morgan1988 wrote: If it didn't make you hungry at one point, then they were probably doing it wrong.
I agree with you on this. I, too, would like to watch more such dramas. I'll be watching this thread to see what other people recommend to you! I haven't watched many yet that fit the criteria (I see on your list that you're watching My Name Is Kim Sam Soon; I found that there was way too little food porn in it, in my opinion it doesn't qualify as a "food drama" even though she's a pastry chef), but two titles immediately come to mind:
Antique: This drama takes place in a bakery and there are cakes all over every episode. It is based on a manga, but if you don't mind that kind of feeling to it, it's enjoyable. I liked it, it was sweet and funny. The characters were interesting in my opinion (even if one of the later revelations disappointed me). The story is not "great", but I would say it's good enough. It feels very episodic at first but there is a story arch, a kind of "mystery" that connects everything. It also has a nice touch of bromance. I'm not sure I would call it a masterpiece BUT I honestly felt that all the cakes in it were to die for. Antique really does have food porn to mouth-wateringly tempting levels, and I LOVED that. I wrote in my review that I didn't think I'd rewatch it, but now I actually think that I would.... <3 There is also a K-movie (Antique Bakery) based on the same story. I didn't enjoy it half as much because there was very little character development and there was not enough food porn.
Mayonaka no panya-san: I'm currently watching this one and I love it, I'm sad that there are only 8 episodes. This, too, takes place in a bakery. There are not as many cakes as in Antique, but there's a lot of delicious bread, often with chocolate... and croissants and stuff... It doesn't reach quite the same level of food porn, but there's a lot of baking and eating bread going on in every episode, and it does make me hungry! There is nothing "great" about the plot but it is interesting and the characters are likeable.
There is also the very nice drama
Bambino!, but it takes place in an Italian restaurant so it's not exactly what you're asking for. I really loved this drama a lot. There's food porn to make you hungry, and there's a pastry chef so there are sweets, too, even if that's not the main point.
Sadly, these are the only dramas I know where there is good food porn and baking! :( I had hopes for Shitsuren Chocolatier because it is based around the making of chocolate, but with a few exceptions, it didn't reach mouth-watering levels.
Oh, I almost forgot -
Iki mo dekinai natsu also takes place in a bakery, or at least partly. The main character really likes baking apple pies! Well, okay, so the food porn is only there occasionally, but as a drama, I did find it extraordinary and it's one of my favourites. So, this was really hard! I hope someone else can give us a masterpiece drama with great story AND great food porn. Ricky's suggestion is on my ptw-list, but it seems to be about food, not baking/chocolate/sweets. Maybe Ti Amo Chocolate is worth a try!
