Bon Appetit Your Majesty Episode 1 Review: Secrets on the Plate

Bon Apetit Your Majesty Episode 1

Director: Jang Tae-yoo

Date Created: 2025-08-23 17:40

Editor's Rating:
3.5

Bon Appetit Your Majesty arrives with a burst of imagination, fusing the high drama of a Joseon palace with the flavours of modern cuisine. At its centre is Yeon Ji-yeong (Im Yoon-ah), a Michelin-starred chef whose skills and spirit are tested when she is transported from her contemporary kitchen into the turbulent court of King Lee Heon (Lee Chae-min). The premiere episode is both playful and poignant, balancing comedy, romance, and fantasy with a culinary twist that sets it apart from other historical dramas.

Bon Appetit Your Majesty Episode 1 has a runtime of around 60 minutes.

This new Korean drama has 12 episodes, and two episodes will be released every Friday.

Bon Appetit Your Majesty Episode 1 Recap

The drama opens with Yeon Ji-yeong at the peak of her career. A celebrated chef with global acclaim, she has proven her mastery of flavour and presentation in kitchens that demand nothing short of perfection. Yet just as she enjoys her triumph, her world turns upside down. A sudden shift drags her away from the present and throws her into the heart of Joseon, a world she knows only through history books. The moment of transition is jarring, and Ji-yeong’s bewilderment sets the tone for much of the premiere.

Landing in a world ruled by rituals and hierarchy, Ji-yeong finds herself immediately out of step. She blurts out phrases that make no sense to those around her, pulls faces in awkward moments, and reacts with comic confusion to etiquette that feels suffocating. Her clumsy attempts to navigate the palace halls, avoid suspicion, and make sense of a new reality generate a steady flow of humour. What makes these moments engaging is that Ji-yeong’s resilience shines through. Rather than collapsing under the weight of fear, she adapts with a mix of wit, defiance, and sheer determination, creating a heroine the audience can root for from the first episode.

Her arrival in Joseon quickly leads to a fateful encounter with King Lee Heon. Remembered in history as a tyrant, Lee Heon enters the scene with an imposing presence, surrounded by loyal guards and cloaked in authority. Played by Lee Chae-min, the king is striking, a figure of steel whose sharp gaze commands silence. Yet when Ji-yeong meets him, the dynamic shifts. Where others bow, she stands uncertain, her confusion slipping into defiance. The moment feels electric, two worlds colliding in a palace chamber, with tension and comedy layered over one another.

The show cleverly frames this encounter as the beginning of something more than a clash of personalities. Ji-yeong’s presence unsettles the king, not just because she defies the expected order but because she introduces something new: the possibility of warmth, humour, and flavour in a life defined by strict power. The drama leans into this tension, allowing Ji-yeong to stumble through rituals she barely understands while somehow maintaining a spark that draws the king’s attention.

At the same time, Bon Appétit, Your Majesty positions itself as more than a fish-out-of-water comedy. The episode blends elements of fantasy romance familiar to fans of Outlander and even echoes of Inuyasha, with Ji-yeong stepping into history as if into myth. Instead of demons or warriors, her weapon is food, and it quickly becomes clear that her culinary skills will be her way of shaping the palace around her.

This comes to a head in the episode’s standout moment: Ji-yeong presents King Lee Heon with a dish. Rather than a lavish banquet, it is a simple meal rooted in her modern sensibilities. The king takes a bite, and in that instant, his composure cracks. Tears rise as the flavour transports him back to childhood memories of his mother. The feared tyrant, known for severity, reveals a vulnerable side that no courtier has ever seen. Ji-yeong, without intending it, pierces the armour of a king through taste alone.

It is here that the drama’s unique promise shines through. Food is not just sustenance but memory, love, and emotion. Ji-yeong’s cooking becomes a bridge between eras, between ruler and subject, between history and fantasy. The first episode ends with the palace shaken, its order disrupted not by rebellion or bloodshed but by a single meal that made a king cry.

Bon Appetit Your Majesty Episode 1 Review

The premiere of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is a confident, flavourful start that sets the stage for an inventive fusion of genres. The blend of time-slip fantasy, awkward comedy, and heartfelt culinary drama ensures the story feels both familiar and fresh. Im Yoon-ah is the undeniable anchor, bringing charm, humour, and emotional depth to Ji-yeong, while Lee Chae-min balances power with vulnerability in a king whose façade is already beginning to crack.

What makes the drama stand out is how it uses food as more than a gimmick. In one episode, it establishes cuisine as memory, culture, and emotion, turning the act of cooking into a narrative force. If the premiere is any indication, Bon Appétit, Your Majesty will serve a series that is rich, unpredictable, and deeply satisfying.

Bon Appetit, Your Majesty is streaming on Netflix.

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