(Jdrama Review) La Grande Maison Tokyo

Original Title: Grande Maison Tokyo (グランメゾン東京)

Director: Ayuko Tsukahara

Writer: Tsutomu Kuroiwa

Network: TBS

Episodes: 11

Release date: October 20-December 29, 2019

Casts:

Takuya Kimura as Natsuki Obana

Kyoka Suzuki as Rinko Hayami

Ikki Sawamura as Rikutaro Kyono

Yuta Tamamori as Shohei Hirako

Mitsuhiro Aikawa as Kamehito Aizawa

Kanichiro as Koichi Serita

Ayako Yoshitani as Moe Matsui

Toru Tezuka as Fumio Eto

Ai Tominaga as Rinda Machiko Richard

When I write this post, frankly, I haven’t finished watching the drama. It’s supposed to be completed in December, though. You know, Japanese subbers are hard enough to find. Well, I just feel that if I don’t write the review while I’m watching the drama, the feeling, the idea of what to write would be just gone. So, here I am, trying to write the review. Lol.

If you like watching culinary shows, I think you would enjoy this drama. The difference is the participants are famous celebrities with their awesome acting talent. I don’t know, in reality whether they are really chefs on their own, but I do enjoy the way they discuss about the menu, their struggle to find great ways to process a certain kind of ingredients, their competition towards other restaurants, and the most important thing is to conquer their own ego. Many things can be everyone’s messages to reflect themselves.

Let me start to talk about some characters in the drama, the characters revolve around Grand Maison Tokyo restaurant.

Natsuki Obana

 A deep obsession is another term of insanity 🤗

A very narcisstic chef with his excellent talent in cooking. I know, someone like him deserves to be arrogant, but after an incident that left his name disappear from culinary world seems too much to be his punishment.

3 years ago, Obana san left French after food poisoning incident. He was the leader of the chefs at that time, therefore, he had to take the blame. His life, his career ruined. One day, he met Rinko Hayami-san who fought to be a chef in a famous restaurant. Obana-san managed to give her a ‘lesson’ to realize that her dreams, her ambition, her obsession were not enough to get what she wished. She needed to learn more to be an amazing chef if she wants to be a top chef.

Obana-san finally went back to Japan with Rinko-san and pursued their dreams together: establish a restaurant that would get 3-Michelin-star. So far, Obana-san has got 2-Michelin-star in his career so far. Still, he’s obsessed to get 3-Michelin-star. He struggled to pursue his dream by establishing Grand Maison Tokyo.

Rinko Hayami

We've gotta get 3-Michelin-star! Oui, chef! 

The only female chef who got the spotlight in the drama. At first, she didn’t think that she would work with Obana-san, a very pigheaded man. But, sooner, she found that she needed him to make her dreams come true. Surprisingly, they could work together and get along very well, that I expect that there would be love sparkling between them. Awwww… But remember, this ain’t romance drama, sis 😄

Rinko-san is a typical heroine character who always looks at something from positive point of view. She was calm, merely decisive—that’s why she needed Obana-san, ambitious and firm. She is really the flower among many male chefs in the drama.

Rikutaro Kyono

A very reliable maitre'D

Rikutaro Kyono-san had been working with Obana-san when they were in French. They underwent the same food poisoning incident and suffered the career decline after that. For all this time, he blamed Obana-san who was at fault. But, he couldn’t prove it. As soon as he moved back to Japan, he worked for Gaku restaurant, a very promising restaurant that was awarded 2-Michelin-star. He was happy to work there until he met Obana-san.

To his surprise, Rinko-san begged him to join them to start a restaurant from scratch together with Obana-san. Kyono-san was in a quandary to continue working in Gaku, or joined a new restaurant with Obana-san, but deep in his heart, he felt a painful pang to see his kitchen leader did whatever it took to get the Michelin star, even by cheating.

Shohei Hirako

Who doesn't want to have a good looking chef? 

Another workmate of Obana-san when they were in French. When he got back to Japan, he worked for Gaku restaurant, together with Kyono-san. He was tempted to work with Obana-san, but there was something he hid about the food poisoning incident three years ago. I can see his guilt every time there was something with Grand Maison Tokyo, he would immediately rush into the kitchen and give a hand.

Shohei-san had a girlfriend, but it seems that he couldn’t resist his workmate’s charm, Mao-san. The way they discussed about a new dish, the way they worked together in the kitchen looks like they were a duo that completed together.

Shohei-san had his own part of story at the end of the drama, about 5 minutes before the show ends. Unfortunately, the subtitle isn’t available. All I could see is his love story, his quandary between Gaku and Grand Maison Tokyo and Mao-san. Well, I really expect they end up together, and he would support Grand Maison Tokyo. But, every little thing could change at the end of the show. Remember, this is Japanese drama, not Korean drama. Lol.

Moe Matsui

An awesome patisserie 

She was the ace of dessert, and Obana-san knew it. Without his second thought, he recruited Mao-san. She surely had a feeling towards her previous partner in Gaku, Shohei-san. She really enjoyed discussing things with Shohei-san. Yet, she knew that he had a girlfriend. I guess, she could be the best partner for Shohei-san since they had a very opposite character, Shohei-san didn’t talk much, Mao-san was very chatty, silly sometimes. I really love her character!

Kamehito Aizawa

A food Youtuber who turned to be a real chef

Another old partner of Obana-san in French. Aizawa was a kind of character that takes win-win solution. He held his grudge towards Obana-san after the incident, but he easily moved on. When Obana-san went back to Japan, Aizawa-san already became a popular Youtuber with his cooking channel, he even wrote a book. Without Obana-san, his life seemed to be smooth. What else did he want? Popularity, wealth, he got all. He could work from home where he could take care of his only daughter. But ambition speaks differently.

I was glad when he finally joined Grand Maison Tokyo. He could complete what Oban-san missed.

Koichi Serita

A smile of a graduated newbie 😊

In a drama, any drama, there must be this kind of character: a low achiever who easily got tempted by his own grudge. He thought he was good enough to work in a newly established restaurant, but what he got was just chopping vegetables at the same length. Lol. He even didn’t know which knife to use to cut vegetables, meat and other ingredients. No wonder, he got yelled most of the time.

Fumio Eto

You give harm here, get out! 

He is a typical antagonist that exists in any drama. His smile, his way of smirking was really annoying. Unfortunately, he was the owner of Gaku restaurant. He easily removed his staff, even his chef is awesome but they put risks on his restaurant. I hated every time he showed up. But his being antagonist made Grand Maison Tokyo even bigger and stronger since some great chefs moved to Grand Maison Tokyo. Serve him right!

Rinda Machiko Richard

A full revenged food critic

She must be the only one who held the most grudge towards Obana-san. Three years ago, on the incident, she was a food critic for a magazine. I don’t know exactly why the incident triggered her for her grudge. I assumed that she wrote a great article about Escofile, the restaurant where Obana-san and his friends worked in French but then ended up having the incident. Her career declined as well. From then, she struggled to go back as a reputable food critic. This time, she tried her best to step down Grand Maison Tokyo no matter how good the food and the service the restaurant had.

Her character was very important there since she always triggered the commotion in restaurant’s world. If she’s not there, I don’t think Obana-san and his team would come up with amazing menu, not to mention for the sake of getting 3-Michelin-star. The committee of the Michelin would not consider dropping by the place if she didn’t recommend it.

Staff having meal together is the warmest moment

Hmmmmmm.... 🤗

Well, I can go on and on with all the characters include in this drama. All people were treated as important as the main character. Yet, of course Obana-san is the center. I love how all characters change as the episodes grow. The writer of the drama completed descriptions and benefits of the ingredients, the means of cooking, etc. Above all, the restaurant had French cuisine as the main menu, but they made use of local ingredients entirely. They visited the local farmers, had a chat with them and got the trust to win their product to be delivered to their restaurant. Audience, like me, would believe they would get 3-Michelin-star at the end. But, everything might be up to the producer, right? Oh, I also enjoy how they reflect their own mistakes here and there. Kyono-san, for example, he reflected his service after he got yelled at by a customer who owned a simple restaurant but had a very close rapport to his customers.

All the dishes served in the drama. Don't water mouth your shirt! ☺️☺️☺️

So, if you haven’t decided of what to watch next drama, I highly recommend this drama to you. The story, the characters, the setting, the cooking—will make you mouthwatering, the menu—you might go to French restaurant and have a taste for yourself, not to mention the great acting from the actors would make you want to see more and don’t want the show to end. Lol.

Ja, matane….

Share this post