The Viu Original drama The Secret Ingredient aired its final episode this week.
This drama stars actors from three countries:
- Julia Barretto (Maya) from the Philippines,
- Lee Sang-heon (Ha-joon) from South Korea, and
- Nicholas Saputra from Indonesia.
This drama, written by Baek Dong-hoon and directed by Jo Young-gwang from South Korea, is the result of a collaboration between Viu and Unilever Nutrition SEA.
For Korean drama fans, you may have listened to director Jo Young-kwang’s works before The Secret Ingredient, such as Racket Boys (2021), 49 Days (2011), and Hyde, Jekyll, Me (2015).
Plot : Not a few people work there to gain experience from chef Arif. One of them is Maya (played by Julia Barretto). Filipino girl who has amazing cooking skills. Not just following the chef's orders, each kitchen crew also continues to hone their skills and innovate, you know.
Go Ha-joon is a chaebol, aka a member of a conglomerate family in Seoul, experiencing great pressure in his family and company. He ran away and hid by working as a helper in a hotel kitchen in Jakarta. The hotel belonged to his family, but he worked as a bottom employee so as not to be recognized. He also uses the name Jack. There is only one trusted person who knows his plan, looking for his childhood friend while living in the Philippines.
Secret Ingredient also has a layered story. Humans actually have several layers of life stories.
This is what is discussed in six impressive episodes that you shouldn’t miss.
# Chasing the Dream
Ha-joon has no ambition to lead the family company. Instead, he left Seoul and went secretly to Jakarta to chase the girl of his dreams.
From Maya, he then learned how tough Maya was in pursuing her dream of becoming a famous chef, since she was still young
# Food as a language of love
For Maya and Ha-joon, food is a language of love with mother. In Ha-joon’s memories, the last smile he saw on his mother’s face was when she served him the food he made as a child. For Maya, the delicious food served by her mother made her want to become a chef who could make people smile because of the food she cooked.
In this drama there is a dish using kepel fruit, a rare fruit that is considered the fruit of the Yogyakarta palace. There is also bibingka, a Filipino snack made from rice flour and coconut milk, baked in banana leaves. This cake is usually served during Christmas celebrations.
# A child’s wounds shape his personality into adulthood
Maya, who was raised by a single mother, grew into an independent person who did not want to be indebted to anyone.
He really hated lies because his father did not keep his word and abandoned him and his mother.
No less gloomy, Ha-joon or Jack has been oppressed since childhood by his family, namely the children of his father’s first wife. He also experienced bitter memories because he saw his mother suffer until she died.
# Friendship
Maya has a best friend, Stella, who both come from the Philippines. Stella is always ready to help Maya, including when Maya takes part in a cooking competition. Friendship becomes a way for Ha-joon to approach Maya.
In this drama you will see the hard work of a team of chefs in a luxury restaurant kitchen.
Behind every dish there are those who seriously process the selected raw materials until they are served.
This kitchen is led by chef Arif Hadi ( Nicholas Saputra) who has an impressive reputation. He is known to be strict and disciplined in leading the kitchen crew to produce perfect dishes.
Finnaly we can watched Nicholas Saputra porait as a chef
