a long way. I’d like my usual please.”
Jun nodded and headed into the back, ready to make Yuzuru’s crab and kimchi gimbap rolls. Yuzuru liked to study if he could do the basics well consistently. Weighing the ingredients had been a great idea from Yuna, and Jun made a mental note to sharpen his knife before tomorrow. He took the plates over to Yuzuru who, for the first time ever, got his phone out and took a picture.
“This is great,” Yuzuru took a bite and wiggled in his seat. “Delicious. You’re going to get a Blue Ribbon from Yuna tomorrow.”
“I hope so,” Jun cleared the plate and chopsticks away, giving Yuzuru a grin. “I really really hope so.”
Sunday.
Jun just finished serving another customer as Yuna Kim came in. Her aura had not lessened. She wore a red blouse and black skirt, sharp and cutting through the pastel yellow and white of the restaurant. She nodded to Jun and he took the water and chopsticks over to her.
“Good afternoon Miss Kim. What can I get you?”
“One short-grain black rice gimbap with kkaennip, cut into eight, and one white rice gimbap with egg strips cut into ten.” She closed the menu and got out her notepad. “I like the plants.”
Jun almost squealed with delight but kept it in as he headed to the back. He weighed out the ingredients carefully and rolled the gimbap into neat rolls. When he was serving it, he double checked that his knife was sharp enough (like he hadn’t spent an hour sharpening it and checking it the night before), and he sliced each one neatly as she’d asked. He plated it up delicately and took a deep breath, settling his shoulders as before he took the plate out.
“That was quick,” Yuna said as she took the plate. Jun gave her a smile before he stepped away to give her space. She studied, like she always did, never giving up on how thorough she was. Her pen went over the notepad, but it went slower than it normally did. Jun couldn’t stop himself from staring, watching, waiting. Yuna never ate too fast or too slow. She ate at her normal speed and let herself finish before she took out the page of her notepad and gestured for Jun to come over.
“Is everything okay, Miss Kim?”
“I’d like you to read it now.”
With shaking hands, Jun opened up the note.
Waiting time: 95%
The decor is engaging, suiting the restaurant’s aesthetic and honouring the Korean heritage of the main dish that they serve. The plants bring light to the restaurant. A few more pieces of furniture, maybe a lamp or some tables, would bring this up to full marks.
Flavour: 100%
The flavours were spot on. Weighing them out has improved the consistency, as I’ve heard from feedback from the other Closers. All this week they’ve told me that the gimbap have been very consistent between all of them. The flavours are all exceptional, and have been captured perfectly.
Presentation: 100%
Using a sharper knife has helped. The gimbap rolls have been sliced very neatly and evenly, giving something easy to share and very consistent. The gimbap rolls have also been presented elegantly on the plate. This is full marks. I had to take a picture.
Overall score: 98%.
Jun read it. Jun read it again. His eyes went wide and he looked up. Yuna smiled at him and gave him a nod.
“I’m highly impressed.” Yuna reached into her bag and withdrew a crisp blue rosette. “This is for you. Congratulations. And I will be mentioning you on the Blue Ribbon Blog.”
Jun’s hands shook as he took the rosette from her. He looked it over, blue satin fabric styled neatly, and, at the centre, was Yuna Kim’s seal of approval.
“Thank you so much!” His eyes went sparkly. Yuna smiled in return.
“It’s difficult to get one. It’s more difficult to get multiple in a row. I will continue to hold you to a high standard.”
Jun nodded and bowed his head to her. She shook his hand.
“You are the youngest person to ever win a Blue Ribbon. Very well done.”
Jun couldn't help but squeal with delight.