Flavor of Happiness

"Flavor" follows the classic recipe of the mentor-apprentice relationship -- between a Chinese chef and a single mother that blossoms into a surrogate father-daughter bond. Young widow Takako (Miki Nakatani) moves to Kanazawa from Tokyo with daughter Noriko and winds up an apprentice to Chinese chef Wang (Tatsuya Fuji) after he suffered a stroke and no longer can run his diner Little Shanghai.

When Noriko is taken away by social workers, Wang helps Takako prove her credentials by letting her cook for the engagement dinner of his benefactor's son. The dinner brings a cozy final touch to the various father-daughter relationships developed throughout by focusing on the bittersweet reactions of the father-in-law giving away the bride-to-be.