The language of food!

Another arc of delightful vignettes centered around people tying to recapture a moment in time that a special dish evoked. Seekers find the modest restaurant in Tokyo with little or no fanfare and signage. It’s a little “seek and ye shall find, ask and it will be opened up to you.” Invariably the restaurant’s clients are looking for something beyond the dish; a special memory, resolution, forgiveness, or maybe something else.
Chef Nagare loves the challenge of recreating the meal. His daughter Koishi Kamogawa takes particulars of a meal their client wants reproduced. It’s the deep seated search and then explanation of what is special about that dish that grabs me. I want a local restaurant down around the corner just like the Kamogawa Diner.
The way the discovered dish might be plated, the texture of the meal offset by the serving dishes, all bespeaks love and care.
A magical group of tales that delve into the story behind the client’s search and brings fullness and beauty to their hearts. Stunning in its simplicity. Storytelling at its best!

A Putnam ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I read Hishashi Kashiwai’s first book, “The Food Detectives” and this one out did the first book.

Just like the first book, the father daughter duo are taking their food detective service to revive lost recipes. This book takes you through a few customers who remember bits and pieces of a specific meal that means so much to them, but they can’t figure out how it was even made..

This was such a great read and I absolutely loved this book. Growing up with the Japanese culture and food, I can definitely understand how it might be difficult to figure out how a specific dish is made as each region in Japan has a different way of making that dish. That different way is what makes the dish so special.

Btw, this book definitely made me hungry and I’m currently in Japan right now!

Thank you NetGalley, thank you Putnam books Penguin group, Thank you Hisashi Kashiwi for this ARC.
It was a happy coincidence, a few days after I´ve requested this book I´ve read the first book The Kamogawa food detectives, and I had the chance to become acquainted with very lovable characters and their peculiar life style in Kyoto.
Just like its predecessor, The restaurant of lost recipes was written in a unique narrative style. Once more, we can see the father and daughter duo working toghether to replicate the recipes from six new clients, all of whom need to reconect with their own personal stories through the dishes that may look simple but they are full of flavor and a deep meaning to them.
Personally, I´ve found my self craving for all the delicious food described in this book, also it made me think about the food that I like and what it means to me. Finally, I loved how these stories made me think about the worth of nature and all the things around us.
I highly recomend this book, it was a nice and significant read.
Five stars is too Little, I give it a constellation.

This series is so delightful. The individual stories are so heartwarming and touching. The parents looking for the recreation of the cake their child loved absolutely ripped my heart out and put it back together again. I love the father daughter relationship, there is so much care, kindness, and playfulness between the two. And the descriptions of the food!! Oh my goodness, everything sounds incredible. The relationship between food and memories is explored beautifully in these books. I have read a few other books that try to do something similar to this story and they don't quite hit as good as this one does.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putman for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is book two in The Kamogawa Food Detectives series by Hisashi Kashiwai.
The characters are heart-warming, the stories charming, and the food descriptions mouth-watering.
A well written cozy story that pulled me in immediately.
I really enjoyed reading book one. Now I’m going to try and find book one to read.

Chef Nagare and his daughter, Koishi run a unique restaurant in Tokyo. They recreate long lost recipes for people and at the same time bring back memories. Sweet collection of stories.

This is the second book in a series although still works as a stand alone. These are lovely, cozy little books. With the most wholesome characters and most beautiful, detailed descriptions of food. The authors words being as much as a comfort as the meals they find for their customers. I love these little stories and I would love to read anything by this author! Thanks for the arc NetGalley & Penguin Group Pub.

Food descriptions are always lush and exact! I just felt that some of the clients' stories were more repetitive in this sequel.

Koishi & Nagare run a small cafe that also operates as a food detective agency, working to recreate formative recipes from their customers’ past.

The Food Detectives was my introduction to this style of cozy fabulism, and I am so thrilled to have found these books and ones like them.

This was a wonderfully cozy follow to the first book. Both of these novellas are like sharing a favored meal with a loved one. I would give anything for a recreation of this coffee bread in a coffee can that my grandmother used to make when I was young. I remember eating that, and feeling all the confidence that she had in me. I felt like I could do anything.

We get a lot more insight into the father and daughter pair that work together. We get glimpses of their shared grief, and their shared desire for discovering what their customers need.

And we get more thoughtful discussions of how food, grief, memory, and family can be entwined. And with such delicious descriptions of food, I felt like I needed to find a ramen place as soon as I finished!

Many thanks to both NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for this delightful arc!

A beautiful continuation onto the series, a delicate work of kindness. The short chapters continue to make the series work beautifully and the food descriptions are to die for!

The definition of Food Nostalgia is: “the feeling of being transported back to a specific time or place through the taste, smell, texture, sight or sound of a particular food.”

Through the emotional connection that humans have towards certain foods or drinks, the Kamogawa Food Detective team are able to help their customers work through unresolved problems they may have and provide them with advice on what to do next once they’ve left the restaurant.

I read this in one day and enjoyed each individual story that was told and the meals that transported them back to a significant moment. It also had me thinking about certain foods that always make me feel sentimental and how I’d love to recreate them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC copy!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my copy of The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai in exchange for an honest review. It publishes October 8, 2024.
A wonderful follow-up novel, this book has such a comforting rhythm and cadence to it. Although English readers may not necessarily know all the food referred to, I feel like it’s a wealth of exciting food adventures. I know I was always hungry, each time I picked up this book!
I loved the stories in this book, the way that every interaction went. It made me think a lot, and I truly just love the premise of this series.

Really beautiful book!
I love this beautiful story 💞
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of the book

“Food is never just about flavor. It’s something we feel—and in different ways, depending on where we are in life.”

Slice of life vignette stories have become some of my favorite kinds to read over the last few years, and this series is one that I have enjoyed each installment of so far. Taking place in a small restaurant/detectve agency in Kyoto, The Restaurant of Lost Recipes follows Nagare and his daughter Koishi as they meet a variety of patrons trying to track down the food dishes that left an indelible mark on their lives.

Each section contains a different customer’s story, the food item they’re trying to recreate, and the means by which Nagare attempts to make it happen. I often found myself wishing we had a conclusion to these people’s stories, that we’d be privy to how they followed up their journeys to this small Kyoto establishment… but there is something beautiful and realistic about us not knowing. It makes me think of the people we meet in fleeting moments and how they all have their own stories that we may never know, that we might just be a tiny blip in their memory even if they live on in ours (or vice versa).

The food descriptions are vivid, the vibes are comfy cozy, and you’ll likely find yourself hungry for some tasty food as you immerse yourself into this world. You won’t find much in the way of action in this book…but if you like heartwarming, slice of life type stories, you might enjoy this series!

A gentle easy read about Nogare and his daughter Koishi who help 6 different people revisit their past through food. This is the second in a series but it's fine as a standalone because it's not dependent on the events of the first- the customers are new. There's no drama and it meanders a bit but sometimes that's what you need. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Liked the banter between Nogare and Koishi.

I absolutely loved the first book of this series and the second book did not disappoint. It is just as comforting and heartwarming as the first. the idea that food can hold memories, even hidden ones, is something I love so much. Whether it’s a dish someone has eaten once or a dish someone has eaten multiple times, it still holds a sense of nostalgia or reminiscence. I love the writing style especially in terms of food descriptions. I think all the food was so well described that even if you didn’t have a familiarity with Japanese food, you would still be able to imagine what the author is talking about. I’m now craving Japanese food and miss Japan/Kyoto so badly. Such a simple read that still holds a lot of depth. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Heartwarming, cozy, and absolutely wonderful.

I adore this series and hope there will be future books as these are so lovely.



Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the DRC

Summary
When a person is longing to taste something that they remember from their past, but they can’t find just the right recipe, there is a little restaurant in Kyoto where they can go for help. Nagare and Koishi are back for the second round of solving culinary mysteries.

My Thoughts
This book is just what my heart needed. Right from the adorable cover to the sweet stories inside.

I find these stories very calming. There’s a bit of repetition to them. A stranger arrives in Kyoto and is surprised by the appearance of the restaurant and uncertain that they have found the Kamogawa food detectives. They are served an exquisite meal. They go to the back room and tell Koishi their story and the story of the food they seek. They are told to return in 2 weeks, and at the end they ask about paying and are told the meal and the detective services can all be paid at once.

It had me reflecting upon why those elements were always there. Did every customer need to be uncertain about the building and did every customer have to ask about paying and be told the same thing? I ultimately decided those elements are important to the story. Not only do they signal a beginning and end to the story segment, but they also become a part of the ritual and these stories are all very much about the importance of ritual and culture.

The other recurring themes are family, the skilled work of artisans, and, of course, the importance of food to memory and culture and even to emotional healing.

Koishi is not always kind to the customers. There is a bluntness to her that contrasts with her father’s meticulous politeness even in the face of very rude behavior. The two characters balance one another nicely.

Most of the characters in this book were very likable and relatable - except the hamburger lady who was exceptionally unlikable until we learned her story.

My favorite story was the story of the Christmas cake, which actually brought me to tears.

Like in the first book, I feel that there’s a bit of magic at work here. Nagare always knows exactly which meals the person arriving seems to need. He says the people that find him are fated to find him, so perhaps it is fate rather than magic at work. Perhaps they are the same things when interpreted through different cultural lenses.


My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy of this book.

Restaurant of Lost Recipes is #2 in the series, but the first I've read. It can be read as a standalone. The Kamogawa food detectives consist of a father daughter team. They have specific parts in the detective business. The father, Nagare, does the cooking and detective part while his daughter, Koishi, does the client intake. The relationship is sweet, and their deceased mom/spouse has an alter for remembrance in an adjacent room.

Each part is titled with a dish. The food descriptions are vivid and tantalizing! The dishes are to be recreated to bring back nostalgia from the past and there is always a tricky element to each one. The formula is predictable after the first few dishes, but I was always looking forward to the next customer. When the dish is being served, the type of pottery or ceramics it's served on is mentioned. I looked up each one with Kyo ware being my favorite.

This is a fun cozy read and did I detect a hint to romance in the future? The translator, Jesse Kirkwood did a great job.

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for early access.

I saw this available on Netgalley and had just begun the first book in this series which flew by and I was able to begin this installment. This series is beyond good—it’s one of my favorites I’ve ever read. The reasons are simple: each character has their own story when they come to the shop and each story is beautiful in its own way, the food is bonkers amazing and I wish I was eating each dish with the characters, and the books are short reads! Love everything about this next installment!