Yummy Yummy Yummy

Started Heartwarming, Ended Heavy

The first 20 episodes were an absolute delight, genuinely funny, comforting, and heartwarming. I was laughing through most of them! The comedy landed well, and the family dynamics were such a joy to watch. The brother and father were a bit dumb and annoying at times, but were still bearable and added to the humor. I especially loved how the male lead slowly opened up to the family - it felt natural, sincere, and very comforting to see him find warmth again. The little girl was such a bright spot too; her presence added so much softness and innocence.

Overall, early episodes had that perfect balance of humor and warmth — the kind of light, cozy vibe that makes you want to keep watching. I really thought the series would maintain that tone till the end.

But just like many other dramas that lose their spark in the second half, this one wasn’t an exception. After episode 20, the tone became flat and one-note. The female lead spent almost ten episodes either crying or feeling sad. I understood why, but it eventually got too heavy. The show that began as fun and heartwarming turned into something overly sad and emotionally draining.

Then came the big revelation that he’s not actually her ancestor, and it honestly felt rushed, as if even the writer was tired of dragging that plot. My reaction was basically, “Wait, what? That’s it? And this late?” They stretched the conflict for almost ten episodes only to reveal it like it was nothing.

And poor Lin Yan. I genuinely think the writer did him dirty. He lived his whole life waiting for her. First, he lost his parents, then his wife and her family. When he finally let go of his revenge and started to really live, he lost everything again and died longing for her. Like, how can they do this to him? Yes, they meet again in the modern world, but it came after years of pain and loneliness. That’s not a happy ending for me - it’s bittersweet at best. It really felt like the writer just wanted to stretch the emotional pain, both in the middle episodes and in the ending, so that when they finally got together, viewers would feel relief and forget how dragged it was.

The whole family’s development also lost its impact when they returned and forgot everything. Sure, they became better people, but what was the point of showing such a meaningful journey if they don’t even remember it? It made the time-travel aspect feel a little pointless.

In the end, the drama leaned too much on sadness and unnecessary dragging. It could have been a truly comforting, emotional story if the pacing and tone had been better balanced. Still, I can’t deny how much I loved the first 20 episodes, the laughter, the warmth, and the feeling of comfort they gave me.... and of course, Lin Yan’s puppy eyes that somehow carried me through the slower parts.

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Warm Cozy Family Comedy with culinary delights!

Just finished watching this drama, although the title says yummy x3 this is not solely focused on food at all.The balance in the storyline was very good,combining warmth of family, time travelling, coziness of food, a little bit of Palace politics and found families in between, blended with some really good comedies which didn’t feel like over-the-top or forced for the audience.

As i watched this drama ongoing, everyday felt like a happy journey experiencing shen family in the yunshui manor with Lin yan,whom they've thought to be the ancestor of their family tree but turned out to be totally wrong later. Li Yun Rui as Lin Yan & wang ying lu as Shen Jicai are absolutely amazing in Their roles,and surprisingly all the cast members from side characters to guest roles are stunning in their acting performances,censor pei fei, Mr. cao,liu chang,the chef that arrived later,I've found myself attached to almost all the characters in the drama, even Prince zhao,his end left me speechless, even if he was a bad person, no one would deny he was a good father for a child that was never his real son.

Shen family dynamics were enjoyable,their family meetings were fun all the time,but some things Between the shen parents were dragged in the middle.This is surely an A budget drama,but production class was visible with extremely pleasant cinematography and eye soothing costumes and set,reminded me of "the double"

About the ending, My appreciation for the writer for bringing a bit of science & physics into her story...when I watched jicai's family not remembering their time travel journey but still owning the growths they all individually went through in the trip, i couldn’t help saying It's an extraordinary excellent storytelling. Although the concept Isn't proved & It's just a thesis so far, but by physics law's,if travelling to the past is ever possible, you are supposed to forget everything that happened in the process, Any memory that is collected along the closed timelike curve will be erased before the end of the loop....

when jicai 'fainted' in the ancestral hall & travelled back into the past,Lin yan's modern reincarnation also fainted at the same place & dreamed about his past life & regained his past life memories through the butterfly...I took the butterfly as the resentments & memories of Lin yan that stayed in the mortal world for thousands of years until jicai & his reincarnation was born & grown into adults in the modern time & it sustained jicai's memories even after she came back to her era.so only jicai and him remembers each other.... For Lin yan,although his time with jicai was brief, his love transcended through his lifetime,Shen family gave her the warmth he never had since his childhood, jicai gave her a love that stayed for over thousand years and beyond, and i believe he was never lonely with all his precious memories and he never regretted any moment of that time.

Thanks yummy yummy yummy for being such a delightful watch all throughout. I have liked the ending even more than ADWAD. The cast did an amazing job,i laughed a lot and cried a little. One of the best dramas I've watched this year!

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A delicious start with bland finish. Love, food, and trauma are not in equal measure here!

This food rom-com starts off promising, with light, quirky, and surprisingly heartfelt moments. The first half had this cosy slice of life vibe, balancing humor with family chaos and a generous amount of slow-burning romance. But somewhere in the latter half, it takes a hard left into trauma territory. What began as a fun comfort watch turns heavy-handed and unnecessarily tragic. The tonal shift ruins the earlier charm, making it feel like two completely different dramas mashed together.

The premise is interesting and has a clever spin on the usual transmigration trope in the dramaland. Instead of just the ML or FL, the drama flips the trope and sends the entire Shen family to a different timeline where they fumble and survive through royal etiquette while clinging to their modern quirks and sanity.

The first half of this recipe had almost everything you want from a comfort watch. Adorable family bonds, humour that most of the time lands and a delicious slow burn romance that doesn't try too hard to impress, and that's the part of the charm. The Shen family's journey was chaotic and lovely. Watching them bicker in those too-frequent family meetings, adapt and grow together, felt oddly warm. While I found father and brother irritating and a bit senseless at times with over-the-top comedy, they somehow grew on me as the journey went on.

The slow-burn romance between Lin Yan and Shen Shaoguang was very gentle. I have a soft spot for pinning, and they served me left and right. The quiet yearning and restraint, the stolen glances, the way they linger just a second too long when no one is looking, Lin Yan nailed it. I liked how their bond wasn't built on grand declarations and respect for each other. I would describe their relationship as soft, patient and bittersweet. However, when the drama delves into heavier themes, the romance suffers. The tenderness begins to stretch thin under all that angst. When the writing wobbles, somehow their chemistry saved the day.

And then came the second half, pouring the tragic water on this delicious simmering soup to dilute its taste. The humor evaporated, the pacing curdled, and the romance became an emotional mush. I felt the drama took itself too seriously. We were spoon-fed angst until even the sweetest moments started to feel bittersweet. The big plot twist of "Who is my ancestor?" arrived like a reheated dish. It was edible enough to satisfy your hunger, but bland, flavourless and lacked any kind of excitement. It felt like writers were confused till the end on how to present it, and in a rush, went with the lamest explanation.

Lin Yan, my poor man, bears the brunt of this creative confusion. His story turns from moving to downright tragic, and while that could have been poignant, it ends up feeling manipulative, emotional suffering used as seasoning instead of storytelling. And don’t even get me started on the ending, the family’s entire journey rendering their growth meaningless. It’s the narrative equivalent of baking a perfect cake and then throwing it out before anyone takes a bite.

Another point that I felt was weak was the antagonists. Rival cooks, bureaucratic hurdles and local elites made for an entertaining obstacle but never truly felt dangerous. All the conflicts often lacked intensity, and somehow I felt resolved a little too easily.

I am surprisingly okay with the ending, considering how messy things got quickly. And also keeping in mind the restrictions with time travel theme dramas in China. But if you ask me, I can think of simpler and better ways it would have gone.

Acting-wise, Li Yunrui as Lin Yan was definitely a good choice. He portrayed the role with a certain charm, bringing the quieter, humorous and vulnerable sides perfectly. This is the year of Wang Yinglu for me. This is the third drama of hers I am watching, and she is good. The supporting cast also looked solid. A bit overboard at times when it came to humour or melodrama, but I think that was more of the writing choice of how the characters were.

Production and cinematography were excellent and never felt lacking. The manor in which they lived was definitely one of the most aesthetically pleasing and pretty-looking settings I have come across in my drama watching history.
Now coming to the food aspect, even though the title is yummy yummy yummy, the food never takes the centre stage. It is there, noticeable, deliciously presented, but if you are watching it for food shots, you will find them surprisingly scarce. I don't think it affected my watching experience as I had no expectations going in. But whatever food shots we got, it was rich, detailed, and definitely can make you hungry.

Overall, this is one of those classic strong first-half with a derailed second-half cases. It definitely lures you in with warmth and wit and it is good while it lasts but it's a pity when the drama forgets along the way what made it delicious in the first place. It could also have been a few episodes shorter.
Will I recommend it? For slow-burn romance, yes but with reservations.
7.25/10

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Another example of script writers ruining a great cast and a great story

I love Wang Ying Lu and Li Yun Rui separately and also together. They are adorable together and have hot chemistry. The main leads are the only thing I like about this drama and the only reason I didn't drop it despite many frustrations.

While I was waiting for new episodes, I checked out the source novel and found out that they made many (both necessary and unnecessary) changes in the drama adaption.

What went wrong:
1. The ancestor plot could have been epic if executed well. But the script writers bit off more than they can chew and tried to wrap it up with a lame excuse (that Pei Fei is the real ancestor of Shen family) unconvincingly.

2. The Shen family was too much and counterproductive for the comedy and enjoyment of the drama. In order to give the family more screentime and plot, they gave some of FL's original plots to others (eg., In episode 27, it should be FL who helped Lin Yan find the bad guys and the warehouse, not the stupid brother).

3. The novel FL is very intelligent and playful. I feel like they somewhat downplayed her role in the drama.
In the novel, the main leads have such flirty playful teasing interactions which would've been delightful to be played out by WYL& LYR. Instead, we're given unnecessary angst that dragged on for ~20 episodes.

4. It really bothers me when the production crew doesn't take care of the female lead actress appearance well. It was almost like they sabotaged her. Some of Ah-Ji's outfits are really unflattering! Around ep 23, her hair became so high with ugly accessories. The hair is just ridiculously big and ugly on Wang Yinglu's small and delicate face. And she runs restaurants; why would she have such big unpractical hair do!

5. They tried to pump up the male lead role with cliche plots and ended up with many plot holes.

6. They forgot that great food scenes should have been the center of the show (that's how they marketed the drama afterall). After the first few episodes, the focus on food just fizzled out unfortunately.

I'm giving this drama a 7 for Wang Ying Lu and Li Yun Rui. They are wonderful actors and deserve better than this mess.

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A warm family drama lightly seasoned with romance

Yummy Yummy Yummy actually started off really well and quite promising. I really liked the dynamic of the Shen family, how they stuck together and always had each other’s backs while trying to find a way to return to modern times after suddenly transmigrating to the ancient era. It was heartwarming and touching at first.

However, as the story went on, that dynamic slowly faded. The family eventually gave up on returning to the modern world and decided to start a new life in Yong’an instead. Each family member gradually became somewhat unbearable and annoying, mainly because of their attitudes and poor communication, especially the parents.

The father grew overly proud of himself, constantly bragging about being a top chef and all, which ended up straining his relationship with the mother. The mother, on the other hand, knowing how clueless and dumb her husband can be, often got mad at him without explaining what upset her or why she felt that way. Their problems just kept dragging on until ep 20s, and I honestly skipped some of their parts because I couldn’t stand them anymore.

Then there’s the brother, honestly, such a pathetic, good-for-nothing man. At first, he was funny, but later on, his irresponsibility and laziness were just frustrating. If the father is dumb, then the brother is definitely dumber.

As for the FL, I actually liked her for the most part. She’s smart, resourceful, and literally the backbone of the family. But after she fell for the ML, her behavior became frustrating. She kept avoiding and distancing herself from him without giving any explanation, constantly denying her feelings and even hurting herself physically in the process. I understand that it might be hard for her to explain or make him believe that he’s her great ancestor but considering how quick-witted she was in the earlier episodes, her actions were quite disappointing.

The granddaughter is probably the least annoying one among them. She’s just an obedient kid who doesn’t cause much trouble, mostly she just eats, cries, and cries some more when she needs to.

As for the ML, he’s the classic type of character, a young, handsome man whose family was framed and killed, leading him to uncover the truth and seek revenge by becoming an official. Along the way, he’s betrayed by some people close to him. He’s patient, rational, and smart—almost like a Mary Sue. There’s nothing particularly unlikeable about him tho.

Among all the side characters, the princess is probably the most appealing one. Her demeanor, the way she talks, and her silliness make her really fun to watch.

As for the romance, if you start watching this drama expecting lots of heart-fluttering or sweet moments between the couple, you might end up disappointed. The romance is there, but it develops very slowly and isn’t really the main focus of the story.

The food, on the other hand, looked amazing in the early episodes. Some of the dishes even made me hungry just watching them. But as the story went on, the food became less meaningful and more like background decoration, which was kind of a shame.

Overall, I liked the warmth and kindness of the Shen family at the start, but the story dragged too much later, and some of the characters barely showed any development. I don’t really mind slow-burn romance, but the whole “ancestor” plotline got frustrating to watch. Like you’ve already accepted that you might never return to the future, so why are you still scared of falling in love with your ancestor from 1,000 years ago, thinking it might affect the future? Well, maybe she thought it's a forbidden love but still.

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Love Beyond Romance: The Heartbeat of Family in Every Form

This drama, at its heart, is about family love — every form of it, in all its tenderness and complexity. It explores parents and children, siblings, adoptive families, and even chosen families — showing that love isn’t limited to romance alone.

I’ve always found it perplexing how romantic love is glorified so often — sung about, written about, idolized — while the purest and most enduring love, the one we receive from family and friends, rarely receives the same recognition. Love isn’t a single shape or emotion; it’s a spectrum. Every kind of love — parental, sibling, platonic — touches and warms the heart in its own way, even if it often goes unspoken.

The Shen family beautifully captures that essence. Their acceptance of Lin Yan, their warmth, and Lin Yan’s rediscovery of peace in his mundane, everyday life through his newfound family — all of it feels quietly profound. It shows how love can heal wounds that once seemed impossible to mend.

Then there’s the complex and tragic relationship between Prince Zhao and Lin Yan. A man who adopted his nemesis’s child simply because the boy resembled his lost elder son. It’s tragic, layered, and almost Shakespearean in its irony. Prince Zhao adopted his enemy’s child — the son of the man he destroyed — simply because Lin Yan resembled his own lost son, Li Sheng. Was it love disguised? Love twisted by grief? Or a desperate attempt to fill an irreparable void? We’ll never know.

What we do know is that Prince Zhao raised Lin Yan with genuine affection. He gave him knowledge, warmth, and guidance — everything a child could wish for, even if the foundation was built on deception.

Lin Yan, unaware of the truth, called the man who annihilated his family father and trusted him completely. It’s cruel, but profoundly human — because even when love is born from lies, the emotions themselves can still be real.

That’s what makes the story so haunting. When the truth unravels, you can feel Lin Yan’s devastation — the pain of realizing that everything real to him was built on illusion. And when jicai told her she was glad he was loved in his childhood and lived in deception because truth somethimes does more harm than justice.

Prince Zhao’s reluctance to harm him, his obsession with Lin Yan’s acceptance and love till his dying breath, the moment his hand reached out for one last caress —

Even Zhao’s biological son’s emotions are deeply explored. Having grown up alongside Lin Yan, he’s bound to feel a strange mix of affection and resentment. His father’s clear favoritism left him feeling inadequate and unloved. That final scene — when he rides in on horseback with soldiers screaming “Protect Prince Zhao!” — i was so moved.. i forgot he is villain.. i was like go go go~~. For a moment, you could feel his turmoil..and love for his father.

Prince Zhao chosing to cut ties after Lin Yan struck his son, (though all his life he favored lin yan says a lot about his hearts which might have cared for his own son a lot as well unable to express himself properly) and later, when they rode out of the palace together — his words telling his real son to run while he met his own end — A man torn between desires, ambition, and love, finally breaking under the weight of it all.

It also subtly shows something very real — how parents, even without realizing it, sometimes compare or differentiate between their children. That quiet imbalance can shape a child’s heart forever — one grows up seeking love; the other, struggling to feel enough.

What makes this drama special is how simply it presents these emotions. It doesn’t force you to cry; it just lingers. It leaves you just with messages subtly about what family really means, and how even imperfect love can hold beauty, without shattering your world.

The other relationships — Yang Yang and Shen Shao Jie’s tender father-daughter bond, the old couple’s story about love fading and rediscovering each other, the small frustrations that erode identity but can be healed through acknowledgment — all of it adds gentle realism.

And the FL’s arc — finding solace, satisfaction, and purpose through Deyuan and her dream of making affordable food — shows another side of human needs: the desire to be useful, to belong, to create something meaningful.

Every member of this extended family brings warmth in their own way. Together, they form a tapestry of love — messy, flawed, but incredibly human.

Even the royal family was one of the cute ones with such a loving princess and crown prince, and a not too arrogant king.

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" Yummy Yummy Yummy — Tasty Beginnings, Slow Endings "

I just finished watching Yummy Yummy Yummy and wanted to share my thoughts from my personal vantage point.

✅ What worked for me

Fresh and fun starting premise

"Modern Shen family accidentally time-travels to ancient Yong’an, turning a promo shoot into a fun food adventure — mixing modern flavors and personalities with a historical touch, it feels fresh and fun. The setup of the family trying to survive/time-travel/adapt suited my mood for something not too intense.”

Mouth-watering food scenes

“In the early episodes, the focus on cooking and food really stands out as the Shen family uses modern knowledge to adapt to the past. With snacks like jianbing and other street foods, the drama even has a bit of a ‘food porn’ charm. If you enjoy mouth-watering visuals in period dramas, this part truly delivers.”

❌ What didn’t quite land for me

Slow pace & shifting focus

“The first 10–12 episodes truly deliver on novelty—food, modern-meets-ancient moments, and family fun. But as the story progresses, it slows down and shifts toward heavier plotlines, losing some of that initial charm. The romance also doesn’t pick up until around episode 30, so if you’re expecting early love scenes, the wait might feel long."

Characters: uneven execution

The male lead (ML) character: Cool, handsome, talented — standard for this genre, and he does his job. The female lead (FL): Starts strong — smart, proactive, the one carrying her family. But as the drama progresses, her decisions (or indecisions) in the romance/avoidance arc dragged her character for me.

The rest of the family: I share your frustration. The father-son “airhead” duo, the mother constantly blaming father, the granddaughter’s whining-eating – these characters felt exaggerated, annoying at times, almost cartoonish. While that can work in broad comedy, for my tastes the balance tipped too far into “annoying” rather than charming.

Romantic payoff & chemistry

If you’re watching for a strong, early-on romance, this might disappoint. The “romance” only becomes prominent much later, The time-travel/ancestor trope adds weirdness, which complicates the romance instead of simply making it sweet.

Plot logic & bugs

The family’s modern knowledge advantage is sometimes overstated; the big mystery substance behind the ML’s secret is introduced but feels undercooked.

🔍 A few extra thoughts & “tips”

Viewing tip: Don’t go in expecting a serious historical drama. Think of it more as a food-time-travel comedy with light romance. That mindset will help you avoid disappointment when the logic loosens.

Character tip: Focus on the FL’s arc and the ML’s quieter moments; skip over some of the more “family chaos” scenes if they get too grating.

Food scenes: Enjoy them. Pause if you must for screenshots of dishes! The food aspect is one of the high points.

Patience for romance: If you’re watching primarily for the romantic storyline, be aware you'll need to invest time (maybe 20+ episodes) before it truly gets going.

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Nice story..

I liked this show.. the characters had their own individual flare and it was quirky.. its your typical going back into time and coming back to the future.. i dont think this show was trying to be extravagant or ground breaking.. but it did keep me going from episode to episode.. I wanted to know what was gonna happen next. My only thing with it was the romance was a veeeeerrryyy slow burn.. almost like a carrot waving in my face the whole entire time.. but the ML/FL were very endearing during the show. Would I recommend? Yes. Its nice a nice show. Would I watch it again? Sure 💜

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Light hearted drama with a green flag male lead!

I thought it was a bit different from other time travel dramas where only one of the leads go back in time, but this took back an entire family. Their dynamics were fun to watch. (A shame that they didn't keep their memory of going back, that's the only issue with the ending I have got.)

Apart from that, the script follow the basic plot of time travel drama so it was nothing out of the ordinary, for me, Li Yun Rui was the star here. He was so damn perfect for this role. Had it not been for him, this would have been more like one those mini dramas.

Thankfully, we have Li Yun Rui leading this, so I knew it wouldn't drop the ball in terms of acting, this gave me a chance to appreciate Wang Ying Lu as an actor. I might seek out some of her dramas as well now, especially When Destiny Brings the Demon.

The ending was as expected, for once I hoped that they gave us more than this simple and then they met again in modern times excuse.

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Inconsistent

Started off very funny. Then fell off. Lots of plot holes that makes no sense but we have to just accept. So much of ancestor business for it to end up being someone else but how? What happened with princess and pei fei? ML endured alot alone at the end and it was all resolved with a dream of two people who happened to faint at the same location. Absolutely ridiculous ending. What happened to Ayuan, the chef liu, even the owner of the other restaurant that was interested in Ji cai, how did they just not get shown again to even remember or forget the shens? Did they not exist at all? Could tell the writers weren't sure what direction they wanted to go anymore. Father and son characters were super annoying. FL was annoying as well. Yang yang lovely. ML carried this show.

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Appetizing beggining, delightfull peak, hard to digest finale

Someone said in there reviews that this story has lost its rom-com tag. It did not. In fact it was a complex story that incorporated time travel, a comedic family, a tragic almost impossible love story, some palace political issues and load of delightfull food from old chinese quisine. The romance tag was there all alone. Contrary to others I do not think it was dragged to much but it was indeed solved stupidly quickley. And besides the romantic love between the leads the story also explored filial love amoung different generations. Human imperfections personified the the family itself. And yeah...the ending....made me shead tears after having my heart fluttering for 31 episodes straight.

There were some inconsistencies but I'll pass on them since the story was so intricated and so well executed by the actors. From children to adults everybody was stunning. The child brought some joy and purity to the plot. The two disfunctional parrent brought some comedia del arte that actually kind of shows some realistic family issues that cannot be solved without comunication. The side characters like Pei Fei, The Princess, Lady Chen Yixing , the evil prince and the servents brought to the table diffrent kinds of trouble. From romantic, to life issues to politics....everything was perfectly personified. And HUGE praise for the leads for one of the most amazing carefully BUILDED chemestry dureing the show. The were amazing portaing suffering and longing for eachoter through gestures, body language and eyes. Ah those eyes....I believe I cryed with them all along. 2 leads with puppy eyes. Lovable.

Contrary to others I also liked the music. Especially since the talented cast praised above also took part in it. Which makes them even more amazing. Plus one of the songs that contaied rap reminded me of a Punch song in the KDrama Moon Lovers. Good times.

And speaking of which....I have my own interpretation over the ending. The time travel did happened and all characters were left with something after all. Even though their memories were gone. And the ones that were left with the memories were the leads so that they can find eachoter eventually. It was most defenetly not all a dream but it might have happened precisley because they met again and they needed to see with thier own eyes the past life. Li Yan/Che/Anran's ending was extreamlly sad and made me cry rivers. It might have seemed unfair that he had to suffer his entire life and die alone as the only one that remember the Shen family and his love. But I believe his wish to keep their memorie alive was exactely what gave him a change to meet them again in the future. The payback for a life full of loneliness was a bright future life. The writers could have simply left the Shen's in the past to leave a happy life but they wanted to point out that all this multidimensional love stories were strong and real enough to resist through all kinds of times. In their case the journey had to end because they all got what they came for. Gongcai overcame his failures in life and learned how to believe in himself. Yang Yang started to love school and to love to be smarter then anyone. The parents learned how to accept eachothers flows and how to overcome them togheter as a family. Jicai learned how to believe in love and how love always makes you stronger. And Anran learned the joy of a family. As somebody said....the colective amnesia might have something to do with the low of phisics. For the family it was needed so they won't leave forever into the past. For the ones in the past it was because during those times there was no other way to explain the dissapearence of an entire family that did so much good. BUT...with it comes the biggest inconsistency of the show. The story was supposedly passed down during generations and the grand grand father knew that the Shens died in the fire. Now the past should have changed since everybody there behaved like they never even came back. The only one that preserved the paintings and the story was Anran that rebuilded the diner , wrote the story down and waited patiently until he died. They genuinely wanted to leave a strong message behind. Food tastes better with a sip of love in it. Life makes more sense filled with love. Love is not perfect but is strong enough to sometimes last multiple lifetimes. And of course....loves goes through the stomach first.

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