This was recommended by a trusted friend and it headlined Takuya Kimura (more popularly known as KimuTaku) so what else is there to do but watch it, right ?
I was pleasantly surprised that I am definitely recommending it as a must watch. It has 12 1-hour+ episodes and is thus perfect for a 1 weekend binge.
In a nut shell, the story revolves around Natsuki Obana (Kimura Takuya), a once renowned Japanese chef specialising in French cuisine and his fall from grace after an unfortunate high-profile dinner for Japan and French dignitaries. He teams up with an unknown chef Rinko Hayami (Kyoka Suzuki) eventually redeeming himself by earning the coveted 3-star Michelin for their restaurant, Le Grande Maison Tokyo.
It is a story of just dealing with life’s blows as they come and realising that having a good team with you makes the journey towards a goal a lot easier. It is a story of not giving up on people who wronged you but instead giving them the chance to make up for their mistake. And that utilising resources within your reach can be the source of creativity. There are a still a lot of life lessons that are shared across the entire season so it is worth watching with subtitles if you don’t quite understand Japanese.
Also, it is exciting to get drawn into the world of french cuisine and Michelin star ratings. Apparently, a one-star restaurant means it is a very good restaurant and that 2-stars meant excellent cooking that is worth a visit when you are around the area but that a 3-stars restaurant means exceptional cuisine that is worth planning for. And the food plating were just delightful.
And Kimutaku really just looked so believable as a chef. Must be the years of doing cook-offs during the good old SMAPx SMAP days.
It would be a good addition to your Blu-Ray or DVD titles as well. Still available on Amazon.co.jp last time I looked. Check this out. Grand Maison Tokyo DVD
my take 