La Grande Maison Tokyo is, in a nutshell, a more relaxed and more sophisticated original Japanese version of popular new Western restaurant/chef series like the "The Bear" (2022-, streaming on Disney+).
I was particularly reminded of "The Bear", there are quite a few parallels to La Grande Maison Tokyo:
Both series feature very talented and ambitious young chefs as the two main protagonists.
Both chefs are eager to redeem themselves with new restaurant projects, after harsh setbacks in their professional and/or personal life.
And both series project the fine dining ratings from the famous "Guide Michelin" as almost mythical North Stars and ultimate goal posts for the chefs and their kitchen staff to strive for.
If you like gourmet food and fine dining settings, but were overwhelmed by the f-bombs, the scream tirades and the repeated mental breakdowns in "The Bear", you will likely enjoy the more relaxed and refined "La Grande Maison Tokyo".
I re-watched the 2019 series recently since two related sequels will be released in December 2024 in Japan:
- A new, one-time episode "La Grande Maison Tokyo Special". Set in a post-COVID pandemic world where the gastronomic sector faces though choices.
- A film "La Grande Maison Paris", which depicts similar challenges in Paris, France (closing the circle since the original series started in Paris through flashbacks).
One final word of advice for viewers unfamiliar with J-Drama or Anime: The actors often seem to overact (facial expressions like grimaces etc.) when viewed through Western lenses. This is standard for many J-Dramas and Anime series, you will get accustomed to it. Don't let such acting expressions influence your judgement in a negative way.
Rating: 8/10. (9/10 if you like J-Dramas as a genre).
PS: The "Guide Michelin" really does exist in the world of fine dining. There however still are many misconceptions about the coveted "Michelin stars". For example, Michelin stars are always given to the restaurant, not just to an individual chef. But the head chefs obviously are the main protagonists during the award ceremonies. Only the quality of the food is judged, not the presentation or the restaurant amenities (this is wrongly depicted in the series: for example, anonymous Michelin testers don't throw napkins on the floor on purpose to test the service level). The century-old Michelin rating system remains consistent and very simple to this day, it goes from one star to three stars maximum. One Michelin star therefore already indicates a very advanced quality level of cooking, the entry barriers to just attain a single star anywhere in the World are very high.
PPS: Please see my separate IMDB list on eating and drinking if you are interested in more gourmet/food and beverage-related movies and documentaries.
