I love cooking shows so I tried to find documentaries related to food in Netflix. Among the numerous ones listed, Midnight Diner caught my eye. I’ve never been to Tokyo but I’ve enjoyed eating Japanese food here int he Philippines. It would have been nice to watch Tokyo stories revolving around a food specialty one episode at a time.
Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories (2016)
Patrons of an otherwise mundane Japanese diner find simple yet profound connections with one another based on the shared love of a particular dish.
The episode list of Season one of Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories.
- Tan-Men – a specially prepared bowl of Tan-men noodles leads a radio announcer to discover a secret about a beloved television show from his youth.
- Corn Dog – a childish fight over a fish-sausage corn dog leads to a schism between an Asakusa comedian and his now-famous former assistant.
- Tonteki – an office worker who loves pork steaks knits sweaters for the men she adores, but her affections — and handiwork — are not always appreciated.
- Omelette Rice – the shared love of fried rice omelettes forms an intercultural bridge between a young Japanese physicist and a Korean girl.
- Egg Tofu – a lonely little boy with only a gambler to take care of him hopes to make a connection with a bar girl over a mutual appreciation for egg tofu.
- Sour Plum & Plum Wine – upon finishing the last of his late mother’s pickled plums, a man suddenly wonders what will become of his erotica after he passes away.
- Hot Pot for One – a diner regular reunites with an old classmate who, despite a good upbringing, now works a mental job to support her troublesome nephew.
- Sauteed Yam – a dish of sautéed chinese yam rekindles the connection between a young wife and her former lover, with whom she shares a hidden professional relationship.
- Ham Cutlet – a breaded ham cutlet brings back an elderly lawyer’s memories of playing the board game Othello with his long-lost younger brother.
- New Year’s Eve Noodles – as December comes to a close and the regulars gather at the diner, the Master takes a look back at his memories of the year.
I love this TV series! Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories perfectly combined our yearning for yummy food and our soft spot for heartwarming stories!
Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories revolves around a chef who runs a restaurant from 12 midnight to 7 in the morning. Master, the owner of the Midnight Diner, opens each episode with the following lines:
When people finish their day and hurry home, my day starts
My diner opens from midnight to seven in the morning
They call it “Midnight Diner”
Do I even have customers?
More than you would expect
The format of each episode is perfectly done. First, it opens with the chef explaining what his restaurant is all about. Master (the chef) tells us that he only has a few items in the menu but he can cook whatever the customers want as long as he has the ingredients. Then, we see the main characters for the episode enter the restaurant (Midnight Diner) and order a dish. The dish that was ordered is the highlight of the episode. So to sum it up, we learn about the life of the main characters plus we learn a Japanese dish and some tips on how it is prepared.
Among the ten episodes, my favorites were omelette rice and the ham cutlet! I hope Netflix creates a season two (if not more) since it’s a successful TV series!
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