I've been waiting for a series like this for far too long: a self-consciously and deliberately comical romantic comedy with a corny edge. Ideal for summer afternoons when there's nothing else to watch. The series tells the story of the heirs of the Hansang Group, one of whom is Han Beom-Woo, who aspires to turn his restaurant into a three-star restaurant. But, in the process, he ends up in a modest home-style restaurant, where he meets chef Yeon-Joo, who wants to run her own small fine-dining restaurant in the middle of a hanok village. Although they initially clash because each needs something from the other, an interesting alliance is forged, but will it become something more? Let's find out in the first two episodes of Tastefully Yours.
In episode 1 of Tastefully Yours, we meet the Hansang Group, presumably a conglomerate like Samsung, and Beom-Woo is one of its heirs. He's a ruthless manager who ignores his employees, probably overworks them, and does whatever he wants to get his job done. He seems to be the type of person who steals recipes without remorse to make his restaurant big and famous. There are even protests against him, but he makes things worse by threatening another man, who fakes suicide to get him in trouble. Meanwhile, Beom-Woo aspires to make his restaurant, Motto, the largest in Seoul, with 3 Michelin stars.
Stars: Kang Ha-neul, Go Min-si, Kim Shin-rock
His chef, Young-Hye, is practically an influencer, promoting the restaurant through a photoshoot without Beom-Woo's knowledge. He just needs her to follow the recipes she stole and make his restaurant worthy of the stars. Now, Beom-Woo's older brother, Sun-Woo, is his biggest rival because they are both interested in Hansang. The current president, their mother, is the most ruthless of them all and tells the kids that whoever gets the first 3 stars also takes the company. But the real conflict of the episode comes when one of Beom-Woo's employees shows him a photo of a dish that looks identical to a Motto dish.
Unlike regular food, this is a sophisticated special menu that can't be changed at the last minute, nor is it something that should be available anywhere else, so Beom-Woo sets out to see who's preparing his dish. The restaurant serving the dish is in Jonju and is called Jungjae. The restaurant is a single-table place in the hanok village, and no one is around when Beom-Woo visits. He makes a fuss about the setup until he finds a woman digging up cabbages in the backyard. Instead of waiting for her to show up to talk to him, he makes a scene by stepping on a cabbage leaf and being knocked to the ground by Yeon-Joo in a comical scene. You can imagine what their dynamic will be like.
The dish Beom-Woo orders requires a special cut of meat that isn't easy to find, but Beom-Woo is desperate to try her dish, so he brings her bags full of it to satisfy her. Luckily, there's one good enough to work with. She then takes him on a hike to find a mushroom needed to complete the dish, and even though it's a struggle, they end up getting the ingredient. While I hope it's not true, there also seems to be a childhood connection in this series, because Beom-Woo is only sincere when talking about his grandmother's kimchi, and when he tastes Yeon-Joo's kimchi, he remembers that genuine taste. Anyway, the dish is finally ready, and Beom-Woo, watching it being cooked, realizes it's nothing like Motto's dish, so he starts to walk away. But, because he's hungry, he sits back down and devours the dish. He immediately offers to buy the restaurant, and Yeon-Ju just as quickly declines.
The first episode ends with Yeon-ju's landlord demanding rent and Beom-woo being fired by the manager for the suicide fiasco. But it turns out it was his brother who cheated; however, his mother doesn't care at all about the deception; she only cares about seeing who wins.
Episode 2 of "Tastefully Yours" begins with a flashback to a few years ago, where Yeon-Ju is looking for a location to open her restaurant. It's a snowy day, and the landlady shows her the space where Jungjae is now open. Interestingly, Yeon-Ju doesn't even look inside the space, which was once a barbershop. She comes across a little dog and instantly falls in love. In the present, Beom-Woo is there to make a deal with Yeon-Joo, as he believes he could win back his company with this small restaurant. Yeon-Joo ends up considering it, as she has to pay rent. However, she doesn't agree to the takeover; she tells Beom-Woo that he has to work at the restaurant so she can test her skills and see if she wants to work with him long-term. They agree on a one-month plan and get to work right away. The next day, Yeon-Joo finds a woman looking for a job and hires her immediately. She also has experience, so Yeon-Joo immediately takes her on.
As he tries to adjust to this new situation with Yeon-Ju, Beom-Woo slowly begins to lose all his assets, including his car and credit, because he can't even book a hotel room anymore. Still, he persists, visits a small hotel/inn, and the next morning, pawns his watch to buy some spotless white tables and chairs for Jungae. But Myung-Sook, the new employee, doesn't seem to understand how much he really cares about the restaurant's success. Interestingly, everyone has the same stakes, but they don't tell each other. When it looks like it's going to rain, she decides to make "jeon," the typical Korean dish eaten in the rain. Beom-Woo tells her not to, but she takes the kimchi out of the jar and accidentally drops it on their new table. This angers him even more (as if he wasn't already), and he goes to get some fresh air.
Beom-Woo runs into a couple of locals from the town, two men he already knew while shopping for things for the restaurant. They start chatting, and the guys take him out for drinks. He vents his frustration, which basically becomes a marketing ploy for the restaurant. The men tell Beom-Woo that Myung-Sook is a great chef and would be a great help at the restaurant. One of them even gives him the special chili powder Yeon-Ju wants. The men return to the restaurant, but not alone; they bring a group of people. Beom-Woo tells Myung-Sook to make the jeon he wanted and feed everyone. It's a resounding success, and hopefully, this will spread the word about the restaurant.
At the end of episode 2 of Tastefully Yours, it's revealed that Myung-Sook was working at a rival restaurant and lied about being offered a higher salary and fancy items so her old restaurant would pay her more. However, this backfires, and she's fired. However, Chun-Seung's father, the restaurant owner, is the one who wants her back because she's an excellent chef. Meanwhile, Beom-Woo's head chef, Young-Hye, ends up switching teams and joining Sun-Woo's restaurant. They already have two stars, so can Beom-Woo defeat his brother? Probably, but we'll have to wait and see.
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