At the beginning of the film, we are introduced to a wealthy businessman named Jin. He owns several businesses, most of which are restaurants. Jin is a culinary art enthusiast and is very particular about the food sold in his restaurants. He spends hours tasting dishes served by famous chefs to make them perfect. Through the years, he has developed a unique talent where he can tell what ingredients a dish is made of just by smelling it. One day, Shengnan goes to a five-star hotel that he is looking to buy. The first dish he is served is the famous beef wellington which is a speciality of the head chef. Jin tries a bite and spits it out, saying that the type of mushroom used in the dish is wrong. Similarly, he served a plethora of different dishes, all of which are the chef’s special.

 

However, each of them has one drawback or the other that dissatisfies him. By the end of an hour, the head chef runs out of ideas and feels helpless. The staff also have no clue how to impress someone as picky as Jin. This is when we are introduced to a young chef named Shengnan. Although she is just an intern, her knowledge of worldwide culinary styles is impeccable and she is soon to be promoted because of her talent. Even though they only have twenty minutes left before Jin leaves, Shengnan takes the challenge to make him something he likes. None of the staff members think she can pull it off but right after twenty minutes, Jin has a new dish on his table. When he smells the first whiff of the food, his eyes open wide. He recognizes it as the special Romani dish named Spaghetti Alla Strega. Jin can even tell that the cook is a woman because the dish is passed down to females of Romani origin.

 

The spices must be very carefully measured because it is a traditional dish that doesn’t allow any personal spin on it. Shengnan has made it exactly how it is supposed to be which gains Jin’s appreciation. He cleans the plate dry and decides to stay at the hotel for a few days to taste more of her dishes. The manager tells Shengnan about Jin’s comment, making her realize that he has a vast knowledge of food. She takes it as a challenge and is ready to blow his mind with her cooking. Shengnan is also dating the restaurant’s general manager. He takes advantage of her position and makes her cook food for him even on the days she is busy. One afternoon, after enjoying everything she made for him, he reveals that he wants to break up because she is too skinny for his liking.

 

Shengnan is heartbroken but she knows there is no point in arguing. Later that day, Jin is on his way out when he notices her sitting on his car’s hood. He doesn’t recognize her as the chef since he never saw her face. Shengnan thinks the car belongs to her ex-boyfriend and scratches it to teach him a lesson. When Jin calls her out, she realizes she came to the wrong floor. She quickly apologizes and promises to paint it new. At night, Shengnan gets drunk and climbs on the roof. At the same time, Jin is making ramen in his room. He believes that even the two-minute noodle is a difficult dish to make since one has to measure the ingredients and time precisely. Just when he is about to take a bite, someone falls on his balcony. It is none other than a drunk Shengnan who has fallen from the roof. When she refuses to go out, Jin puts her into a suitcase and keeps her inside the elevator.

 

She is found by two staff members who go into a frenzy, assuming that she is a dead body. In the following scene, Jin is locked inside a cell with other criminals. Shengnan is outside explaining what happened to the policeman. A while later, Jin’s assistant arrives and bails him out. Jin hopes to never meet Shengnan again but they cross paths the very next day. Shengnan is helping some kids when she accidentally touches a beehive. The bees attack Jin, making his face swell. Having had enough of her, he gives her a watch that will alert her if she is near him. Shengnan promises to run away as soon as she hears the alarm. Starting the next day, Jin orders several dishes to test the chef’s talent. Shengnan impresses him with every single dish but Jin is still unaware that she is the same girl he wants to stay away from. With time, he starts ordering food that is not even on the menu. Shengnan works till midnight and is very tired but Jin doesn’t show signs of exhaustion. Hence, she puts squid ink on one of the dishes, symbolizing that she is running away.

 

Jin understands the message and stops ordering food for the night. He also sends her a letter asking her to be a good opponent instead of running away. The following day, Jin has to appear in an interview. The interviewer asks him questions about the suitcase scandal, making him uncomfortable. At the same time, Shengnan finds out the picky client is none other than the same guy who she has to stay away from. Scared that her watch will ring, she tries to run but falls into the swimming pool. For the next meal, Jin wants Shengnan to showcase her creativity. Instead of the name of the dishes, he sends her three themes that she is free to interpret however she likes.

 

The themes are; a time, a place, and a moment. For the first theme, Shengnan makes extremely spicy seafood, indicating summertime. Jin has a hard time eating anything spicy but is happy that she nailed the theme. The second one is the place. In this dish, Jin can smell rosemary which reminds him of a lighthouse by the sea. He realizes it is a depiction of Shanghai. Then, for the last dish, she makes pork with matcha seasoning that Jin associates with the Japanese tea ceremony. He is beyond impressed by Shengnan’s talent while Shengnan is impressed that he could find out exactly what she was trying to portray with each dish. For the dessert, she requests she makes an original dish. It is a sweet cake made of up ingredients that are typically from the US, Canada, and the UK.

 

These are the three places Jin has lived in over the years so he understands that it represents him. However, there is a truffle on the side that takes him by surprise. He asks the waiter to bring the chef so she can explain its meaning personally. Afraid to face him, Shengnan sends the head chef outside with her message. He reveals that the truffle grows underground and eats everything around it to maintain its power. Shengnan believes Jin is like a truffle which is why she made it. Jin refuses to believe the head chef and goes looking for Shengnan but she runs away before he finds her. A while later, they bump into each other in the bathroom. Jin smells the scent of food from her and recognizes her as the chef who has been cooking for him.

 

The following day at work, he turns off his watch and catches her cooking in the restaurant’s kitchen. Shengnan has to reluctantly admit that she is his chef. She also affirms that the truffle was to symbolize his arrogance. Jin gives it a thought and praises her for understanding him better than himself. Later, he is in his room when he gets a call from his father Mr. Lu. The man is so business-oriented that he frequently fails to be a father to Jin. Lu urges him to return to work as he has spent a lot of time in a single hotel. Next morning, Jin calls the room service to order the first meal of the day.

 

However, he is told Shengnan is on sick leave. Not wanting to eat food cooked by anyone else, he goes to her apartment. He has even brought all the necessary ingredients so she can make the dish that he wants her to. Her home is messy but Jin declutters and sets himself a table while she cooks. Shengnan is still weirded out by his appearance but she sits down with him to eat.

 

To her surprise, he asks her to eat in the kitchen because he prefers eating alone. She curses him for being arrogant before doing as told. When she comes out a while later, she finds Jin taking a nap on her couch. He has a hard time falling asleep anywhere else but for some reason, her couch is very comfortable. Jin wakes up hours later and finds Shengnan sleeping on her bed. The next day, he comes again and makes her cook a different dish. After eating, he falls asleep again. On the third day, he comes with a sheet to cover the couch to make it more comfortable. As days pass, he starts bringing pajamas and his personal belongings. All this time, Shengnan can hardly fall asleep because of his snoring and has a hard time at work because of it.

 

One afternoon, Shengnan allows her to eat with him and they two enjoy a long meal together. They also eat blowfish for the first time, unaware that it makes people high. Soon, the two feel its effects and hallucinate that it is raining. They stay under an umbrella even when indoors and talk about several things that make no sense. A while later, they go out for a walk, still thinking that it is raining when the weather is completely dry. Then, they end up inside a bus where Jin’s high wears off. He realizes that people are looking at him and asks Shengnan to put the umbrella down. She doesn’t listen to him, still affected by the high. By the end of the night, Jin brings her home and tucks her in.

 

Cut to two days later. Shengnan hasn’t seen him since they last ate together. He has also checked out of the hotel which worries her. Deciding to check up on him, she arrives at his home. To her surprise, he is enjoying a meal made by his personal chef of seven years. The women instantly see each other as rivals and try to prove how important they are to Jin. In the end, an infuriated Shengnan storms off in anger. The next day, the other chef comes to meet Shengnan at work and asks her to be an assistant chef for Jin. Shengnan refuses, asking her to go away. At night, Jin comes to her apartment to apologize but drives away at the last minute. He has never felt close to anyone in his life other than Shengnan which is why he is scared of losing her.

 

But he doesn’t understand that it is love and pulls away. Then he goes to the restaurant the next day and fires all the kitchen employees. He has decided to buy the hotel but since it doesn’t live up to their standard management wise, their company has decided to use it for something else. Jin tries to talk to Shengnan, but she doesn’t want to listen to a word he has to say. During dinner, Jin asks his chef to join him. She is surprised because over the course of seven years he has never asked her to eat. She reveals that she only made one portion like she always does. After she leaves, Jin gets a message from her saying that she cannot be more than a personal chef to him.

 

Jin has to catch a flight in a few hours. He wants to see Shengnan before leaving but decides against it. In the following scene, he is with his father who is disappointed in him for letting his personal interests get in the way of business. They have a meal together and Jin asks Mr. Lu if he has ever been in love with someone. His father answers that he doesn’t indulge in anything that doesn’t support his business. At this moment, Jin registers he doesn’t want to be like his father. He takes the next flight to Shanghai to meet Shengnan again.

 

Meanwhile, she is about to sell the watch he gave her long ago. Suddenly, it starts to ring, indicating his presence. Shengnan sees him on the other side of the road and quickly takes a taxi. She doesn’t want to face him or talk to him. Jin, on the other hand, is stubborn. He follows the taxi behind and ends up in a crowded market. Upon taking the watch’s signal, he finds Shengnan’s dog with it.

 

Then, the dog brings him to a place where Shengnan has locked herself inside. She refuses to talk to him, but her internet piques when he mentions that she is the only friend he has had in life. He confesses his love and asks her to come outside. Shengnan even makes him say that she is the sexiest person in the world. After the interaction, they go to her apartment building but Jin brings her to a different apartment because it has a better view of the sky. The movie ends as they watch the sunset together.



Movie Name: This Is Not What I Expected (2017)

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