Chinese Drama 2020

Dating In The Kitchen (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

---

• Genre: Romance, Food, Rich Man/Poor Girl, Business, Age-Gap Romance, May-December Affair
• Release Date: 15 September 2020
• Origin: China, Based on the movie ‘This Is Not What I Expected’
• Cdrama: 24 Episodes?

Cast

• Zhao Lu Si as Gu Sheng Nan
• Lin Yu Shen as Lu Jin
• Zhang Qiao Xian as Meng Xin Jie (Lu Jin’s Assistant)
• Yu Xin He as Xu Zhao Di (Shengnan’s Best Friend)
• Wu Ya Heng as Gao Quan An (Shengnan’s Uncle & Bestie)
• Fingal Fu as Cheng Zi Qian(Shengnan’s Childhood Sweetheart)
• Li Qian as Li Man (Lu Jin’s Business Partner)

---

This drama is based on that enjoyable movie starring Zhou Dong Yu and Kaneshiro Takeshi about a very persnickety businessman and a young chef.

We have a review and summary of the movie somewhere here if you wanted to know what this drama would be about.

‘This Is Not What I Expected movie review’

12 August 2020: This must be coming soon.  Another exciting funny trailer had been released.  Find it in youtube or twitter.

---

Episode 1

Gu Shengnan is a kitchen assistant in a hotel though is actually a really good cook.  But at the moment all she does was to peel onions, potatoes, and prawns.

The other chefs, however, knew her talent and skill.

She makes the best fried rice which they called ‘Finger Licking Fried Rice’.

Again, Trumpet and Mr Wang begged her to make her fried rice but they concurred that she should cook it in the food pantry so their boss won’t see.

Shengnan was only too happy to cook because it got her out from peeling onions and potatoes.

She told Trumpet to watch her cooking as she went to get her secret ingredients.

Unfortunately, Trumpet got a call and left.

Before you know it the pantry was on fire.

She called for Trumpet for help but he was nowhere in sight.  She went to get some water.

When she got back a sexy gorgeous guy was lighting a cigar and was standing on a footstool trying to activate the fire sprinkler.

Thinking that he was the one who actually started the fire, she poured the water on him drenching the cigar.  But he used his lighter instead next to the sprinkler.

OMG, their chemistry is immediately apparent from the get-go; sizzling, or what?!!!

Anyway, because of what happened Shengnan was immediately fired.

The guy with the cigar was actually CEO Lu Jin who was on a visit to look over the hotel in view of buying it.

He started inspecting the hotel through the food they offered.  Each of the main chefs sent their specialty but nothing tickled CEO Lu Jin’s fancy which was frustrating the manager.

Then Trumpet remembered the Finger Licking Fried Rice which is still in the pantry. I must say I was surprised that it was not waterlogged and gone cold or spoiled.

Anyway, it was the last dish that they can offer Lu Jin by way of specialty.

Lu JIn was surprised, the chefs were also surprised that he liked it, actually loved it as he ate everything.

Lu JIn’s assistant was so shocked, he told his boss that he was rather vulgar eating everything, not a grain of rice was left.

The next morning, Shengnan was woken up by a call from Zhaodi who asked her to get her at the police station.

Apparently, Zhaodi’s date stole everything from her including her handbag.

She asked Shengnan to help her get her revenge.

Zhaodi gave Shengnan the location of the man’s car in the hotel car park.

She misheard her friend and went to a different floor where she found a red Ferrari.

She did some artistic creation with noodles and flour with the car but she was caught red-handed by no other than CEO Lu Jin himself as he was the owner of the red Ferrari.

They had the cutest scene where Shengnan pretended she was Korean and spoke the language which was answered by Lu Jin in Korean as well.

Our girl, Zhao Lu Si is grown up and quite sexy as well. Love her.

Anyway, she immediately realised that she vandalised the wrong car and she, of course, had to pay for it.

For lack of paper, Shengnan offered her forehead for him to write his number.

The sexual tension was such, it was bounding out of the television.

Poor Lu Jin can’t take it so he made her turn around and wrote his number on her bag instead.

He told her to call him or the police will call on her.

Zhaodi and her uncle were no help at all.  They told that she was on her own.

She was so sad she went to her grandad’s restaurant.  He gave her a red envelope for her birthday.

It so happened that it was Lu JIn’s birthday as well.  His mother called him and told him to work hard.  He was hoping that she remembers for once that it was his birthday but no such luck.

Yet again, he celebrated alone with a perfectly cooked ramen.  He got interrupted by his assistant who actually remembered that it was Lu JIn’s birthday.

As the ramen had been heating in water for more than three minutes, Lu JIn found it wanting.  He got to his car to go to a restaurant which happened to be Shangnan’s grandpa’s place.  What a coincidence, ha!

By this time, Shangnan was in the kitchen cooking up something delicious in an aluminum parcel which was promptly given to Lu Jin as he sat down, the waiter thought he ordered it.

Lu Jin did say that he did not order but the smell emanating from the parcel in front of him was just too tempting.  He tasted it until he could not stop, then everything was gone.

He was so curious about the cook, he went to the kitchen.

Her friend Xiaodi asked her to avenge her against a man who scammed her.

So Shengnan helped out and made a mess of a red Jaquar she thought Xiaodi’s boyfriend owned.

But it was owned by Lu Jin.

Having been found out, Shengnan pretended that she was Korean.

Unfortunately, Lu Jin could also speak Korean so Shengnan had to confess that she was Chinese.

He let her go eventually because he found her to be too delicious when she propelled her forehead onto him when he wanted to write his phone number for her to contact.

Xiaodi turned up and as a lawyer, she completely exonerated herself from any part on what Shengnan did to the Jaguar.

Episode 2

Lu Jin made Shengnan cook tonnes of food for him but she stood to the challenge.

Lu Jin and Richards, his assistant enjoyed the food.  Lu Jin was really impressed.

Episode 3

Meng Xin Jie convinced Lu Jin that the chef is so in love with him she wanted him dead.

He then got poisoned with the witch’s brew which is mushroom soup still being cooked by Shengnan.

The poisoning led her to be fired.

4

5

Episode 6

Lu Jin fell asleep at Shengnan’s settee.  She was trying to take a selfie together when she fell on `Lu JIn accidentally kissing him.

Li Man, Lu Jin’s business partner is on the scene.

Lu Jin always chose Li Man over his girlfriend before, she wonders if he still would do the same?

He did the same.  He dumped Shengnan even before they even really got together.

Episode 7

Shengnan had an accident.  Lu Jin found out about it and did not think twice to go to her despite no plane seat, or speed rail running because of typhoon.

He hired an uber instead for the long 10-hour drive only to find that Shngnan seemed to have moved on a new boyfriend.

Shengnan’s childhood sweetheart, Zi Qian had come back from working abroad.

Shengnan told Lu Jin that they are even and nothing to do with each other.

But he could not just take it and gave her a long deep snog. Aww

Episode 8

They made up and they break up again because of Li Man.  Again he chose Li Man.

Li Man tried to humiliate Shengnan as a chef

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24