‘Delicious in Dungeon’ review: “Court Cuisine/Boiled With Salt” takes the simmer to a boil

They say if you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen — but where can you go when the whole dungeon is a kitchen? “Court Cuisine/Boiled With Salt” is the episode of Delicious in Dungeon that teaches an important lesson:  monsters are always hiding in plain sight. As the series approaches the midway point, the meat of the story is finally starting to rise to the top. After letting the building blocks simmer for a while, Delicious in Dungeon isn’t holding back on seasoning this episode with lore.

Much like “Roast Basilisk/Omelet/Kakiage,” “Court Cuisine/Boiled With Salt” spends a lot of time on Chilchuck. Marcille is the one who broaches the topic of not knowing all that much about Chilchuck. The rest of the party doesn’t seem to know his age, his background, or really anything other than his trap finding skills. It’s only through him dealing with a mimic that we learn more. As soon as the party dives deeper into the dungeon, Chilchuck notices a mimic that wasn’t on that floor beforehand. He reveals just how much the monster has terrorized him throughout his time in the dungeon, leading to many of his deaths due to their ability to trick him. It’s all thanks to his hunger getting to him when he sees a treasure bug that he ends up in a Looney Toons-esque situation with the mimic he so desperately wanted to avoid. 

Chilchuck finally discloses his age at the end of the episode; he’s at the ripe age of 29 years old. For those who might not know, the average lifespan of a half-foot in Delicious in Dungeon is 50 years old. This makes Chilchuck a middle-aged man and in comparison to the lives of the rest of the party, the oldest member. 

Senshi’s cooking skills come in handy once again when it comes to the mimic. Much like he did in “Living Armor,” Senshi cooks the mimic like he would a lobster in a big pot of salt water. This pays off when the mimic meat is cooked perfectly. Unfortunately for Chilchucks, the hits start coming and they don’t stop coming for him because Senshi ends up using his lock-picking tools to pry the meat out of the mimic claws.

While Chilchuck might be the focus of “Court Cuisine/Boiled With Salt,” the living paintings are the star of the episode. With the help of a rope tied around his waist, Laios is able to jump into the living paintings in the dining hall in an attempt to find a meal. The first one is a failure due to the mood of a king and his wife celebrating the birth of their son. The second one is also a failure due to the king falling ill at a celebration. The last painting Laios goes into is where he finally is able to eat. Unfortunately, despite eating his fill in the painting, when he comes back to reality he’s hungry yet again. A lesson that only makes the group even hungrier. 

It’s through the paintings that the audience gets to meet one of the most important characters, even if they don’t realize it. While Laios is traveling through time in the paintings, a blonde elven court jester recognizes him. This angers the elf and he confronts Laios about who he is and why he’s showing up in these paintings, even going so far as melting his armor. I won’t spoil who this character is, but much like Kensuke he’s someone that audiences shouldn’t forget. 

“Court Cuisine/Boiled With Salt” is a reminder of exactly why I love Delicious in Dungeon. Each member of the party is so unique both in design and personality, that when put together works extremely well. The exploration of Chilchuck’s past through the lens of mimics was amusing despite how significant it actually it is. Additionally, pulling off a major character introduction when we least expect it is top-tier writing. The series is shaping up to be an amazing adaption of the manga in more ways than one. I can’t wait to see what the second half Delicious in Dungeon looks like. 

Delicious in Dungeon is available now on Netflix.

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Featured images: © Ryoko Kui / KADOKAWA / “Delicious in Dungeon” PARTNERS, Netflix