Delicious in Dungeon’s delicious dishes, ranked

It’s no secret that anime food has a reputation for looking mind-bogglingly good-looking. This is especially true in Wonderful in the dungeon, the new “action gourmet” fantasy anime from Studio Trigger that premiered on Netflix in January. Each episode, our intrepid group of adventurers venture deeper and deeper into the catacombs of a massive underground kingdom as they slay (and cook) a slew of foul creatures on their way to saving one of their own from a powerful red dragon. All dishes look great, although some more so than others.

In the spirit of shows like Top chef And Minced meat, we’ve assembled a panel of Polygon’s first anime food gourmands to rank each dish as they appear in the series. We’ll be back every week to update our rankings and give our thoughts on which ones look the tastiest, but for now here’s our verdict on the most delectable-looking dishes we’ve seen so far in Wonderful in the dungeon.

---

12. Steamed living armor

Appears in: Episode 3
Ingredients: Living Armor, spices (salt, soy sauce, vinegar, etc.)

Of all the delectable, delectable looking dishes you see here Wonderful in the dungeon so far this is by far the least tasty. I mean, come on; it’s literally just the head of a living suit of armor heated over a pan on a stove and thrown in with some spices. Even Laios said it tasted like mold, and that guy Loves eat dungeon creatures. The next time I go out to eat and see a full meal of living armor on the menu, I’ll tell the waiter to back off. —Toussaint Egan

11. Grilled Living Armor

Appears in: Episode 3
Ingredients: Living Armor, spices (salt, soy sauce, vinegar, etc.)

OK, now were talking. These grilled Living Armor dishes look like grilled oysters or calamari, arranged on small metal platters. They look juicy and chewy, and I can only imagine what they would taste like when properly seasoned with salt and soy sauce. They are far from the tastiest dish we have seen so far Wonderful in the dungeon, but they’re certainly a step up from the horribly underheated Steamed Living Armor. I would have this as a starter any day, if only because I could say I tried it. -AT

10. Man-eating plant cake

Appears in: Episode 2
Ingredients: Leftover scorpion stock (from lunch; 200 ml), slime gelatin (80 grams), Baraselia (3 medium ones), Meeroak (5 or 6 medium ones), Betan (3 medium ones), salt (to taste), pepper (a little)

I love fluffy fried foods and absolutely Love vegetables, so yes, this dish would suit my taste completely. I don’t know, something about the idea of ​​scorpion stock and slime gelatin baked into a delicious and crunchy treat. The only downside is that you can’t eat the crust; otherwise this dish would be much higher on my personal rankings. -AT

9. Golem Field fresh vegetarian lunch

Appears in: Episode 4
Ingredients: Cabbage (1 head), carrots (2), potatoes (4 large sizes), onions (2 medium), thick-cut basil bacon (8 slices), salt and pepper (to taste), water (generous); turnips (2 medium sizes), carrot (a small amount), carrot greens (to taste), olive oil (to taste)

I find the tastiest dishes in… Wonderful in the dungeon are the ones that come together in a whole round meal. This looks like a delicious lunch of quick vegetable soup in a bacon-flavored broth, a hearty but light meal that won’t weigh you down as you continue your adventurous journey. But I must confess that the most attractive thing about this dish is philosophical. Cow’s milk, sheep’s wool, bee honey – you can’t tell me there’s any conceptual difference between those animal byproducts and these golem meat-raised vegetables. I would eat this to totally freak out a vegan. —Susana Polo

8. Living Armor Dwarf Style Stir Fry and Living Armor Soup

Appears in: Episode 3
Ingredients: Antidote herb (2 bunches), medicinal herb (1 bunch), Living Armor (7-8 pieces), special sauce (1 tbsp), salt and pepper (a little)

Easily the most tasty and well-rounded dish of the Living Armor meal, the stir-fry-and-soup combo is definitely my idea of ​​fine dining. As soon as I heard Chilchuck say that the living armor itself tastes like mushrooms, I was sold. I love mushrooms! Just looking at the image makes me want to dig in, grind those delicious-looking medicinal leaves, and slurp up that delicious broth that Senshi has prepared. Very magnificent! -AT

7. Mandrake Kakiage and Giant Bat Tempura

Appears in: Episode 2
Ingredients: Mandrake, Big Bat breast meat, basil egg (1), soft flour (150 grams), water (170 cc), soy sauce (1 tbsp), sake (1 tbsp), salt (pinch), garlic and ginger (to taste)

I’m not really sold on eating a giant bat, but I can’t deny the satisfaction crunch who makes it on screen. And anyway, frying kills all potentially suspicious bacteria… right? I also love a good khakiage, so the mandrake version would be appealing (although hopefully I don’t have to see their screaming faces). It really looks like the perfect ratio of crispy batter to food substance! —Petrana Radulovic

6. Naturally delicious insect snacks with treasures

Appears in: Episode 5
Ingredients: Treasure insect nest (1 with eggs and larvae), water, sugar, mint bugs, oil, salt, pearl centipedes

This is easily one of the most creative and unconventional dishes out there Wonderful in the dungeon so far. The thought that insects could devise a way to mimic the appearance of treasure to ensnare their victims is about as surprising as the realization that you can prepare them to be eaten. The Insect Nest Jam is the cutest and tastiest of the bunch, although the Coin Bug Crackers sound pretty tasty too. However, I would have to hold my nose and brace myself to take a bite out of a centipede skewer. The way Marcille describes the taste as “creamy” has me about as intrigued as I fear it will bother me again. -AT

5. Roast basil

Appears in: Episode 2
Ingredients: Basilisk (1, tail and innards removed), mana herb (to taste), salt and pepper (to taste); anti-poison herb (1 medium size), strong medicinal herb (1 bunch), ultra-medicinal herb (1 bunch), anti-paralysis herb (1 medium size), anti-petrification herb (1 medium size)

Okay, this just looks like a rotisserie chicken. But remember: it looks like the juiciestmost decadent rotisserie chicken I have ever seen in my life. I just know that the skin is crispy and delicious juices drip down my chin when I take a bite. Also! It contains medicinal herbs, so there is no need to skimp. I trust it’s not like the dry rotisserie chickens at my local grocery store. —PR

4. Mandrake and Basilisk omelette

Appears in: Ch. 4
Ingredients: Mandrake (1 medium size), basil bacon (use the fattiest pieces, 50 grams), basil egg (1), salt and pepper (to taste), ketchup (to taste)

The mandrake is the Wonderful in the dungeon ingredient I’m most frustrated that I can’t try it. It seems so versatile! It’s firm enough to fry into persimmons, but cooks soft enough to enjoy in an omelet. Is it a strong taste like the equally gnarly ginger root? Or milder than a carrot? Or sweet like a yam? In real life, eating any of the plants once classified as ‘mandrake’ will really mess you up in a completely non-supernatural way, so I’ll never know. This haunts me. —SP

3. Exorcism sorbet

Appears in: Episode 5
Ingredients: Special interfaith holy water (500 ml), sturdy jar (1), sacred cordon rope (1, if not available use regular rope), spirits (5 or more)

Who would have thought that Laois and his band of adventurers would eat a frozen treat on their quest to defeat the red dragon? Not me, that’s who! This sorbet looks so tasty with its varied color mix and its soft, creamy texture. Throw in a few leftover candy bugs from the Treasure Insect Snacks and a mint leaf and you have a dessert worth fighting for an entire dungeon full of ghosts. -AT

2. Freshly stolen vegetables and chicken stewed with cabbage, accompanied by plundered bread

Appears in: Episode 4
Ingredients: Chicken (400 grams), cabbage (stolen, 1 cup), carrots (stolen, 2), onions (stolen, 2 med.), cayenne pepper, salt and pepper; wheat flour (stolen, 60 grams), olive oil; bread flour (stolen, 250 grams), water (160 ml), bread starter (stolen), sugar

When I’m eating, I don’t just want to eat good food, I also want a good meal. That’s why the Stolen Vegetables with Chicken and Bread Casserole is my favorite from the series so far. It looks delicious, it contains a variety of foods, it covers many nutritional bases (which Senshi wants to remind you is important), and it is a successful tool for interspecies diplomacy. I don’t just want to taste this food, I want to have this experience. That’s the real potential of a good meal with friends. —SP

1. Huge scorpion and walking mushroom hotpot

Appears in: Episode 1
Ingredients: Huge scorpion, walking mushroom, seaweed, invertebrates, dried slime, water

This is the time. The legend. The first dish we see Senshi make and the dish we’ve been hunting for ever since. The individual parts are questionable: slime? Scorpios? Sensitive mushrooms? – but by God, that is the most delicious soup I have ever seen. You know that the slime noodles have a tantalizing texture, that the scorpion meat is juicy and that the mushrooms are flavorful. It’s the kind of dish where I eat it all and slurp up the last drops of soup at the bottom of the bowl. —PR