REVIEW: ‘Tastefully Yours’ Episodes 1-2

Tastefully Yours Episodes 1-2 offers a clear recipe for romance with a penchant for hilarious, disastrous hijinks. With two equally stubborn romantic leads clashing heads from the jump, the foundation is laid for what will hopefully be a rewarding love story. However, hints of love are scarce in these opening episodes, while director Park Dan-hee and writer Jung Soo-eon introduce their key players.

Tastefully Yours Episodes 1-2 introduce the leads in short order. Han Beom-woo (Kang Ha-neul) is competing with his older brother, Han Sun-woo (Bae Na-ra), for the chance to succeed his family’s mega food corporation. The task? The first person to get three stars for the company will be named the successor. As a first impression, Beom-woo is overly cocky, wasting no time ordering people around to get what he wants. His focus is specifically on marketing and sales, and, for the most part, he seems to know his stuff. Almost.

He is so focused on achieving three stars at any cost that Beom-woo goes to unethical lengths. He steals recipes. He blackmails people to give their restaurants over to him. It’s not a great look for our would-be male romantic lead. However, across Tastefully Yours Episodes 1-2, Beom-woo faces the consequences of these actions after a blackmail attempt blows up in his face. With his family’s company now under fire, he is fired and basically disinherited. This hotshot chaebol has hit rock bottom.

Yet, Beom-woo is juggling so many plates that this reality doesn’t fully hit until Episode 2. Part of the reason for his distraction? His goal is to acquire Mo Yeon-joo’s (Go Min-si) business. After a dish she made shows up on social media, Beom-woo panics. It looks exactly like a dish his restaurant is about to launch, and he just can’t have that. The thing is that he never anticipated someone saying no to him. But Yeon-joo is a woman who humbles him to pieces, and it is hilarious to watch their interactions.

Our two main characters are formidable opponents in Tastefully Yours Episodes 1-2.

There’s a little typecasting here in Go Min-si’s first foray into the romance genre. As Yeon-joo, she is silent and formidable, with a stubbornness that has almost become a staple of her characters.  She is an immovable object against Beom-woo’s force and won’t budge. At least, not without making sure any contract she signs is more in her favor than his. However, it becomes clear in Tastefully Yours Episodes 1-2 that she lacks the business head that Beom-woo does, and desperately needs him to keep her restaurant going.

The back and forth between Yeon-joo and Beom-woo is fun. Frankly, when faced up against Yeon-joo, Beom-woo’s idiocy comes out in full force. It is here Kang Ha-neul goes all in on his physical comedy in these moments, rendering his once capable businessman into a vulnerable buffoon. And these moments don’t stop in Tastefully Yours Episodes 1-2, paving the way for what is sure to be more hilarious interactions in future episodes.

Introducing new employee Jin Myeong-sook (Kim Shin-rok) and future restaurant owner Shin Chun-seung (Yoo Su-bin) adds further fun in Episode 2. Chun-seung doesn’t get too much screen time,  but what time he gets towards the end of the episode highlights how promising the comedy will be in this series. Yoo Su-bin is no stranger to physical comedy, and his final moments in Tastefully Yours Episode 2 scratch the surface of his capabilities.

As for Myeong-sook, she is quirky and hardworking. After being hired by Yeon-joo, she not only aids in the kitchen but also makes several comments about the almost lover-like dynamic between the two main characters. She’s obsessed with the fake Kdrama “Lovely Jogger” (a play on the popular Lovely Runner series) and can almost verge on the unprofessional if she gets distracted. While things get off to a rough start between her and Beom-woo, all three quickly learn the benefits each person brings.

Despite the newfound harmony, the restaurant is still in danger.

Unfortunately, what harmony the team achieves is hinted at collapsing in Tastefully Yours Episode 2‘s final moments. After discovering his prized chef, Jang Young-hye (Hong Hwa-yeon), has joined his brother’s restaurant, a drunken Beom-woo leaves an all-too-cringy voicemail on her phone. Of course, Yeon-joo overhears everything, raising questions about the real reason why Beom-woo is so interested in her restaurant.

As Beom-woo tries to fight his way back into his family’s company, the next set of episodes is sure to be fiery. Whether it’s having to fend off Yeon-joo’s rage or battle against his brother’s underhanded efforts to keep him down, this unfortunate romantic lead has the cards stacked against him. Based on his present characterization and Kang Ha-neul’s performance choices, the stage is set for a major character arc to make this currently obnoxious and almost irredeemable male love interest palatable.

As for Yeon-joo, she clearly is meant to be the catalyst to help drive Beom-woo’s change. Go Min-si’s no-nonsense approach to the character helps ground Yeon-joo, making it all the easier to flesh out this opposites-attract romantic trope. The two characters together are fascinating to watch, and the performances add an extra layer of endearment. You want both to succeed.

As an introduction to what will hopefully be a rewarding romance, Tastefully Yours Episodes 1-2 are light and fun. The characters are fully realized, and our two future lovebirds already give peak opposites-attract trope realness. Surrounded by characters with room to grow, this food-driven adventure may be on the way to earning its coveted three stars.

Tastefully Yours Episodes 1-2 are now streaming exclusively on Netflix, with new episodes releasing every Monday and Tuesday.