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NDTV
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Tastefully Yours Review: A Recipe For Disappointment Served Cold
New Delhi: Sometimes, a dish looks so promising on the menu, with tantalising descriptions and carefully curated ingredients, that you almost believe it will be a masterpiece. Then you take a bite, and... well, it's just meh. That's the feeling Tastefully Yours leaves you with by the time its final episodes roll around. What began as a simmering exploration of passion, betrayal and culinary artistry somehow loses its seasoning and ends up more lukewarm than piping hot. The final episodes pivot back to the familiar battlefield of Hansang, the family restaurant where ambitions clash, secrets unravel, and the fate of dreams hangs by a thread. Yeon-joo, whose journey has been the emotional heartbeat of the series, finds herself physically and emotionally distant, retreating to a temple to seek clarity and peace after a devastating betrayal that shatters her trust in Beom-woo. This absence, while understandable narratively, feels drawn out and clogs the pace, especially given the limited episode count. The show seems to forget that it is on a clock, and this hiatus deprives viewers of the emotional crescendo they deserved. Meanwhile, Beom-woo wrestles with his own demons and the cold expectations of his mother, Yeo-ui, whose obsession with prestige and power threatens to crush the very spirit of what makes the family restaurant special. The revelation of the three-star Diamant award, ironically bestowed on Yeon-joo's humble Jungjae and not the corporate Hansang, sparks a predictable yet necessary clash. What should have been a galvanising moment for tension and growth, however, fizzles into a promotional cook-off that feels more like a perfunctory gesture than a high-stakes battle. Amidst all this, the supporting cast shines with subtle brilliance. Jin Myeong-sook, the ever-reliable sous-chef, steps into the limelight, demonstrating not just culinary skill but the quiet strength and heart the series had been building for her. Shin Chun-seung's quest for paternal approval culminates with a touching moment that hits genuine emotional notes, brought to life by Yoo Su-bin's expressive performance. Yet, even these arcs are shackled by the hurried pace, leaving you yearning for more development, more time to savor their growth. The romance between Yeon-joo and Beom-woo, which should have been the centrepiece of this finale, instead feels rushed and almost incidental. Their reconciliation, a crucial turning point after the show's most dramatic crisis, is glossed over with minimal dialogue and a swift resolution that robs it of emotional weight. It's as if the writers were afraid to linger on their wounds and preferred to close the chapter before it could fully heal on screen. The show's attempt to wrap up loose ends falls flat in several places. Characters like Han Sun-woo, introduced as a potential bridge between familial divides, are given minimal screen time and no substantial arc. Jang Young-hye's departure from Motto to forge her own path is a missed opportunity for deeper storytelling. The final scenes feel less like a satisfying conclusion and more like hurried notes scribbled at the last minute, lacking the richness that the series had promised in earlier episodes. Technically, the series maintains its hallmark warmth in food cinematography - each dish lovingly crafted and shot with care, inviting viewers into the sensory world of Korean cuisine. The performances, especially by the lead cast, remain the show's saving grace, elevating otherwise flat dialogue and predictable plot twists. Ultimately, Tastefully Yours ends not with a bang but a whimper. Its shorter episode order seems to have cost it dearly, forcing the narrative to skimp on emotional depth and character development just when it mattered most. The show's heart is in the right place, but its execution in these final moments feels incomplete and rushed. For all its potential and moments of genuine warmth, the finale serves the thought that sometimes, even the most promising dishes need more time in the kitchen. This one, sadly, leaves much to be desired.
Straits Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
TV & Film Picks: Tastefully Yours, SEC Environmental Film Festival, The Assessment
Tastefully Yours Netflix Do not attempt to watch this South Korean romantic comedy on an empty stomach. The culinary creations featured hav e propelled the 10-episode series to the top spot on Netflix's list of Top 10 TV programmes in Singapore. Apart from fine-dining dishes and traditional Korean fare, Tastefully Yours coasts on the sizzling chemistry between its lead actors. Actor Kang Ha-neul plays spoilt restaurateur Beom-woo, while actress Go Min-si is gifted chef Yeon-joo. Beom-woo is on a quest to find that signature dish that will give his posh restaurant Motto a three-star rating from the Diamant Guide, the show's take on a Michelin Guide. He chances upon Yeon-joo's tin y d iner, and is impressed by her farm-to-table cuisine. He offers to acquire her place, but despite being deep in debt, she is not selling. It is a no-brainer that the bickering pair will fall in love. Tastefully Yours is filled with familiar K-drama tropes, but the simple narrative and visually appealing food – such as traditional Korean beef dishes neobiani and seopsanjeok – make the show more appetising. SEC Environmental Film Festival In celebration of World Environment Day on June 5, the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) has partnere d t he Singapore Film Society to host a three-day festival. It will f eature three films that address global environmental challenges. French stop-motion animation Savages (2024) by Oscar-nominated director Claude Barras will open the festiv al. Set in a tropical forest in Borneo, the movie revolves around two childre n and a rescued baby orangut an, and how they cope with deforestation. French stop-motion animation Savages is the opening film for SEC Environmental Film Festival. PHOTO: BEAST ANIMATION A Crack In The Mountain (2022) is an award-winning documentary about the struggles to preserve Vietnam's Hang Son Doong, the largest cave in the world. It is located in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a Unesco World Heritage site. The film seeks to address how a natural wonder can be exploited for tourism dollars and the challenges of environmental conservation. The festival will close with Future Council (2024), a documentary that follows eight Australian children on a school excursion across Europe to seek solutions to the climate crisis. Together with director Damon Gameau, their mission is to better understand the planet's predicament and explore solutions with some of the world's largest polluters and influential companies. Proceeds from the SEC Environmental Film Festival will go to the council's outreach programmes in schools. As the SEC is a registered charit y, m ovie ticket sales are eligible for tax rebates. Where: GV Suntec City, 03-373 Suntec City, 3 Temasek Boulevard MRT: Promenade When: June 5 to 7, 7pm daily Admission: $50 Info: The Assessment (M18) 116 minutes, Amazon Prime ★★★★☆ Set in a future society post-environmental collap se, w here the population is strictly regulated due to resource scarcity, the science-fiction thriller follow s m arried couple Mia (Elizabeth Olsen) and Aaryan (Himesh Patel) as they are assessed on their eligibility to be parents. The official assessor Virginia (Alicia Vikander) puts the couple through seven days of psychological torment by role-playing a wilful toddler. For instance, she pees on a dinner guest and flings food at 'mummy' Mia in temper tantrums. What she is doing is testing Mia's and Aaryan's underlying insecurities to break them emotionally. Not since she was an android seducing a hapless programmer (Domhnall Gleeson) in the 2014 British sci-fi flick Ex Machina has Vikander been this manipulative and sinister. Here is another extraordinary performance by the Swedish actress. Olsen and Patel are also very good, reacting with a mix of discombobulation and distress as the black comedy in their unnerving three-hander turns to horror. – Whang Yeeling Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
