REVIEW: ‘Tastefully Yours’ Episodes 7-8

With the ending rapidly approaching, Tastefully Yours Episodes 7-8 set the stage for what will hopefully be an emotional finale. Throughout the two episodes, whether Han Beom-woo (Kang Ha-neul) will reveal why he came into Mo Yeon-joo’s (Go Min-si) life lingers in the air. Each new opportunity to drop the bomb on the young woman gets conveniently thwarted. Before the good will on the will he-won’t he dilemma wears out, a resolution is reached.

Tastefully Yours Episodes 7-8 feature cute moments between Beom-woo and Yeon-joo, with both feeling more sure about a potential romance. First, Yeon-joo has to figure out what dish her former mentor, Chef Tatsuo (Kim In-woo), is looking for. If she can figure it out, it may help his memory, but it will keep him going for a little while longer until Jeon Min (Yoo Yeon-seok) figures out a solution to keep Le Murir afloat.

By happenstance, Beom-woo and Yeon-joo stop at a ramen shop that gives Yeon-joo the answers she wants. It’s one of many instances in this series that sets things up oh-so-conveniently. It would be annoying if actors Kang Ha-neul and Go Min-si weren’t going all in on their performances and chemistry. That goes a long way in helping with the tropeish traps Tastefully Yours keeps frequenting.

What also helps is how Tastefully Yours Episode 7 pushes our two main characters away. While Yeon-joo is working to make the special uni ramen for Tatsuo, Beom-woo is working to ruin Jeon Min’s plans. As they play out, these scenes showcase how, even with his progress since meeting Yeon-joo, Beom-woo can still be ruthless, even when using his power in the name of good. In this case, the only thing that allows him to save face is that Jeon Min comes out looking like a villain.

Tastefully Yours Episodes 7-8 show a softer side to Yeon-woo.

To his credit, Yoo Yeon-seok’s performance gives Jeon Min some ambiguity. Even as Jeon Min’s story changes, earnestness and vulnerability trickle into his words, making it easy to believe in what he’s saying. Of course, there are the facts: He didn’t give Tatsuo his medications, and Jeon Min also got the Chef to agree to sign over the restaurant ownership when the Chef was most vulnerable. No one can look at that objectively and say, yes, this is okay behavior.

In another moment, showcasing her intelligence and no-nonsense attitude, Yeon-joo rightfully calls Jeon Min out on his actions, and she doesn’t stop even after this incident resolves itself. As seen throughout the series, Yeon-joo’s honesty defines her in Tastefully Yours Episodes 7-8. She quashes doubt by telling characters how it is. Any hope that Jeon Min had of a chance with her is destroyed. As she puts it, they are on two different paths, and after seeing how both operate professionally, it makes sense.

However, the same can be said about Beom-woo. In Tastefully Yours Episodes 7-8, the clock is ticking for him to reveal the truth to Yeon-joo. Unfortunately, he is too slow on the draw to beat anyone else to the punch. Part of this is due to the scheming antics of celebrity chef Jang Young-hye (Hong Hwa-yeon), who is panicking about losing her celebrity chef status and getting that coveted Michelin 3 Stars, and Beom-woo’s former assistant, Lee Yu-jin (Bae Yoo-ram).

As seen in the previous episode, Yu-jin tried to find and steal Yeon-joo’s recipes to pave the way for Hansang Food Company’s success. While initially thwarted, Yu-jin and Young-hye steal the recipes in Tastefully Yours Episodes 7-8. Of course, this only happened because Beom-woo was not in town to keep them from breaking into the restaurant. And by the time Beom-woo realizes things are amiss, the schemers are gone and Yeon-joo is whisking him, Jin Myeong-sook (Kim Shin-rok), and Shin Chun-seung (Yoo Su-bin) on a vacation.

The good times aren’t meant to last, at least for now.

This vacation marks multiple moments. Across Tastefully Yours Episodes 7-8, we’ve seen Yeon-joo be vulnerable. She received closure regarding her relationships with Chef Tatsuo and Jeon Min. Her restaurant is in a good place and, as she admits in Episode 7, she’s getting closer to figuring out what she wants to cook. Taking Beom-woo and the gang to the temple where she was raised offers the characters and the audience a peek into her past and who she is.

It marks a turning point in Yeon-joo’s hopes for the relationship, but also a turning point for the story. Beom-woo has been trying to reveal the truth to Yeon-joo throughout Tastefully Yours Episodes 7-8. The foreshadowing for the inevitable ball drop is growing near. Once the vacation ends and the two are left alone, only one story beat can be left. And, per expectations, the truth explodes in Yeon-joo’s face, partly due to Beom-woo’s brother.

Remembers those stolen recipes? Well, they successfully paved the way for Jang Young-hye and Beom-woo’s restaurant (as seen in Episode 1) to receive the coveted Michelin stars. At the beginning of the series, Beom-woo would have been thrilled. He would have seen nothing wrong with these stolen recipes being used to further his family’s success. After the events of Tastefully Yours Episodes 7-8, he knows how wrong it has been to be stealing. Only this time, it hurts someone he truly cares for, not just random strangers.

And this is part of the growth Beom-woo has been going through throughout the series. He started as the most obnoxious business heir, where the only direction he could go was upward in terms of character rehabilitation. With his mother insisting on his return to the company in Tastefully Yours Episodes 7-8, we see some visible hesitance. This life may not be what he wants. Not now that he has spent the past couple of months building something he’s genuinely proud of.

Things look rocky for the future of our favorite culinary friend group.

By the end of Episode 8, this all falls apart for Beom-woo. Despite his brother’s need to ruin Beom-woo’s life (after losing the battle of heirs post-star triumph), neither Yeon-joo nor Beom-woo let him get the final say in the episode’s climactic moments. Despite her obvious pain, Yeon-joo lets Beom-woo be the one to speak, and he does. It’s a shame that it took until this point, making this final moment between the two hard to watch. Because above all else, Beom-woo (and the audience) knows how much Yeon-joo values honesty, and he’s failed her.

Again, Tastefully Yours is not a romance KDrama reinventing the wheel. There are no surprises, merely guestimating when a box on the proverbial romance checklist will be marked off. This predictability is both a blessing and a curse. It is a safe and comfortable watch, but it doesn’t step outside the box. Instead, the paint-by-numbers formula is almost getting stale.

What keeps things going is the strength of the performances and how the actors imbue their characters with depth, even if there is still room for backstory. This late into the game, Beom-woo and Yeon-joo are clearly defined, with Tastefully Yours Episodes 7-8 demonstrating the pay-off patience brings in the layers being peeled. Yet, it could have been easy to disengage from watching if it had not been for what Kang Ha-neul and Go Min-si gave in their performances. And that’s ultimately the draw in this romance.

Tastefully Yours Episodes 7-8 show how far our two lovebirds have grown in their journeys, individually and together. After starting from the bottom and working their way up, they have created something they can be proud of. Unfortunately, per the typical rules of romance storytelling, the truth of Beum-woo’s original intentions blows things apart. With just two episodes left, it remains to be seen whether or not they can repair a relationship that has only just laid down its foundation.

Tastefully Yours Episodes 1-8 are now streaming exclusively on Netflix, with new episodes releasing every Monday and Tuesday.

Previous Episode | Next Episode