Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Korean Drama Review

“A modern-day chef travels back in time and meets a tyrant king. Can her cooking win his heart?”

A 3-star Michelin chef, Yeon Ji-yeong, just won a cooking competition in France. On her way back to Korea, she suddenly finds herself time-slipping into the Joseon era, under the rule of none other than the best gourmet and worst tyrant in Joseon history, King Yi Heon. Forced into the royal kitchen by the temperamental culinary connoisseur, she must create novel dishes daily to satisfy the king’s palate while evading palace politics. With every meal she prepares, she discovers a warm side to the tyrant king and does her best to stop history from repeating itself.

I started watching Bon Appétit, Your Majesty without much expectation until I found myself expectantly waiting for new episodes every week. It even turned out to be one of my favorite k-dramas. I guess it’s not just me, since it has also now become one of the top-rated k-dramas of all time.

Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is a historical romance fantasy drama that mixes romance, time-travel and royal cuisine. It is adapted from the web novel “Surviving as Yeonsangun's Chef” by Park Guk-jae. What makes this a little interesting is that the male protagonist of the drama, King Yi Heon, is loosely based on real-life king and worst tyrant in Joseon history, Yeonsangun.

A heartwarming romance with just the right amount of drama

It’s been a while since I got so invested in a drama such as gems like Crash Landing on You, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, Vincenzo and Hometown Cha Cha Cha. I’ve dropped Gyeongsong Creature and I haven’t even touched Queen of Tears. It’s been months since I started When Life Gives You Tangerines and I still couldn’t finish it because I’m not ready to feel heavy emotions right now. Bon Appétit, Your Majesty gives me just what I need right now: entertaining visuals and humor, and a heartwarming romance with just the right amount of drama.

Outstanding performances

Lack of chemistry and direction is a huge killing factor for me, and honestly, I had doubts at first if this drama could pull it off. I haven’t seen any shows of Im Yoona and Lee Chae-min prior to this, so in the beginning I just got curious on what the show has to offer. My reaction? I wasn’t disappointed. They even exceeded expectations.

Seeing young actor, Lee Chae-min who was casted last minute, fully embody King Yi Heon was unanticipated. His magnetic charm and charisma draw you in and you’ll fall in love with him even more with each episode. His various facial expressions convey exactly what the scene needs: arrogance, authority, admiration, humor, grief, longing, love. In my opinion, he’s the biggest factor that contributed to the show’s huge success. He did so well that I couldn’t imagine another actor playing King Yi Heon.

More than his visuals, Lee Chae-min’s heavy scenes in episode 11 was the pinnacle of the show, catapulting him as one of South Korea’s top lead actors.

I didn’t feel much romance from Yoon-ah up until episode 11 though, and I was ready to write a negative review. However, she proved me wrong come episode 12. I realized that Ji-young had been holding back on her feelings and she had many reasons to do so. But as soon as she fully go, you also feel them rushing through.

remarkable supporting characters

This is one of the rare shows where one could say that everyone, even the ones with the least screen time, made their appearances memorable. From the royal kitchen crew to the king’s aids and supporters, the royal palace members, the Ming envoys, and the villains - everyone’s characters shined through.

the royal kitchen crew

the royal kitchen crew as modern-day chefs

the king’s loyal and handsome bodyguards

Ji-young’s nemesis turned bestie and later turned to be her and the king’s number 1 shipper 😆

Choi Gwi-hwa (Prince Jesan) and Kang Han-na (consort Kang Mok-ju) are so effective as villains. Even Kang Mok-ju’s slight smirks are irritating lol.

And who would forget the ultimate scene stealer and king of grand entrances - Jang Chun-saeng. 😆

VISUALS, SOUND And CINEMATOGRAPHY

Bon Appétit, Your Majesty’s immersive production, with detailed sets and backdrops and meticulous costumes and make-up, transport viewers into the Joseon era. The visuals, music and cinematography amplify each emotion on every scene. The mouthwatering food shots, heightened by the actors’ animated reactions and imaginations provide a delightful and entertaining visual experience. Each reaction is worthy of screenshot. 😆

Tender Storytelling

The drama uses food as its main theme and language to communicate with viewers in a way that food doesn’t only look appetizing, they also hold a special meaning.

I was particularly touched with Daewang Daebi Mama and one of the Ming cook’s heartwarming scenes. In episode 6, I was confused on why Ming cook, Kon Wen-li wasn’t included in the close-up scene when they tasted the macarons. It is then explained in episode 8 that he has stopped tasting food and here’s where he got his special moment.

Satisfying ending

With all the novel spoilers and theories going around on social media prior to the finale’s release, many got worried that the drama would turn out to be yet another Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Thankfully, the drama gave us a happy and satisfying ending. However, some viewers expressed less favorable reactions like the ending feeling short and rushed due to the drama running for only 12 episodes, with the biggest question of all: how did the king time travel to the future? As for me, I don’t mind not seeing how the king went to future given that they gave the Mangunrok’s missing page as hint. But I do agree that some key plotlines would have been better developed or explained such as the background on what really happened that led to the deposed queen’s death. Though they gave historical accounts, it was contradictory to Yi Heon’s good memories of her mother.

the Avengers Joseon version 😆 The fight scene with the cooks is unrealistic but it was one of the most hilarious scenes in the show and balanced the heaviness and trauma from the previous episode.

Bon Appétit, Your Majesty’s perfect ending

Conclusion

While I wouldn’t say that Yoon-ah and Chae-min’s chemistry is top-notch compared to Crash Landing on You’s real-life lovers Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin, even with the age gap, they still delivered an exceptional romance drama that can be remembered for a long time. Despite the missing pieces, I would still give this drama a perfect rating for bringing me back the joy and satisfaction in watching K-dramas.

RATING: 10/10

What are your thoughts about this drama? Let me know in the comments!

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