During a drama and film binge-watching hiatus, variety show is the next option and that means it will take me an hour or two changing from one show to another just to find something that will catch my interest. Here are some of my favorite “foodgasm” shows to date:

Stars Top Recipe at Fun-staurant
Where to watch: KBS2, Youtube

A variety show that features various celebrities and popular chefs, Stars Top Recipe at Funstaurant, popularly known as “Fun-staurant” manages to show us that convenience store food can be served as “restaurant-style” food if prepared and served in a sophisticated manner.

Judges and a number of invited guests watch these celebrities prepare their food at home and they give their recommendations and feedback afterwards.

Youn’s Kitchen – 2 seasons (2017)

Season 1: Youn Yuh Jung, Shin Goo, Lee Seo Jin and Jung Yu Mi
Season 2: Youn Yuh Jung, Lee Seo Jin, Jung Yu Mi and Park Seo Joon

Bringing Korean Food to a different side of the world, Youn’s Kitchen made a huge kick-off in Bali, Indonesia with a mid-size restaurant in front of the beach. Having only four staff when it started, Youn Yuh Jung, Shin Goo, Lee Seo Jin, and Jung Yu Mi heats up the kitchen to serve sandwiches, rice meals, and pasta with a twist of Korean flavor.

Youn Stay (2021)
Where to Watch: Viu

Cast: Youn Yuh Jung Lee So Jin, Jung Yu Mi, Park Seo Joon and Choi Woo Shik
Actress Youn Yuh Jung once again, gathers her team and hires the new “intern” Choi Woo Shik to set-up a Hanok Guesthouse (Traditional Korean Guesthouse) for foreigners to rent and enjoy an overnight stay filled with gastronomic traditional healthy soul food.

Aside from the food directly prepared by the cast, international guests enjoy the romantic vibe of the Hanoks and they get to enjoy numerous fun activities on-site.

Jinny’s Kitchen (2023)
Available via Prime Video

Returning to the concept of opening a short-term restaurant or snack bar in a foreign land, Youn’s Kitchen gets rebranded as Jinny’s Kitchen having Lee Seo Jin as the main lead and owner of the snack restaurant. He works with Jung Yu Mi, Park Seo Joon, Choi Woo Shik and the new intern Kim Taehyung (BTS V).

Brother Ramyun / Ramyun Brothers in Japan
Where to Watch: Viu

A show that aims to check if Korean ramyun will fit the palette of Japanese, Kang Ho Dong, Lee Seung Gi and Bae In Hyuk went to Japan and set up a “Ramyun Restaurant” to sell ramyun dishes. The customers will vote if the dishes are “Tasty or Could Be Better.” If they receive at least one “Could Be Better vote for a certain dish, it will be out from their menu.

They kicked off the show with three ramyun recipes including Spicy Stir-Fried Pork Ramyun (Bab Jeyuk Ramyun), Dried Pollack Ramyun (Jinguk Hwangtae Ramyun) and Seafood Ramyun (Donghaemul Ramyun) and eventually changed the menu the next day depending on the dish that gets retained or crossed-out from the menu.

Three Meals A Day (2014-2020)

With a whooping nine seasons and 106 episodes, Three Meals A Day features numerous actors live in a small town or fishing village for three days and they need to survive and cook prepare their meals for their themselves and their guests. The cast has to interact with the locals as well. The show featured numerous places including Jeongseon Village, Fishing Village, Gochang Village and Mountain Village.

Three Meals a Day: Doctors (2021)
Where to Watch: Viu

The cast of the famous series “Hospital Playlist” cast, popularly known as the 99s squad consists of Jo Jung Suk, Jeon Mi Do, Jung Kyung Ho, Yeo Yoon Seok and Kim Dae Myung, left the hospital and moved to the countryside in Jungseon, Gangwon Province. They prepare meals together, farm and welcomes their friends who were also part of the show.

We Don’t Bite: Villains in the Countryside
Where to Watch: Viu

The three villains from the drama The Penthouse, Um Ki Joon, Yoon Jong Hoon and Bong Tae Gyu moved to the countryside and re-designed a deserted house to make it livable for the three of them and their guests. As they try to survive while remodeling the house, you’ll see the culinary skills of the three actors that even their guests really enjoyed the food they prepared.

The Hungry and Hairy
Where to Watch: Netflix

A travel show during the pandemic, Hungry and Hairy are definitely the perfect duo to travel outdoors around South Korea and try various restaurants that reminds them of their fun times when they were young. Aside from resto visits, they also cook their own meals in a camping style.

House on Wheels
Where to Watch: Viu

House on Wheels allows you to travel virtually to various destinations with the concept of the popular American “tiny homes” but on wheels. The show features actors and their guests as they chill over campfires and cook their meals.

The Genius Paik
Where to Watch: Viu

The Genius Baek Jong Won brings a team of artists abroad and starts running a food business in countries where people have no knowledge of what Korean food is like. As a restaurant management expert, his knowledge to business and Korean food is put to a test. The show also featured actors Lee Jang Woo, John Park and Kwon Yuri!

I live Alone 2021-2023
Where to Watch: Viu

Even if the show only features the lives of celebrities who live alone in their apartments, one of the major highlights of the show is how they feature the celebrities, their meal, and their diets. Thus, the you’ll get to see and learn from the artists’ recipes. There are instances where they show a lot of mukbang moments so you’ll get super envious of the food they eat and you’ll end up scrolling apps to order the exact food they are eating.