Yummy Yummy Yummy

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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Fresh Take on Time-Travel

This was a fun one-time watch with a fresh take on time-travel. The premise: not just one person, but a whole family, gets transported to ancient times, where they make a livelihood by opening a restaurant using modern cooking methods and marketing strategies.

The family is your typical sitcom variety — level-headed mom, clueless dad, lazy brother, precocious little sister. Some of the characters can lean toward caricatures at times, but the leads — played by Wang Ying Lu and Li Yun Rui — hold things together.

Wang Ying Lu as the female lead is smart, resourceful, conveniently a history buff, and pretty much single-handedly keeps her family alive in their unfamiliar environment. Her sensitive performance — enhanced by an expressive face and big, bright eyes — give the character some needed emotional gravitas in contrast with her loud and chaotic family members.

The male lead is a successful but lonely young official who ends up entangled with the Shen family, who he believes to be his relatives. He’s serious and stoic, but carries a lot of emotional baggage, and Li Yun Rui plays the character’s grief and heartbreak with a quiet devastation that’s compelling to watch.

Viewers should also be on the lookout for some lovely sets (particularly the ML’s manor) and costumes. There are scenes where the camera pulls back to linger on a meaningful moment that look like they could be paintings.

In terms of genre, it’s mostly comedy with a bit of romance and a political intrigue / revenge plot. The ending, as is typical in this kind of story, is a bit contrived in order to reconcile the past and current timelines, but it’s a happy one and handled better than most dramas I’ve seen of this type.

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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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" 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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Yummy Yummy Yummy follows a very familiar and tried and true formula of other cozy, low-stakes fiction. A drama that feels like a warm bowl of soup after you come in from a walk in the rain. Things are happening within the show, but the tension is minimum enough and the plot is at a slow simmer majority of the time, giving the impression that everything will sort of turn alright in an episode or two. It all revolves around food and family. Food connects us, sustains us and warms us up on the inside and so does a good found family.

It's a mundane and cozy tale of people going about their day, fumbling through one trouble to the next, all while having a lovely meal and a hearty talk. And some good longing stares full of love and yearning from our main couple.

Because while the side characters that make up this fumbling family do provide us with humor and a good home base to the story, it is our main couple that are the earnest, beating heart of the drama. Filled with so much longing not only for each other and love, but also just to belong. They come to each other’s save haven. And the chemistry between the two main actors is so sizzling that you can't help but hold your breath in anticipation every time they are on screen together.

Both are so earnest in their feelings as they help each other to open and feel at ease in this new world they find themselves in. Shao Guang in this new era, that is determined to squash her freedom and Lin Yan in this new job in the buzzling city of Yong'an where he must brave the royal court in search for answers to his revenge.

The story moves from one plot point to another at a very steadfast pace, as this fractured modern family must re-learn how to love and work together in a era that is unfamiliar to their own. And with that comes plenty of moments of humor, soul-searching from the character, and romantic longing.

You can feel how these two yearn for each other’s company while the plot hurdles all sorts of reasons why they can't be together. The drama manages to sustain that decently well throughout its 32-episode run without it becoming too annoyingly repetitive or burdensome for the plot. It can make sense because the inner logic of the drama has been well established, and it is very honest and grounded in its own reality.

The only time the drama truly hits a bit of a lull in its very evenly paced narrative, and quite consistent storytelling is when the focus shifts a little toward the side characters toward the latter half of the drama. And I think it's because the focus was a lot of time on the wrong side characters. Instead of Liu Chang and A Yuan perhaps getting a cute secondary romance like Pei Fei and the Grand Princess the drama does spend too much time on the two men of the Shen family who go through too little character growth for that screentime to be truly worth it.

Both start of the drama being bumbling, fumbling idiots who rely on the women of the family to do the heavy lifting when it comes to business dealings and emotional labor and they remain relatively unchanged in their ways, mostly for the sake of humor, all throughout the drama. And the tropes or archetypes of the "bumbling idiotic men' often felt tiresome and annoying. It was lazy and boring.

Some of the political maneuvering, mysteries and the high stakes situations (that get resolved too quickly for have too much weight to them) that the characters find themselves in have remarkably simple and often laughable resolves. But that is the point of them, so I can't fault the drama for it. They are just there for the characters to have an excuse to save each other, spend time together or bond.

Yummy Yummy Yummy manages to provide its viewers with a laid-back entertainment experience that focuses on family drama filled with humor, everyday moments, and good food. It's basically a light-hearted cozy romp with lovable characters and the community they've built around them, a heavy dash of romance as well as a pinch of good characters dynamics and fun vibes. It's not trying to be clever or anything. It's just pure escapism

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Recommend for comedy drama - Yummyx3

Honestly, I didn’t expect much when I first started this drama. I only watched it because I’ve seen the female lead in a few other dramas and liked her performances, so I decided to give this one a try.

At the beginning, the story had a lot of funny moments. I laughed so hard at some scenes, especially because of Lin Yan’s reactions he was just too hilarious. But when it got to the middle episodes, I started to feel annoyed by the female lead’s father and brother. Their actions were so selfish and full of themselves. Still, the main leads’ scenes kept me watching.

When Lin Yan and Ji Cai finally had to distance themselves from each other for a few episodes, that part really hit me. I loved those emotional moments so much. The female lead family always said to Lin Yan that he was one of their “family,” but when they found out about her and Lin Yan’s feelings, they immediately tried to separate them, leaving Lin Yan completely innocent and heartbroken.

At first, I thought the sad scenes made sense for the story, but the more I watched, the more I felt sorry for Lin Yan. The plot twist really surprised me too, though I admit, some parts still left me a bit confused.

At least the main leads got to marry and be a couple for a while before she returned to the modern world. I’ve been trying to come up with theories for the ending, but no matter how I think about it, there’s always something that doesn’t make sense. OMG.

Still, I really enjoyed this drama more than I expected. It made me laugh, cry, and think definitely worth watching! 💖

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SO CUTE

This was so cute😭😭 My only criticism is that the ancestor misunderstanding took way too long to be resolved; the parents’ conflicts were also very redundant (and so was the stupidity of the brother and dad). Had the writing been a little better, we could have gotten the** cutest couple ever. Li Yun Rui really got me with this drama, he just has the yearning down like a pro! He also just fits historical dramas so well to be honest. Wang Ying Lu was also so great, I need to watch more of her shows. The male lead was such a green flag through and through, the chemistry among the cast was so enjoyable to watch, and the show had me laughing out loud more than once! Even though the ending is controversial (we should have gotten a bit more than them looking at each other…), I found the last episode so emotionally charged and beautiful. We spent a big amount of time with no dialogue, just a montage of scenes, and it really pulled at my heartstrings – it was done really, really well. This series was truly so cute, low-stakes, and fun. Just the writing was a little weak at times…!

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A fresh and nostalgic family journey through time.

This series surprised me from the start with a premise that I found truly novel: not only does the protagonist travel through time, but her entire family does too. This twist gave it a fresh and original dynamic, exploring how each member deals with this absurd situation.

One of the most notable and charming aspects for me was the concept of food and how the restaurant and its dynamics were adapted to the olden days. It wasn't just food, it was a vehicle for emotions, memories, and family connection. The way it was presented visually was as original as it was endearing and appetizing (I really want to try some of the dishes, ha ha ha).

Although I must point out that in the middle part, the plot lost some of its strength, with some episodes that felt stagnant and character attitudes that I found a little heavy, the last episodes come back with incredible force. The ending left me with a deep nostalgia and a lot of affection for the characters.

As for the outcome, although I admit that the fact that they got together was an emotional "band-aid," I felt sad that they were the only ones who remembered each other (at least she had her family, he had no one).

Finally, I must praise the cast's performance, each actor brought their character to life and made them authentic, making us truly care about them.

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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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