Bon Appétit, Your Majesty episode 1 review—Course No. 1 Gochujang Butter Bibimbap— Time slip, a Michelin chef, and a tyrant’s appetite

The premiere of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty bursts with flavor and imagination, blending the thrill of a time slip with the sensory indulgence of a royal feast.

In Course No. 1 Gochujang Butter Bibimbap, the drama places Michelin chef Yeon Ji-yeong at the center of Joseon’s palace intrigue, where every grain of rice and every drop of sauce carries the weight of survival.

What begins as a playful culinary challenge unfolds into a tale of power, romance, and transformation, setting the stage for a series that feels both sumptuous and unpredictable.

Yeon Ji-yeong enters Joseon with spark and confusion

Bon Appétit, Your Majesty introduces Yeon Ji-yeong at the peak of her modern career, a Michelin chef who has just proven her worth on the biggest stages. When the ground shifts and she crashes into the era of Joseon, the drama lets the shock play out with both comedy and dread.

She crashes into Joseon surrounded by rituals she doesn’t understand, caught in awkward situations that become genuinely funny. The cultural clashes make her blurt out words that feel out of place, pull faces that break the tension, and stumble through encounters that expose her confusion. The comedy works because it also shows her resilience, turning the chaos of her arrival into a moment that’s both hilarious and magnetic.

Im Yoon-ah takes the role with charisma and timing, instantly reminding viewers of the warmth she carried in King the Land. Known first as a member of Girls’ Generation, she shows here that she can move with ease between romantic comedy and period drama. Her Ji-yeong is sharp, expressive, and vulnerable, a woman who refuses to shrink even when surrounded by sword-wielding guards (and the king himself!), and ancient etiquette.

The first encounter with King Lee Heon has all the tension of two worlds colliding. Ji-yeong reacts with bewilderment and defiance, like a heroine pulled into a myth. The setup almost echoes the energy of Inuyasha, with a modern woman hurled into a historical time and forced to face power head-on. That mixture of fear, humor, and determination makes her the pulse of the premiere and sets up everything that is yet to come.

A king with presence but a queen of the scene

King Lee Heon enters as the feared ruler of Joseon, surrounded by the weight of history that remembers him as a tyrant. His authority is absolute, his glance sharp, and his taste rumored to be unmatched. He’s also played with undeniable charm by Lee Chae-min, whose good looks and charisma add softness to a character otherwise wrapped in steel.

But the spotlight stays with Yeon Ji-yeong. From the first moment they face each other, she shifts the balance of the scene. Her confusion, her nervous defiance, and the humor that spills out in the most awkward situations keep the focus on her. The palace (and Joseon itself) may bend to the king’s voice, but the audience bends to Ji-yeong’s presence. Every stumble and every retort carries a spark that makes the encounter feel alive, unpredictable, and irresistibly fun.

Outlander echoes and Inuyasha energy

What makes Bon Appétit, Your Majesty stand apart from other period dramas is the way it embraces the fantasy of time travel. The setup carries the sweep of Outlander, with a modern woman suddenly thrown into the turbulence of an earlier century. Instead of Scotland, it is Joseon, a dynasty bound by ritual and ruled by a king remembered as a tyrant, and that contrast gives the story an edge of danger and romance, while keeping it accessible to viewers who rarely fall for traditional historical dramas.

The energy also recalls Inuyasha, where a young woman younger than Yeon Ji-yeong is pulled into the past and forced to navigate powers beyond her control. Ji-yeong’s entry into Joseon carries that same sense of myth and chaos, as if she has been chosen to disrupt a story that had already been written. Replace yokai with food and the parallel feels complete, giving the drama its own flavor of fantasy.

Awkward comedy and a heroine who owns the room

What seals the deal in Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is the comedy that bursts through every awkward moment. Ji-yeong’s confusion, her sharp tongue clashing with archaic etiquette, and the faces she pulls when pushed into impossible corners all make the episode hilarious. These embarrassing situations enrich the story, grounding the fantasy in reactions that feel human and relatable. The blend of humor and tension keeps the premiere entertaining and surprising from start to finish.

Charisma, critique, and the pulse of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty

Im Yoon-ah is the anchor. Viewers already knew her from King the Land and from her years as part of Girls’ Generation, but here she proves again that she can dominate the screen. Her Ji-yeong is expressive, sharp, and unwilling to shrink. Even in a hall full of guards and courtiers, she sets the rhythm of the scene.

Lee Chae-min is handsome and magnetic. His presence fills the palace, yet Ji-yeong keeps the focus. Her quick reactions and stubborn spark turn the royal encounter into something alive, unpredictable, and genuinely fun.

The premiere also gestures toward deeper themes. Bon Appétit, Your Majesty stages power through ritual and appetite, sketching a court where taste and control feed each other. The balance between comedy, romance, politics, and fantasy creates a flavor as layered as the dish that titles the episode. Even before the full kitchen showcase, food hangs over every moment as a promise. By the time the credits roll, the hour glides by and the craving builds.

When flavor breaks a king

The most powerful scene in Bon Appétit, Your Majesty comes when King Lee Heon tastes Ji-yeong’s cooking for the first time. It isn’t a lavish banquet dish, it’s something deceptively simple from her world, a plate born out of modern comfort.

The moment he eats, his composure cracks. Tears rise as the flavor carries him back to memories of his mother, breaking through the armor of a ruler known for severity. The scene turns electric, showing that food here is memory, grief, and love colliding at the table.

Ji-yeong steps into the palace and reshapes its order with a single meal. Watching a king cry over the taste of the past transforms the premiere into something unforgettable, marking Bon Appétit, Your Majesty as a drama unafraid to strike deep.

Bon Appétit, Your Majesty leaves us hungry for more

The first episode of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty shows how sharply the series blends fantasy, history, and emotion into one plate. Yeon Ji-yeong dominates every scene, whether stumbling through palace etiquette or locking eyes with a ruler feared by his own court. Im Yoon-ah fills her with wit and vulnerability, making the character magnetic from the start.

The premiere runs well past an hour, yet the pacing never drags. Each moment adds flavor, from the comedy of misplaced modern habits to the intensity of a ruler broken by taste and memory. By the final scene, the series has already carved its identity: rich, unpredictable, and impossible to resist.

Bon Appétit, Your Majesty begins like a feast you didn’t know you were craving, and one episode makes it clear this story is meant to be savored.

Rating with a touch of flair: 5 out of 5 steaming bowls of gochujang butter bibimbap

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Bon Appétit, Your Majesty opens its first course with humor, fantasy, and emotion served in perfect balance. The premiere lands with the ease of comfort food and the surprise of fine dining, turning a simple dish into the key to memory, grief, and love. It’s a beginning that satisfies completely while leaving the appetite wide open for what comes next.