Sood Sanae Ha (2009) - Review

“Sood sanae ha” or “Recipe for love” is my first thai drama, or lakorn as they are called, and I couldn’t have made a better choice. Now that I have seen a bit more lakorns I can say with confidence that this is one of the best that thai dramas can offer. Honestly, if I had watched some other lakorn, I wouldn’t like them as I do now.

Image from google

What is this about:

Directed by Ampaiporn Jitmaingong. Star Anne Thongprasom, Ken Theeradeth Wonpuapan. Alin (Anne Thongprasom), a thirty-year-old actress, is without job for the past two years due to her difficult character. An opportunity arises with a cooking show, which she accepts so she can come closer with the producer, Anucha (Willie Ruengrit McIntosh). The problem is that she doesn’t know how to cook, so she hires a chef, Din (Ken Theeradeth Wonpuapan), to help her. More info

My review:

One of the best romantic comedies I have ever seen. Even though it is more on the comedic side, it has enough romance, especially in the second half. It is considered a classic by many and deservingly so. Also, it started my love for the two leads, Anne and Ken, whose projects I follow since then.

Alin is a spoiled, arrogant, self-absorbed actress with remarkable superiority complex. In real life she would be insufferable but here she is hilarious. From her one liners to her attempts to charm her producer she brings tons of laughter. But, beneath all that, there is insecurity and a child-like approach to life. She is so absorbed in her little perfect world that has no idea how the real world is.

Din is the perfect male lead. He is good looking, clever, compassionate, a good son, knows what is right and he isn’t afraid to fight for it and he doesn’t put up with other people’s bad behavior – read Alin here. His only fault is that he feels inferior to others and to the rest of his family because his mother is a maid. That causes him to take a lot of insults from most of his siblings – apart from his older sister – and sometimes he doesn't fight for what he wants.

The second leads are boring. Anucha is a mama’s boy that can’t stand up to his mother. Frankly, I don’t see why Alin likes him. Ta, Anucha’s ex wife and Din’s friend, is the tormented woman that has to deal with her sick daughter – such a sweet child – and Anucha. They are not irritating or make you throw things to your screen, certainly not. It’s just that everytime they have scenes with each other I bless the creator of fast forward.

Lom is Alin’s lawyer and only friend and Din’s best friend. Because Alin’s father helped him with his practice, he thinks that he owes her family – something Alin never fails to remind him – and does everything she asks. On the other hand, his relationship with Din is more brotherly and they support each other. Their bromance is very cute.

His constant mode when dealing with Alin.

As for the mothers, Din's mother is the sweetest. She is so kind and so sweet with her son and with the others, not to mention she is an avid fan of Alin. On the other side, we have Anucha's mother who is your typical lakorn mother-in-law, mean and values people based on their money.

She is so sweet I want to pinch her cheeks.

Lady Amara is rocking 80's hair.

The directing is very city-like which appeals to more international viewers. It seems they paid close attention to every aspect to create this feeling, from the fashion, to how the houses where decorated, to what cars they are driving. And I think this is what makes it classic for me, apart from the storyline and performances.

There are so many Alin's outfits that I love. I wish it was shot in HD so I could swoon over them better.

Another thing that I love about this is that the progression is not fast. Even though this can be viewed as a fault, I really like that there is no defining moment where their feelings change, instead episode by episode we see a little change that eventually builds into something. And we have the combination of two tropes. First, Alin and Din started with not very nice feelings about each other and then became friends and then lovers. So, we have rivals turned to lovers and friends turned to lovers. Two in one.

However, “Sood sanae ha” is not perfect. As I said before the secondary couple, Anucha and Ta, are boring. Moreover, there are many annoying side characters that I fast forward. If a scene doesn’t have Alin or Din in it, I skip it. I don’t miss anything important, there are enough flashbacks to fill me in. Also, the sound effects that are used are very childish and cartoonish and I was put off at first. But after an episode or two I got used to it.

Why you should watch it:

• One of the best rom coms.

• Excellent performances and chemistry from the lead couple. They are so natural with each other.

• Very nice ending song. A bit dated, but so romantic.

• Great amount of physical comedy.

• Funny cooking scenes.

• Steady progression of the romance.

• Easy, breezy watch. Even though every episode is 1 hour and a half, it passes by very fast.

Why not to watch:

• If you don’t like romantic comedies or lakorns in general.

• Over the top sound effects.

• Very, very annoying side characters.

• This is supposed to make you laugh, don’t look for any deep meaning.

Final verdict:

9.5/10. I would rate it 10/10 if there weren’t all those small things. If you are interested in lakorns but haven’t started yet, watch this, it’s the perfect choice. If you have watched lakorns but you weren’t impressed, watch this, you will possibly change your mind. In any case, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Last but not least, below are two MVs that feature my two favourite songs from this lakorn. Considering that it has three, I think, songs in total, my favoring two is a good ratio.

Kon Tummda

Ter Tung Nun