Iron Wok Jan by Shinji Saijyo

Jan is a young chef who has been trained in the art of Chinese cuisine by his grandfather. When the story opens, he has just been released from training and sent into the world of Chinese restauarants (in Japan) at the restaurant of his grandfathers's old friend, Gobancho. Jan doesn't inspire much friendliness in the staff because his motto is "Cooking is about winning", i.e., proving that he's better than all the other chefs in the world. He has major clashes with the owner's grand-daughter, Kiriko Gobancho, and the third young chef-in-training, Celine Yang. Neither of them appreciate his elitist attitude, nor his disdainful way of treating them.

I like this book mostly because it's funny. Although they go into great detail about a ton of different recipes and kinds of food and culinary secrets, that's not the main attraction. Jan is dead serious about cooking, and the book takes it seriously too. But I like when there's comic relief, especially when Okonogi comes up with yet another crazy dish, like spring rolls with appetizers stuffed inside.

I have to admit this isn't the best manga out there, and it's not something I'd usually read, but it's actually got a compelling story and the characters have just enough depth to make them worth reading.