Bon Appétit Your Majesty Ep. 1–2 Review

Bon Appétit Your Majesty Ep. 1–2 Review: Time travel, royal romance, and mouthwatering dishes. A fun K-drama recap with foodie twists!

What do you get when you mix a Michelin-star hopeful, a ruthless Joseon tyrant, and a magical cookbook that doesn’t know the meaning of TSA screening? Answer: Bon Appétit, Your Majesty. The drama I didn’t know I needed until it started serving food, comedy, and chaotic romance in one dish.

Yeon Ji-Young (Lim Yoon-A) is a bubbly, French-trained chef whose life takes a sharp left turn when a solar eclipse plus an old Joseon recipe book sends her straight back in time. There, she meets King Yi Heon (Lee Chae-Min), a feared tyrant with a tongue so refined he could probably out-sass Gordon Ramsay. Instead of chopping her head off, he makes Ji-Young his personal chef. Of course, every dish could either win her life or cost it. Add in political scheming, royal concubines with ambitions, and recipes spicier than Joseon palace gossip, and you’ve got a drama that’s both hilarious and oddly comforting.

Let’s dig into Bon Appétit Your Majesty Ep. 1-2 review, because trust me, this feast is worth every bite.

Genre: Historical, Time travel, Rom-Com

Episodes: 12

Starring: Lim Yoon-A, Lee Chae-Min, Kang Han-Na

Platform: Netflix

Days: Saturday, Sunday.

Bon Appétit Your Majesty Ep. 1: Gochujang Butter Bibimbap

Bon Appétit Your Majesty Ep. 1 kicks off with a bang as Ji-Young is unexpectedly pulled from her 2025 life into the Joseon dynasty. One moment, she’s en route to Korea, holding her prized historical book, and the next, she’s staring at a king who is both terrifying and utterly confused by her presence. A magical solar eclipse turns her book into a portal, and suddenly she’s in a completely unfamiliar world.

The tyrant King Yi Heon, renowned for his ruthlessness, encounters Ji-Young while hunting. Mistaking her for a rebel, he tries to execute her, but in a twist that feels almost too cinematic, Ji-Young turns the tables. The two end up spending the night in a forest house. During this time, Ji-Young accidentally reveals the king’s fearsome reputation; Yeonhuigun, leaving him shocked.

Hungry and exhausted, Ji-Young whips up her first dish in Joseon: Gochujang Butter Bibimbap. The spicy-sweet flavors mesmerize the king, even evoking memories of his late mother, while the local girl she met finds the dish surprisingly intense compared to their usual bland fare. The episode ends with Ji-Young waving to some passersby near the river, completely unaware that this innocent gesture will lead to more complications.

Key Highlights & Thoughts

The Time Travel Scene: That magical cookbook was such a Mr. Queen-esque twist, but instead of comedy chaos, we get foodie magic.
Ji-Young vs. The Tyrant: Their dynamic is already giving me “grumpy king, sunshine chef” vibes, and I’m here for it.
Cliffhanger: Ji-Young waving at strangers like she’s in a travel vlog, girl, read the room!

I love how the show wasted no time throwing us into chaos. Ji-Young is instantly likable; funny, resourceful, and just clueless enough about Joseon to make her every move entertaining. Meanwhile, the king is both terrifying and oddly pitiful, and their chemistry is already simmering. Honestly, it gave me Mr. Queen flashbacks, but with more food and less body-swapping.

Bon Appétit Your Majesty Ep. 2: Sous Vide Cuisine

Bon Appétit Your Majesty Ep. 2 turns up the heat; literally and politically. Ji-Young and her new friend are caught for ‘Chaehong’ (the traditional selection of women) after Ji-Young naively waves at strangers near the river. Once again, the girl’s optimism is her worst enemy.

She soon finds herself in front of the governor’s son, who demands food to please the Chief royal secretary Im and his arrogant offspring. Ji-Young boldly strikes a deal: if her cooking satisfies them, all the women will be freed; if not, she dies. High stakes? Standard Tuesday for our chef. Ji-Young prepares a steak dish, pulling out her modern cooking tricks, but the officials dismiss it as too small.

Just when things escalate to punishment, King Yi Heon arrives to taste the food himself. Predictably, he’s floored once again. While the officials scramble to cover up their lies, the king spares Ji-Young but drags her (and her friend) to the palace, ignoring her pleas about retrieving her precious handbag and the magic cookbook inside. The episode closes with Ji-Young being introduced to the royal concubine, who already seems suspiciously intrigued by this strange new cook.

Key Highlights & Thoughts

Ji-Young Bargaining Like a Boss: The way she put her own life on the line for the other women? Queen behavior.
The King Playing Food Critic: He’s basically Joseon’s Gourmet, but with more silk robes.
The Handbag Drama: That book is clearly the key to everything, and the king is not letting her grab it? Frustrating but sooo plot-device-y.
Cliffhanger: Meeting the Concubine. Love triangle? Power struggle? I smell palace chaos coming.

Bon Appétit Your Majesty Ep. 2 felt richer, both in story and in food. Ji-Young’s confidence as a chef is shining, and I love that she’s slowly becoming indispensable to the king, even if he won’t admit it yet. At the same time, you can see the political scheming ramping up with the concubine Kang Mok-Ju, Ji-Young is about to be tossed into some serious palace politics.

Bon Appétit Your Majesty Ep. 1–2: Final Thoughts

Rating so far: 4.5/5

Bon Appétit Your Majesty Ep. 1–2 serves exactly what the title promises: a royal feast of comedy, sizzling chemistry, and food that makes me want to raid my fridge at 2 a.m. It’s giving Mr. Queen meets Jewel in the Palace with a modern foodie twist. Ji-Young’s journey as the tyrant’s chef is off to a fiery start, and I can’t wait to see what dish and what chaos she serves up next weekend.

What did you think of the first two episodes of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty? Drop your thoughts (and your favorite dish) in the comments below, and don’t forget to follow for more weekly reviews!

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