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Welcome to my Pasta – Unspoiled Review.  A young women who dreams of being a chef in a fancy Italian restaurant struggles with a new head chef who doesn’t like women in his kitchen.  As much as he criticizes everything she does, he also sees her potential.  While she has a lot to learn about cooking from him, he has a lot to learn about kitchen politics and building a team.  Together will try to turn their restaurant, La Sfera, into a successful and thriving business. 

Gong Hyo Jin as Seo Yoo Kyung

Seo Yoo Kyung has worked as a kitchen assistant at La Sfera for 3 years and has finally been promoted to chef.  But a new head chef shows up suddenly and tries to fire all the women, including her.  But the new chef is no match for her stubborn desire to finally get a chance to cook pasta.  Over time, she falls in love with Hyun Wook and they agree to date in secret.  When La Sfera puts together a team to compete in a cooking contest, Yoo Kyung is made their substitute.  When Ho Nam suffers an injury during the competition, Yoo Kyung steps in and saves the day.

Seo Yoo Kyung is quiet and eager to please.  For 3 years, she has worked tirelessly and never complained.  Her skills as a peacekeeper are exactly what Hyun Wook needs to hold everything together.  Yoo Kyung is able to see a softer side to Hyun Wook and she understands that his critical attitude is because of his desire to see them all succeed.  No one plays the meek female protragonist with a nerve of steel quite like Gong Hyo Jin.  This role is perfect for her and even though I sometimes wanted to scream at Yoo Kyung for not sticking up for herself more, Gong Hyo Jin was able to show her strength in other ways.  

Alex as Kim San

Kim San is secretly the owner of La Sfera, but he pretends to be just a devoted customer.  He has had feelings for Yoo Kyung since she started working there, but she has no idea he is interested in her.  When he realizes that Yoo Kyung and Hyun Wook have feelings for each other he decides it’s time to be more direct about his own feelings.  

Jo Sang Ki, Heo Tae Hee, Baek Bong Ki, and Lee Hyung chul as the Local Chefs

For these guys, La Sfera is their home turf.  They have built their careers in this kitchen and they don’t like having a new head Chef who insists on changing everything.  Nothing would make them happier than seeing Hyun Woo fail and leave their restaurant.  

♥ Lead Chemistry

Hyun Wook and Yoo Kyung have an irresistable chemistry that I really enjoyed.  From the moment they first meet in the crosswalk, there is a romantic tension that feels real.  True chemistry is best, not just in the romantic moments and kiss scenes, but in every exchange, and I felt like these two had that.  Whether he was giving her a cooking lesson or yelling at her for making a mistake, they had a connection that was apparent in their timing and body language.

♥ Food as Eye Candy

Food and cooking scenes make up a large portion of this drama, and I really enjoyed seeing all the amazing dishes they made.  The colors and beauty of the food arranged on the plates were fun to look at it and admire.  Also, getting to see some of the techniques they used, like binding up the meat, was interesting.  I just wish I could go to La Sfera and try some of them!

Treatment of Women

Poor treatment of women is a big part of the plot of this drama and I understand that it was done to make the story interesting and the Hyun Wook does come around quite a bit by the end, but sometimes it got to be a bit much episode after episode. Playing to those kinds of stereotypes is a trope I don’t really love and it seems like all of the ladies in “Pasta” deserved better treatment than they got. 

Philip and Byun Jung Soo

Byun Jung Soo’s crush on Philip was kind of cute and they played with it a little bit.  It seemed like they were going to put them together eventually, but then they just kind of dropped the storyline.  Because both characters were so eccentric, I think it could have been an interesting pairing, so I was disappointed they didn’t pursue it more.

Dramas like “Pasta” are great because it’s pretty much happy endings all around.  There are no villains awaiting punishment and no characters left to deal with their bad choices.  San and Chef have come to an agreement that they will run the restaurant together, making all the decisions as a team.  The home La Sfera team who won the competition are on their way to study in Italy, including Ho Nam, who is back in his rightful position.  The Italy team are here to stay and went out for a drink with Sae Young to apologize for being so hard on her.  San and Sae Young have decided to continue as friends, even as San encourages her to settle down and have some kids.  With half of their kitchen team heading to Italy, Chef visits the female chefs he had fired and invites them to come back and be a part of La Sfera again.  Our love birds also got their happy ending.  After watching several food related dramas in the past, I was prepared for Yoo Kyung to take the opportunity in Italy and leave Chef waiting for her.  I even thought that he might take the job offer to go with her.  But in the end, Yoo Kyung decides to stay and asks Hyun Wook to get an apartment with her.  With this couple, nothing happens without a bit of contention.  Now that she is staying, Yoo Kyung wants to know which stove will be hers.  In other words, will she get to go back to the pasta line that she loves.  Hyun Wook refuses to get her a straight answer, but honestly it seems like he is just trying to get a rise out of her.  In a huff, Yoo Kyung storms out of the kitchen with Hyun Wook following.  And then it ends, right where it started, in the middle of their crosswalk, in a replay of their initially meeting; minus the goldfish and ending in a playful kiss!