Shades of SMAP Bistro with Kimura Takuya in "Grand Maison Tokyo"

(Rinko) Hayami is Dining With the Chef

Kimura Takuya’s new drama “Grand Maison Tokyo” reminds me an awful lot of his previous drama “BG~Personal Bodyguard". In that drama, he played a Bodyguard who is at the top of his game and the best at what he does…until, because of an accident out of his control, his client is harmed and he is ousted from the business in disgrace. It is only years later where he begins walking the path of his profession once again, beginning all over with a small company which he intends to make his way back up the the top....

In  “La Grand Maison Tokyo”, Kimura plays Natsuki Obana, a top-of-the-line 3 Michelin Star Chef in an upscale french restaurant in Paris. He is arrogant and bull-headed about things, but always produces spectacular results...

That is, until he is to head a summit meeting meal and the dignitary he serves gets food poisoning. While not responsible first-hand, as head chef he takes responsibility and is soon disgraced as the "Food Poisoning Chef". No matter what he does, he cannot get back in under his own name.

 

Enter Rinko Hayami (Kyoka Suzuki), a driven and dedicated chef who, though full of passion, just doesn’t have the skills to head a Michelin Star restaurant. 

Recognizing her skills (as well as her money which Obana is severely lacking), he proposes they work together to build an establishment that will dazzle the critics and get them the highest ratings.

 Hayami is wary at first but is won over by his culinary skills which are beyond reproach. 

Throwing in with Obana, it’s now a mater of organizing the perfect team to fuel the business…and that means getting back the entire crew that Kimura had once worked with and (at the time) had treated so gruffly and coldly.

It will take all his dedication to win back those he once slighted, but with his determination to succeed and the passion of Hayami, they intend to get the team they need to create the restaurant of their dreams!

Kimura and Suzuki lead a cast including like Ikki Sawamura, 

Mitsuhiro Oikawa,

Kikunosuke Onoe

Ai Tominaga

and (WHOO!) even pretty Anne Nakamura as food journalist Kanna Kuzumi!

 

Among the younger cast we have Yuta Tamamori (last seen by me in Reverse),

Kanichiro,

Aki Asakura

 

and Ayako Yoshitani as the scene-stealing spazzy pastry chef Moe Matsui!

So far seems like a pretty solid show, though it reminds me of a musical in the sense where you are getting into the story and then the cast breaks into song- well here, the show is constantly interrupted by long, detailed descriptions of the foods they are preparing. Half the time I’m like, “Okay, okay, I get it, can we get back to the story now, please?” LOL

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com