Grab A Bite (2021)

Bite Me? Save yourself and just dont.

The trailer is captivating, the shots are fantastic, the food is mouthwatering, and that OST is just lovely - however, the story and its script are both so bland it failed to pull it all together.

Good things. The cinematography (and the sets) is amazing. The focus on Thai food is exceptional although I would have wanted even more. Also, I enjoyed seeing Mark in some of his older series, and yes, here he has proven that he is indeed one of the few who can act. Zung was also very good as Chef Aue, and they jive well when they are together. Between the two of them (and I love Aek's mother) I would have given them at least a 9 for acting.

There were lots of things to potentially make this great that's why I am so frustrated with the half-baked story. First - I don't understand why Aek's mother would be against him becoming a chef - after all, cooking was clearly his passion and talent. Being a chef is a lucrative profession and they already own a restaurant so capitalizing on that talent should be a no-brainer, so why the hesitation mama?

Then, there were the confusing eighth and ninth episodes. It was obvious from the start that Aue liked Aek, so why did Aek act all surprised (and rude) when Aue confessed his feelings for him. What is with that unnecessary overreaction of running in the rain? Was Aek in denial? Was Aek disgusted for he is the straightest guy on earth and how dare this older guy try to kiss him so he decided to run in the rain crying to wash away the muck and because he is so straight and macho, he fell and broke his arms, again while crying in the rain (and with the accompanying thunder effect)? Then, lo and behold, the strange guy appeared and he came with him, and it's okay because this guy is obviously not a predator. Does he not have any other friends?

Okay, okay let's pretend we get that logic. So, he later came home to his mama, and to nobody's surprise, his mama ain't even angry that his son is you know, not gay, but probably likes men. And then next thing we knew Aek showed up in Aue's restaurant like nothing happened and he just opened his arms and they embraced, and everythings is rainbow and unicorns again.

And let's also talk about this - the series was painfully too slow. For most of the first 7 episodes, people were just looking at each other, speaking so slowly with awkward pauses in between. And no, I disagree that this is artistic liberty, if it was, then it obviously didn't work. I came to the point I was suspecting the producers have forced the director and writers to extend each episode to fill the required time so they ended up playing what they shot in 0.8 speed. Try watching the series at 1.25 speed and you'd still feel that it is slow.

And what's with all the gazillion unimportant characters - Chef Eve, Chef Mu, Chef Wiphob - they gave them little backstory but it never really contributed to the overall story, at least not in the way they intended. Even Prem and Vich who were supposed to be the breath of fresh air left a sour note instead because of their amateur acting and that weird way they speak.

Let's avoid the finale episode cause that was just rough.

In conclusion, I think what this series need is a little bit more time in the editing room. Cut chunks and pieces, focus on the main actors, and add more food and cooking. Sprinkle it with more cuteness, and top it with a pinch of adult lovemaking (or for the sake of my sanity just a little bit of adult kissing, they're not kids, after all, you titled the show friggin BITE ME, so where is the biting?). This series could have been great, but sadly it's one you can just ignore and pass. I've watched it so you don't have to waste your time. At least, they got an amazing soundtrack.

PS. I feel bad about giving it a 6, cause I've given other series more stars, which are actually way worse than this. So from now on, I promise to give my reviews a more thorough thought and go back to those old reviews and update their ratings. I encourage other reviewers to slap a higher standard when it comes to this genre so the producers can give us better series and not more of the same. 2021 has been good for BL and has provided us with quite a lot of content, unfortunately, a lot of them are lackluster and I think its because we let them get away with good ratings even if the show is garbage.

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2x speed to the rescue.

I have barely any thoughts, because this had barely any plot. They just threw things at me without establishing them well, so for each conflict that happened all I could do was ask “why?” or “since when?”. How did I view the plot? They did not have the content for 12 episodes, each 45 minutes long, so they stretched whatever they had to the oblivion. When you have a slow paced show, with your actors moving slowly and delivering their lines slowly, you should not be adding slow motion on top of that. 2x speed to the rescue.

The thing is, there were a lot of good elements in this. Great acting from both Mark and Zung. The supporting cast delivered a stable performance too. The chemistry was heartwarming and clearly there. The cooking scenes were beautiful and the soundtrack, even though at times cringy, overall, made me happy, and that’s the point. The directing just lost me.

Internal and external conflicts Aek was facing were not there until they suddenly were, and I was just supposed to accept that. Since when? All his outbursts of emotions made little sense and they never explained why he was so paranoid about every little thing in his life, when most of problems were exaggerated and could be solved with one conversation. The writer made him do quite a number of things that did not line up with how he was written in the previous episodes, just to insert more unnecessary drama.

Aue and his ex should never happen. One of the side plots that did nothing to either plot progression nor character development. She was there to add screen time. Instead , they could have shown more attention to the contest plot, explain why it's important for each character.

Overall, I don’t know. The show happened. I loved the first two episodes, good slow paced beginning to establish the characters and their surroundings, but then the pacing never picked up. It was slow the whole time, with few plot bombs dropped here and there. That said, I am excited to see more projects from both Mark and Zung, since I quite enjoyed what they delivered on screen.

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Come on!...what just happened?

I read some of the reviews, and whole heartedly agree with the following:
1. Slow! Slow! Slow! Too many " fillers".
2. Unnecessary, l o n g staring...while Zung expresses his feelings thru his eyes, it cannot be said about Mark's insanely long, unpenetratable staring and long, well, saying nothing...
3. Does anybody really believe Aek's ( Mark) lack of sensing the love/lust coming at him? If he struggles with his own feelings, there is no clear indication...and we are already on ep 8...
4. How many nasty/ jealous/ having their own agenda Chefs do we need in one story???
As for why I will continue to watch it:
1. Main couple is beautiful, and hopefully the natural chemistry will come thru...it is a bl!
2. The photography...the food...the music...Aue supporting family...
3. The trailers ( happy ending...).
4. Hoping the director will let Mark show some real acting going forward...I trust he can act. Zung is great already.
So far, a bit disappointing. I have noticed in other BL stories the tendency to keep slow motion untill the last episode and then tidy everything in a real hurry....hoping this is not the case here.

Update after the 10th episode- what I was hoping for happened...Mark (Aec) is expressing what he is feeling, and he can act! Finally, he becomes clearer and we understand what he going through and his inner struggle...glad the director did not wait to the very last moment. I changed my overall impression accordingly 😉

Well...I just watched Ep 11, and reduced my overall impression accordingly. I hope the producers read these reviews - I hereby strongly suggest to never employ the screen writer, and especially never use the director! What a waste of two talented actors! Everything about it was wrong! The idiotic dialogues ( who cares about pork??? Yes, we got the symbolism of the food in prior episodes), the unrealistic lack of progression in their romantic and physical relationship ( a peck of lips and a hug?!? really?), turning the MC into a boring, secondary couple to the dessert Chef and his BF giving them a bed scene and the longest love confessions scenes (one minute was enough), Playtime is involved with Eve!?!?..What was that all about???? 10 last minutes showing scenes from prior episodes!?!?! Why? We saw it already! Nothing made any sense. I am so disappointed with this lackluster end...

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The Potential This Series Had...

Another BL that used the chef/cooking plot, and was honestly executed very well. I was so ecstatic to see that Mark was going to be in this -- a series that was finally going to show off his acting abilities (in which it did! Phenemonally!) This series had so much potential to be up there with the Greats, but unfortunately, it turns for the worst by episode 8. Bite Me is a cinematically beautiful series that was following along with a perfect storyline until it decided to ruin itself.

Let's Dive In.

Firstly production. Had the plot been half as decent as the food shots, then this series would be the best BL to date. I mean, it's food p*rn on steroids. Mesmerizing shots, gorgeous colors, and left my mouth watering each and every time. Along with that, the cinematography was absolutely remarkable. The colors, the scenery, the framing, the lighting; it was wonderful. I would place this series in the same bubble as ATOTS and ITSAY in terms of production, it was just that good. The only thing I care to complain about is the excessive ad placements. In episode 2 or 3 alone, there's at least 3-4 ad placement in the span of 5 minutes. It's ludicrous. Even the delivery service is an ad placement, it's just way too much.

Onto the plot. I know a lot of people had a problem with the ridiculously slow pace of this series, but I think that was the best part for me. Sure, some scenes ran on too long, and there were a bunch of filler shots, but the slow burn of Aek and Aue built up so much chemistry between the two. I'm a sucker for slow-burn relationships. To see the small things like longing stares, and developing feelings, and the tiny moments when you see a character falling in love is the part that makes a series for me, and boy did they have a bunch. I think what they did best at was building up that tension. at some point in the series, the tensity becomes so much that you start to see that sexual tension between them. Too bad the execution was terrible. Kind of like Sun and Sky from Golden Blood, the screenwriters do such a good job at constructing these relationships, only for them to ruin them in the execution.

We all sit at the edge of our seats for something to finally happen between Aek and Aue, only for it to turn sour. It was so out of character for Aue to kiss Aek without consent. It was out of character for Aek to act so defensively the way he did. It was a cheap route for the screenwriters to take. Of course we needed Aek running in the rain and tripping and hurting his arm, for him to then go to the ER with a stranger he met days ago. So unbelievably out of character that it took me out of the story. I was upset from that point on. Instead of what did happen, I would've made Aek more nervous than defensive. I would've built upon that feeling of him being unsure of where things were headed but in a more calming manner so that when Aue does admit how he feels, they could've kissed consensually, and maybe Aek would've just left cause he's more confused and not sure how to handle his newfound feelings. I don't know, anything else than what did happen. From that point on, their relationship feels like a joke. They don't talk about what happened, kind of just pretend like it didn't, and then get a cutesy ending with a sorry kiss. Actually, the little use of physical intimacy usually doesn't bother me, but for this series, in particular, it was needed. So the final kiss is so underwhelming that I wanted to throw my phone. At least in ATOTS, we get an incredible finale kiss and see their relationship grow. In my personal opinion. this series shouldn't have been named "Bite Me", it insinuates that it was going to be high heat, but there's none to be found. Instead, it should've had a name like ITSAY to be somewhat aesthetic.

Onto the supporting characters. Aek's friend group had no chemistry. It was kind of awkward and like they were trying too hard at convincing us they were friends and not a bunch of actors (although Gameplay did good, even with his one-dimensional character). The employees at the restaurant were decent. I didn't care for Chompoo or her relationship with Lek. I was okay with Nuna, and her story was okay. Prem and Vich had zero chemistry. their relationship was so left-field that it was laughable. The only cute scene was the couple of moments in the last episode and that's it. The only supporting character that I loved was Nuan. Their scenes were enjoyable. Her conversation with Aek left me feeling somber, especially when he admits his feelings for Aue and she supports it.

The acting was pretty well done. The only actor I really had a problem with was Vich's actor. He was bland and awkward. Prem's wasn't that good either. Mark's acting felt so much more authentic here than in LBC. I think he did a really good job, some moments could've been better but overall, I loved watching him (other than the fact that he sometimes talked really freaking slow, but that could've been a character choice). Zung was good as well, I liked the longing look he gave and his mature presence. Allegedly, he didn't want to be in a BL but gave in. Why give a role to someone that doesn't want it? There are plenty of other people out there that would've happily accepted the role. Don't give it to someone who obviously has a problem with BL and playing a gay character. Most noticeably why we probably didn't get that physical intimacy that was needed.

Overall, this series was so good until it wasn't. I'm so sad that this wasn't the series that I so wanted it to be. I want to see Mark in more projects, I love him so much. Zung can stay very far away from any other BLs series as he pleases, we have no room for actors only wanting to grab attention and money from this industry.

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Food Porn ......

Wow this drama had me hungry the whole time I watched this, the cooking/presentation/and I swear I could literally smell the aroma of the different dishes that was cooked.

So apart from the amazing dishes this drama went from having a trailer that is captivating, the shots were fantastic, the food is mouthwatering, and that OST is just lovely, the story was so bland it failed to come all together.

A few things that just didn't grab me with this drama was. Firstly, I couldn't understand why Aek's mother would be against him becoming a chef - after all that was clearly his passion and talent, when she herself even owned a restaurant? Secondly, It was obvious from the start that Aue liked Aek, so why did act all surprised and become so rude, and cry the whole time, and made himself look like a victim? Thirdly, Aek showed up in Aue's restaurant, after having a heart to heart with mama who turned out was not even mad with her son being gay or wanting to be a chef, opening his arms like nothing happened and he just opened his arms and they embraced, and everythings is rainbow and unicorns again. Apart from the fact that the dama had amazing food/deserts I did find that the drama was a bit slow, it like they ran out of ingredients and just had work with what was on hand, in a very slow heated up kind of kitchen.

The desert chef and his character was so undeveloped as well, I mean in reall life who on earth can it eat so much desert and literally everything was good, I jus found his character extremely annoying as all he ever did was eat and talk which most of the time his words were extremely pointless, and the desert chef just didnt seem to say anythin of matter, he just stared at him like he neve saw the guy before!!

For me the drama name was "Bite Me" so I really was expecting some bite scenes, we got a half forced kiss from the ML and that a wasted peck at the end, what on earth was with the hand kiss as well at Episode 11.

Overall This drama had so much going for it just by the name and the trailer, but in the end it was a let down in the sense that the I feel it was more a bromance then a BL.

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I'm not a BL food fan but...

I'm not a big fan of cooking BL's. This one did have some interesting food themes and I suppose I did learn some about cooking and Thia cooking. I know that's a run on sentence. (lol) I really enjoyed this series. It was well done in all aspects. Scripting, believability of the characters, Cinematography, music, and even the females were almost likeable. As with many BL's I wind up emotionally involved more with the secondar couple than the main couple. Prem and Vich just blew me away. So unexpected too. Beautiful exchanges between them. Best actor has to go to Aue, with many honorable mentions, 1st runner up is Vich , then Aek's mom, Aui, Bie. The entire cast was really strong in my opinion. The ending was anticlimactic, and episode 11 was good to tie up some loose ends with Prem and Vich but where was Aue and Aek? again no ending. Otherwise really enjoyable. I never wanted to fast forward and with an almost 50 minutes per episode they never seemed long or slow. Thank-you to all. Great Job "David" Woradech Bigander

PS I disagree with most of the other reviews. There were a couple scenes that the staring and dialogue seemed slow. I thought they did it for dramatic effect.

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Don't read the reviews ...it's a matter of personal taste

Thank God I didn’t listen to bad reviews here…
Let me explain:
I’m writing this review as someone who liked the series so this is MY personal taste and MY certain need at the time. Most of the things viewers wrote are true, like slow rhythm, big pauses, common plot etc. Is that a reason for not watching this show? NO.
I saw all the above mentioned things BUT I also saw a lovable couple, nice acting, realistic scenes, unexpected dialogues (“Do you really thing we can be lovers?”), attention to details (real food preparations, all secondary actors put at least a minimum effort to actually act) and in general I saw a nice, easy going and (in some points) meaningful drama.
Yes it’s not the typical BL and I mean not a BL Drama where two boys meet and hate it’s other in episodes 1-3, trying to understand their feelings in episodes 4-10, kiss in episode 10, separate dramatically because of a misunderstanding or an evil ex in episode 11 and live happily ever after in the last episode….!!! That’s a typical BL.
BUT…I had the time to appreciate good acting, family matters, pursuit of dreams, friendship, all kinds of love (gay and straight), “evil” character with actual feelings and background and in general a GOOD DRAMA.
SO….it’s not the typical BL Drama BUT it is a Drama with a good acting, loveable main BL couple that will help you to relax, “realistic time” evolution of feelings and characters and a happy smile in the end because of the good work.
Of course there were plot issues in some points and some unnecessary scenes BUT in overall I truly truly enjoy it.

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Great acting and good premise

All of the actors in this were really good and portrayed their roles well. This would make a good movie because some of the long stares and unnecessary characters would potentially be cut way down.

Chef Eve, to me, was not necessary to the story at all and honestly just confused it. Her getting involved with Bie at the end... what was that?

When you wait a week for an episode, long stares are so frustrating that it actually changes the story internally. Something the director meant to be a beautiful and meaningful pause evoked cause me to become pissed off. Not what was intended, I think.

Prem and Vich... one person getting a love interest at a restaurant is ok, but two friends finding love at the same place? I don't know. And then suddenly opening a place? They had more going on than the main couple. They had a romance and even a sexual relationship that even the main couple didn't have.

Wiphob... adding him as a competitor and even quickly mentioning why he was so completive would have been great, but meeting his father and whatever that nonsense with Aek was... way too much. That whole thing where Aek called him for help... why not Bie or Vich? And then stayed over... ugh. I was annoyed all week at that wasted episode.

Aue's mother and her gallery also seemed unnecessary. Aek's mother and story were perfect and interesting parts of the story.

Loved the restaurant staff and all their scenes. One exception was Chompoo's date. Again, wasted time that could have been spent on the main characters.

Aek's friends scenes were all good and added to the story. (Well, except Bie's strange date with Eve.)

The story was good overall and I really liked the showcase of the Thai food and the non-Bangkok Thailand. I enjoy shows that show off smaller towns or villages or even Chang Mai. Thailand isn't only Bangkok.

I look forward to more work from the main two actors. They did a great job in this. I will rewatch this someday and maybe have less complaints without the weeklong waits.

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Five Course Meal

I am surprised by myself because I really love this series. Good thing I put it in my PTW couple of months ago, or else I would not have watched this because the ratings and reviews were not very promising.

I was biased towards this series mainly because it's about food. However, when I started watching I was immediately hooked. The eye to eye contact between the two main characters conveyed a lot of emotions. The music was soothing and the slow pace was necessary to enjoy and experience the moments. Like chewing your food slowly and enjoying the different flavors in it.

For me, watching 'Bite Me' was like eating a five course meal. The soup would be the all actors with impressive acting skills. The appetizer would be the different subplots and relationships between and among the support cast. The salad would be the wonders of Thai cuisine and history that were perfectly merged into the plot. The main course is of course the budding relationship of Aek and Aue (I still don't know how to pronounce his name). They can stare at each others eyes the whole time, I really won't mind. The kiss at the end of the series was the dessert.

I am full satisfied and so full (of love) after watching this.

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Quite good in some ways, but ....

Because of the title, I thought at first that this would be a BL about vampires with some low-brow references to kinky sex. But because I had forgotten everything I had seen in a trailer I watched long before stumbling on the series, perhaps I started watching with different or no expectations than others who have found it a total disappointment.

Unlike many who complain about the slow pacing, I only started disliking the pacing in the last two episodes. The series takes its time to show the character of Aek, letting us know of his interests, background and personality. We may see that he has a certain complex about his humble background, and does not want people to do things for him out of pity--he really wants to be appreciated for his talent. We also see how close he is to his mother and his unwillingness to cause her to feel disappointed in him, even if it comes at the expense of casting aside his own interests and studying accountancy. So when he realizes that Aue is in love with him, he finds himself having to handle many issues like whether Aue has been grooming him as a chef because of a romantic interest in him rather than a true admiration of his talents and how his mother would feel seeing him caught in such a situation. This is despite his own feeling towards Aue, which he himself hasn't become conscious of.

The characterization of Aek is rather interesting, and I think Mark Siwat has done a fine job in this role. Rudklao Amratisha, the actress acting as Aek's mother helped a lot by being very good with her role in the scenes she appears with Mark Siwat. I've seen him in a number of shows, and he seems to be able to take on a good range of roles. It's not an easy role for him in Bite Me, for he has to bring out the character's personality (sweet and innocent but also somewhat headstrong and assertive) without much dialogue to help show it. His growing affection for Aue can be seen, but in ways that don't make it clear whether he is aware of it. Some of the scenes of mutual gazing between Aue and Aek are overdone (they don't even do that so much when they are finally together), but there's little the actor can do about it.

On the other hand, the characterization of Aue isn't half as good. We can tell that he likes Aek quite early on, but the back story about his apparent feuds/tensions with Eve, Moo and Chef Viphob suffer from an utter lack of elaboration. I suspect there is a lot more going on in the book that the series is based on, but somehow the scenes are deleted or not filmed for the series. (Given that the series is 11 instead of the more common 12 episodes, I wonder if there are scenes that have been sacrificed due to budget constrains or some other reason). In a flashback, he is shown clearly telling Eve that he only regards her as a friend, but since he has made it clear to her and not dumped her or anything, it doesn't explain her animosity towards him. Chef Moo is another character whom Aue has worked with in the past, but it is not clear why Moo would suddenly appear to taunt Aue. Viphob is yet another character who seems to have a huge back story that has largely been left out: when Aue tells Aek what Viphon's character is like, I was surprised that he even knows this guy. I do like the way Aue is established as the boss and chef of a restaurant where the workers seem to be working quite happily, especially with Aue's support for Nuna when she faces relationship problems. (I was really glad that the toxic-but-somehow-charming CEO trope wasn't used.) Unfortunately, this ability of bring out aspects of the character and his past is largely lost when it comes to the Aue's relationship with those who seem hostile towards him.

In short, I loved how the story took its time to develop the aspects of the story related to Aek and his background and didn't mind the slow pacing at all. But if the same development had been done for Aue, the story would have made a lot more sense. Even Aue's longstanding friendship with Prem, the chef who makes desserts in his restaurant, leaves one wondering what is going on between them because Aue is obviously closer to him than to other colleagues. The fact that they are old friends is eventually revealed in Episode 11, when it doesn't quite matter anymore.

What weakens the series is also the strangeness of the pacing in the last two episodes. I wish it had some of the maligned (IMO) slowness of the earlier episodes. The part of the story about the chefs' competition, which is like the climax that the earlier episodes have been building up to, is confusing and rushed. (Why is Aue suddenly able to take part in the competition? Are there two different competitions? Huh? Aek has recovered from his injury to take part in the competition when he earlier on seemed to be saying that he could no longer go on with the competition because of his injury? What affected his performance?) Aek realizes that he likes Aue and comes out to his mother, but before we know it he is hugging Aue in the kitchen (huh?). And yet, after rushing through things in Episode 10, someone decided to make Episode 11 one consisting almost entirely of filler scenes. The part of the story about Aek's talent for cooking, so integral to the story, could have been followed up on but wasn't.

My complaints about the series may differ from those who dislike it from the start. I liked it quite a lot and was hoping that Episode 10 and 11 would help to reveal the right back stories and end the story well. It was possible but somehow not done. (And can you believe that the only kiss between Aue and Aek is a forced kiss, with Aue acting very much out of character after Aek has just said that they cannot be lovers? I don't need them to even kiss at all throughout the series, but tis is rather awkward.)

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Good Start for the Director

Good Start for the Director. In the special - he mentions it is his first Y drama. It showed.

Let's get all the good stuff out of the way...Great casting. And, everyone behind the scenes did a wonderful job. After watching the special, I was saddened to see that the restaurant wasn't real. The detail was amazing. Having worked in kitchens most of my life, they didn't miss anything.

Storyline and direction suffered...I would have to say mainly because the writers left too much to the imagination. I honestly felt that there were whole scenes or, an entire episode that was shown to the regular viewers but, we didn't get to see them on Viki. To fix most questions/issues - this easily could have been a 16 episode series.

The chef contest stuff was a mess. Why would only a dozen people enter a contest that was that important? Why was it one dish and you are gone? This could have been solved with simple conversation and a flashback or, two. "Congratulations Aek for making it past the preliminary rounds. I always knew you could do it. Good luck in the Semifinal." Anything like that.

Totally agree with those longer than life staring at each other moments. That was the director's fault for not knowing how to end a scene or, transition to another. For those that don't know what I mean - watch the Director's commentary for the American movie - Sleepless in Seattle. She shows the scene and discusses how Tom Hanks gave her the perfect moment to end the scene - he helped her and the production.

Being American and relying on the subtitles - it appeared that the conversation in the first couple episodes was different than in the later ones. More formal that grew to relaxed? Every sentence in the beginning ended with the same sound but, that went away as the characters grew closer together.

Did Aue lose the contest on purpose for Aek? Or, did he decide to do his best and still lose? Why was Wiphob's victory so hollow? He got what he wanted and stands to move forward in the family business. When Aek decided to go for it - after getting his Mother's blessing, what did that have to do with someone renting out the whole restaurant. Aek would not have been able to do that - that would cost the business too much money. And, did Aue have an inkling this was to happen to just allow Aek to stand behind in the kitchen while food was being prepared - such an odd badly shot scene. Chef Mu's and Nuna's side story was incomplete and could have been left out.

My only squabbles in the kitchen was putting Aek on his own station starting first day and letting him have at it. True, the trust from Aui could have been that strong but, still - let him get used to the kitchen. How did he even know where anything was? Next was the lack of detail in food prep - did anyone ever wash their hands? LOL Did the couple that spoke in unison do all the prep work?

And, those knife cuts - eeeehh - how did they not cut their fingers? Another note that they did lean to in one scene - I have noticed that many Asian restaurants offer a shower for the staff. They understand that they can't put their own clothes back on after a hard day in a hot kitchen. Just lockers?

Loved the food delivery tie in - it actually helped keep the story focused. Fill those orders. How do they order? How much does the restaurant rely on that business? All that was covered. The Tea product placement was irritating. And, to open the show with a Tea commercial when the two main characters had just fought - did not make any sense. It should have been towards the end when everyone is happy and they are tying up all the story lines.

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workplace romance, friends to lovers

Thailand gave us Korean style slowly simmering ultra soft and sweet BL only at a Thai length so the pacing was... not good. Slower than molasses and full of insane subtext, long gazes, missing dialogue, abrupt mood swings, and one very pretty kiss.

It curdled around episode 8, the sauce split, and there was no saving it.

It did have some of the best food porn I’ve seen in my life, and I watch cooking shows. It was beautiful, the leads were decent, it should have right up my alley, and yet... it left me with a feeling of disaffected ennui - bland and boring and unsatisfying.

11 courses of tasty tasty pacing issues.

SERIOUSLY FLAWED BUT RECOMMENDED WITH... RESERVATIONS...

(reservations... restaurant set BL.... GET IT? Ha.... Ha....zzzzzz)

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