Disney+ series Delicacies Destiny: Chinese period drama will please foodies, but the romance is hard to swallow

A prince with a picky palate clashes with a woman chef in Disney+’s first original Chinese-language series, a period drama that looks good but lacks substance

The characters are unlikeable and hard to root for, while the romance between the leads is bland and anaemic. Foodies might like this show but will anyone else?

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He Ruixian (left) and Wang Xingyue in a still from Delicacies Destiny, Disney+’s first original Chinese-language series, set in the Chinese Imperial Palace. Photo: Disney

Published: 1:45pm, 18 Apr 2022Updated: 4:02pm, 10 May 2022

A lighthearted period romance set within the walls of the Chinese Imperial Palace, Delicacies Destiny is the first original Chinese-language series on streaming platform Disney+.

Featuring He Ruixian and Wang Xingyue as star-crossed lovers separated by class and status, the show follows an ambitious young woman (He) who secures the job of personal chef to the notoriously difficult Crown Prince (Wang).

Conceived by Yu Zheng, the writer-producer behind 2018’s hit series Story of Yanxi Palace, Delicacies Destiny serves up an endless procession of mouthwatering delights sure to entice droves of foodies.

Viewers hoping for palace intrigue and forbidden romance will be disappointed by this meagre offering anchored by an implausible romance that is impossible to swallow.

During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), accomplished young chef Ling Xiaoxiao has ambitions that stretch far beyond the modest restaurant where she works. Upon learning that the Imperial Palace is holding a competition to find a culinary master worthy of joining the royal kitchen, Xiaoxiao tricks her employer into releasing her from her 10-year contract and signs up for the contest.