" It goes without saying that the meat is tender...
... but the generous helping of minced onions on top just whets the appetite further!
And this full-bodied flavor... red wine? After searing the steak, he must have added red wine to the remaining meat juices and caramelized the onions in the resulting sauce!"
"Not only that, the sauce was beautifully thickened with potato starch! It wraps around both the meat and the rice so perfectly, it's amazing!"
"And tying it all together is the flavor of scorched soy sauce! Even char was used as a seasoning to deepen the flavor!
He made this special, unforgettable sauce building upon the onions that are so critical to a true Chaliapin Steak!"
"Both the meat and the sauce have strong, solid flavors...
yet the more I eat, the hungrier I get. In fact, it almost feels like I could eat this bowl endlessly! Why?
Is there some other secret hidden in this dish?"
"Yep! That trick is in the rice.
I added in some handmade pickled-plum mix to it.
It's crisp plum-seasoned rice!"
"Aha! So that's it!
That brisk aftertaste that encourages another bite is pickled plum!"
The tender, fragrant steak...
the beautifully thickened, perfect sauce...
and the fresh, tartly flavored plum-seasoned rice. "

― , Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 2