This review may contain spoilers
This Love Needed Only Basil ♡
Simplicity at it's finest. This is one of the best examples I can think of when it comes to that phrase, because with the most basic of plots, they created something so entertaining.The key was to it was introducing all characters, all storylines and possible conflicts from the get go, that way, we knew what we were getting. Sometimes, new conflicts are introduced to shake things up but thank goodness none of that happened here, sure it was predictable, but it was also consistent. No unnecessary misunderstandings, no extra drama because the script said so, yes please and thank you!
The story was well fleshed out, there was a lot going on with the competition, the sneaking around, the ex girlfriend and more, but every one of them seamlessly revolved around the restaurant. I especially loved the cooking sequences and scenes involving the competition, watching Oab become more understanding and patient, Plawan gaining skills and finding his passion, the good dynamics in the kitchen the more they worked together, it was great to see each character grow in their own ways as the competition grew.
The characters were also written very well, like any good series, there was a fair share of characters who required character development, others who were introduced for the sole purpose of creating conflict, but every single one of them had more to them than just being a plot point. They were complex and sometimes difficult to understand, but good people nonetheless, which was evident in the writing.
And the CHEMISTRY! So good.
Plawan and Oab's relationship was certainly the less confusing of the two, they were obviously attracted to each other and as their relationship progressed, the introduction of conflicts only showcased why they made a good pair. They understood the other person's stance, and even if Plawan had to pout a bit, they communicated with each other much better than I thought they would. Even after the deal was revealed, it was clear that they cared for each other very much.
JJ and Methas on the other hand were a tad bit confusing at times (a bit more screentime I think could have resolved this), but a good couple nonetheless.
While the series itself wasn't a huge revelation, it's certainly worth talking about. Uncomplicated, heartwarming and swoon worthy, it's definitely worth a watch.
But I do have one question: why weren't any of them wearing chef's hats?!! Like ew- no food in my hair.. ugh.. no hair in my food please! For a guy who wanted his kitchen and restaurant spotless, this certainly went over Oab's head, didn't it?
Was this review helpful to you?
funny BL drama
One aspiring actor and skinny model ML is trying hard to make ends meet, so he joins a cooking contest without having any knowledge abt cooking... Here starts a comedic journey with a strict - and oh so handsome! - chef and the clumsy apprentice in a mouth-watering environment, sensually dominated by basil.There is a lot of sexual tension, sexual innuendo and - thank god - more mature scenes. The settings are really pleasant to the eyes, the camera movement is flawless and there is a realistic touch to the story, that many recent dramas miss big time.
Of course, nothing new or unpredictable - i guess half of the romance drama should have the tag "ex comes back"... Also quite everybody is gay, that's a given for BL dramas. But still it's very enjoyable and funny and hot!
Thanks for all the smiles!
Later edit: I personally dont like how most comedies turn into melodrama... and cliche too. But who cares? The two ML'2 are just so pretty!
Was this review helpful to you?
I don't hate myself enough to finish this
I saw a cut from some NC scene that looked nice and got me here, but I wasn't prepared for how bad this bl is. I really think the high score is just because the NC scenes, because the story makes no sense at all! The mc is hateful and annoying, the chef is whatever (at least he is cute), none of the participants fit the requirements for the competition, especially the mc he never touched a cutlery that wasn't just for eating. Evething happens just because they need to happen to bring the main couple together and not because it makes sense according to the story.Not even the second couple is good, tragic bg, so he needs to be liked. BORING
also not even funny
I've watched another bad bl recently, but at least the other one I managed to finish it
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
GURLLLLLL, hold my iced coffee because we need to talk about this series!
First of all, I don’t even like Pon. Yeah, I said it. Didn’t vibe with him in Pit Babe, thought he was giving serious, mysterious, “I’m-too-cool-for-you” energy, and I was like, “Nah, I’m good.” BUT THIS SERIES? WHO IS THIS MAN, AND WHY IS HE SO FREAKING ADORABLE?? Like, Pon as Plawan? Sir, you did NOT have to slay this hard.Plawan is a walking disaster. This boy is clumsy, clueless, and trying to be a model when literally no one—including himself—believes in it. And then Methas comes in all shady, like, “Yo, help me win this competition so I can take down Chef Oab,” and Plawan’s like, “Sure, what could go wrong?” Baby, EVERYTHING. That’s what could go wrong. But Pon’s acting? ICONIC. He had me feeling like I was sitting at the next table sipping tea and live-streaming their mess. It’s giving reality TV in HD.
Now, about the SPICE: GURLLLLL. THE SEXUAL TENSION IS TENSIONING. Methas and JJ? I don’t care what anyone says, they’re BOTH tops in my mind because the power struggle? CHEFS KISS. But can we just pause and talk about the side pairing for a second? Because let’s be real—they’re the main course. Kluea, my sweet baby angel, deserved the world. The drama with Oab and Plawan acting like Kluea’s heart isn’t a punching bag? Unacceptable. GIVE THAT BOY A HUG.
Speaking of Oab—sir, you are the PETTIEST MAN ALIVE. Opening a whole restaurant out of spite? I hate you, but also, I’m in love with you. His soft moments with Plawan made me want to ugly cry into my noodles. BUT THEN, they’d turn around and rub their happy little situationship in Kluea’s face, and I was like, “Y’all better be grateful I’m not Kluea because I’d throw hands.”
Now, let’s talk aesthetics: THE FOOD. Sweet Jesus, the food shots are illegal. Every dish looked like it belonged on a Food Network show, and now I’m starving. And can I just say, Pad Kra Pao has never looked sexier? I don’t know if I want to date it or eat it.
Aon as Kluea? BABY. His acting has room to grow, but the vibes? They’re immaculate. He reminds me of Seng, but softer and more chaotic. The love triangle was juicy, but I wanted more mess! Like, give me screaming matches, broken plates, and dramatic exits. Instead, we got “Oops, we’re in love now” energy, which is fine, but WHERE’S THE CHAOS??
Overall, this series had me screaming, crying, throwing up—and also snacking because the food scenes are THAT good. Would I rewatch? Uhhh, for the food and maybe to simp over Plawan’s adorable disaster self. And if you don’t watch it for the plot, at least watch it for the sexual tension that could slice through steel. Okay, I’m done. BYEEEE! 🍜🔥✨
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Watch this because the trailer looks interesting. Turn out Alan & Jeff from pit babe. Ok let's discuss drama… Story about Oab & Plawan. Oab is a famous chef, one day, in need of money & lost motivation for his cooking, he decided to sell his restaurant. But since his restaurant is in a strategic place, many money making developers try to buy the restaurant just for its location, they plan to destroy the restaurant itself. Not willing to back down, Oab announced to the world he was looking for the successor of his restaurant, the requirements: they needed to have money to buy the restaurant from him… So with that the competition for the successor of the restaurant began…
Plawan is a model / food blogger, who loves Thai basil stir-fry. He tried many restaurants for their Thai basil stir-fry. One day he got kicked out of Oab’s restaurant because he's noisy, so Plawan decided to take ‘revenge’ when he saw Oab’s announcement for his successor. The only problem is, Plawan CAN'T cook. But since he was determined to get into the competition, he started to learn to cook Thai basil stir-fry. And in the end he successfully entered the competition…
Methas is one of the money making developers who try to buy Oab’s restaurant. Since Plawan didn't have the money to buy the restaurant from Oab, Plawan made a deal with Methas. With the help of Plawan’s friend, JJ, Plawan will receive the money in parts for every stage in the competition. If he fails, he must return the money to Methas.
So, how well will Plawan do in the competition?
That’s pretty much the story. Now what I like and don’t like.
What I like:
+ The chemistry between Pon Thanapon Aiemkumchai & Sailub Hemmawich Kwanamphaiphan. Quite surprised to see Pon as Plawan. It’s quite a different character from Jeff in Pit Babe.
+ The stupid love story between JJ & Methas. Their relationship is the definition of getting yelled at until you fall for it… Haha… Yeah, JJ is quite different from all Methas acquaintances. JJ never sucked up to Methas even though he has the money.
+ JJ is really a good friend, even to the point of stupid, for Plawan.
What I don’t like:
- Everything like it’s already destined or scripted.
- They completely forget the fact that Oab look for his successor that have MONEY.... Never once Oab ask the one join the competition about their finance
Overall this quite good story to watch….
Was this review helpful to you?
In love with this drama
Its a sweet and spicy drama. Its has all the flavours. My favourite is Chaf Oab. He has unmatched kissing skills, which will give you goosebumps. And most importantly mls have top-notch acting powers. They can perfectly protay every emotions specially with their eyes. The only thing is its too short. They atleast deserve 12 episodes. Now we can hope for a season 2Was this review helpful to you?
Hooked from Start to Finish
Not a single episode where I was bored,I loved it so much every episode! If you are interested in BL series with the enemies to lovers plot I will suggest this series.I am amazed by the chemistry from both main leads.Their chemistry was on top! Pretty good ending to a good show.This drama is definitely underrated and it's sad that not many people are watching it. I will miss them for sure !I recommend it to anyone who wants a cute love story with a little drama!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Fun to watch, hard to love.
Overall it was a very funny lakorn, I can't say I didn't like it at all, but I think they didn't put all their effort in this one's plot.I hoped they developed more the MethasJJ even if they were the second couple, somehow I think something went missing.
I tried so hard to like Kluea as a character, but they made him too petty (kinda felt dejavu of Way in PitBabe) and sadly I couldn't symphatize with him 'cause I really hate some attitudes, such as the "just let me hug/kiss you when you can't say no".
Same with Khaosuay, she was kinda cute at first, but then they decided to give to her character all the worst romcom cliches so you cloudn't be on her side not even for 1 sec.
By the way, I've always said that if I can hate a character is because the acting skill of the actor are quite good so I'm not putting my hate on Aon nor Belle, I simply felt that they could've avoid some weird details on their characters but they both did a good job.
In the end, I enjoyed watching it all and I never postponed it, so I can't say I don't recommend it, but there are better BL lakorn than this.
Briefly: acting was good, the chemistry between the actors was there, they could've develop everything better, but this is still a 8 episodes series, so if you're looking for a funny romcom with a light plot, give it a try!
Was this review helpful to you?
THE CHEMISTRY!!!
SailubPon have chemistry here like I never seen before. The tension was so good, there were several scenes that left me gasping for air. While them main couple has fantastic chemistry and a fun story, I also need to mention the side couple. They are just adorable. Personally, I love a good entitled, rich boyfriend trope. Benz really delivers those bratty rich boy vibes that make his sweet moments all the more memorable.The NC scened are nicely shot and super hot. They definitely broke many heath code violations lol. I recommend this show to fans of other change2561 shows and BL fans in general. I had a really great time watching it.
Was this review helpful to you?
My kind of drama.
I loved it, this was the second time i watched it and i enjoyed it as much as the firt time.It has a great cast, these are all good actors. The dynamics and chemistry between Sailub and Pon are very good. Pon has something "weird" in his way of acting, but i like that about him. Normaly i don't like that in a actor, but it suits him.
The visuals are stunning and i love a drama that involves cooking.
Definatly a must see. I will probably watch it again in the future.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
i don't eat long beans and i love this love
I really enjoyed this series!! Pon definitely suits playing a silly and clumsy lead! I'm not usually a fan of love triangles, however I appreciate the way in which it all plays out.The one thing that I didn't particularly like was the ending. It felt a little rushed and didn't really feel too emotional?
Oab opens a restaurant next to his old one after finding out the truth about why Plawan entered his cooking competition in the first place, yet when it was resolved suddenly the restaurant was gone??? And the resolution in general I feel lacked a true story. It more so felt like a dad telling his kid "I'm not mad, just disappointed." It didn't add much to the story and I would have loved to see more talking through it all to make sense of it. I wish we could've seen more of Oab processing the situation after hearing the truth instead of really only seeing Plawan's side. Like why did Oab decide to order from the restaurant? What was his true reaction after Plawan just delivered it and said nothing more. Just would have liked to see both perspectives!
Overall, I enjoyed the series a lot and love these two so much!
Was this review helpful to you?
An overload of love and basil, but no long beans
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this definitely caught me off guard. The chemistry, the storyline, the pacing, and the food shots had me hooked from episode one.When I discovered that SailubPon and BenzGarfield were involved, I was thrilled. However, considering the premise, I was a bit apprehensive – would this be the Thai live-action version of Food Wars?
Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised!
The pacing of the story was decent, especially since they only had 8 episodes to condense all that content. The couple's storylines were well intertwined, and I appreciated how they developed at different rates. Oab and Plawan had this intense love-hate relationship right from the beginning, while Methas and JJ experienced a more gradual, slow-burn romance as they learned from each other. This kept me engaged throughout the series.
Overall, this is a feel-good, culinary-focused romance drama, and I really enjoyed it!
Was this review helpful to you?
