There is no denying it. Food is an essential part of people's lives. Yet, cooking may be a gradually lost art among more Generation Z and C than our parents / grandparents would've liked, especially with the growing convenience of Delivery Meals, dining and restaurants.

Here comes Dine with Love, which brings us the message that home cooked food need not be elaborated, as well as the importance of sharing your meal time with family. With only 16 episodes, this drama is a quick and easy watch. The main characters for our show is Yu Hao, an efficient, logic driven entrepreneur who created his own food platform, and Su Kelan, his public relation director. Both worlds collide when a video of Yu Hao shooting with a stand-in on a food reality program his company sponsored gets leaked. Yu Hao had to quickly learn how to cook from Su Kelan, while the latter had to quickly learn how to adapt to the former's working pace.

What makes the romance part of this story nice is how Su Kelan isn't a Mary Sue or someone who needs protection despite being a gentle and understanding person. The part of the story where she had to continue working despite going through tough moments in her personal life is probably one of the most relatable scene for us working adults. Facing a boss who is known as the slave driver and demon, Su Kelan is able to stand firmly on her ground and communicate her thoughts calmly. Yu Hao, despite his cold demeanor. is also not one to stubbornly insists on his viewpoints if the other party is able to convince him on their arguments. Sure, he can be bossy, but he definitely works as hard as he drives others. He is also fairly observant and will do little things for another without needing to let s/he knows. Both of their relationship development is mature,

The key main ingredient for this story though is the food and the meaning for each dish presented. Hence, it's the few rare story where I would rate the re-watch value higher than the story plot itself. I like the messages shared behind each dish that were introduced - from bitter gourd, to fried rice, to tomato omelet, to steamboat and many more. I'd re-watch this show for the recipe of the food.

With such great ingredients, why do I only rated Dine with Love at 7.5? It was unfortunate, I personally feel that the story plot and pacing becomes a little choppy when they are string together. It's like a slight overcooked steak or undercooked fish. There are moments in the story that feels forced so that there would be reasons for our main characters to progress their relationships.

Nevertheless, I would still recommend to watch Dine with Love, if not for the food. Afterall, quoting a popular Cantonese saying - 民以食為天, which translates to people see food as primary need.