Solid chemistry of Lee Sun Kyun and Gong Hyo Jin; the rest – plain plot but still entertaining
Lee Sun Kyun and Gong Hyo Jin's chemistry as they embark on this love-hate, mentor-flirtatious relationship for its first half sold it for me. You could feel the pining and romantic anticipation they showed in its first 10 episodes and it was clearly delightful to watch. Those two people were clearly opposite – Lee Sun Kyun’s character as Choi Hyun Wook is a complex man who seems to have a lot of resentment (with a woman) but was an extremely great chef but with a very strict personality and Gong Hyo Jin’s character as So Yoo Kyung was persistent, understanding and down-to-earth. They were clearly opposites of one another but they clicked at one thing – both were clearly stubborn, Yoo Kyung was stubborn in reaching her dreams and won’t stop even at this jerk of a great chef in front of her, eventually convince him to mentor her so she would be a good chef, and stubbornly won’t stop liking him even if he tried to shut her out. While Chef Hyun Wook was extremely stubborn too in his way of teaching other chefs, criticisms about food going out of ‘his’ kitchen, and not going out of his own ways but was ready to lose when it comes to Yoo Kyung. Both were stubborn even when in the relationship, but their fights never got too big as one gave in to another. One of the hurdles in their relationship that was a tough watch for me was when Choi Hyun Wook needs to be the fair Chef in the kitchen and exudes strictness with Soo Kyung’s cooking – Chef acknowledged this when the San (Alex’s character) bows to treat Yoo Kyung better but he needs to continue being strict with her (and that includes shouting at her when making mistake as that was his way of teaching and managing the kitchen as the Chef).Lee Sun Kyun's performance as Choi Hyun Wook is very solid. He was a jerk in times of the drama – no doubt, this was especially true in the first episode and when he berated the other chefs with their mistakes and led to Eun Su, the kitchen assistant crying. He was prideful, arrogant and had extreme prejudice towards women (apparently because he was betrayed by the woman chef he loved in Italy). However, he was also an honest person both as a chef and as a person, albeit his strictness, he is a great chef who actually knows what he's doing and he wants the other chefs improve and learn though they couldn’t understand it as they kept on mulling over the discrimination they’re feeling due to the arrival of korean chefs who studied in Italy. He was like the personification of tough love. We could call him out on his strict ways in the kitchen especially when they were still battle wars as the original chefs couldn’t still understand and accept his ways as he never truly reached out to them properly, but as a person and not just as a chef, he didn’t tolerate corrupt doings, clearly established the line on his ex, and have always trusted in Yoo Kyung’s judgment, loyalty and love for him even when San the real president of La Sfera confesses his three years of love to her.
His character could be tough to watch, but even at his tough moments, I appreciate all the solid acting of Lee Sun Kyun. His character’s best moments for me except all his comedic timings, were when he helped Soo Kyung clear her name from being framed by the acting-president Seol and when he reached out to Eun Su and gave him his name tag back.
Gong Hyo Jin’s performance as Seo Yoo Kyung was charming. Her character was naive but persistent and stubborn. She’s actually extremely tenacious all throughout the drama despite her naive appearance. She knows what she wants and she takes pride in what she does in the kitchen. Despite hardships in the few first episodes as a woman, she never stopped to prove her skills and eventually won her spot as a chef in La Sfera through a blind audition without any single pity from anyone. Her way of liking the chef was also foolishly stubborn but was adorable to watch as this was complemented with Chef’s tsundere behavior over her behavior. I just wished that I could’ve seen more tenacity in her character instead of passiveness in her outside appearance as she navigates the kitchen. Good thing that those moments were addressed at the end of the episode as a result of navigating their relationship in the kitchen. There were also moments were I didn’t appreciate her actions like when she was encouraging Chef to give in to the rather narrow-minded chefs who doesn’t appreciate to be taught, however, since all turned out for the best and in return created a harmonious environment in the kitchen, I took that as she did the right thing and her stubbornness even in their relationship created a way for him to be more gentle with his subordinates.
There was not really much big plot going on to the drama, but its best parts for me were when they’re just navigating their attraction to one another, it was incredible to watch. I believe it would’ve been better if the drama was only 16 episodes as they would have made the plot tighter. The attitude of the original chefs weren’t also welcomed by me as I take their stubbornness as complete arrogance and inferiority complex. It might have seemed like they were being discriminated against in the kitchen, but it was all due to inferiority, insecurity and their own arrogance that they couldn’t admit to themselves; having them admit it as early in the episodes, the kitchen would have a rather better atmosphere. The way they also treated Yoo Kyung after finding out she’s dating Chef was terrible, including the acting-president Seol. I believe this drama’s main villains were the pride, corrupt behaviors, prejudices and insecurities that all characters couldn’t admit to themselves but once acknowledged with one person taking the first step, it leads to a better and harmonious relationship in the kitchen.
Other shoutouts to the most heartwarming character – Eunsu! I also liked the President San and even Chef Of especially when she admitted her mistake in the end.
Since this drama never really delved deeper in the issues it provided, I just wished that instead of kitchen politics and wars, I could’ve witness proper relationship development and skinship with Chef Choi Hyun Wook and Seo Yoo Kyung because their chemistry was really good and a little seductive in the first half.
Nevertheless, I truly hated the acting-president’s character and I disliked all his scenes. I’m glad that the trio-girl chefs were brought back to the kitchen again, but I believe their characters were a waste all throughout the drama and I didn’t enjoy their shenanigans and revenge scheming for Chef which only hurted the two lovers, especially Yoo Kyung, which was ‘supposed’ to be their friend.
Pasta is a charming drama, albeit not being brilliantly written, it has solid performances from the leads. Some scenes could be tough to watch and the kitchen seemed like a battle war, and the main characters weren’t really the likable ones, you might end up hating them or you might keep an open mind and probably learn from them or they could grow on you, or any of these combinations.
For a romcom, it was really enjoyable and a really adorkable watch for me. I’m giving this an 8, solely for the performance and chemistry of the main leads!
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Nevertheless, I did find this drama very enjoyable, it’s the type of drama where nothing angsty really ever happens, an easy watch, a walk in a park under the sunshine.
The plot is very very simple, the drama is very predictable, but they found the right cast and you care about out characters from the beginning.
I’m big on that, I really want to feel something when watching a drama and these characters, although the plot was simple and pretty smooth, I wanted to know what will happen to them.
Ray of sunshine and Lee Sung Min is stellar in this drama, love him <3
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MUST WATCH FOR CHEMISTRY AND ACTING.LIGHT HEARTED HAPPY ENDING DRAMA.GO FOR IT
Really loved the drama experience. People are complaining about Male leads character. But i really liked the way Main leads character has shown with his flaws. Lee sun kyunscharacter is really different from the typical K drama male leads who are very nice and considerate. This drama looked real for me because he is shown with real human characteristics.He is selfish,rude and proud like normal humans do.I have seen other two restaurant concept dramas .One is "COFEE PRINCE" another one is "OH MY GHOSTESS".both main leads allowed female leads to go abroad and study for more than 3 years.But this male lead hoped for her not to go in climax.People are complaining about this behaviour.But its so realistic for me to show his character with selfishness.
i wasn't this much impressed by Lee sun kyun in Cofee prince. But I started to watch this drama for just for Lee sun kyun after madly impressed from his "My mister" acting.
Wooow !He is insanely charming wen he smile through his eyes. He has his own style for acting ,talking and smiling.Main jodi chemistry is excellent.Its so real.Gong Hyo jins acting also fabulous.
I love cooking.So really liked the drama concept.I learnt most of the italian cusine menu items through this drama.Planning to try some in future.Its not fast paced drama.But it is light hearted happy ending drama with realistic slow pace.I hope anyone will enjoy this.
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The dilemmas that the drama presents are also great. They have some creative ideas to keep the story moving and exploring the characters and the relationships more. I liked seeing how they would respond to a variety of circumstances.
Romance
I love that Hyun Wook likes Yoo Kyung from the start.
He's pretty gruff but I was impressed that even at the antagonistic stage of the relationship he cheered her up by telling her all the great things about her.
When Hyun Wook starts out the list of all the reasons he doesn't want to like her (I hate this cliché) Yoo Kyung has none of it. Yasss.
Hyun Wook is pretty mean to Yoo Kyung but she gives it back to him which is awfully satisfying.
Gong Hyo Jin is awesome in her chemistry because she always has these genuine moments of connection. And they're always unique to the couple.
Hyun Wook
I like that he's not the all-powerful rich chaebol. He actually gets stepped on quite a lot by people who poke at his confidence and basically if anyone says, “Why, you scared?” then he feels he can't say anything back which is such stupid logic.
Yoo Kyung
Right from the start, she's great. Competent and confident. That's all I could ask for in a heroine. I like that no one's stepping on her and she knows how to avoid trouble. She is incredibly stubborn and persistent and hard working.
Yoo Kyung really wants to learn and she doesn't mind laying down her pride for the sake of her education. She's smart. I like it.
I like that she keeps the hero on his toes and she's really upfront. She'll let people know when she's unhappy with them.
She also doesn't forgive easy which I appreciated. She's definitely not a goody two shoes.
She's the kind of feisty that I can understand why a guy would like it. She's fun.
Kim San - second male lead
Yoo Kyung - “Is scaring me, lying to me, your hobby?”
Kim San - “Yes.”
Sae Young
She's a bit hoity toity but I liked that she was rivals with Yoo Kyung and was so civil about it.
I also started to like her when the boys started to rebel against her gender and she told them where they could shove their sexism.
Secondary Characters
The girls were just plain annoying. I had no interest in them and skipped over all their conversation and schemes.
The guys of the kitchen had a much more interesting dynamic with bro-ship and loyalty and competition between the “Italy” and Korean team.
The Korean team got more and more annoying and rude to Seo Yoo Kyung. I was so frustrated with their stupidity and their illogical thought processes in the way they blamed her for everything constantly or tried to cut her out.
The Italian team was a lot more fun and of course better looking! Haha.
Also, the beautiful Choi Jin Hyuk is one of the boys from Italy and his voice.... *sigh....so great.
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I have realized, I don't think Gong Hyo Jin improved as an actress at all. Her role has the same naïve, cutesy kind of character. The way she acted out her feelings for the Chef in this drama was the same as how she acted on The Master's Sun. She has the same clueless roles or strong kind of girl personality in some dramas. But her facial expressions, reactions are all the same. I have never felt compassion whenever she cries. I have realized after all this time, she can't be in a any heavy drama, I think she needs more emotions.
Also, what the hell is wrong with the Chef. ALWAYS SHOUTING, YELLING. How could anyone up with that attitude and fall in love. There were times that I need to push myself to finish an episode or even the entire drama.
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Chef was Misogynistic
I absolutely hated the male lead in the beginning. He was highly misogynistic by firing all the women in the kitchen as he had a grudge against an ex who did him wrong. However, main female lead really wanted to work in that kitchen (which you find out why later) and after being accepted continues to be bossed around by the all-male staff. She then develops an infatuation with her boss who then falls in love with her as well and breaks his own rule to not date in his kitchen. We finally get over the misogyny on his end, just for it to resurface in the end when she's offered to study abroad for culinary arts. Ugh! I liked their pairing, chemistry seemed great but the writers must've had something against women because there wasn't a moment that her being a woman wasn't mentioned. It got irritating.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
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Pleasantly Surprised. Should you watch it? Yes.
I don't know why I suddenly decided to watch this drama considering it's been 10 years and I have a lot of other dramas to watch too. Maybe it had to do with the fact Gong Hyo Jin is the female lead or the fact that I was curious who Yunseo was imitating, but either way I do not regret watching this. Definitely had some iconic scenes.I read the comments on MDL before watching the drama so I was slightly concerned the male lead would frustrate me, but it wasn't as bad as I thought and really not that bad at all. Maybe it was because I had expected Chef to be a lot worse, especially considering this was made in 2010, but he wasn't the worst guy in the world. I was also worried about the second female lead being super rude to the female lead, but I was extremely shocked the female lead remained good til the end. I know some people hate how the female lead seemed "weak" and how she just accepted the Chef despite his rudeness, but honestly I didn't see her being weak at all. The girl was desperate to learn how to make pasta and I thought she was admirable giving up her pride to continue doing what she wanted to do. I think that's something difficult to do and didn't see her as a "weak female" whatsoever. I think people are biased about feminine female characters, in this drama I saw patience and obedience as her strength (especially considering this was her workplace). So yes, Chef isn't the nicest guy, but he isn't awful either like it was pretty impressive that he expressed his feelings for the female lead constantly, something we rarely see in K-dramas. He wasn't perfect, making him a realistic character which made me like him more. Life is kinda like that. One day you say "no romance in the kitchen" and then you end up doing the exact thing you said you won't. I felt he was a really mature character whether it be helping his ex girlfriend get over her guilt or taking responsibility for being a hypocrite. I enjoyed their relationship wasn't everything about their existence There was no huge obstacle if anything just minor inconveniences prolonging the time it took for them to get together. I really enjoyed seeing the two main characters interact, it was just simple and happy.
Despite my praises of the show it remains a 8.5 for a couple reasons. The biggest issue (that is also its strength) is it was so simple that nothing stood out. This kind of has to do with my personal preference. There was no scene that was extremely power that I would go back and rewatch, although the drama as a whole is pretty good. I also had this at a 9 until the last episode. I was very annoyed with the fact that he tried to take the female lead's chance to go to Italy without telling her. It was very random and annoying, but even without that I thought the ending could have been better.
Pasta wasn't a perfect drama, but it was definitely a good one.
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Seriously, Lee Sun Gyun is charming in every way.
Pasta is a feel-good drama with enough conflict and com-rom that can make you smile, laugh and cry. Perfect for binge-watch but it is also fine to savour it over time. Bonus for Lee Sun Gyun fans, there are plenty of scenes where he swooned us!Professional kitchens are still male-dominated world, even ten years after Pasta is aired. Recently, there has been a growth in the number of female chefs in the US and UK. But even in 2017, there is no female chef in Gods of Foods. Imagine the context when Pasta is produced, it is understandable why there is a character like Choi Hyun Wook who wants to have an all-male kitchen and uses tough love as the main communication language.
Oh Sae Young, our protagonist, is an exception not a norm. So, I wish the character has a stronger appearance despite her past mistakes. The story made Oh Sae Young a popular TV personality with a pretty face. As for Seo Yoo Kyung, contrary to some comments, is a strong female lead. I think Gong Hyo Jin was successful in showing that. “Yes Chef” can not always be understood as a submission. There are many occasions where our hopeful chef stayed firm with her decision. Foolishly stubborn.
Anyway, it is a story about forbidden love, one of the most repeated themes. Here comes Hyun Wook and his difficult personality. I feel like many things are left unexplained about him but I don’t care that much. I blindly like Lee Sun Gyun. His facial expression, the small details when he communicated with Gong Hyo Jin were on point. I like the chemistry and interaction between these two frenemies. I often replay some scenes a couple of times before moving forward. I will rewatch some of those scenes when I am feeling low.
Music is typical K-drama. Nothing too special for me.
Please note, there were a few holes here and there. Inconsistent scenes. Different hand gestures in one conversation, things like that. I know some people find this irritating. I don’t cook so I don’t know if the kitchen scenes are correct or not.
Sometimes, a good drama is the one that fits your mood and gives you enough reason to wake up in the morning.
First watch: July 2021
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innocuous and breezy slice of life show
This show is not hard to watch as it's not plot driven, it depicts the lives of chefs and cooks in a restaurant setting with emphasis on their pasta cooking skills. Pasta is arguably the main character in this drama. There's a thread of depth that runs throughout this show as various themes are explored, one of the main themes showcased in the beginning is that of hard work versus talent; ultimately the show concludes that hard work will always win out over talent since talent does not succeed alone without hard work.This show doesn't have much substance, a lot of themes and potential plot threads which were introduced in the beginning were later dropped or addressed sporadically and haphazardly. I would have loved it if the show had built up more on themes such as misogyny in the work place, restaurant politics, a more concerted effort by the second female lead to get her man back, the female lead's independence and freedom to make her own choices regarding her culinary career.
The cast is a great one with some outstanding performances especially from Lee Sun Kyun, his performance keeps this show afloat, his character growth is amazing but not too dramatic which keeps it all realistic. At the end of the drama, he retains his endearing, prickly exterior but there is a simultaneous softening which is illustrated by his increased thoughtfulness towards others, and his ability to take responsibility for his mistakes.
The chemistry between the two leads is snappy and cute and is one of this show's big draws.
Gong Hyo Jin's performance is not so impressive, I found her portrayal of the character too petulant, sulky and whiny, she always has a complaining facial expression and her head is almost always consistently bowed down. This is clearly not her best drama performance and I'm actually a fan of hers. It seemed like they are constantly on differing wavelengths and the male lead has to constantly lower himself to her level, I found myself wondering what he loved about her, and I'm sure this is not one question the show wants you to ask.
Anyway, the slice of life, semi-episodic nature of this drama works. I grew fond of most of the characters although there are some who literally are a waste of space, case in point the three female colleagues who hover throughout the show adding absolutely nothing to the narrative, as well as the second female lead, boy is she pathetic, what exactly is the point of this character, she had one facial expression throughout, a sly self-satisfied smile, definitely not Lee ha Nui's best performance.
This show could have done with less episodes.
I did enjoy the evolution of the two main stories in this drama, the love story between the leads as well as the warm bond that develops amongst all who work in the restaurant, especially the kitchen staff.
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Serious 2nd guy syndrome
This is a 2010 South Korean Drama with 20, 60 minute episodes.Seo Yoo-kyung (Gong Hyo-Jin) has worked for three years at an upscale Italian restaurant, La Sfera. Her dream is to become a pasta chef at last place her mother took her to before her death. Finally Yoo-kyung gets to move up and start making pasta but suddenly a new chef is hired and, due to a past incident, he does not like women in the kitchen. Chef Choi Hyun-Wook (Lee Sun-kyun) finds reason to fire all the women including Yoo-kyung. He trained in Italy and brings three Italian chefs who worked for him in Italy to fill the gap left by the women. Not one to give up, Yoo-kyung keeps showing up to work despite being fired. She is determined to fulfill her dream by learning all she can from this Italy trained Chef. Admiration turns to something more but Oh Sae-young (Lee Ha-nul), Chef’s ex appears and she is determined to win him back. Sae-young is friends with the owner, Kim San (Alex Chu) who insists she get a job as Co-chef. Kim San has a secret crush on Yoo-kyung. With a cooking war between the Italian and Korean Chefs, a grouchy head chef who scolds at every turn and multiple love triangles, things really heat up in the kitchen.
*Spoiler 🚨 I could tell this took place 10 years ago as the male to female relations were dated. South Koreans, in everything else I have seen, have closer equality between men and women than they did 10 years ago. I thought the chef was overly harsh in his methods and that she was treated unfairly at times for the simple fact she was a woman. Any time there was an undesirable task, all the men would suggest Yoo-kyung do it as the lowest ranking chef. I actually liked 2nd guy, Kim San, way better as he was very kind to everyone and watched over her for three years, hiding his identity and pretending to be a customer. I was really disappointed with the ending was because she had the opportunity to go to Italy and cook and he, without her knowledge, substituted one of the male cooks so that she was an able to go. He did not want her to leave which is understandable but it was selfish. She was concerned about her father and his health but I think if he had told her he would watch over her father while she was gone then she would’ve went. It seemed all the chefs that had not been trained in Italy were at a disadvantage and as a woman she already had a disadvantage. He had the opportunity to go to Italy as well so it would’ve been good had they just gone to Italy together. Heck the father was also a cook he could’ve gotten some training in Italy as well or at least lived there with them. I don’t know I was just disappointed overall with the way she was treated and the fact that she didn’t speak up for herself more. The second guy was actually much better to the women and I really like that. Overall it was good but the whole woman thing just kept it from being great for me. And I am not somebody who is strongly women’s liberation I think a balanced approach is best. I think there are things women do better and things men do better but if a woman wants to do something or a man that is traditionally one sex or the other I think they should have all equal opportunity with it. It really bothered me the way the South Korean team treated her throughout. So I would recommend it as it is interesting to see what it may be like in a South Korean Italian kitchen but with the awareness that it is a period in time and the way the women are treated could be annoying to some.
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So much screaming and unresolved arcs but still a good time
There are just three downsides to this drama that could probably turn off some people. Otherwise, it was a pretty entertaining drama.One, there's lots of screaming from the ML. Like a ridiculous amount and even in scenes where it is not necessary. He is a character written specifically to scream in every scene. And also to smack his lips and play with his tongue every time he's onscreen.
Two, there are story arcs that are quickly abandoned and forgotten. There's one where the restaurant is struggling to make ends meet with the kitchen in disarray, but after a few episodes despite kitchen continuing to be a mess the problem goes away with no closure. There's also an arc about the chef banning pickles and some other items in the menu from the restaurant but after a few episodes, he's okay reinstating the items to the menu with no explanation.
Three, the FL is really charming but is one big masochist taking all the verbal abuse from the chef and falls in love with him despite being treated like crap.
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