The team was assembled.
Taehos, the head chef.
Seunghyun, assistant chef.
Jiyoung, front-of-house manager.
Today, the guests would be:
Taehos’s mother,
Yoonjae the butcher,
and two of Jiyoung’s friends.
The Berlin’s full menu was ready:
Goulash, Jägerschnitzel, Schweinshaxe, Svickova (Czech-style sauerbraten),
Currywurst, Hoppl Poppl, fried cheese, fries, Chicken Paprikash,
and dessert – the Russian Medovik.
It was 9 a.m.
Taehos had prepared a white chef’s coat for Seunghyun.
Jiyoung was already filming behind the scenes.
“Seunghyun, let’s start with flattening the schnitzel.”
Taehos handed him a sharp German boning knife.
“Make a cut in the center of the pork loin.
Then, use the meat mallet to flatten it from the middle.
About 0.5 to 0.7 cm.
Firm enough to keep texture, but thin enough to fry.
Salt—one pinch. Pepper—two pinches.
Hold your hand above eye level and sprinkle evenly, both sides.
Then stack them in a tray, one by one.”
Seunghyun nodded.
“Today, just prep three.
We do 10 schnitzels per batch,
since we have 10 tables and expect two turns at lunch.
Once we’re down to five, prep another half-batch.”
Seunghyun was sweating.
“You’ll deep-fry for 3 minutes at 170°C.
During that time, stir the Jäger sauce,
plate the sauerkraut, and set the potatoes.”
He pointed to the topping fridge.
Jiyoung raised an eyebrow.
“How can one person do all that at once?”
Taehos grinned.
“Flow works best when one person owns the whole sequence.”
Seunghyun kept looking around, simulating.
“Think of it as assembly.
I’ve already made the sauces and sides.”
Seunghyun picked up the mallet.
Thump. Thump.
“Stop. Don’t hit what’s already flat. That’s wasted motion.”
Jiyoung stepped out, watching the choreography unfold.
Taehos lifted pots—goulash, svickova, and paprikash—onto the burners.
“Seunghyun, I’ll handle the stews, haxe, and sides today.”
Seunghyun watched his back.
To him, Taehos looked large enough to block the entire kitchen.
Guests entered.
Jiyoung tapped her iPhone screen, switching to video mode.
“Hi everyone! This is a soft opening! All food’s on the house today!”
She flushed red as they chuckled.
“Please choose from the menu. We’re serving Paulaner—Munich’s top beer!”
Jiyoung’s friends ordered schnitzel and goulash.
“This schnitzel,” she said,
“was once a hunter’s meal in Germany.
We use pork instead of veal—crispy, umami-packed, and nothing like donkatsu!”
She continued,
“Goulash is a tomato stew—spicy, sweet, tangy all at once.”
Her friends held spoons, waiting for her to finish.
Seunghyun kept glancing at them from behind the kitchen pass.
Taehos checked his watch.
Time for the Schweinshaxe.
Exactly 15 minutes before plating, he’d begun crisping the crackling.
Pop! Pop!
Fat burst from the dry skin.
He plated with kraut and pure mustard.
“You giving me this monster because I’m your butcher?” Yoonjae laughed.
“This looks more like jokbal (korean pork)!”
Taehos tapped the crackling with a knife.
“Crispy, huh? Let’s dig in.”
Crunch. Crack.
As he carved, heads turned.
Yoonjae’s eyes widened.
“This tastes like… scorched rice but juicy.
The skin’s crisp, the fat just melts.
And the meat—perfectly seasoned!”
Taehos winked and raised a thumbs-up.
“Made with your pork.”
Yoonjae raised his glass.
“Two beers, please.”
Taehos’s mother had ordered the chicken paprikash.
Jiyoung nudged Seunghyun.
“Put the sour cream on the side—quick!”
Seunghyun fumbled.
Taehos smiled.
She remembers.
“This dish is a paprika chicken stew.
Savory, slightly sweet, and extra tasty with the sour cream on top!”
Jiyoung explained like clockwork.
Meanwhile, Taehos’s mother was chatting with Yoonjae and Jiyoung’s friends.
She sat.
Tasted.
“It’s good. You worked hard.”
That was all.
“Mom, that’s it? You’re not even taking pictures?”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Even Seunghyun cracked a smile.
So did Taehos, watching from the pass.
Nothing more was needed.
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