Back for more? Check out this Dating in the Kitchen Episode 3 recap!
Dating In the Kitchen Episode 3 Recap Highlights:
- Gu Sheng Nan has to make a lot of food for the guest in room 1123.
- Xu Zhaodi tries to win over Meng Xin Jie.
- Gu Sheng Nan knocks President Lu into a pool.
- Gu Sheng Nan poisons President Lu.
What Happens in the Hall?
President Lu stops Gu Sheng Nan in the hall. He asks her to turn around. But when he sees her he says, “I thought you were someone else”.
He has the bandana and asks if she dropped it.
Gu Sheng Nan accepts the bandana.
As president Lu turns around to leave, he smiles.
We get a comparison between Gu Sheng Nan with a mask on now and Gu Sheng Nan with a bandana on in the fire.

I think President Lu knows they are the same girl.
Slave to Room 1123
In the next scene, Gu Sheng Nan is in the kitchen. She asks herself, did he recognize me?
Manager Shen walks into the kitchen to inform Gu Sheng Nan that room 1123 has ordered 10 dishes that must include potatoes. She has to complete this on her own.
Gu Sheng Nan argues about having to do it. Can he really eat that much?
She is so feisty and is always fighting for fairness at work.
I love the beautiful food prep scenes! I can’t describe them the way they look.

Can President Lu really eat all that food?
All dishes arrive in room 1123. President Lu and Meng Xin Jie thoroughly enjoy eating the food. They even snap pictures of it.
President Lu orders many many more dishes throughout the night. And Gu Sheng Nan takes on the challenge with a forced laugh.
The last dish is called Cuttlefish Ink Pasta. It is a special message to President Lu:
“Cuttlefish squirts in when it’s fleeing. It means she is begging me for mercy.”

Inside Pool
Next we see Meng Xin Jie in the pool with lots of girls.
Like I’ve said before he is kinda a playboy. I think it’s pretty normal for him to pretend he is rich to attract girls.
We see a girl peeking around the corner into the pool room. It’s Xu Zhaodi.
She knew from the nightclub he was staying at Bauhinia Hotel and she followed him.
Xu Zhaodi tries to get in to see Meng Xin Jie, but is thwarted by a diligent hotel employee.

Offer to buy the hotel
In another part of the hotel, President Lu is reading. He seems to really be enjoying the book: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
President Lu meets with the current hotel owner. He offers a low price to buy the hotel.
So far, they don’t have a deal.

Promises and Accusations
Xu Zhaodi looks for Gu Sheng Nan in the kitchen. She convinces Gu Sheng Nan to help her get into the pool.
Gu Sheng Nan “borrows” a uniform from another employee to get her in. so she can get in (finds her sleeping under a table)
Xu Zhaodi promises to pay the whole sum for the vandalized car in return.
Zhaodi enters the pool.
In the next scene a waitress comes tearing through the kitchen wanting to know who stole her uniform.
She accuses the kitchen staff of having a crush on her. Why else would they take her uniform?
Manager Shen tells the waitress to be quiet and makes Gu Sheng Nan go outside to wake herself up (she was sleeping on a chair).

Outside Pool
Outside, President Lu is on a business call by a pool.
We can’t always see the person President Lu is talking with; only her back or her side.
Could this be another antagonist?
The hotel staff are setting up for an event with big blow up decorations.
Gu Sheng Nan goes outside to wake herself up. She sees the big blow up decorations and is amused.
Gu Sheng Nan presses the button to inflate one of the decorations. The inflating decoration knocks President Lu into the pool.

Inside Pool Part 2
Meng Xin Jie, who is sitting next to Xu Zhaodi by the pool, is alerted to the accident.
Xu Zhaodi overhears Meng Xin Jie say “boss” on the phone; she is unhappily surprised.

Apologies
Gu Sheng Nan and Manager Shen go to apologize for the accident.
Meng Xin Jie speaks with them outside the hotel room. He recognized Gu Shen Nan as the girl from the hotel room and car incident.
Meng Xin Jie reminds Gu Sheng Nan about her debts. He doesn’t seem to know she is also the talented chef.

What does this woman want?
Inside the room, President Lu is laying in bed and looks traumatized.
“These are the unluckiest days of my life,” moans President Lu, “What is that woman up to?”
Meng Xin Jie discusses his theory with President Lu.
Meng Xin Jie says Gu Sheng Nan is trying to hit on President Lu. He asserts that Gu Sheng Nan loves him so much she wants him dead.
President Lu isn’t so sure. He says that Gu Sheng Nan is his jinx.
President Lu brings up his memories of Gu Sheng Nan, so far:
He knows that Gu Sheng Nan burned the kitchen, vandalized his car, came to the hotel room drunk and pushed him in the pool.
As he ponders these events he asks himself, does she want to seduce me?
President Lu decides to ask the kitchen for witches brew.

Witches Brew
In the kitchen, Gu Sheng Nan gets the order.
She explains to Da La ba what witches brew is.
Witches brew is an oral recipe passed down among gypsies. Every winter they put ingredients in a pot that their crush/lover likes. Then they simmer it with red wine.
There is no fixed recipe for witches brew. It’s called a flavor cipher.
Da La Ba thinks about the explanation. He says, “Are you saying the one in room 1123 likes you?”
Gu Sheng Nan decides to just make mushroom soup.

A Boiling Soup Brings Bubbles
President Lu is impatient for his order. He decides to go to the kitchen.
Then he sees the soup cooking on the stove and tastes it for a bit. He likes it.
But then he goes all wonky. He moves around funny and his vision seems to be impaired.
Gu Sheng Nan comes to the kitchen and thinks he is trying to take advantage of her.
President Lu falls to the floor.
Gu Sheng Nan realizes he is sick and scolds him for eating mushroom soup that wasn’t fully cooked.
I guess that can be bad for you?
She tries to get him to throw up. She gives him soapy water, sits on top of him and slaps him.
President Lu throws up a little. Gu Sheng Nan is sitting on the floor holding his torso up with her body.
Then President Lu starts burping bubbles. Gu Sheng Nan is totally delighted with the bubbles!!

Gu Sheng Nan is so cute watching the bubbles. Her childlike innocence really shines.
I guess President Lu knows who the talented Chef is now.
Apologies 2
In the next scene President Lu is lying in bed looking traumatized, again.
The security camera recorded the whole mushroom poisoning event on camera. The footage got sent around the company.
Meng Xin Jie tries to make President Lu feel better by offering to go somewhere.
When they leave the room, the entire waitress staff and Gu Sheng Nan are standing outside the door to say sorry.
President Lu yells and tells Gu Sheng Nan he never wants to eat her food again.
Gu Sheng Nan is fired, again.

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Comments
Phew! What a bunch of bad luck for Gu Sheng Nan and President Lu.
There are a lot of coincidences bringing them together. But plenty of mishaps to keep them from each other.
What do you think about President Lu reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?
Is Gu Sheng Nan kinda like Alice?
Possibly.
She definitely showed innocent wonder and curiosity in the burping bubble scene. I feel like that is pretty Alice- like.
What do you think? Is Alice a metaphor for Gu Sheng Nan?
When do you think President Lu is already interested in Gu Shang Nan?
Any thoughts about Dating In the Kitchen episode 3? Leave a comment below!