Inspector Gourmet


Inspector Gourmet is a 2016 Hong Kong television comedy and fictional detective drama produced by Leung Choi-yuen for TVB, starring Kenneth Ma, Louis Yuen, Priscilla Wong and Eliza Sam as the main cast. It premiered on Hong Kong's TVB Jade and Malaysia's Astro On Demand on August 29, 2016, airing Monday through Sunday during its 9:30-10:30 pm timeslot and concluding September 19, 2016 with a total of 20 episodes.
Inspector Gourmet centers on solving mysteries with a food theme. The title of the drama is in reference to Louis Yuen's character Mak Sai. Mak Sai is described as a food addict with amazing crime solving skills due to his extraordinary sense of taste, smell and sight.

Synopsis

Yeung Tak-kei, who calls himself Bill Kei, is a line cook at a high end traditional Cantonese restaurant. He is an unruly worker who spends his time on his cellular phone and flirting with the restaurant's hostess during work hours. A fan of detective comics, his real passion is to become an investigation detective like his older half-sister Chu Sau-na, who owns her own private investigation agency. Bill meets Mak Sai, a food addict with a high detail sense of observation and taste, when Sai comes to the restaurant Bill works at to try their signature dishes. Coincidentally Sau-na and Sai are also acquainted with each other as the two formerly dated and were colleagues during their days in the police force.
On the same day Sai is at the restaurant, Bill gets tangled into his boss's extramarital affair with the restaurant's flirtatious hostess. Sau-na is also at the restaurant as she was hired by Bill's boss to investigate who has been blackmailing him with images of his adulterous affair. With Bill, Sau-na and Sai detective thinking the three discovers who is the blackmailer. However Bill gets fired from his job as he was the one who initially took the adulterous images, but Bill sees it as an opportunity to finally follow his true passion and begs Sau-na to hire him at her detective agency firm. Sau-na however refuses to hire Bill since he is inexperienced, but Bill's persistence and agreeable salary changes her mind. Sau-na's struggle and constant fight to keep alive the detective agency she inherited, from her soon to be ex-husband who has stolen all her staff, more than half her office and new clients, Sau-na has no choice but to hire Bill for extra help.
Bill meets and falls in love at first sight with Tong Ka-ka, a righteous magazine writer. After Bill helps Ka-ka find the culprit that has been harassing a small family run noodle shop, Ka-ka quits her job as a writer due to her unreasonable boss who refused to publish her article because of fear of offending triads. Ka-ka then gets hired at Sau-na's detective agency and partners up with Bill to investigate cases. After many failed investigation attempts, Ka-ka is aware that both Bill and her are not skillful enough to be good detectives, so she persuades Sai to join the detective agency by fulfilling his food craving.
During a case investigation, Sai and Bill meets Sam Oi-kiu, a crass tomboy nicknamed Sister Kill. Kiu is a van driver that leads a small neighborhood gang. Sau-na sees Kiu's potential as an investigator with her electronic savvy skills, amazing driving and recruits her to join her team. While investigating cases Sai reconnects with his former subordinate Cheung Kwok-wah. Wah was pressured into being a trial witness against Sai, that put Sai in jail two years ago. Sai forgives Wah as Wah still thinks of Sai as his true boss, on the other hand Sai is also slowly setting up revenge against Wah's current superior who framed him.
Bill and Ka-ka meets Wah's girlfriend Janice Chow Ching, a new pastry chef at their local cafe. Janice has an immediate interest in Ka-ka and seems to be part of her past that she has forgotten. Janice's strange behavior in stalking Ka-ka and coming on to Bill sexually gets him worried about Ka-ka who he has just begun dating. Janice is good at hiding her true intentions by pretending to be friendly with Ka-ka but soon the team uncovers Janice's deranged personality and her motive.

Cast

Robert Chu Detective Agency

Smart Detective Agency

  • Timothy Cheng as Ko Yan
  • Iva Law as Candy
  • Kerry Chan as Ada, Ivana Wong as Bonnie, Lucy Li as Connie, Osanna Chiu as '''Dora'''

Police force

  • Eric Li as Lo Tai-wai
  • Oscar Leung as Cheung Kwok-wah
  • Kedar Wong as Lok, Louis Szeto as Biu, GoGo Cheung as Jenny, Terence Tung as Man, Marco Lee, Andy Wong

Extended cast

Cameo appearance

  • Anthony Ho as Passer-by - Passing by the streets he fights Bill for concert tickets while Bill is buying tickets from a ticket scalper.
  • Brian Burrell as Robert - The founder of the Robert Chu Detective Agency and Sau-na's father. He mostly appears only on images.
  • Joe Junior as Kam Tai-wai - An elderly man with over 40 years detective experience. Newly hired by Sau-na, he gets fired the same day when he is caught falling asleep on the job.
  • Suet Nei as Seung Yee - Mak Tong's deceased wife. Mak Sai's mother.
  • Tam Ping Man as Hung Tin-sing - A triad boss Sai was acquainted with.
  • Stephen Wong Ka-lok as Jason Pun Kai-tak - Ka-ka's cousin who Bill assumes is her new boyfriend.

Cases & Case cast

  • Océane Zhu as Fok Ling-ling - a flirtatious hostess at the restaurant.
  • Henry Yu as Ma Fu-cheung - owner of the restaurant.
  • Eileen Yeow as Mrs. Ma - Ma Fu-cheung's strict wife who manages the cash register at the restaurant.
  • Oil Chan as Keung - an assistant cook at the restaurant.
Bill catches his boss Ma Fu-cheung, having an affair with the flirtatious hostess Fok Ling-ling. Bill films the two rendezvous. Soon he finds out the images he took is being used to blackmail his boss by someone who sneaked into his cellular phone.
  • Lily Li as Mrs. To - owner of the wonton shop.
  • Joan Lee as Ting - Mrs. To's pregnant daughter.
  • Winston Tsang as Kit - Ting's husband, who also works at the wonton shop.
  • Kitterick Yiu as Szeto Ting-hoi - the head of a franchise wonton restaurant.
A successful family owned wonton noodle shop is being harassed daily. Installing security cameras and reporting the incidents to the police hasn't helped, which forces the owners to have to shut down their business. Ka-ka taking pity on the shop owner offers to help find the culprit behind the harassments.
  • Eddie Li as Brother Hong
In order for Sai to agree to work for the Robert Chu Detective Agency, Bill and Ka-ka must help him find the most beautiful chicken egg for an egg waffle vendor Sai has a craving for. However the most beautiful egg is not an actual egg.
  • Hero Yuen as Crazy Chui - real name Kwan Chui. He is one of Kiu's gang members.
  • Lo Mang as Brother Hot chili pepper - a contractor that hired Crazy Chui.
  • Miguel Choi as Rich master Hung - a rich heir whose home was being renovated.
Sau-na picks up a huge insurance account. If her team succeeds they will become the insurance companies exclusive private investigators. Sai and Bill are sent to investigate an injury on the job insurance claim. Soon the case also involves a stolen antique from a rich man's home.
  • Cilla Kung as Pun Siu-lin - Duncan's fiancée. She works as a delivery girl.
  • Mat Yeung as Duncan Dung Sai-kan - Siu-lin's fiancée. A successful chef with his own restaurant.
  • Meini Cheung as Keira Tong Tse-ying - Duncan's business partner.
  • Derek Wong as Kelvin - Duncan's special friend. A flirtatious homosexual that is also a pimp for gigolos.
  • Au Hoi-ling as Mandy - A rich socialite with a penchant for gigolos.
Pun Siu-lin is a regular "plain Jane" who works as a delivery girl at her aunt's dry salted fish shop. She is aware of her unattractive appearance and occupation status, which make her skeptical if her successful and handsome fiancée Duncan really does love her. When Siu-lin accidentally dies, the secret to Duncan's success is revealed.
  • Nicholas Yuen as Issac - Ka-ka's boyfriend and Janice's obsession.
Kwok-wah, wanting to make Janice happy and surprise her, hires the Robert Chu team to search for her most unforgettable Black Forest Cake. The task is not easy as this was no ordinary cake since it was made by her friend Issac who Janice says has since disappeared. The more Ka-ka and Bill investigate, the more Ka-ka starts to regain her loss memories. As Ka-ka and the team further investigates, they discover that Janice may have planned the entire scheme in order to hurt Ka-ka.
  • Gary Tam as Kwok Yat-ming - A supposed social worker in charge of Mak Tong.
  • Lee Yee-man as Linda - A rude materialistic woman.
Mak Sai suspects that the so-called new social worker Kwok Yat-ming, in charge of Mak Tong is up to no good when Ming starts to use Tong's dementia to his advantage by pretending to be Tong's son in order to con his valuables. Before Sai can do anything to stop Ming, Sai is framed and accused of raping the village mentally challenged young lady Nga-choi. The investigation team soon discovers Ming has a dangerous vindictive personality.
  • Adam Ip as Mo - Sam Wing's new business partner.
  • Parkman Wong as Dong - Fung Ching-mui's longtime acquaintance.
While investigating a fake goods case, Sai and Kiu encounter Kiu's father at the hub of where all the activity takes place. Kiu suspects her father is still up to no good especially since her mother seems to be in need of money fast. To Kiu's surprise the money her mother is desperate for is given to another man and not her father. Kiu discovers this other man in her mother's life could do great damage to her family.
  • Tracy Ip as Ko Man - Tong Yu-wah's wife. She suspects her husband is having an affair.
  • Gary Chan as Tong Yu-wah - Ko Man's husband. A former triad boss who is now a restaurateur.
  • Billy Cheung as Brother Tak - Bill's former supervisor who is now head chef of Tong Yu-wah's restaurant.
  • Nicole Wan as Yumi Kan Wai-san - Tong Yu-wah's mistress.
Former triad boss turned successful restaurateur Tong Yu-wah, suspects he is being food poisoned since his health has been failing and doctors can't figure out what is wrong with him. He hires the Robert Chu team to investigate. At the same time his wife Ko Man also hires the Robert Chu team to investigate her husband Yu-wah, as she suspects he is having an affair with someone at work. Sau-na readily agrees to take on both cases as she thinks it will be killing two birds with one stone. However the case gets complicated when Yu-wah's mistress Yumi, hires Ko Yan to also investigate on Yu-wah and his wife Ko Man. When Yu-wah suddenly dies, the police gets involve and once again Lo Tai-wai is trying to pin it on Sai.

Soundtrack

The main opening theme song "Tempted Heart" was sung by Jinny Ng, composed by Alan Cheung and lyrics by Sandy Chang. A sub theme song named "I Don't Remember" performed by Linda Chung, and also composed by Alan Cheung, with lyrics by Sandy Chang was played during the closing credits on some episodes.
;Track listing

Location

  • A list of the actual restaurants depicted in the drama. *Depicted under a false name in the drama
  • Chuen Kee - *Prestige Cuisine G&1/F, Charmhill Centre, 50A Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
  • Lam Fu Kee - *Hap Lung Noodle Shop 44 Tam Kung Rd, To Kwa Wan, Hong Kong
  • Mijas Spanish Restaurant Shop 102, 1/F, Murray House, Stanley, Hong Kong
  • Lim Kee Noodle House G/F, 16 Ting Fu Street, Ngau Tau Kwok, Hong Kong
  • Fusing Seafood Restaurant G/F, Hing Wah Commercial Building, 450-454 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
  • Kee Kee Restaurant - *Hing Kee Restaurant G/F, 14, 19, 21 Temple Street & 48 Arthur Street, Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong
  • 2/3 DOLCI Taikoo Place Cornwall House, 28 Tong Chong St, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
  • Crown Wine Cellars 18 Deep Water Bay Lane, Shouson Hill, Deep Water Bay, Hong Kong
  • Monsieur CHATTÉ 121 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
  • PizzaExpress 10 Wing Fung St, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Development and production

  • The costume fitting ceremony was held on March 17, 2015, 12:30 pm at Tseung Kwan O TVB City Studio One.
  • The blessing ceremony was held on April 13, 2015, 2:00 pm at Tseung Kwan O TVB City Studio sixteen.
  • Filming took place from March till June 2015, entirely on location in Hong Kong. A major filming location is the newly redeveloped area of Sheung Wan District, Hong Kong. The building exterior depicted as the "Robert Chu Detective Investigation" office is 24 Upper Station Street and Tai Ping Shan Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, which is an actual newly renovated residential building. The exterior that is depicted as the building Bill and Sai live at is 3 School Street, Tai Hang, Hong Kong. The exterior of "Paris Filles Cafe", where the main cast frequent is a series of storefronts located at Tai Ping Shan Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. The main shot of the cafe is the storefront of 12 Tai Ping Shan Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.

Viewership ratings

September 10, 2016: No episode broadcast due to airing of 2016 Mr. Hong Kong.

September 11, 2016: No episode broadcast due to airing 2016 Miss Hong Kong Pageant.