TV Drama Review #153 - Gourmet 食客

No.of Epis: 24
Year/TV Station: 2008/SBS
Cast:
Kim Rae Won ~ Lee Sung Chan
Nam Sang Mi ~ Kim Jin Soo
Kim So Yun ~ Joo Hee
Kwon Oh Joong ~ Oh Bong Joo
Synopsis:
Sung Chan is raised as the son of Oonamjeong’s current executive chef, Chef Oh, alongside with his big brother Bong Joo. Sung Chan and Bong Joo have a good relationship and behave like real brothers. Though Sung Chan lacks proper training, Chef Oh recognises him as a rare talent. Sung Chan meets Jin Soo, who missed a reporter exam and is determined to stay in Seoul and take another exam for another newspaper, and in the interim, she manages to score a job working as a server (in training) at the Oonamjeong. Chef Oh has decided that Sung Chan shld take over the restaurant as he's the real descendant of the imperial chef. This however, enraged Bong Joo who's expected to take over his own father. Later, Sung Chan left the restaurant and started selling his own food on his truck and travelled around the country. Joo Hee, who's Chef Oh's secretary, is romantically linked to Bong Joo, though they didn't date. Joo Hee seems to like Sung Chan too, but she didn't let her feelings be known.
As time passed by, Sung Chan has improved alot on his cooking skills. He decided to represent a company and come face to face with Bong Joo in a competition which requires them to prepare beef...
Slacker's review:
Gourmet is generally a drama about food and cooking. However, there are other sub-plots which make up an impt part of the drama. I enjoyed the scenes on the various competitions held in the drama. They're exciting, and u get to see korean cuisines, and know more stuffs about beef. Lolz..yeah that beef competition was quite intensifying. Now i know it's not that easy to cut various part of the cow meat ah...u have to be careful and accurate. Also, the quality of the cow must be really good in order to get nice marbled beef. I thought this drama's plot is very decent..covering various aspects..like food, restaurant crisis, family relationships, romance etc. Kim Rae Won, finally I am convinced that this guy can act...and he's suited for his role. I used to dislike his acting on emotional scenes etc. This time round, he's alot more natural. But then, romance is not a big highlight in this drama, nothing too emotional and u don't feel the intense emotions b/w the characters. Scenes b/w Sung Chan and Chef Oh were rathering touching, and KRW's performance when Chef Oh passed away was good.
Nam Sang Mi...performance was not bad..without her bickering with Sung Chan I think Gourmet wld be dead serious. Her chemistry with KRW was not bad, but her character Jin Soo was rather plain, not much in-depth developments. Kim So Yun...when will u be a main lead again? She's really really classy here..in her famous office look. Joo Hee is one character who has more developments in terms of romance...I wondered why she didn't tell Sung Chan abt her feelings..she's too reserved. And i wondered about her feelings for Bong Joo. It's not that clear cut.
Kwon Oh Joong...nice performance from him. I really like to see Bong Joo competing with Sung Chan. His chemistry with KSY was alright...maybe if the plot focused a little bit more on them, i think there wld be more sparks la. His emotional scenes were better when Bong Joo faced Chef Oh. He's like a son wanting recognition from his dad, who favoured Sung Chan more.
Thumbs up to the other supporting cast...they're good in providing comical relief from time to time.
There are two osts for Gourmet..but I didn't find the songs very impressive or addictive. KRW did sang a song in the drama too..
And finally, to those who like dramas on food/cooking themes..Gourmet is for you.

A Simple Meal 2

--Dharma Class--
Exam cleared. I was really worried abt it this time round, coz' the stuffs weren't familiar to me..lolz! Luckily, the questions were really the hints given by teacher..phew~! Last lesson next wk...so fast sia.
--Lunch--
Received a sms from E.W, saying she's gg to cook curry fish head for lunch! Wow! What's happening to her ah? Hahaha! So, I get to eat home cooked food again lo! Aunt Jo was here to join us...and we had braised duck wings and legs too...
How's E.W's curry fish head? Not bad for a first timer la, just that the curry powder wasn't good. Hahaha...shall ask her to cook again when Tuan returns.
Mr Chean was psychoing E.W to cook green bean soup too...so i just had 2 bowls..very full now.

A Simple Meal

--Dinner--
Well, E.W must be feeling good today to cook for us. Hahaha! Anyway, I'm always happy to eat my favourite dishes..hehe!
My favourite steamed pomfret!!! Arrgghh tasted super fresh and yummy!
Chili sotong!!! Very Q~! Mr Chean & I had canned peanuts too...lolz!
The next experiment by E.W will have to do with this...keep a look out for it. Haha!

Very random

--Blogskin--
My beautiful blogskin MIA earlier on...2nd time liao. Haiz.. This one nt as beautiful la..but still quite nice. Hehe!
--Music--
I was wondering abt the title of S.H.E's new song "宇宙小姐"..so it means Miss Universe la. I think I am more used to the term "环球小姐"..sounds nicer. Lolz!
--Tuan--
She's complaining abt her chinese language lecturer..lolz! That fella told my sis her compo was not original..must have copied from somewhere..no wonder my sis wld dare to go argue with him la. Hahaha! So, what's the reason leh? He said there's no mistake in Tuan's compo...faints~! Eh..u think foreigners don't know Chinese ah? Then he asked for Tuan's nationality and said he misunderstood..WTH. Ha! Don't look down on our Chinese std k?!! Good job Tuan!

TV Drama Review #152 - Tomorrow~hi wa mata no boru~

No.of Epis: 10
Year/TV Station: 2008/TBS
Cast:
Takenouchi Yutaka ~ Moriyama Kohei
Kanno Miho ~ Tanaka Aiko
Ogawa Tamaki ~ Endo Saya
Jinnai Takanori ~ Hasumi Yoji
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Moriyama resigned from his job as a doctor 8 years ago and now works at the city hall in a small city. Since he becomes a public official, he has become cheerful and optimistic. He is loved by everyone around him. However, his emotional wound from the past is not yet healed. He does not trust anyone but himself when it comes to important matters. One day, he meets a dedicated nurse, Tanaka. This encounter triggers his decision to re-establish a hospital. Soon, he realises that Tanaka's mother is the patient he has operated on 8 years ago...
Slacker's review:
This is my favourite summer drama this year, and partly it's because Takenouchi is back!!! OMG, he really looked good with his short hair cut. Haha! It's good to see Kanno again after "Hataraki Man". Actually I am quite bored with medical dramas la, though i still caught two of them (the other one is code blue.) Medical dramas are mostly about the various patients, the rivalry b/w doctors, hospital management etc. Tmr is no exception, but the plot has encompassed other issues like the problems of the small city. Somehow, it's not that boring or stressful watching Tmr. The plot is strong with character developments as we get to see how they struggled with the patients, their future, and the fate of the hospital.
Takenouchi hardly disappoints me..i really like his portrayal as Moriyama. He looked confident when he's at work, but he has his soft side too. There are quite a few memorable scenes b/w him and Tanaka. The guilt he had when he knew that Tanaka's mum was the patient who was involved in the medical accident (and he became the prof's scapegoat.) The scene where he told Tanaka about it was a little heartbreaking, because Tanaka nv expected the doc to be him, whom she trusted so much. But thank goodness Tanaka didn't hate him after the truth was revealed. Also, I think there were 3 scenes where he and Tanaka decided to work hard for the hospital..it's like a promise b/w them. And of coz...the last epi..when Tanka told him to see the sunrise together. I think i've gotten the hint..wahaha! I cld feel the bond b/w Moriyama and Tanaka, they're like the best partners in the hospital.
Speaking of Kanno...yes! She's perfect for her role Tanaka. A great sister and a good colleague. I really like the hospital staffs too, they're like a big family. Actually, Tanaka is a pretty standard role in any medical dramas la, but i guessed it's the development of the character that has made her a little more special than others.
Ogawa...ho! she's great! Though I didn't like Endo most of the time...but i think her acting was really good. She's the fella who wanna change the general hospital into a specialist hospital, very arrogrant and decisive. She has a sad past too....but luckily she finally let go of it. The twist here was when the city mayor decided to close down the hospital. I bet Endo didnt participated this outcome too...so all of them were on the same boat, and against the mayor. (that's a nice twist btw.) Speaking of Ogawa, she really doesn't look like a typical Japanese woman. She's tall, looked very professional and confident.
Jinnai's Hasumi was alright here..thanks to him, the hospital cld finally survived. His character showed another side of the viewpoint- there must be sacrifices to let the city prosper again. So, sometimes, ppl are very much in conflict.
OST is great...nice ending theme "Hikari" by Hoshimura Mai.
It's one of the must-watch medical dramas this year.

Winding road

如今我还是没办法活得很聪明
我并不是一个那么机灵的人
不过至少有一件事我敢说
今后我也会继续抬头挺胸
在这条路上走下去

忘了如何飞翔的小鸟
总有一天会再次展开翅膀
就像我会开始行走一样

---excerpt from "Winding road" by Hamasaki Ayumi

送给寻找自己的你和我。

Feel Like Going

--Concerts--
Checked out the webbies of SCO, SSO & Esplanade for upcoming concerts & performances. Only a few concerts caught my eye...sadly none from SCO. Haiz! Well, SSO has one upcoming concert at Far East Plaza next month! The songs they're going to perform are quite interesting (at least i know some of them...lolz!). Also, they have 2 upcoming Beethoven concerts @ VCH.
As for Esplanade, saw the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's concert and the LA Phiharmonic with Esa-Pekka Salonen and Sarah Chang for the Sun Festival. Hmm.....both Philharmoic orchestras are world famous...and of coz Sarah Chang la. Prices of the tixs are also "quite nice"...Wahaha!
Looks like I'm going for the SSO @ Far East one...too bad Tuan is not here to accompany me~

P.S: Missed out Nafa City CO's Top Ten Classics Concert tmr! Tixs left Gallery behind stage! Wah i dunno behind stage can sit ppl...I shld have checked the site one mth ago~~!!! Arrghh!