Cute storyline, cute cast and overall a good watch!
Having had watched the movie version and loving Zhou Dong Yu, it was hard at the start for me to connect to the drama version. However, the more you watch, the more you enjoy the characters (even the side ones!). Rosy Zhao is super cute and i think I've become a major fan of hers.Only downside I had was that it got a bit draggy in the middle of the drama, must have been hard for them to expand on a movie-length storyline into 24 episodes. But the last few episodes were amazing to watch!
Overall, i loved the funny and the awkward moments and would totally recommend this drama!
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This review may contain spoilers
This is one of the sweetest romance drama that I've watched so far. Even though the age difference between the couple (in the drama or real life) quite far but the interaction between them really sweet and make you quite jealous.Watch the trailer really intrigue my interest to watch this drama, although I don't too like Rosy Zhao I still decided to watch because of the trailer. Really glad I watch this ^_^. Either way whoever the actor I still gonna watch because this turn out the drama of the movie that I've watched already.
What I like from this drama are:
- The relationship between the main couple is really sweet. Even though Gu Sheng Nan (GSN) sometimes a little bit childish but Lu Jin (LJ) is very patient with her. As time went by GSN showed more maturity, especially when LJ mom test her.
- GSN is very cute & childish.
- The second lead couple [Meng Xin Jie (XJ) and Xu Zhao Di (ZD)] is really cute in their own way.
- Gao Quan An (lao qiu) is very funny.
- The love rival, Li Man or Cheng Zi Qian, not too much.
- The relationship a little match reality, LJ mom not that easy agreed with their relationship, still give them hardship & test for GSN, but she's also not too cruel to GSN.
- LJ still stand by GSN side no matter what happen.
- The story not only about them (LJ & GSN), but also about the family, especially LJ family.
Overall I really like this drama, but if you ask me do I want to re-watch or no....? I'll answer: not really. Even though this is a really good drama, but don't know why I don't want to re-watch even only few episode...
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A Guilty Pleasure
I.. (cough) as much as I admit that I despise over-the-top show of romance and PDA, this show is like a persistent nag at the back of my head saying, "YOU LOVE IT." and I am. To be honest, this show kind of feels like a sugar daddy AU to me, because the FL is a pretty clingy, cute young woman, and the ML is a mature, older than her by 10 years more or less, rich man. But that's not to say I hate it, because the ML, Lu Jin is a very charming man. Cold and ruthless in work, gentle and protective in his love. Hot.Also, Lin Yushen and Zhao Lusi is the perfect cast for this. LIn Yushen's gaze, facial expression and mannerisms are really on point, and Zhao Lusi's youth is something innate that you can't acquire through act. Even when she acts cute or clingy, it doesn't annoy me. It doesn't annoy Lu Jin as well. (he loves that)
The only downside of this drama is that I really like the main couple's story, so I skipped almost all the side couple's story, but they're pretty good.
All in all, I think you will love this drama if you:
1) Likes (cough)sugar daddy AU(cough) or age gap story in general
2) Likes food or cooking. Those shots are really neat and appetizing.
3) Likes sweet flirty romance with a pinch of drama
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This is the best modern drama i've ever watch
When i say the best means its the best, my mom cant even move on for like almost 2 months. It all started when i was bored and couldnt watch anything and tried this drama, and first of all my parents keep asking me why i keep on laughing on my own and i was like its so freaking funny i couldnt stop laughing. Second of all the story plot is interesting there is like where the story is sad, happy, funny, and blushing moments, like it's not like other drama where you can oredict what happen. Here it is like not so predictable. Third of all the musics is good and not bad at all i even is in love with the song called love is for you and your smile. Fourth of all their acting was so naturaland good. Like from funny to sad, happy to emergency, like it all happens in a sudden and i didnt even think that the story will be like. And now because of watching dating in the kitchen i am a fan of zhao lusi, that everytime i open douyin, instagram, weibo, etc. I will see her the first no matter what. Overall this Drama is SO GOOD i would reccomend this drama to the whole world to watch it if i can. Watch it watch it. LolWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
"Dating in the Kitchen" is a drama about a young cook named Sheng Nan and Lu Jin, a wealthy man who falls in love with her cooking.Sheng Nan ends up in debt to Lu Jin and makes a deal with him to pay her back in exchange for meals. During this process, the two fall in love, but at first, Lu Jin refuses to accept his feelings for Sheng Nan, hurting her. When Zi Qian appears, Lu Jin's jealousy leads him to try anything to win Sheng Nan's heart. Another obstacle for the couple is Li Man, Lu Jin's assistant, who is in love with him.
The romance between Sheng Nan and Lu Jin is an essential part of the drama, but it's not the only focus, as the food is the second most important element. I love when cooking dramas focus on the food, the entire process until it's ready; watching it becomes a much more immersive experience. Sheng Nan's dishes are truly mouthwatering; you literally want to climb into the screen and try them!
It's a shame that at some point the food took a back seat, no longer appearing in the story, which focused more on the couple. I can't say this was a mistake, because I loved seeing Sheng Nan and Lu Jin together, but I really enjoyed watching her cook.
The soundtrack is incredible; every song is addictive <3
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Great chemistry between the leads
I absolutely loved the way this drama was shot. The cinematography and shots were beautiful especially paired with the amazing soundtrack. It really drew you into the story.The chemistry between the leads was amazing. The male lead gave a top notch performance. He was really able to express the emotions for each scene so well and made you really connect with his character.
The story itself was really great the 1st half of the drama. I did think the 2nd half dove much deeper into the drama with much less comedy as compared to the 1st half and the 2nd half lost all of the "food" aspect of the show which was slightly dissapointing. The 1st half of the drama was hilarious! Overall a great watch and would recommend!
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Old-fashioned galore
Good chemistry between the mcs. But they should have just focused on their cute couple moments. No need for the love triangle drama... If they wanted tension they could have used a dozen different ways to achieve it. Like the age gap and different desires and goals in life etc etc are right there and were enough to make them quarrel, become bitter, get back together etc. If you like old fashioned plot in cdrama then it isnt something you havent seen. The first half was better. They really built up on the chemistry so they should have kept the plot up by that instead. If you dont focus too much on the details though it leaves a sweet feeling overall.Was this review helpful to you?
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Two quite different halves
The headline says it: The first and the second half of the series have a big variance between them.The first half is cute, funny romance between a cold, clever, rich businessman (36 y.o) and vivid, somewhat silly, poor yet brilliant chef (21 y.o) which easily deserves at least 9/10 rating, if not higher. The focus is on the cooking aspect, the age and social gap between the main protagonists isn't really crucial, and everything is going in a smooth, fast pace (in fact sometimes too fast - I wouldn't mind having some subplots to get a bit more attention).
Then second half comes, and things change: focus shifts from cooking to business, social gap becomes more prominent, new (and often unnecessary) subplots and characters are introduced for the sake of conflict. Most importantly, and I'm not sure if it was the author's intention: the expected issues of age gap really start to show up. While ML is mature and acts maturely in the relationship, the FL is/does neither. In the end, it feels more like a father struggling to manage his teenage daughter, rather than a romance between two adults.
A pity. The first half was really promising, and if it was more expanded at the expense of the second half, it would make a great series overall. The way it is though, I cannot give it better rating than 7/10.
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Sweet and fluffly as candy floss
If you are looking for something light-hearted, funny to the point of hilarious at times, sweet and fluffy as candy floss, then you will love this. The first half is really hilarious to the point of almost slapstick, then it got more serious and at one point was quite frustrating, but no worries, as it will be "All's Well that Ends Well", perfect for those who love Happy Ending and a little surprise at the table-turning reveal in the meeting room.I love Zhao LuSi, and had been watching many of her dramas. The OST that she sang for this drama is very apt. I prefer the Chinese OST than the English ones. There were some grammatical mistakes in the English OST, as well as a slight mispronunciation which irritates me, especially as the song was repeated all the time.
The story itself is quite simple, the ML reminded me a bit of Richard Gere's role in "Pretty Woman". FL's trio best friend and her quaint apartment reminded me of "Friends". The cooking scenes were beautiful. The conversation in the final face-off with the future MIL reminded me of "Crazy Rich Asians" without a game of mahjong.
I wasn't interested in this drama initally until I saw both Zhao LuSi & Li YuShen in Happy Camp. YuShen seems like such a shy guy. The ML in this drama is supposedly only 36, Yushen is 40, but somehow his moustache, hair and all those expensive double-breasted suits made him looks like he was well over 50. Making the age difference in the drama more pronounced. LuSi can always easily looks like a school-girl.
I love the fashion designer uncle. He ended as the one supporting the relationship, even though he may not be so likable at the beginning. The Grandpa is also wise and imparts some important message to the ML.
I have rewatched the first few episodes almost as soon as I finished watching the series, they were the best part!
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If you are fan of Xaio Lusi, you will like this drama
I think this drama could be'you love it' or 'you hate it'. I am a big fan of Lusi, so I love any dramas she is in. So far none of them disappointed me. Because I like her, I simply bias to all dramas she made.One of the review made me laugh so hard when viewer wrote the ML was so unattractive and he looked like Hitler. I think it is because he had this thin mustache under his nose. I wished ML didn't have that mustache, because he didn't look good with it. He is generally a handsome man if he had better hairstyle and little more masculine. And I also didn't see much of the chemistry between Lusi and Shen Lin. And each episode was little weak to make me hook to this drama like unlike most of her other dramas do to me. That maybe the reason why I did only 8 out of 10. I am usually high score for Lusi's drama. I thought if ML was someone like Zhang Han, then this would have been pretty good. But I still like this drama because story was very easy to understand, no confusion, not trick, not too much mean spirits and etc. I love the cooking scene and I always love Luxi's smile and laugh. She is supposed to be 21 years old in this drama and Lusi is actually 22 years old, so it suited her to play this FL.
I always enjoy any drama she makes.
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Surprisingly memorable
I am writing this review now around 6 months after I actually watched the series.Originally I rated this an 8 on Viki, but it has really stuck with me, so I am "upgrading" it to 9.
Exactly why it has stuck with me I am not sure of, but the ML did make an impression on me.
He was an interesting character, and Lin Yu Shen portrayed him well. I think one of the reasons his role is memorable for me is that he stands out a bit from a lot of the other more visually "polished" male actors I had seen in C-dramas. Lin Yu Shen is a mature man, not trying to look like he is a 25 year old idol, lol.
Zhao Lu Si as the FL is also convincing, and her persona has some more natural traits than in a lot of other dramas. (I actually didn't know it was ZLS until I looked this drama up again now.)
The story kind of grabbed my interest straight away, and if you are a foodie or have a liking for food, that might be enough reason for you to check this series out.
As for the story, there are some very familiar plots, but overall it is still interesting.
I can see myself rewatching this at some point, mainly because of the warm feelings the ML and FL left me with.
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"Head Over Heels"
This drama's trailers were successful to "bait" me as a new one to Chinese drama.I have to say, I am "head over heels" with this drama. There are some reasons into it. First, the main leads. They are attractive and charming at the same time. No wonder if the chemistry is there, although with such large age gap. Second, the comedy chop is not dissapointing. There are some points where I laughed. Third, a lot of the romance scenes gives me butterfly. Fourth, the story is nice enough. It is about love, life, and dream: but packed in a creative way. Fifth, the soundtracks are suitable enough to accompany those scenes.
Even though, it is a pity thing for me that the drama's editing is not good enough. There are few scenes edited awkwardly and there's a time when the duration difference is pretty big. Those "minutes" ought to fill up enough some story to tell. Regardless to that, it is positively recommended to watch for C-Drama viewers.
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