First Impressions: “The Legend Of Kitchen Soldier” Is A Comedy Serving Food For The Soul

The food in the military mess isn’t exactly Michelin cuisine. But what happens when an innovative soldier with a knack of creating his own dishes turns the tables in the barracks and has his hangry comrades feeling satiated for once? The mission could be a recipe for disaster, or not, as Private Kang Sung Jae (Park Ji Hoon) discovers.

Sung Jae has been certified as the best trainee in bootcamp and is assigned to the Gangrim outpost. He finds himself not only at the center of attention amongst his superiors but also discovers a mysterious quest window. This is just the beginning of his adventures in the military, not as a soldier, but possibly as a Masterchef.

“The Legend of Kitchen Soldier” is a feel good military comedy which serves up humor, heart and a dash of fantasy. Here is what you can expect in the premiere episodes.

Warning: spoilers ahead!

The premiere episode opens with an introduction to the new military recruit, Private Kang Sung Jae. On the way to his new posting, the newly minted trainee tells us he hopes it is the beginning of his new innings as a loyal and brave soldier of the Republic of South Korea.

However, he receives unexpected attention when Master Sergeant Park Jae Young (Yoon Kyung Ho) asks him to fill in his details in the dossier.

Sung Jae is quiet and reserved and is a bit skeptical about divulging his personal details. We learn his father recently passed away, and Sung Jae was enlisted soon after. His mother runs a food stall to support the family. Sung Jae, who has so far done odd jobs, hopes to find his mission during the course of his enlistment.

Reviewing the documents, Sergeant Park certifies him as an “S Class” recruit. He is flagged off as a candidate with potential mental health issues, and a smiley badge is pinned to his uniform so that his comrades take notice. Ironically, despite being viewed as unstable, Sung Jae appears to be far more perceptive than those around him, which becomes increasingly clear as the story progresses.

Soon, Sung Jae starts hallucinating as a virtual reality console, complete with voice-over instructions and solutions, opens up before him. He’s the only one who can see it, so his unit has all the more reason to believe he needs help since he appears to be staring into space. The seniors tells him it is a condition that befalls many, but he regards the VR console as a guardian watching over him.

Company Commander Hwang Seok Ho (Lee Sang Yi) decides to assign Sung Jae to kitchen duty. He tells Sung Jae that he would like him to cook the meals like his father did at the diner he ran. Though the moment may feel as if he has just been assigned to a department, it is one that carries weight.

We get a glimpse into Sung Jae’s past. Though the family lived humbly, surviving off “Sung Jae’s Diner,” which was run by his father, they were happy. Grappling with grief and putting up a brave front to the world, Seok Ho assigning him to the kitchen could be just what Sung Jae needs to heal.

The unit counsellor, on the other hand, rates Sung Jae as a sensitive young man, who is highly perceptive towards people’s feelings and not someone who can harm others or inflict harm on himself. But his supervisors are convinced he needs to be observed and not assigned dangerous duties.

Still, navigating the kitchen is like marking enemy lines. Run under Yoon Dong Hyun (Lee Hong Nae), known for his dreadful culinary skills, the meals that are served are not only tasteless, but downright inedible. Every bite of Dong Hyun’s cooking is a cry for help, so much so that even Sung Jae, on his first bite, feels he could possibly not survive the meal.

When Dong Hyun gives Sung Jae the herculean task of rearranging the pantry, the VR console guides him, and he handles it meticulously, even surprising the inspecting officer. However, despite the kitchen being like a battlefield and the food served doing little for morale, Dong Hyun remains unfazed. So much so that he walks away during mess hours, leaving Sung Jae to prep a meal for the Sergeant Major.

The VR forewarns him that the first meal is rarely ever a success, but he should pursue it. The object of the game, as he is told, is to become a legendary soldier chef and prepare innovative dishes. He also gets notifications from the console on the freshness of ingredients as well as skills in kitchen organization.

He recalls his father’s recipe and the secret ingredient which could help improvise the seaweed soup. As he is prepping, you see the first glimpse of happiness on his face. It is clear he is feeling close to his father.

However, it backfires since the Major gets an allergy attack due to the perilla seeds used and is hospitalized.

Is this the end for Sung Jae? The VR shows that he is rating high on the dislike meter. Dong Hyun hates him for messing up the kitchen, and Seok Ho is livid while the rest of the unit is gossiping that the new Private tried to kill the Major.

However, it is First Lieutenant Cho Ye Rin (Han Dong Hee), the supervisor of the kitchen, who stands up for him. She says she had tasted the soup, and there was nothing wrong with it. She seems like a person with a spine, but finds herself in a minority and unheard in the testosterone-driven unit.

Seok Ho is adamant and wants to transfer Sung Jae to another department called TOD (the thermal operation device). Sung Jae is not keen, since he has his heart set on being in the kitchen. Cooking is the mission he was seeking, and it’s something that makes him feel close to his family.

Sung Jae once again saves the day for Dong Hyun in the kitchen by removing the staleness from the rice as well as making refreshing bean sprout soup. The mood in the dining hall changes, and it is a first for the soldiers to be served a delicious meal. Though Dong Hyun is grateful for being bailed out by Sung Jae, it seems he is still getting transferred. The unit, on the other hand, cannot stop talking about the delicious breakfast. Has Dong Hyun had an awakening? Because it certainly couldn’t have been the strange new fellow.

Dong Hyun’s dislike meter becomes negligible now, and we see the first inkling of a bromance as he credits Sung Jae, telling the unit that he was the one who had cooked the rice and soup. But it seems Seok Ho remains unmovable and is going to transfer Sung Jae.

The mission to bring Private Sung Jae to the kitchen begins. Both Dong Hyun and Sung Jae devise a plan to serve a meal to Seok Ho, who only rejects their efforts. Ye Rin also decides to stand up and takes on Seok Ho. It’s a show of strength from the only woman in the battalion.

Sung Jae, for the first time, musters courage and says he wants to stay in the kitchen. He recalls what his father said: a meal cooked with sincerity will always bring happiness. Cooking is perhaps the task which makes him feel closest to his family as well as bringing happiness to those around him. This is what he wants to do. Sung Jae’s earnestness makes him an endearing character, someone you want to protect. You cannot help but root for this young boy, who finds expression through his cooking.

Usually, the depiction of military life on screen is one of harsh hierarchy, toxicity, and bullying in the foreground, showcasing the rigidity of the establishment. However, with “The Legend of the Kitchen Soldier,” humanism seems to be at the core, as does compassion despite the competitive environment. The quirky idea of the video game console is a clever execution and almost feels like a metaphor for Sung Jae’s father guiding him, or could also be his own subconscious installing confidence in himself. The drama also uses food not merely as comfort, but as memory, healing, and emotional connection.

“The Legend of Kitchen Soldier” is enjoyable fare, with its strong emotional core. Park Ji Hoon hits the ball out of the park with his earnest and natural performance, backed by strong chemistry amongst the ensemble cast. It’ll be fun to see how he cooks up a storm in the kitchen and serves the unit.

Start watching “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier”:

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Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.