Cook up a storm is an exaggerated comedy, even frivolous if we want to put it like it is, but it offers an idea of how the Asian world sees the cuisine of recent years. From Masterchef-style shows to the clash between tradition and avant-garde, they have a place in a strangely engaging cooking movie. When Hong Kong Street food meets star-studded French cuisine, the show is guaranteed. The only problem? That has not been bent.
Like any cooking show worth its salt, Sky Ko and Paul Ahn compete for culinary feats and surprising combinations. The first is the chef of a street restaurant on one of Hong Kong’s historic streets, while Paul, of Korean origin, is a chef who grew up in the kitchens of great French kitchens. The couple represents the two souls of oriental taste: it is often emphasized that the problem with Chinese cuisine is the lack of innovation. At the same time, this new way of cooking, full of ornaments, is often seen as a kitchen with little substance.
The plot, of course, is a little more articulated, with sometimes unexpected twists and some moments a little more sweetened, like the ending, where the entire cast wishes a good Chinese New Year by addressing the audience. Regardless, the film remains, at least for us, inexplicably hypnotic.
Cook up a storm offers us the rare opportunity to see a contemporary phenomenon from a different perspective. This new interest in cooking is a kitchen full of color and glamor. It is even more interesting if you think that this tension between innovation and food tradition is something we know very well, and it is curious to witness this fight from so far and so close at the same time.
Special mention deserves all the photography section of the film, which will leave you with your mouth open, the way of filming the cooking, how they cut and roast, practically sticking the camera to the flame or the pot in the middle of the service. We guarantee that your mouth will water, believe us, with bowls full of spaghetti or foie gras in a caramel crust to highlight further the contrast that accompanies the entire film. For those more interested, the film is complete, roaming the net and subtitled in English. The truth is that it is a challenge to stay within the dense dialogues, but it seems to us that it is worth it.
