Dating in the Kitchen 我, 喜欢你 [2020]

[NiteWalker]

Title: Dating in the Kitchen 我, 喜欢你

Main Cast:

Zhao Lu Si - ShiNan
Lin Shen - LuJin

Editor: @stroppyse

 

ShiNan and LuJin’s love story doesn't take the usual route such as where they fall in love at first sight or she is a damsel in distress who needs a helping hand. Rather, they both got off on the wrong foot with ShiNan splashing water all over LuJin while he is trying to activate the water sprinkler to put out a fire. Mishaps continue to follow one after another whenever ShiNan and LuJin collide together.

 

There is an old saying that the best way into a guy’s heart is through his stomach. This is the case between ShiNan and LuJin.  At the same time ShiNan and LuJin’s love story does actually gave me a Cinderella like feeling with a comical twist; while Cinderella lost a glass slipper, ShiNan lost a spoon.
 
The best parts of the drama are actually at the beginning as when LuJin had to suffer at ShiNan hands.  It was almost as if ShiNan is LuJin’s walking disaster.  However one thing for sure is that LuJin is not your usual guy who is being lead or controlled by his mother. Yes, the mother opposed as usual stating that he needed to find someone who matched him well, not only in terms of background, but, of course, would be of some use to LuJin in terms of his business.

As much as they contrasted with each other, they tried to be there for one another. LuJin groveling for ShiNan's affections doesn’t leave you in the sweet land, rather it will have you laughing like mad. The best scene is when ShiNan said sure I go on a date with you if you fill my shop with patrons. LuJin, being an overbearing boss, commanded his assistant to fill the eatery with patrons within half an hour, and the assistant filled it with an entire lot of bodyguards who all sat with straight faces until LuJin actually had to command them to eat before they would eat.

 

 

 

 

Plot/story: 7/10 Your typical Cinderella story with some comical twists, it does keep you entertained. One thing that had me gear up is when LuJin fights with the younger brother for the company control.  He is out to teach the younger brother a lesson. One thing for sure, the brother need to gear up more before he can outthrow LuJin, and I'm glad the brothers made up.
 
Cast/acting: 8/10 Good chemistry with all of the cast, especially Liu YuShen who managed to show us the different sides to him as LuJin. Here he can be overbearing as a chaebol, but also a loving boyfriend who wishes to cater to all of his loved one’s wishes, while being a wolf when he is within the realm of his business. Zhao LuSi, as usual, excels in rom-com and always manages to have a different set of chemistry with her lead.
 
Production value: 8/10 I love the display of the foods, we can see that the production really had put an effort in that. I also love the little eatery of Grandpa Gu’s which boasted an 80’s feeling.
 
Re-watch value:  8/10 Do you need a good laugh? This is definitely one to watch out for.

 

[Tofu]

Thanks for the review, @NiteWalker! I binged this drama over the last two days and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

 

Lu Jin, while a serious chaebol, had lots of moments where he unintentionally let down his guard, especially around Nan Nan's foods. The comedic elements to those moments were quite entertaining to watch. I laughed so much when Nan Nan was sick and asked for canned fruits. Lu Jin went on about how bad they are because of preservatives. Nan Nan commented that canned fruits are a must for her when she's sick. Lu Jin instantly agreed and instead of buying canned fruits from the store, he decides to make his own -- he literally turned his whole office into a canning station. Haha! 

 

What I appreciate about Lu Jin is that he never once looked at Nan Nan and saw her as this poor chef who worked in his hotel. When his mom talked to him about being with someone who matched him (in terms of social status), he simply told her he wasn't interested in anyone else. He did his best to make sure his mom and Li Man knew that Nan Nan was an important person to him -- someone he loved deeply.  

 

Nan Nan is your typical carefree character with some spunk. She's a great cook and uses that to her advantage to pay off her debt to Lu Jin which led to them falling in love. I love that she purposely say things to rile him up a bit because he can be too serious sometimes. 

 

The brother quarrel at the end of the drama wasn't my favorite. I think they could have done without it but the lesson Lu Jin gave Lu Zheng in business management was a bit gratifying to watch. I'm glad that they were able to make up at the end which I felt was influenced by Nan Nan and her caring personality. 

 

I think anyone who has time and wants to watch something a little lighthearted should consider Dating in the Kitchen. 

 

By the way, any time someone says "sorry" to me now, I'm going to think, "If you say sorry, I have to pretend to be forgiving and think of you from your perspective. I can't do that. From now on, please do not insult me with my tolerance for you." 

 

Edit: This is arguably one of the saddest scene in the drama:

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

[NiteWalker]

On 11/15/2020 at 11:50 AM, Tofu said:

The brother quarrel at the end of the drama wasn't my favorite. I think they could have done without it but the lesson Lu Jin gave Lu Zheng in business management was a bit gratifying to watch. I'm glad that they were able to make up at the end which I felt was influenced by Nan Nan and her caring personality.

 

tat was the additional sides plots somehow....however as much as i dont like seeing the brothers turning the table against each other...im glad i was given a glimpse to see LuJin at the realm of business....

 

it made me see the sides of him as a businessman that live up to that reputation.....i kinda like it to be honest ... just not the brothers trying to pull the rug under each other though 

 

[Tofu]

15 hours ago, NiteWalker said:

 

tat was the additional sides plots somehow....however as much as i dont like seeing the brothers turning the table against each other...im glad i was given a glimpse to see LuJin at the realm of business....

 

it made me see the sides of him as a businessman that live up to that reputation.....i kinda like it to be honest ... just not the brothers trying to pull the rug under each other though 

 

I agreed, it was good to see Lu Jin in his business world because we didn't get too much of that throughout the drama. The line he used that Nan Nan ended up using as well as Lu Zheng was so iconic. I'm going to use it the next time someone apologize to me now. LOL!