Dating In The Kitchen Review

Dating In The Kitchen ((我, 喜欢你) has generated a lot of buzz online when it premiered. This is really a surprise hit to me although Zhao Lu Si certainly has her legion of fans. But a big age gap romance drama carries a high risk as well as it is not so easy to convince viewers about the couple’s compatibility. After watching the entire 24 episodes, I have to say that I like it but I can also understand why there are detractors. My Dating In The Kitchen review below will offer both sides of the coin with my verdict to follow.

My rating: 8/10
Episodes: 24
Type: Romance
Aired: September 2020
Images Credit: Tencent

The Cast Of Dating In The Kitchen

• Zhao Lu Si as Gu Sheng Nan
• Lin Yu Shen as Lu Jin
• Zhang Xiao Qian as Meng Xin Jie
• Yu Xin He as Xu Zhao Di / Celine Xu
• Fingal Fu Jia as Cheng Zi Qian
• Wu Ya Heng as Gao Quan An
• Li Qian as Li Man
• Yu Xiang as Lu Zheng
• Gavin Gao Guang Ze as Trumpet / Da La Ba
• Zhou Pu as Manager Shen
• Wang Shuo as Lu Ming Ting
• Lu Yi Long as Grandfather Gu
• Xiu Jing Shuang as Zheng Hong / Ms. Zheng

Main Characters

Gu Sheng Nan

Sheng Nan is a 21-year-old kitchen helper in a 5-star hotel in Suhai. She is a brash and bubbly young woman with talented cooking skills and a creativity to match. Sheng Nan was brought up by her grandfather. Her parents dumped her with Grandfather Gu when they divorced. Her best friends are Zhao Di and Quan An who is also her uncle.

Lu Jin

Lu Jin is the 36-year-old wealthy CEO of Zheng Hong Group. He is a reserved but confident man who excels in business. Lu Jin is trained to be rational and a little emotionless which suit his career as a businessman. He is often busy and has a mother who places very high expectations on him. Lu Jin is also a picky eater.

Supporting Characters

Meng Xin Jie

Meng is Lu Jin’s personal assistant. He has a unique relationship with his boss in a comical sort of way. He has to read Lu Jin’s moods and put up with his eccentricities. Meng also likes to go to discos to get to know girls which is how he meets Zhao Di.

Xu Zhao Di / Celine Xu

Zhao Di is a PR executive who dreams of finding a rich guy. She is always meeting men in discos and can memorize their pick up lines. Zhao Di has a good friend in Sheng Nan and also Quan An.

Cheng Zi Qian

Zi Qian is the new General Manager at the hotel where Sheng Nan works. They know each other from childhood whereby the older Zi Qian was like a big brother to her. He went away for studies and work before returning to Suhai for his new job. Zi Qian is a respectful man who cares a lot for Sheng Nan.

Gao Quan An

Quan An is in the couture business with his own shop. He is a little effeminate and Sheng Nan often seeks him out for advice on her love problems. Besides being a friend, Quan An is also Sheng Nan’s mother’s cousin.

Li Man

Li Man is Lu Jin’s capable deputy. She has been working for him for a long time and he sees her as his business partner. Li Man has a professional outlook and can appear cold but she has hidden feelings for Lu Jin.

Lu Zheng

Lu Zheng is a carefree young man with a passion for toy race cars. His father is the owner of Ming Ting Group. Lu Zheng is pressured to help out in the business but he shows little interest with his playfulness.

Lu Ming Ting

Ming Ting is the owner of Ming Ting Group which he started and has toiled for over 30 years. He has heart problems and his business is going through a rough patch while his son, Lu Zheng, is unhelpful.

Grandfather Gu

Grandfather Gu is Sheng Nan’s beloved grandfather. He is an old man who runs an eatery stall. However, he doesn’t allow Sheng Nan in his kitchen as he thinks she will spoil his stall’s reputation with her bad cooking.

Zheng Hong / Ms. Zheng

Ms. Zheng is Lu Jin’s mother. She is a strict and serious woman who expects a lot from her son. She started Zheng Hong Group after her divorce and built it up to be a large conglomerate. Ms. Zheng sees Li Man as a more suitable life partner for Lu Jin.

Trumpet / Da La Ba

Trumpet is Sheng Nan’s colleague and fellow kitchen helper. He admires Sheng Nan’s cooking skills and also a loyal friend.

Manager Shen

Manager Shen heads the F&B department and is Sheng Nan’s superior. His interest is to keep the bosses happy so as to avoid problems for himself.

Synopsis

Sheng Nan works in a hotel kitchen as a helper. Lu Jin is living at the same hotel as he tries to complete a deal to acquire it from the current owners. He is the CEO of Zheng Hong Group and a very rich man. They start off on the wrong footing when Sheng Nan mistakenly douses his car with flour thinking that it belongs to Zhao Di’s cheating ex-boyfriend. Hence, she owes Lu Jin money for the repairs. A few other mishaps make them wary of each other.

At the same time, Lu Jin is mesmerized with her cooking after the first taste. When he finds out that the chef is Sheng Nan, he strikes an agreement with her to make her cook for him as a way to clear her debt with him. As a result, both of them begin to see more of each other with every meal. Lu Jin and Sheng Nan gradually fall in love with each other.

However, their vast difference in status and Lu Jin’s disapproving mother become stumbling blocks. His close relationship with Li Man also deepen the misunderstanding. Add in the baggage from his childhood and their large age gap, Sheng Nan and Lu Jin have to learn to understand and trust one another as events unfold.

Dating In The Kitchen Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Dating In The Kitchen has a happy ending with Sheng Nan opening her own restaurant and a proposal in the last scene. It leaves viewers with a sweet aftertaste. It isn’t the usual on bended knee proposal but a more refreshing take with a cake that brings viewers’ memory back to the time they just met when she was spoiling his Ferrari with flour and noodles. You can check out my Dating In The Kitchen episode summary for a complete drama recap.

Is Lu Jin And Lu Zheng Related?

Lu Jin and Lu Zheng are half-brothers. Lu Jin hates his father, Ming Ting, because the latter abandoned him and his mother when he was a kid. His parents divorced and his mother had to struggle to raise him single-handedly while using up her savings to start a business. Hence, Lu Jin finds it hard to forgive his father and is hell-bent on acquiring Ming Ting Group for all the hurt he had caused him.

What Happened To Lu Zheng?

Ming Ting passed away due to his existing heart condition after meeting Lu Jin who turned down his request to let go of his company. Lu Zheng changes after his father’s death. His father has made him promise to save Ming Ting Group before he dies. Lu Zheng begs Lu Jin to spare the company but is rejected. Hence, Lu Zheng uses the soft-hearted Sheng Nan to provoke Lu Jin. He wants Lu Jin to lash out and quickly acquire Ming Ting Group when he has done some maneuvers to pocket a valuable project while leaving the group to bear the compensation. Lu Zheng thinks he will then be able to re-acquire Ming Ting Group at a low price.

But Lu Jin beats Lu Zheng at his own game with a few pre-emptive moves. In the end, Lu Zheng still loses Ming Ting Group to his brother. But Lu Jin didn’t break up the company to sell off its parts like he normally does for his acquisitions. He feels Lu Zheng has proven himself in trying to fight back to keep the company. He asks Lu Zheng to manage Ming Ting Group instead and wants to do his duty as a brother. In the end, Lu Zheng’s management style is just like Lu Jin’s.

Did Lu Jin’s Mother Accept Sheng Nan?

Lu Jin’s mother finally accepts Sheng Nan in the last episode. She has been testing Sheng Nan every now and then and the latter has never shied away from the challenge. In the final episode, Sheng Nan gutsily tells Lu Jin’s mother that she will leave him if he is made to choose between the both of them. This will ensure Lu Jin’s mother will forever be reminded that her happy moments with her son are made possible because of Sheng Nan’s sacrifice to give him up.

Ms. Zheng is impressed with Sheng Nan’s courageous reply. She has never hated Sheng Nan or her background. She just thought that Sheng Nan is unsuitable for Lu Jin. But now, she feels that Sheng Nan is quite lovely and Lu Jin has made the right choice.

Did Li Man Confess Her Feelings?

Yes, Li Man did confess her feelings to Lu Jin on a business trip. But he turns her down. She goes as far as hinting that they could sleep together but Lu Jin is firm that they could be nothing more than friends and business partners. Lu Jin wants their relationship to remain professional as before and Li Man complies. In the last episode, she arrives at Sheng Nan’s restaurant opening with Zi Qian.

Did Zi Qian Love Sheng Nan?

Yes, Zi Qian loves Sheng Nan but didn’t confess his feelings until after her grandfather is hospitalized. Grandfather Gu encourages Zi Qian to woo Sheng Nan as he thinks Zi Qian could better take care of his granddaughter compared to Lu Jin. But Sheng Nan rejects him on the spot. She only sees him as an elder brother. After the rejection, he goes abroad to further his studies. Zi Qian only re-appears in the last episode to attend Sheng Nan’s restaurant opening with Li Man. Quan An also turns up with his wife.

Meng And Zhao Di

Meng and Zhao Di end up together. Meng’s first proposal was rejected but he didn’t give up. He remains committed in supporting Zhao Di for life and encourages her to quit her job if she finds it unbearable. Zhao Di is being thought of as easy after trying to hook up with a rich client who turns out to be a ruthless playboy. Hence, she finally realizes that Meng is the best despite being poor and his sincerity touches her when he proposes again. They buy an apartment together to start their married life with Lu Jin’s help.

Dating In The Kitchen Review – Surprisingly Sweet!

I have to say that Dating In The Kitchen has been surprisingly enjoyable for me. The production team did well not to lengthen this rom-com unnecessarily as many tend to falter after they reach the halfway mark. With only 24 episodes in total, it is a breeze to sit through this drama and just enjoy the romance. There are a few things going for it and among them are:

Plot

To me, a rom-com need not be complicated as most of us are just after a dose of sweetness and fluff. Hence, Dating In The Kitchen fits that bill. It is simply about a couple that starts off disliking each other before circumstances allow them to get to know each other better for love to flourish. Yes, you will get the common problem of a disapproving mother and third parties. But the way these issues are tackled are not cheesy at all. They are handled in a mature manner that is refreshing for a rom-com.

Age Gap

Apart from the difference in status and personality, the large age gap between Lu Jin and Sheng Nan is also a plus for me. Not everyone will agree but I find that it adds a bit of spice to the romance. The reason why I find this couple enjoyable is partly because it is something different from the usual. Young good-looking males acting as CEOs and industry leaders have been appearing in one too many rom-coms such as Well Dominated Love. So, to have a more mature man playing a successful businessman not only looks more convincing but also gives it a different feel.

On top of that, to have a much older man falling for a younger woman adds another dimension to the relationship dynamics that is not found on more matching couples. It is something not so commonly seen on-screen and I think the producers successfully exploited this different maturity level in the couple to give the drama its uniqueness.

Acting And Chemistry

I think most people wouldn’t have any complaints on the main leads’ acting. Zhao Lu Si is a versatile actress and she has portrayed both serious and comical roles. She did well in the more serious Love Of Thousand Years and shone through the funny The Romance Of Tiger And Rose. In Dating In The Kitchen, she successfully portrayed Sheng Nan as an adorable and brash young woman. She gives the character the right amount of liveliness that suits her age and personality. While some people may find her expressions to be over the top for some scenes, I tend to think that the exaggeration is tastefully done to fit the light-hearted nature of the drama.

Lin Yu Shen is a seasoned actor and he enjoyed a lot of compliments for his portrayal of Yang Xiao in Heaven Sword And Dragon Sabre 2019. In Dating In The Kitchen, he has the aura of a confident CEO and a tender look of a man in love. A lot of his emotions can be seen from his facial expressions and eyes. You can feel his pain, love, disappointment, and happiness for the different scenes.

For such a large age difference, you would never expect the sparks to fly for this pairing but fly they did. They are able to immerse themselves so well into their roles that the love between them is evident on-screen. The way they hug, touch, and look at each other convey a lot of in-depth emotions to make viewers drawn to their story. They can be very sweet together and the tenderness of the masculine male lead will easily make hearts flutter.

Where It Falters

Dating In The Kitchen isn’t perfect despite its high viewership. As it moves towards the last quarter of the drama, the story did get a little disappointing. Lu Zheng’s change is a bit sudden and his story development should have been better planned. His character seems like an afterthought just to give the drama a villain. At the same time, Sheng Nan’s character becomes a little too trusting and immature when she should know her limits as Lu Jin’s fiancee. The character growth is not evident for Sheng Nan as the drama moves towards its conclusion. It is a pity that the writers kind of ruin the story when it has been going really well for the most part.

On top of that, Sheng Nan’s career as a chef does not get due attention after the drama hits the halfway mark. It starts off very strongly with her passion for cooking great food and mouth-watering dishes but the second half of the drama focuses more on her life outside of work. So, if viewers are expecting some form of career development for Sheng Nan, it is missing from the drama.

Finally, it is a waste that some kissing scenes have been cut to pass the censorship board. While the kisses are not so innocent like those found in Skate Into Love, neither are they as steamy as those available on K-dramas after all the deletions. Not that steamy kisses are necessary in dramas but if they want to include them, the final cut should be smooth rather than seems disjointed.

My Verdict

Dating In The Kitchen is an enjoyable rom-com despite the flaws in the plot development towards the end. The acting is great and the chemistry is sizzling on-screen between the leads. You can feel the love Lu Jin has for Sheng Nan and how much he cares for her.

The question is whether you can accept a couple whereby the man is 15 years older than the woman. If this is a great stumbling block, then Lu Jin will look like an uncle to Sheng Nan and the romance vibes will fly out the window. Personally, I’m okay with it just as I can accept the older woman and younger man romance in Find Yourself. It is a matter of personal taste and there is no right or wrong. So, you will have to decide if a mature man and younger woman pairing sounds romantic to you if you are unsure whether to give Dating In The Kitchen a go.

Enjoyable If You Don’t Mind The Age Gap

My suggestion is to watch a few clips of Lu Jin and Sheng Nan’s interactions first. If they appeal to you at first sight, then chances are you will like the drama because their love is sweet and tender. But if you can’t get into them, then just drop it as the plot isn’t that extraordinary to be able to make up for the shortfall in the pairing.

For this Dating In The Kitchen review, I would give it a 8/10 score because of the great acting, chemistry, script, and simple plot. I would have given it a higher score if not for the mess towards the end. It is a little frustrating but still acceptable to me as most of the drama remains highly enjoyable. Watch it for the romance if the age gap is a non-issue for you. The pairing is refreshing because of the the 2 lovers’ different maturity level and personality which is not found in the usual rom-coms.