Binge-worthy: Culinary Class Wars is Top Chef, MasterChef and Physical: 100 in one neat bite

Culinary Class Wars

Netflix
★★★☆☆

Netflix has found a sweet spot when it comes to South Korean unscripted series. Viewers have been hooked on the love connections in dating show Single’s Inferno (2021 to present) and the battles of strength in survival competition Physical: 100 (2023 to 2024).

The streamer is hoping to find similar success with Culinary Class Wars, its first K-cooking reality show.

It aptly describes the 12-episode show as a Physical: 100, but with more clothing and an arena filled with kitchen equipment instead of mud, where 100 talented chefs battle for culinary glory.

Contestants are judged by South Korea’s most famous restaurateur Paik Jong-won and celebrity chef Anh Sung-jae of Mosu Seoul, South Korea’s only three-Michelin-starred restaurant. The winner will take home 300 million won (S$290,000).

Fans of popular international cooking competition shows such as Top Chef, Iron Chef and MasterChef may find Culinary Class Wars a bit too familiar, but there are enough surprises and suspense to keep the genre’s latest serving fresh.

Here are some reasons to binge on the current No. 2 TV show on Netflix Singapore.

1. Class divide

As the title suggests, Culinary Class Wars is premised on the showdown between two classes, a popular theme in many K-dramas. The inequality here is not about rich versus poor, but a contest between famous, award-winning chefs (White Spoons) and nameless, unknown cooks (Black Spoons).

From the get-go, 80 Black Spoons are literally looked down upon by the elite 20 White Spoons, who are strategically placed on a podium. Sixty Black Spoons are soon eliminated in a quick-fire challenge, leaving 20 to face off against the 20 White Spoons.

The format makes for a fun watch as the White Spoons’ reputations are at stake.

The excitement starts at the random ingredient stage, where the two classes duke it out. Contestants are told their dish will be evaluated based on only taste as the blindfolded judges will not know who cooked which dish. Fancy techniques and pretty plating go out the window, as it is truly a test of skill.

2. Real celebrity chef

One of the White Spoons is Edward Lee, an award-winning American-Korean chef who was invited to cook for a state dinner at the White House in 2023 during South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s visit to the United States.

A James Beard award winner for his cookbooks, Lee is no stranger to cooking competition shows, having participated in Top Chef and Iron Chef America.

Yet, the veteran was nervous when he had to cook against his Black Spoon competitor because of their selected ingredient – mukeunji, an aged and fermented kimchi familiar to Korean households.

Lee admitted in an interview segment of Episode 3 that living in the US, he had tasted mukeunji only “maybe once or twice in my life”. “I’ve never been in this situation before. It’s very scary... I don’t know why, but my heart started beating fast.”

3. Food galore

Chef Anh said in an interview with South Korean newspaper The Chosun Daily that he hopes Culinary Class Wars will boost the country’s dining scene and inspire chefs to share and learn from one another’s challenging experiences.

The series has demonstrated that there is more to South Korean cuisine than BBQs and ramyeon (instant noodles). There are chefs from fine-dining establishments and Chinese restaurants, a chef specialising in North Korean cuisine and even a primary school cafeteria cook.

When the episodes get draggy, a little fast-forwarding helps. The winning moments are when the White Spoons show they are the real deal.

The blind taste test in which two grown men in three-piece suits are blindfolded and spoon-fed is hilarious. It must be nerve-racking for the judges too, surrending to whatever goes into their mouths.