Delicious Historical Drama, Unstoppable Rise... 'Tyrant's Chef' Surpasses 15%

Drama 'Tyrant's Chef' [Provided by tvN. Resale and DB prohibited]

'Tyrant's Chef', a fusion historical drama about a Michelin chef who falls into the Joseon era, has surpassed 15% in viewership ratings within 8 episodes.

According to Nielsen Korea, a viewership rating research company, the 8th episode of tvN's drama 'Tyrant's Chef', aired yesterday, recorded a viewership rating of 15.4%.

The 8th episode featured a scene where Yeon Ji-young (Im Yoon-a), a royal chef of the Joseon Dynasty, competes in a cooking showdown with chefs from the Ming Dynasty.

In the first competition, Yeon Ji-young presented a fusion dish combining braised short ribs and beef bourguignon, while the Ming Dynasty chef offered a bold dish utilizing chili oil.

In the second competition, the Joseon chefs face a crisis when Maeng Sook-soo deliberately cuts his hand due to blackmail from Kang Mok-joo (Kang Han-na), and Yeon Ji-young also injures her wrist.

However, Gil-geum (Yoon Seo-ah) perfectly peels Peking duck skin to complete the Peking duck roll. In response, the Ming Dynasty chef presented lotus leaf rice and temple food.

The active performance of the Joseon chefs, who intended to win solely based on the taste of their food despite the interference of concubine Kang Mok-joo and Prince Jesan (Choi Gwi-hwa), captivated viewers.

'Tyrant's Chef' garnered anticipation by blending historical drama with the fantasy elements of food and time travel.

The drama added to the fun by meticulously depicting the cooking process and using flamboyant computer graphics (CG) to express the flavors in a delightful way.

As a result, while the first episode's viewership rating was 4.9%, it rose to 11.1% in the 4th episode and surpassed 15% this time, showing a rapid upward trend.

This is the first time a tvN drama has broken the 15% viewership rating mark since 'Jeongnyeon' (16.5%), which aired in November last year.

KBS's Saturday-Sunday mini-series 'Twelve' concluded with its lowest viewership rating of 2.4%.

Although the drama, starring Ma Dong-seok, initially attracted attention, the fantasy setting of the East Asian 12 zodiac animals failed to capture viewers' tastes. Yonhap News