Restaurant to Another World (異世界食堂)

Western Restaurant Nekoya

Th-Th-This...

It uses knight's sauce, doesn't it?!

Right.

Um, what is this dish called?

I just threw together what I had on hand.

It doesn't have a name.

It's not on the menu, so don't worry about knowing it.

We should offer it!

Huh?

It needs a name, right?

Putting aside its menu worthiness, what would you name it?

Knight's Pasta!

Alfade Company

Is that so?

Huh?

Thomas Alfade, the former proprietor of the Alfade Company,

dealt in a variety of ingredients, with a focus on wheat.

Said to be the company's restorer,

he elevated the wheat noodles once thought of as peasant food

to a staple fixture on nobles' dining tables

and built the Alfade Company into the kingdom's most prominent trading empire.

He invented a variety of sauces,

thus greatly elevating the status of pasta dishes,

which had only used simple seasonings before.

Many people purchased the Alfade Company's pasta and pasta sauce,

and Thomas was lauded as the Genius of Culinary Innovation.

But he had a secret.

And the key to that secret lay beyond a certain door.

This is the door that connects to another world?

Western Restaurant Nekoya

All right. That should do it.

Is it really true, Grandfather Thomas?

It is indeed unnatural for there

to be such a well-made door in the company cellar, but still...

What's more, I feel it could be dangerous.

Come now, it's safe.

It isn't so different from our own world.

Most importantly, you could say that the Alfade Company is deeply indebted

to the shop on the other side of this door.

A shop we're indebted to?

What kind of shop is it?

A restaurant.

The Restaurant to Another World.

The Restaurant to Another World?

Welcome!

Oh?

Ah... Nice to meet you. I'm Aletta.

Have you been here before?

Y-Yes. Is the master in?

Come on in, Thomas-san. Give me just a minute.

We're going to have a seat. Is that all right?

Go right ahead.

This is incredible. It's full of things I've never seen before.

Who's this?

Pleased to meet you. My name is Sirius.

Thank you for all you've done for my grandfather.

As you've just heard, this is my grandson.

I'll be bringing him with me from time to time.

Thanks in advance.

I see. There's definitely a resemblance.

Is there now?

Well, we'll bring out your coffee first.

Coffee?

It's a type of tea in this world. It's black and bitter.

It's pretty good, once you develop a taste for it.

Gives you energy.

Finding it curious, then?

Yes. This really is another world, isn't it?

That it is.

Take a good look around.

You can tell that the decor,

the setup, and so on all deviate from our common sense, yes?

I see what you mean. It does.

Thank you for waiting.

Here's your coffee.

Thank you.

Now, let's drink.

Would you mind passing me the sugar?

Y-Yes, sir.

This is incredible, too.

It's very high-quality sugar, isn't it? It's pure white.

That's good.

Go on, drink before it gets cold.

Put in two spoonfuls of sugar, and milk, too.

Okay.

Western Restaurant Nekoya

Thanks for waiting.

Here are this month's Day of Satur proceeds.

Mm.

Do you mind if I hold on to this bag, then?

Please do. We'll count the proceeds in the meantime.

I see eight gold coins!

It's a little more than last month.

This is the proceeds from this restaurant?

That's right. It's also the payment for the contents of that bag.

I see now.

But I don't think those ingredients are quite enough for this restaurant to use.

Apparently, those are for the master to eat himself.

He eats them? The restaurant's master?

Yes. His predecessor did the same.

He says he uses them to research flavors.

Research?

Yes. You see...

Our restaurant's flavors are decided by Japanese tastes.

Ahem, to you, they'd be the humans of another world.

Luckily, there's not a huge disconnect, but it's still a bit different.

So he adjusts his recipes so they'll be as palatable to us as possible, he says.

He goes out of his way to do that?

He can't make much profit from this.

Well, he says that what he enjoys more than anything

is feeding his customers good food and making them happy with it.

Is that so?

Thanks for waiting.

I confirmed that all the items were there.

As always, I'll treat you to a dish.

Order anything you like.

That goes for your grandson, too.

I'll have my usual. An extra-large serving of spaghetti with meat sauce.

Will that do for you, too, Sirius?

Yes, sir. I'll leave it to you.

Got it. Two large orders of spaghetti with meat sauce.

Thank you for your patience. Here's your spaghetti with meat sauce.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Grandfather, is this...

Oh, it'll all be clear once you eat it.

Now, let's dig in before it gets cold.

Thinly sliced mushrooms, crushed and roasted nuts,

oranie sauteed in oil, and a variety of herbs...

We still have a long way to go to reach this, eh?

What is this?

The savoriness of the high-quality oil from the meat

simmered in sauce explodes in my mouth.

The beef and pork is so tender and flavorful,

it's as if the animals were raised for the express purpose of butchering them.

Frying and stewing them together

makes the different flavors of both meats mingle

to create a taste that neither could produce alone.

And the stewed vegetables of another world used as the sauce's base...

They were simmered and crushed into a liquid

with a sweet sourness and lots of flavor.

This bright red sauce pairs well with the meat and brings out its flavor.

But the vegetable used in this sauce...

Isn't it the same as the marmetts that our company discovered in a remote region

and cultivate exclusively?

It can't be.

What do you think, Sirius?

How does the pasta of another world taste to you?

Why does this restaurant have a dish with a taste that our company has yet to put out?

Could it be...

Grandfather, did you...

Yes. The title they gave me so long ago,

the Genius of Culinary Innovation—it's all a sham.

I merely wanted to eat this on the other side, too!

Grandfather...

Now, let's keep eating.