Grand Maison Tokyo (2019)

Just as its title implies, this drama is truly grand - in scale, in its characters, and in its spirit. That is probably what I loved most about "Grand Maison Tokyo" is that I could get lost in the stories of its characters and truly believe them, despite not knowing ANYTHING about the art of French cuisine. Even with a star-studded cast, every character manages to shine and get their moment, while also being an important and cohesive part of the overall drama plot. And honestly, the music also takes you there - the OST and Yamashita Tatsuro's "Recipe" has you feeling those intense moments and those softer, kinder moments so deeply. While the plot does follow the usual ebbs and flows of Japanese dramas, the tight storytelling and character development still managed to be nuanced and surprise me at times. Overall, a highly recommended drama, especially if you enjoy food and Kimura Takuya's acting!

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Exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey

C’est magnifique! Le Grande Maison Tokyo IMHO is indeed grand and fully deserving of 3 Michelin stars for the wonderful French cuisine featured and also a 10/10 rating for the entire production served.

Obana Natsuki is a French cuisine master chef who had always been obsessed with attaining the holy grail of his craft - the 3 stars awarded by the prestigious Michelin Guide. Unfortunately his quest for the ultimate crowning glory is bitterly cut short due to a disastrous diplomatic incident that not only upends his promising career as a celebrated chef de cuisine but also reduces him to a vilified persona non grata of both France and Japan. Fast forward 3 years later, he crosses paths with the vibrant Hayami Rinko, a talented French cuisine chef herself, who rekindles his passion for cooking and reignites his hopes of achieving the ultimate Michelin guide rating once more.

Grand Maison Tokyo is a TBS production that is directed by established directors Ayuko Tsukahara (Saiai, MIU 404), Daisuke Yamamuro (Tenno no Ryoriban, Ouroboros, Jin 1 & 2), and Takahiro Aoyama (Tengoku to Jigoku: Psychona Futari). Based on the original screenplay by one of my favourite Japanese screenwriters, Tsutomu Kuroiwa (Tokyo MER: Hashiru Kinkyuukyuumeishitsu, Unsung Cinderella: Byoin Yakuzaishi no Shohosen) with music score composed by Hideakira Kimura and the theme song RECIPE performed by Tatsuro Yamashita.

A collaboration with the international fashion magazine, Marie Claire, in which the fictional “Marie Claire dining” segment is mentioned throughout. Principal photography took place primarily in Tokyo and Paris. The 3-star restaurant L'ambroisie in Paris and the Japanese French cuisine restaurant, Quintessence (depicted as Gaku in the drama) are featured extensively. Incidentally the Japanese restaurant was awarded the prestigious 3-star rating upon completion of the drama’s airing in 2020. The dishes served by Grand Maison Tokyo were prepared by the 2-star INUA restaurant based in Tokyo, while the supervision for dessert preparation is provided by Hotel Intercontinental Tokyo Bay, which was also used as a filming location for the buffet restaurant in the drama.

The drama won 5 awards at the 103rd Television Drama Academy Awards, namely for Best Picture, Best Actor (Takuya Kimura), Best Supporting Actor (Yuta Tamamori), Best Drama Song (Tatsuro Yamashita, RECIPE), and Best Director.

What I Loved

Everything, really. I was hooked from beginning till the end. This drama has the perfect blend of all the right ingredients to produce an outstanding production with more than sufficient action, thrills, suspense and poignant moments which I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of.

The premise of the drama is straightforward but the storytelling navigates an intriguing trajectory teeming with layers of sub-plots as well as twists and turns that seemingly never runs out of steam or ideas on how to move the story forward. And moving forward it does at nearly the speed of light with so much agency and urgency during the 11 episodes of its run. The viewing experience itself feels very much like a full course fine dining adventure. A compelling narrative that continuously grabs hold of the viewers’ attention while introducing a concept mostly unfamiliar to the uninitiated - the Michelin guide to the world of French cuisine - amidst the multitude of vividly intriguing character designs that permeate this production. One of the things I love about the characterization in this drama is that none of the so-called antagonists is an outright villain - they are simply morally grey characters with their own motivations and beliefs system operating in the highly competitive and unforgiving hospitality industry.

The technical proficiency of this drama shines through, as evidenced by the high production values and top quality execution. This is particularly true for aspects concerning production and set designs, food videography element of the cinematography, the realism of the content depiction pertaining to kitchen administration, food preparation, cooking techniques and restaurant management. Even linguistics hold prominence here with French being convincingly spoken in the drama by various characters. Likewise the music of this production induces the required atmospherics of the storytelling with an infusion of tasteful classical elements that matches perfectly the cuisine that is presented.

The main selling point of Grand Maison Tokyo, undoubtedly for me, is Kimura Takuya. The character-driven narrative suits this man’s profound ability beautifully and so it proves with his award-winning performance here. Kimutaku isn’t just portraying Obana Natsuki - He IS Obana Natsuki! The depth of the characterization complements the extensive range of the actor producing a masterclass in acting, of which I’ve had the privilege to witness…no, to experience, in this drama.

In Suzuki Kyoka, viewers have the pleasure of seeing a veteran actress that matches the excellence of Kimutaku to enhance the flavours of this drama even further. Having seen her in Okaeri Mone, she exudes similar vibes but there is a wider scope to her portrayal of the co-lead Hayami Rinko here. Her characters have a way of building an emotional connection with viewers and I find myself developing this connection from the very first minute of her appearance. What an inspiring and moving performance from this lady indeed.

Tamamori Yuta’s take on Hirako Shohei catches the eye due to the complexity of the characterization where he is allocated quite a significant portion of screen time. It’s worth mentioning that he is the central character in the spin-off drama, Gura Gura Maison Tokyo. I’m also intrigued by the performance of Onoe Kikunosuke V who plays Tango Manabu, the chef of the rival Gaku restaurant. Tominaga Ai as the editor-in-chief of Marie Claire dining, Linda Machiko Richard, dazzles the screen every time she appears.

Final Thoughts

The highest rating awarded by the Michelin guide is 3 stars, which means exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey. All things considered, watching Grand Maison Tokyo has been an extremely worthwhile experience personally and represents a special journey in and of itself. For that reason, I’m giving it the highest MDL rating that I believe it deserves. This drama is absolutely “Subarashii”!

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Special of the day!

Grand Maison Tokyo was a “grate” drama where the chefs “whipped” up “un-brie-lievable” dishes all while showing that cooking can be transformative. Broken friendships were “heel-ed” and new ones were created out of the “ingredients” of respect, forgiveness, and the mutual love of “egg-cellent” food. Oh, yeah, there will be puns, I’m on a “roll!”

Obana Natsuki has been reviled as a terrorist for three years ever since his crew in Paris catered a dinner and a diplomat was accidentally given food contaminated with nuts and collapsed. Everyone involved took a hit, the restaurant and chefs, and the politician and magazine writer who extolled and recommended the restaurant. In the world of high-end food making a mistake was nearly a death sentence and some of those involved were looking for revenge.

Hayami Rinko is a fifty-year old chef who desperately wants to work at a Michelin starred restaurant. As luck would have it she and Obana bump into each other in Paris. The persona non grata talks Rinko into a partnership and financially backing a restaurant in Japan assuring her that he can not only gain her a Michelin star, but three. Obana contacts his former colleagues who are also working in Japan with measured success. Many people never want Obana to step foot in front of a stove again.

Obana’s people skills weren’t “berry” “gouda”, even at that he went about solving people’s problems like a “souper” cranky Mary Poppins. Instead of an umbrella, he carried a set of knives. Many of the characters struggled “pudding” up with him until they discovered his heart of gold. At the Grand Maison food and “thyme” mended the deep wounds of the past as those hurt or angered by the scandal found “peas.” While cooking for the chefs was a passion with the “beet” of a religious fervor, they found that they “cod” “yolk” around and find their smiles again. Love for two of the chefs was here today and gone “tomato” as the women in their lives did not like being put on the “back burner.”

It wouldn’t be a food drama without some cooking drama and competitions! Obana and Rinka, along with their team had to discover what ingredients made the perfect “matcha” and plate it in the most “a-peeling” manner. The competing owner of Gaku wasn’t afraid to play dirty and also had deeper pockets for expensive ingredients. Eto was just the “wurst.” He and another invested individual planted “im-pasta-rs” with Team GMT putting the Grand Maison in a “jam” at times. Lucky for Team GMT they had a “latte” “loaf” for creating perfect dishes and ability to forgive “pour" decision-making. They weren’t afraid to “whisk” everything in the search for the most delicious food they could create. When the chefs became discouraged there was always someone to give them a “Riesling” to believe.

Even better than the gorgeous meals the chefs created was their “stirring” loyalty to each other and their “perfect blend” of intriguing characters. Any way you “slice” it, Grand Maison Tokyo was a “mash” made in heaven of good performances, delicious looking food, and engaging characters. It was “shrimply” irresistible.

5 September 2024

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The Quest for the Ultimate Stars Rating

We follow the adventures of the arrogant but extremely talented Obana Natsuki, an influential French Cuisine head chef obsessed with obtaining a three Michelin stars award. He has been trying to accomplish this for all of his career and has managed to get granted an award of two with his French restaurant Escofille, when suddenly, three years before the events portrayed in the show, a disastrous diplomatic incident during an important lunch at his restaurant destroys his career. Due to this, it’s now impossible for him to get employed in any eatery, as he’s now dubbed the "Shame of Japan”. At the beginning of the show, however, while trying to get employed at a renowned restaurant in Paris, he meets Hayami Rinko (played by Suzuki Kyoka https://mydramalist.com/people/2025-suzuki-kyoka), a talented and vibrant French cuisine chef who is trying to get employed there as well, in order to achieve the three stars rating, but is having a hard time due to her limited prior experience. Sadly, they are both discarded by the owner of the French restaurant. With nowhere else to go, Obana decides to help Hayami in her quest for the ultimate stars rating, by opening a restaurant in Japan with her. They will have to find a way to hire Obana’s previous co-workers at Escofille, who are now working for different venues in Japan, or there will be no hope of success. Due to his incredibly negative fame, though, it won’t be easy.
[...]
What, in my opinion, particularly shines in this show is how the various characters are portrayed. Firstly, even though they are all supposed to be famous chefs, they are written in a way where you can easily sympathize with them and understand their reasoning and emotions even if you know almost nothing about high-class cuisine. For example, Obana starts as an arrogant character, who does whatever he wants and ignores how others are feeling, thinking nothing can beat his cooking, but as the show goes on, you can understand that this is just a facade, and in reality, he does care about people, he just doesn’t show it well. He will also realize that if he wants to be awarded three stars, he has to adapt and change. We can all imagine that it can be quite hard to change your way of thinking if you are already a renowned chef.

Read the rest at https://blisscast.wordpress.com/2022/11/24/my-journal-page-27-24-november-2022-exceptional-cuisine-that-is-worth-a-special-journey-grand-maison-tokyo/

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A gritty tale of a disgraced chef clawing back his way up the Michelin ladder and beyond. After causing an international incident, French cuisine chef Obana is spurned by his brethren and christened as "Shame of Japan." The superiorly talented chef wants to make a comeback after a brief interlude, but realizes the cooking world itself has changed. The drama centers around his challenge, his personal growth attempting to evolve his cooking to fit the new world and the multifaceted difficulties he faces in his path. The chef also evolves personally becoming more amenable to work together as a group with his friends around him.
Delectable dishes appear one after another. The making of each dish is deconstructed from basic ingredients to every cooking idea which turns the dish into an absolute delicacy. A good cooking Jdrama is not rare; one is reminded of 'Dinner' which similarly centers around French cooking. The difference is this drama has a more specific theme where the chef is trying to Japanize French cooking . He wants to maintain the complexity of flavor of French cooking by utilizing simple Japanese ingredients and his culinary skills rather than depending on expensive imported ingredients.
The personalities of the characters also shines through the drama. Themes of friendship, aspiration, loyalty, jealousy, courage and redemption are explored making this cooking show a very human affair.
One can easily lose oneself in this world of visually stunning dishes, the life cycle of a recipe from its inception to its completion and the clash between the various personalities in this drama. A must -watch for anyone interested in cooking genre.

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Michelin supervised, drama galore! must watch

LOVE CUISINE? This.Is.Do.Not.Miss. ??? "Maison" is a totally enjoyable ensemble with high production values and a wonderful underdog theme of survival, triumph and forgiveness.
The authentic Michelin detail and supervision is *very* evident from the beginning, and if I'm not mistaken, the show features dishes from real 3 star Japanese restaurants like Quintessence (goat bavarois). There is a strong affinity and cultural relativity between Japanese and French food culture: detail, balance, palette sensitivity, social considerations and more. "Japonaise" is a very natural marriage which is why the cuisine and locale collaboration works so well.
Special mention goes to Oikawa Mitsuhiro, often cast as a selfish alpha; here, as Akinawa we see him as a softer, more vulnerable character -- a parent living with a parent, a father struggling to keep his family together, a team player rather than self absorbed. He plays his part with appropriate emotion and restraint.
impressive sets and costume detail reinforce the impression that this show expects to be taken seriously.
The new TBS+Netflix collaborations allow us to enjoy more "golden era" J-doramas on streaming, ahead of their new sequels. With Season 2, Maison and another refresh, Black Forceps, have a new opportunity to present their worthy cast and crew to a fresh new global audience. Let's support that ethos. Bon Appetit!!

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Each episode made me hungry!

This one was so delicious!

I love eating and cooking but i usually don't watch food related Dramas.
Iam always open to new genres but now iam thinking about it, seems most of the time i play safe and stay in my comfort zone.
Silly me!

As always the main reason to start this was Kimura- Sama.My love for him grows drama by drama.
Exceptional acting from everyone.As for Mr Kimura if you don't know he is an actor you can easily mistaken him for a top chef who is just participating in the show!
An arrogant and cocky but so talented chef,with a troubled past..A very well writen character with a great character development episode by episode.As a whole the drama is well written too.Tells a story,give us the background of the main chars and we can easily follow up with the plot.

At first i thought everything is about Obana and i was excited to watch a drama focused mostly on Kimura so i could have more and more of him.
But It is not a character centered drama.Is a team centered one and i loved the dynamic of this team,their bonds and the trust they built..And i have enjoyed it more this way.
Culinary World is fancy outside and cruel inside.I think is one of the most competitive occupations.The antagonism and the jealously among high ranked chefs it is shown here in a very realistic way.

And although 90% is inside a kitchen, cooking,i never felt bored.Sometimes also i had the feeling i was watching a reality show like Master Chef.Everything felt real,believable and natural.
I have no idea if any of the actors can actually cook in real life but i woulnd't hesitate to taste their cooking,lol!

If you are a food drama lover you will definitely enjoy this.If not,still you will have fun with the story,the characters and great acting is always appreciated.

They were aiming for 3 Stars.I gave them 9!

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Master Chefs Assemble!

This j-drama was release in 2019 but was only added to Netflix in September 2024. That’s my excuse for not review this show earlier, Your Honour!

To put it simply, this show has everything. A tight and engaging script. Interesting and memorable characters. Great acting from a strong cast and more food porn than we can safely consume. It was one of the best show I've seen this year.

Ok, I might have got a bit carried away but bear with me. The show is not perfect. It is tropey and some plots are a bit predictable. The ending is a little too saccharine for my taste but I’m nitpicking.

Let's start at the top. As I said before, this show is tropey but in a good way. You know roughly what is likely to happen, but you take it in your stride. You cheered on their every success and bemoan their setbacks. You know the show is being manipulative but you want to see what happens next.

It helps that the show is relatable. Yes, we are not all chefs but the struggle is real. Once you accept the initial world building, the plot develops steadily. While the antagonist is shady, he is not evil. There are times when events can feel overwhelming, but it is never soul destroying.

This is a well crafted script. It uses tropes wisely and is not dragged down by lazy writing. So many themes are present, friendship, revenge, redemption, healing, forgiveness, growth, fulfillment, greed and more. None of these are used egregiously, yet you can recognise them like little beacons. So much is happening that it can leave you breathless. There is a little bit of romance but it is not the main theme of this show.

To be honest, the show is old school. There are hints of The Seven Samurai and other tried and tested filmic motifs throughout the 11 episodes. They are timeless and universal. Ditto the parables and life lessons provided. It mirrors the skills of a master chef. It is the expert use of fine ingredients that elevates the mundane to the sublime. A high production value and top grade food videography completes the package.

I’m also glad that our leads are mature and seasoned actors rather than young idols. They really deliver the goods. There is no shortage of solid performances. I can tell that their presence helped to lift the younger cast members and anchor their scenes. It is a good ensemble cast.

This show is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. I can rewatch a highlight reel anytime. Please give this drama a try. You won't be disappointed. C’est magnifique!

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I'm only half way through and I feel compelled to write a review, because I'm having so much fun. Watching this with my partner and we are both crazy about it. We watch it half an episode at a time (sometimes we can't stop, so we watch the whole episode), with the intention to make it last as long as possible, cause it's SO GOOD. Story, Music, Acting, Production, Script, Casting - everything is very high quality made by people who love what they do, and put a lot of hard work into making this masterpiece. This is something I will watch again and again. Thank you to all those who made this show possible. Special thanks to Kimura Takuya for his act as Obana Natsuki. I'm so excited to enjoy the rest of this show and I highly recommend it. Merci!

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