Ron Does Stuff

I found out about this show completely by accident — while I was scrolling on Twitter the trailer for this series just happened to be retweeted onto my timeline. And you know what, I thought that it was cute! And the fact that it had stars from three different countries? Very interesting!

It finally debuted on Viu last Tuesday and since there’s only been one episode, I thought this would be a good opportunity to actual watch along with the rest of the public and not have to chase after them.

Our story starts in Seoul, South Korea, where we have a handsome Korean man looking forlornly out a window. Now I’m not a K-drama connoisseur or whatever but I’ve watched enough of it to know that this handsome Korean man is a chaebol undergoing a crisis. What crisis would that be? Something existential and will require shots of him taking a shower further down the line.

We then get a two-month time jump to Jakarta, where our handsome chaebol was headed. We’re in a hotel kitchen where Julia Barretto is cutting up mushrooms and Nicholas Saputra is getting a close-up so we know he’s an important character.

The handsome chaebol is also in the hotel kitchen having a hard time peeling shrimp so of course Julia is there to teach him how to do it quickly. Which is surprising because I once saw Julia eat fries from a plate but let’s move on quickly. Of course, the handsome chaebol’s heart flutters because this person is being kind to him not because of his money but because she’s just kind!

But that’ll have to wait as Nicholas Saputra announces that a VIP is going to arriving and they’re going to be preparing a 12-course meal for him and that he’s not going to accept any mistakes. Handsome chaebol is in trouble!

Nicholas Saputra also announces an in-house competition for anybody who wants to fill in the meat chef position, which has recently been vacated. All they need to do is make a dish that’s good enough to be included in the 12-course meal. Did HR approve this?

Chef Arif (Nicholas Saputra) has problems of his own though, as the VIP is bringing along a chef from London with them on their visit. The unsaid thing is that it’s going to be Arif’s replacement, but if all that chef knows how to cook is English cuisine — just English cuisine, let’s not include the dishes immigrants brought over — then I think his position is pretty safe.

After the afternoon rush, everyone from the kitchen is out taking their break and the Indonesians are gossiping about handsome chaebol. They already suspect he’s a secret chaebol, but they also think he’s a killer and somebody that gets into fights. Can I just say it’s refreshing to hear Bahasa Indonesia being spoken? I know I could have easily remedied that by watching more Indonesian stuff but whatever. Maya (Julia Barretto) stands up for him and says to give him a break because he’s trying to adjust to a new country.

Of course, Maya is also a kind soul who shares her lunch with everyone, lunch that she cooks for herself every night. And it’s fancy-ish lunch! Not just something you fry and then stuff into a Tupperware container. And she’s talking in Filipino with the other Filipino crew because of course there are Filipinos. I remember that PBB episode where they sent a housemate to Slovenia and they were able to find Filipinos there.

We also get to know what Maya’s issue is – she’s in debt. And she’s getting harassed by her debtors which let me tell you is not fun. I’m already on your side, Maya! This is why she’s dead set on winning the in-house competition so she can get a raise and pay off her debt, but she’s run into a snag because she needs a partner for it. And wouldn’t you know it there just happens to be a handsome chaebol lying in wait?

Turns out handsome chaebol isn’t as helpless as expected because he anticipated the competition would be chaotic so he already set aside some ingredients even before the competition. All the chefs come up with some pretty nice looking dishes but I have to admit that I have an unsophisticated palate and am easily impressed so I don’t know how actual chefs would feel about these dishes.

Unfortunately, Maya lost. What about her debts? If only there was a handsome chaebol nearby ready to take care of it for her! But she doesn’t know that yet so when she and chaebol have a conversation later about the competition she doesn’t know she’s making eyes at a chaebol

The handsome chaebol takes her to…a dog cafe? I don’t know what it is exactly but the old lady running it is a friend of the handsome chaebol. We get to learn more about Maya — that her mother’s passed away, that she cooks because her mother taught her how to, and it’s how she keeps her connection with her mom. We also find out that she had a Korean friend growing up in the Philippines and I bet that Korean friend was handsome chaebol.

Handsome chaebol is talking to whoever sent him to Jakarta to peel shrimp and it doesn’t seem like a punishment because the conversation seems pretty congenial and the caller on the phone called him hyung. Just like the handsome chaebols before him, he’s running away from his responsibilities as a handsome heir to a multinational company. Also this may sound stupid but I love how many languages are being spoken in this show? Bahasa Indonesia, Filipino, Englsih, Korean. I know this is a fictional show but this actually does sound like the real world, or at least a world that isn’t homogenous? I’ve been to Jakarta a few times and there are a number of different languages being spoken there!

Anyways, we find out that handsome chaebol is Ha-Joon, Seoul’s prince. And apparently in the few weeks he’s been staying in Jakarta he’s already catching feelings for Maya. I do wish we saw that happening but maybe there’s going to be flashbacks in further episodes.

The VIP finally arrives and there’s trouble in the kitchen because of a late delivery that messes up one of the dishes. And I’ve been stuck in Jakarta traffic as well and this is absolutely believable. Of course, Maya and Ha-Joon come to the rescue and we now get the love triangle because of course Chef Arif is also sweet on her as per K-drama tradition.

However, there’s yet another twist as it seems like one of the people from Ha-Joon’s past is part of the VIP’s entourage and because of him panicking we get a wayward shrimp tail in Maya’s quiche that almost ends up choking the VIP’s wife to deaht. Oops?