I wasn’t sure what to expect from this show when I watched this first episode. What I got was quiet charming show that offered character driven story.
Late Night Restaurant Episode 1 Recap
We begin the episode with the voice of our chef known as Master…”As the day comes to an end and people return home, my day begins. Customers order whatever they want, and I serves those dishes. I’m open from midnight to 7am. You may wonder if there any people who comes all the way out here to eat. You’ll see…there are quite a lot of them.”
There are regulars that frequent the restaurant. Master is a quiet man with kindness in his eyes.
One day a young boy, Min Woo, enters and asks what is the cheapest thing on the menu? Master stares at the boy, whose stomach growls. Master makes the boy a lovely meal for next to nothing. Min Woo returns many nights often studying or even falling asleep in the restaurant. He has multiple part time jobs and supports himself as he came from a small village.
One night two burly guys enter the restaurant. One asks Mater if he will make anything he requests. He puts a live turtle on the counter and asks for turtle soup. The chef declines and the man gets belligerent. Here you see that Master is no wimp. He quickly grabs the man’s wrist and defuses the situation. The other man, the boss, then asks for the grilled rice rolls. Master brings the dish with the traditional honey. The boss says no, season and grill seaweed. Surprised, Master does as requested and find the combination delightful. He is pleased to learn a new flavor combination from his customer.
The boss returns and sits next to Min Woo one night. The boy exclaims his village wraps seaweed around rice rolls too. The boss shares his food. The boy suffers a bloody nose, the typical indicator of exhaustion in kdramas. The other customers are concerned for the boy. He tells them it’s okay, he has to work long hours to make ends meet.
One night the boss exits his workplace and finds a crowd around the boy. He takes the boy to the hospital and even pays the medical bills.
The boy brings Master a gift for the boss. He asks him to prepare it next time the boss comes. When the boss comes Master serves him rice rolls and seaweed. The boy, seated next to the boss, has the same. As the man relishes his food, Master tells him the seaweed is from a small village. The boss declares it the best he has ever had. The boy grins with pleasure. Both eat with the similar mannerisms. Master stares. The boy previously told him he did not know who his father was. Could it be the boss?
My thoughts:
* What a delightful first episode. Charm Factor = High. I knew little about this drama before I watched the first episode on a whim. I am drawn to the quiet yet thoughtful nature of this show. I don’t know if characters will continue episode to episode or if each episode will be a standalone vignette. Either way, seeing the lovely initial story, I am hopeful this series can deliver sweet charming episodes. The show takes place mainly in the restaurant with supplemental scenes as needed. I will watch the next episode. Can the next episode grab me like this first one did?
* The first song of the OST is the theme song appropriately titled “Until the Morning Comes” is sung by Younha featuring. Second Moon. Check out this song via the link or the embedded video below:
Asian drama fan
i too like it after reading it…
[…] Episode 01 […]
Sweet first episode with the heartbreaking life story of the young boy.
Yes, it was a lovely opening story. Thanks for the comment.