Netflix
★★★★☆
Season 2 of Netflix’s hit cooking competition, which premiered on Dec 16, raised the culinary bar even higher than the first season with a host of high-calibre contestants.
The format remains the same: Eighty Black Spoon cooks, addressed by their nicknames, battle one another in the initial elimination round. The surviving 19 Black Spoons proceed to a one-on-one duel against elite chefs, also known as White Spoons. Remaining Black Spoons then take on team challenges against the White Spoons until the final chef remains, winning bragging rights and 300 million won (S$267,000).
What stands out in this new season is that several of the Black Spoon challengers are established chefs with their own successful restaurants. Unlike in Season 1, the Black Spoons are no longer pitched as underdogs and their culinary skills are arguably on a par with those of the White Spoons.
Several Black Spoon standouts include Brewmaster Yun, a tavern owner with over 10 years of experience serving home-brewed traditional Korean alcohol and dishes; and French Papa, who joined the competition to show his son – who has autism – the kind of chef he is.
Black Spoon Brewmaster Yun is a tavern owner who brews traditional Korean liquor.
PHOTO: NETFLIX
The White Spoon chefs are of an even higher tier than in the last season. There are multiple Michelin-starred chefs, including Lee Jun, chef-owner of Soigne, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant; chef Son Jong-won, who leads L’Amant Secret and Eatanic Garden, both with one Michelin star; and Shim Sung-chul, chef-owner of New York’s Michelin-starred Kochi and Mari.
Culinary prowess aside, what makes the show a winning series is the camaraderie among the White Spoons. According to his teammates, chef Son is an early favourite to win the title and his competence shines through in each challenge.
Netflix has upped the production value and the editing continues to provide a nail-biting experience. It is no surprise that Culinary Class Wars 2, now in its 10th episode, is currently sitting at the No. 1 spot in the streamer’s Global Top 10 Non-English Shows chart.
Disney+
Hyun Bin plays a Korean Central Intelligence Agency spy who leads a dangerous double life in crime thriller Made In Korea.
PHOTO: DISNEY+
Acclaimed actor Hyun Bin returns to the small screen after five years – his last TV show was Crash Landing On You (2019 to 2020). The South Korean A-lister reunites with his Harbin (2024) director Woo Min-ho, who makes his TV debut in this tense political drama.
The 1970s crime noir revolves around Hyun Bin’s Baek Ki-tae, a ruthless power monger who leads a double life. By day, he is a Korean Central Intelligence Agency spy, while by night, he runs a drug-smuggling operation.
Jung Woo-sung plays a prosecutor in Made In Korea.
PHOTO: DISNEY+
Veteran K-star Jung Woo-sung plays dogged prosecutor Jang Geon-young, who becomes Ki-tae’s primary adversary. Making up the ensemble cast are Woo Do-hwan of hit series Bloodhounds (2023), Won Ji-an from Squid Game 2 (2024) and Jung Sung-il from The Glory (2022 to 2023).
The Woo-Hyun Bin combination must be formidable, considering Made In Korea is currently the top series on Disney+ in Singapore.
Netflix
Lee Jun-ho in fantasy action series Cashero.
PHOTO: NETFLIX
What happens when your superpowers make you poor for the rest of your life? That is the question salaried worker Kang Sang-ung (played by K-pop idol Lee Jun-ho) has to grapple with every day in this eight-episode action series.
Initially delighted with the gift of super strength and invulnerability, he soon learns that his powers work only if he has cash on him. There is also a catch: Money disappears when he uses his superstrength, leaving him with only coins.
With his long-time girlfriend Kim Min-sook (Kim Hye-jun) keeping a tight rein on his purse strings – she thinks his ability is a wasteful use of their savings – Sang-ung struggles between upholding moral responsibilities and making ends meet. For instance, he is torn over whether he should help an elderly woman carry her heavy bags.
Sang-ung soon learns he is not the only superhuman around. There is Byeon Ho-in (Kim Byong-chul), a lawyer who can phase through solid objects when he is drunk; and Bang Eun-mi (Kim Hyang-gi), who can use her telekinetic powers only when she consumes calories.
Lee Chae-min takes on his first villain role in Cashero.
PHOTO: NETFLIX
Fans of Bon Appetit, Your Majesty (2025) will get to see a different side of Lee Chae-min. The rising star tackles his first villainous role as Jo Nathan, an ambitious chaebol heir who will stop at nothing to get his hands on Sang-ung’s powers.
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Dining and Cooking