Bon Appetit, Your Majesty

This is no MR queen

In my opinion, the cast delivers strong performances. As for how open the world is, it's too early to tell after just two episodes, so I can't comment much on the setting yet. The plot has potential, but it could have benefited from a stronger writer. It feels like the writer was aiming for something in the vein of Mr. Queen, but didn’t quite hit the mark he or she totally miss it. The female lead comes across as overly ignorant of her situation, and it’s frustrating, she seems capable of nothing beyond cooking.

The first 30 minutes are particularly hard to get through. You’ll find yourself gritting your teeth, wondering why the story didn’t start differently and why the character is written to be so clueless. Sure, she’s in another world, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of basic awareness or adaptability. I did push through this rough beginning and hope she grows smarter and more strategic as the story progresses ,something she did in episode 2 what made me think she is the worse FMC ever written . You will now when that part come

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Expressive acting, hilarious

I’m a 30-year follower of East Asian films and dramas.
Chinese works, especially historical dramas, are often full-budget and intense with complex storylines and a large cast. Billions of views is not unreachable for China’s best works. One complaint is that more and more, capable actors have become zombie green screens for CGI.
Japanese films often explore spiritual conundrums, but the weekly serials tend to be insular and mundane. I’m avoiding the word “boring”. Japan’s public TV - NHK - is absurdly expensive and international audiences miss out on well-made non-fiction and dramatic content.
In contrast, Korean dramas are highly accessible. Facial expression, body movement and human-centered stories are the reason Netflix and other platforms have picked so many up.
“Bon Appetite…” is hilariously modern with a sarcastic nod to the historical genre. Super fun. Maybe I’ll expand my culinary repertoire.

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it’s cute but the ending was so rushed

The entire thing was not top tier or anything but I genuinely enjoyed it. I especially liked the way they portrayed the story, in the end the king was maybe bad, but even if he wasn’t he still would have been known as bad because that’s what the winner (prince jesan) decided. In the end, the ones who win are the ones who tell the story how they want. So I found that nice honesty.
Acting was good, both FL and ML played their roles really well for me.
The cooking aspect was enjoyable, I don’t know about other Kdrama watchers but maybe anime influenced me in this aspect so it felt like a slice of life cooking kdrama which made me unwind if anything.
However the ending… Ending it with “how he came to find me is not important cause now we’re together”..is very annoying. I don’t what happened with the production to want to wrap it up like that or maybe that’s how it was meant to be, but 1 more episode could have explained a few things, like what happened to his people who took over the palace? , like how he came to future? , and when he met her in the restaurant he was already well dressed in a normal outfit so how did that happen? , how did even find her?
So yea I enjoyed a whole 11 episodes of this, but the last part was so rushed it frustrated me.

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“no me puedo llamar el mejor cocinero porque nunca superé la comida de mi abuela” ?

Con los primeros capítulos pensé que sería un drama con 95% escenas de cocina y un 5% de romance. Sin embargo, en verdad me sorprendió mucho el arco de los personajes que los llevó a enamorarse, es primera vez que lo sentí correcto y natural, no me faltó ni me saltó nada. Muchas veces me pasa que la razón por lo que los personajes se enamoran es muy “puesta”, igual me terminan encantando, pero no hay algo que yo me encante en ese camino, a diferencia de esta que me hicieron sentir ese cambio de perspectiva, un ligero enemy to lovers.

Por otra parte quiero destacar mucho la interpretación de Lee Chae-min, sinceramente no es un actor que conocía, pero me sorprendió mucho sobretodo los últimos capítulos, la desesperación, traición y dolor en verdad se vieron reflejados.

Igual sostengo que es más un drama de cocina jajajaja pero el romance estaba y estaba chef kiss 😮‍💨

Por lo general, y explicando mi ranking, no soy una persona muy picky, si el romance hace que chille me tiene, un promedio siempre pongo 8,5 cuando me entretuvo, pero con una vez verlo estoy bien.

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Good Beginnings, Bad Endings

The hype got me to watch the series. The pro of this series is that its a short watch, with only 12 episodes. The con is its ending. Don't get me wrong, it's not an unresolved ending. True to typical kdramas, everything is neatly tied up in a bow and spoonfed to the audience. But my biggest glitch with the ending is its execution.
I could see the writers' fatigue towards the end of the drama. They'd used all their brains in setting the story up, but when it came to a logical resolution, they just lost steam.
This is another one of those typical Kdramas that are extremely trope-y but also addictive because we know what we'll be served. So the joke situations are the same, the hand grabs are endless, and consent is sketchy, to say the least.
What I particularly liked about this series was its attention to detail when it comes to food. And it is very commendable that the makers consulted proper chefs to show very standard Michelin star recipes. The exaggerated visuals while tasting their food is again, not new (Food Wars has done it, Haunted Palace has done it), but they are stupidly funny. If only they could put this much attention to detail to write a better ending to the story, it would've made so much sense. To use a food analogy, the series felt like the writers spent a LOT of time and effort whipping egg whites to make a meringue, only to misuse it towards the end and bake a flat cake out of it. The ending felt as unsatisfactory as a flat cake coming out of the oven.

In terms of acting, Lee Chaemin was quite convincing as the tyrant turned softie sweetheart. Im Yoona also did a good job in her comic parts. But when she was explaining the dishes, it felt like I was watching King The Land again. The other actors also did a good job, but given that its a CJ Ent and Studio Dragon production, I don't expect bad acting at all.

I do wish, however, that they stop the body showing fan service. I get it, we all thirst to see glimpses of the male actors' well built bodies, but being shirtless at random episodes is just meaningless.
The music was quite meh, nothing stood out. The food production and the food photography was top notch though: that was easily the best part of the series. Which is why, even if it didn't have a very dense plot, I wasn't bothered much: the food was enough to make up for it.

This is the 2nd kdrama I've watched recently that features isekai elements (First Night with the Duke is another). And both of them failed the teleportation element so horribly, my opinion of the dramas reduced substantially. Overall, its a fun watch, starts off very strong but becomes tepid at the end.

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Great cooking drama (in depth plot? not that great)

For context, I binged this show.

Its honestly not even bad. I don't know why there's so many haters. I enjoyed watching it. There were moments where I fast-forwarded a lot but I enjoy cooking-themed shows so this was right up my alley. As opposed to other viewers, I wasn't as interested in the subplots about the queen dowager / the treason / etc. and was more into the cooking competitions and friendships within the kitchen. So with that noted, I suppose I'm not into the show because of the plot LOL hence the 7.5 for the story.

If I'm actually thinking about the plot as a whole... there were definitely a lot of plot holes. Since there's so many characters that have decently-sized roles, I suppose it was hard to incorporate all of their backstories and how each of them came to be- mainly the people who were on the prince Jaesan's side. And Consort Kang... she highkey pmo. Her role was really big in the drama but there was no proper backstory for her??? We know she used to be a courtesan(?) and the prince brought her in (I'm not 100% tho so don't quote me on that) but like why is she so vengeful towards the king? Despite liking him too? Like the royal family never did anything bad towards her (from my understanding) so why did she never waver and continue to stay with the prince when she doesn't even like him that much. Honestly, there's a lot to unpack so I'll just stop this here lol.

One of my favourite characters from the show was definitely the jester Gong il. He was super fun and was for sure one of the characters that was well written. His backstory was shown in depth but there was a good amount of vagueness that keep the viewers entertained- especially since he wasn't a main character. I enjoyed watching all of his scenes. His character was well written and the acting was portrayed perfectly. I will be awaiting more of Lee Joo Ahn's work!

As for the main leads' acting, I thought Yoona did really well. I've always enjoyed her acting and this drama is no different. She's great. And Lee Chae Min was good too. I was pleasantly surprised by his acting (since I've only watched dramas where he was a side character). He depicted different emotions perfectly and the food tasting scenes were hilarious. I enjoyed watching his acting.

The chemistry between the main leads tho... I personally didn't see any problem with it. I thought it was good enough. And the romance theme wasn't badly written either. It was alright and I actually liked how the drama wasn't heavily reliant on the romance aspect and kept the lovey-dovey-ness to a minimal. I thought it was a nice touch and that the chemistry was more prevalent this way.

Overall a great show. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I don't regret watching it.

p.s. I'm glad they didn't make this show like Scarlet Heart Ryeo... or else I would've rated it lower LOL. I'm happy they didn't traumatize us with a sad/open ending.

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Masterchef®: Season Joseon

This is my first ever historical K-drama. I have zero knowledge about Korean history, so I might have missed out a lot of historically incorrect things. Bon Appetit, Your Majesty is mostly a belly-tickling food showcase. The original concept is good. Everything about the food is excellent, the visual of the food presentation, the cooking process, the reaction of the "customer", the explanation of the cooking process. The concept is very similar with Masterchef show: Chef Yeon Ji Yeong gets a challenge to cook a dish with a concept, serves it to the judge(s), the judge tastes and comment the dish and the cook gets to explain the dish and cooking process. The political side looks very confusing to me with no knowledge in Korean history, but some on screen explanations are quite helpful.

The casts are quite good. YoonA and Lee Chae Min are doing a good job, although it's not something extraordinary. The Ming Chief Envoy somehow has the worst Chinese accent compared to his colleagues.

However, the pace is extremely slow. It takes 5 episodes for the Ming Cooking Competition. Unfortunately when this pace applies to anything else, it becomes painful. They use the receipt of request-cook-serve-judging phase pattern almost the whole show. After repeating it a lot of times, the tone and vibe switch drastically after episode 10 and with such pace it's not appealing at all. Also it turns a bit makjang after episode 10. All about the cookings disappear too after this episode, and it becomes like another show. The final episode is a massive letdown. I don't care if the king goes to the future, but those grenades are ridiculous!

The soundtrack is quite okay. Watch this show if you're quite okay with a slow pace.

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Royal Feast Deja Vu (or maybe the Remix)?

Summary (heavy violence from middle to end): A show about cooking with science, time travel through a recipe book, royal romance, and an unrealistic but intriguing storyline with cheesy, upbeat background music? All check. Hallmark, Korean style! How does that differ from regular Korean dramas? Well, the introduction had that similar background music and feel, set to a cooking competition, that I’ve experienced in one too many American Hallmark movies. Of course, it’s not complete without those familiar K-drama elements incorporated, like a high-profile and tyrannical (or narcissistic) but dashingly handsome male lead. Another check. The frequent close-ups of the his perfect lips as he savored each morsel of food was like 😳 It was also nice to see a lot of cultural tie-ins to Korean history, with heavily ethnic music and dance numbers showcased throughout.

As the episodes went on, I started to get a feeling that I’ve seen this show before…a fastidious ruler with a super refined palate that picks on the lowly but beautiful palace cook, who’s also his fated soulmate, as they navigate a swarm of conniving trickery by other palace residents? Ah-hah. Royal Feast (2022). And the mystery surrounding the execution of a family member? Story of Yanxi Palace (2018). AND, the crazy blood bath towards the end of the movie while shrouded in some type of espionage against the main characters? Fateful Love (2024). Perhaps it was just a coincidence but all those aspects of this show gave me a bit of deja vu. Lol

However, the story got sloppy towards the middle with some inconsistencies (like storytelling approach) and holes (like lack of explanation on some key points) in the storyline that the filmmakers never bothered to resolve by the end.

Overall, I did enjoy Bon Appétit, Your Majesty! Rewatch? Yes, please. Even though I was balking at the inconsistencies and holes in the storyline, I still wanted to go back and catch the details I missed from the beginning. Looking back through the show, I realize I loved most the part when they first met and kind of hated each other. ^_^ That smack to the head in response to his ummm piggish offer to her was woahhh… 😂

My respect for Im Yoon-ah’s work is growing. Apparently, she underwent months of culinary training for this role. She also speaks multiple languages, and her Mandarin is pretty good (King the Land, 2023). I also love the mini music video nod to Seo Teiji & Boys "Come Back Home," one of my favorite scenes of the show!


Details: Despite its undismissable plot holes, I was quite impressed by this fantasy, sci-fi, mystery romcom themed around cooking. The flow of the story was very smooth for most of the show. And what began like a Hallmark evolved into a much more complex plot akin to the likes of Chinese period dramas Story of Yanxi Palace (2018) or Fateful Love (2024), both of which intensities are hard to top in my book. I mean those dramas had ALL kinds of wrongness (diabolical villains in every corner)! But Bon Appétit, Your Majesty! is a good contender. There was plenty of “Whaaaa???” moments in the plot development. And although it’s hard to believe that they fell off a tall cliff and floated to a shore pretty much unscathed (especially after he was shot by an arrow), it made for a great setup. Good thing Yeon Ji-yeong knew a bit of first aid. 😂

The aspects of the show I appreciated were:
- how Yeon Ji-yeong was a tough and determined woman, who spoke up for herself or others; she was the perfect partner for the king — go, go, go!
- incorporation of scientific explanations with the cooking, not just showing fancy dishes
- showcasing ancient dishes with some modern twists (having had multiple culinary experts in their arsenal to consult with), along with the euphoric reaction from different characters when they tasted the food; I actually wouldn’t have minded being the poison checker if I could taste all that lovely looking food. ^_^ My mouth was watering the whole time!
- how the filmmakers tied in certain time-space tidbits between episodes, like the origin of King Lee Heon’s historical name Yeonhuigun and consistent comparison between modern Korean and ancient Joseon terminology
- the Seo Teiji & Boys Come Back Home sample, Mangunrok remix performance 🎉; the bonhuuuuu part kinda killed me. Lol
- punchy cultural background music, along with the traditional dances
- funny and cutesy scenes like the playful paper fan fight between King Lee Heon and Im Song-jae
- the slight dabble in steam punk with the eccentric and reclusive inventor who could only be won over by Chef Yeon’s charm and passion for cooking; love how he comes to the rescue at the end
- that they reincarnated her whole culinary team in the future

The aspects of the show I didn’t like were:
- lack of explanation of key points, like where exactly the magic of the recipe book came from; yes, their love created it but what made it work? Or the half-baked explanation why Lee Heon’s mom was executed; what was her crime again? I didn’t get that part.. also, why was the Mangunrok hidden away without inciting anyone else’s curiosity, including the king’s?
- inconsistency with their storytelling method, like addressing the audience directly in the beginning and then not following through. I wish it was more like Wayne's World (yes, different animal I know) in which the characters kept checking in with the audience throughout. It would have been cool to have both leads directly addressing the audience occasionally as a comedic shtick
- how the dialogue got sloppy towards the end and suddenly the show was more of a blood-spilling spree
- inconsistency in character behavior, like how the whole group of culinary/jesting rebels turned from brave and victorious to dumb and helpless right after Prince Je San captured Cook Yeon. Seriously? You had no more arrows or bombs left to take him down with? But I guess the show would have had to end... 🤦🏻‍♀️
- less and less scientific explanations for the dishes, as well as less details, in later episodes
- the overused dumb leads scenario of stubbornly returning to danger AFTER being warned not to do so...WAYO!? Like Cook Yeon in the forest after being rescued from the massacre in the palace, or King Lee after surviving an ambush and then looking for Prince Je San only to reveal Chef Tang’s riddle/warning to the guy

There was a blood eclipse...but what made the book magical and time transcending? Apparently, it wasn’t their tears or words. Was it her blood splattered on the book? And why did the book only transport HER back through time and not him? I thought the whole point was that the magic of the book was centered around their deep love for each other. C’mon, people, get it together! Ije geu-man! (I heard that a lot in Dramaworld 😂)

I also got a bit annoyed with the Cook Yeon in later episodes, especially in the stand-off between King Lee and Prince Je San. Seriously? The guy's in the middle of an intense sword fight and you're calling his name, trying to get his attention? Why don't you be useful and crack a jar over the enemy's head?? Oh, and love how she's taking her sweet time to read the recipe book too, while he’s fighting for his life, like it's an ordinary day in the neighborhood. Wow 😂

I don't know if the filmmakers got flustered with how to end the story but I didn't appreciate the lackluster way of refusing to explain how he finds her in the end. It felt kind of like a slap in the face to the audience to say, "It's a secret…” rather than conjuring up a little backstory for that. Lame. For example, a blood eclipse while holding the ripped page of the book and thinking about one’s true love would have been good enough. Or clicking their heels together and saying three times: "My dearly beloved, if you were to read this someday...may you come back to my side." OR nannn jigeumm… muuu eos-eulll… chaj-eulyeo go! aeleul sseuneun geolkka… Mannngunrok, eooo-di-sseo? You must come back home… 😂😂😂


Side Notes:
- Why was Lee Heon not curious as to why Yeon Ji-yeong’s outfit was way different than the hanboks of that period? Why didn’t anyone look in her handbag and notice something unusual about the items?
- How does the guy have strength after being shot in the chest with an arrow?? And what was the point of burning the house down like that, just because you felt insulted? Sheesh
- The dialogue with the envoys in forced Chinese was killing me... just don't even bother if you're not gonna do it right. Lol. Although, Jo Jae Yoon did do a pretty good job speaking Chinese.
- The chin guard window mask never made any sense to me, in any drama. Really? That small thing's supposed to prevent germs from transferring?
- How did Lee Heon have the means and the know-how to get a new outfit in the modern world?? Also, what happened to Yeon Ji-yeong’s precious handbag in the end? Would have been cool to do an outtake of its outcome

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