Lady Claire François, daughter of the Minister of Finance, has a problem. She turns to her maids, Lene Arrouseau and Rae Taylor to solve that problem…with food.

In Watashi No Oshi Ha Akuyaku Reijou. Maid Kitchen, Volume 1 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。 メイドキッチン), food is the answer, whether the problem is bored taste buds, or social status or a fever, or even the unpleasant temperature outside. There is nothing that can’t be solved by the application of just the right culinary item. Lene and Rae even conspire to cure Claire of her dislike for carrots.

The primary relationship here is between Claire and her maids – how they understand her, want her to be happy and healthy and through that, between themselves. Lene is given a little room to be seen as an individual and Rae gets to flex her knowledge of cuisine.

tsuke-sensei’s art is quite good – especially considering that readers are now used to Aonoshimo-sensei’s art. I find the use of goofy faces – including “horror face” suits the bwah-bwah-bwah tone of what is, at least in part, a gag manga with characters we already know and like.

We’re not given recipes here, but we are given enough information that, should we too wish to make a cake salé, it would not be hard to find a useful recipe. And, since it is Thanksgiving in the USA, today seems like a good day to bring something different to any shared meal you might be attending. The older I get, the more I realize how much of French cuisine is really just “what do we have in the house and how do we use it for dinner?” ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – Claire has a problem, food solves the problem
Character – 7
Service – Rae is Rae
Yuri – Rae is Rae

Overall – 7.5

This is very much a manga for fans of the I’m In Love With The Villainess series. It won’t add anything to the story proper, but it will allow you to spend more time in the company of Claire, Lene and Rae. And food.