The Nameless Restaurant is a novella heavy on interesting characters and so light on the story that I’m not sure what was supposed to be going on. Apparently written as something of a companion to a previously published book series I had never heard of, it details the patrons, both mundane and magical, to a kind of hole in the wall restaurant that’s actually very difficult to find but that has some amazing food. My favorite part was the chapters about the food and the actual cooking of it, but I don’t think that was the point of the story. Or maybe it was, but that petered out about halfway through.

Something of a slice of life culinary story, it mostly follows the grumpy proprietor/chef and his waitress Kelly. But it also sort of follows the characters from the previous series, a man named Henry and his jinn companion. I found the characters to be interesting and amusing as they’re mostly magical creatures in various guises. Their comments and conversations were fun, and I enjoyed the back and forth between Henry and the jinn and another group apparently from some magical council. They all had fun personalities, and I liked how the story went into their actual backgrounds instead of the guises they had chosen to wear. I was also tickled by how the mundane couple on a date were so absolutely oblivious.

Set over a single dinner service on a rainy night, there really isn’t a whole lot going on. The Nameless Restaurant introduces the world and some interesting characters, but I really had no idea what was supposed to be going on or where the story was going. I really did enjoy the cooking chapters; it was interesting to get a look into how some Malaysian dishes are prepared. Everything sounded delicious, and I liked how organized the chef was. The restaurant felt cozy without being too cozy, and it felt like a perfect respite from the stormy weather.

But I’m still not sure what this story was supposed to be about. It introduces a lot, but there’s no real conflict outside of what the characters created for themselves. It was, thankfully, a short read so I didn’t feel like I invested more time than I should have in a book with practically no story. It’s all world building, so I would hope the next book has some more meat on it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

(This is a duplicate review to the audiobook edition)

This made me so hungry.

The atmosphere was great; who wouldn't want to eat the world's best food in a cozy, hole-in-the-wall restaurant during a rainstorm, talking about magic? The food also sounds amazing and I desperately want to try all of it. Plus, bonus points from me for being set in Toronto - though, hilariously, the audiobook narrator pronounces "Toronto" the way I do, with clear enunciation on all of the "t"s, which as any Torontonian can tell you, is completely incorrect.

The reason this novella only gets 3* from me is that it feels more like a worldbuilding exercise than a book. It's just one protracted scene with no actual story, in either character or plot. I would definitely be interested in seeing where the characters and world go, but unfortunately in this installment, they go nowhere. I imagine this will be better to binge read in a series when more Hidden Dishes novellas are available. However, there just really isn't enough of it to warrant more than 3* in my opinion.

This is a homey and satisfying read. It is very detailed and fascinating, but can get tedious and take away from the story itself. It was a fun ride, but became a lot to slough through.

Interesting premise but I’m not really sure what I just read/listened to. It seemed like snippets of conversations during a dinner hour and I felt like I came into a novel halfway through. The dishes sounded appetizing and made me hungry but eventually the description took away from what little story there really was. This was a miss for me but I’m not generally a lover of fantasy so maybe I missed something because of this.

Many fantasy reads are high action, loaded with numerous characters and detailed plot. The Nameless Restaurant by Tao Wong is quite the opposite. The eatery described is hard to find, except for those who know it or it’s chef. Therefore there aren’t many clientele, however they are both picky and thankful for the meals they receive. The book is a calming read with no high stakes above knowing the correct dish to order. Wong uses this novella to describe a gifted chef’s food preparation and the customers that arrive on one stormy night. The customers are hungry, but also have interesting conversations that reveal much about their abilities and relationships. The author does a great job of creating an atmosphere that is interesting but not tense. I would have given a higher rating for more explanation of who the characters were to each other. This book can be used as a brief cozy getaway between heavier reads. I suggest it if you would like to fantasize about being a food critic or to dream about exotic cuisine. Thank you to Netgalley for an earc of this novella in exchange for an honest review.

Feeling hungry? Well this is the book for you! This book is a novella set in the same world as the author's Hidden Wishes series. Both Henry and Lily are the stars of that series and show up in this novella.

You don't have to read the series to understand what is going on in the novella. I didn't even know there was a series and I still very much enjoyed the descriptive ways in which the author told this story. It made me very hungry at times, but very appreciative of all the cooks out there.

You get multiple perspectives in this story, each belonging to either the staff of the Nameless Restaurant or its patrons. You learn a bit more about the patrons and why they are at the restaurant. Whether that just be a date, a search for great food, or looking for somebody. In the end, the delicious food brings them all together.

This is a good cozy read for when it is raining and you have a steaming pile of rice and/or noodles in front of you.

Sometimes you just want to read something without any stress or worry about the consequences of characters actions. This was like somebody got a recipe book they really enjoyed and tried to make it into a story-and in a good way! The descriptions of food were mouthwatering (despite me not liking seafood I could readily gulp down a portion of golden rice and laksa) and the restaurant had a cosy homely atmosphere and the characters were distinct and well described for a novella. I didn’t realise this basically was a spin off of a trilogy, but am hoping there will be more in this setting in the future. There was a lot of hinting at backstories and things which could be expanded on and it would seem a shame to leave it at that.

I throughly enjoyed the portions of this book in which the food & its preparation were being described at length. Excellent descriptive writing that really transported me!
I would have loved some more backstory on the characters so that I could feel more invested in the dialogue and plot.

The Nameless Restaurant by Tao Wong, a fun quick read that provides some insight into the world behind the scenes for his Jinn series.

Genre: Novella

This is a cozy novella with 108 pages only. The short chapters gave you the idea of food in the restaurant and who craved for food here.

Not a face-paced story but the author was still able to create this magical restaurant atmosphere in this compact story.

The author was incredibly talented in describing food as well. It’s torturing to read this book when you were hungry. The way the author described the golden fried rice, Laksa and sago dessert made me mouth-watering.

The story was about a nameless restaurant in a hidden and scummy alley in Toronto. Not everyone could see it.

Imagine there were spells in this Nameless Restaurant…

Mo Meng was the owner of the restaurant. He definitely had a character as he created what he felt like.

It covered some backstories of the characters but I wished there were more.

I look forward to the coming book of this Hidden Dishes series.

I’m rounding it up to three because I like food and I like fantasy. It’s quite short, but it lavishes detail on each dish. I can’t quite put my finger on what it lacks but I’d call it talented and enthusiastic amateur rather than polished professional. If you like food and enjoy a cozy very low stakes fantasy you’ll probably like it. If half a fantasy novella dedicated to food description sounds a bit dull to you it’s not the book for you. For myself…. I’m glad I got to read this ARC. I see there’s The Nameless Restaurant: A Cozy Cooking Fantasy in Goodreads. I’ve marked it as a to read, I think it’ll be fun. In a longer book I think this world might appeal to someone that liked Legends & Lattes.

A quick read that drops you into a world full of intrigue. The world-building is flawless and the characters all seem to jump off the page - full of life and depth and nuance that makes this low stakes story come alive.

This book is a novella that ties in with a series from the author, but I was able to enjoy the book and follow everything. If anything it made me look for potential backstories and clues everywhere as to what the other books were about. It added a feeling of people watching that made it even more fun for me.

This book is a quick read, but in a short period this book covers a lot: great recipes, multiple characters with full backstories and motivations, low-stakes drama. But I would say the best part is the general cozy and safety that permeates the book. It was a restorative hour reading this book, and I hope there are many more at this restaurant because I want to learn more about Mo Meng, Kelly, and their regulars.

A unique entry into the Slice of Life genre from an author whose books I have read and enjoyed for a long time.

The book is all about the namesake, a restaurant without a name. The book begins with a noir-esque setting with different people making their way to the restaurant. We get fed nuggets of information about them all the while building up the world gradually. The backdrop of all this is the Chef and his cooking, so get ready to ready (and copy down to try) some cracking Asian recipes. Reminded me of beginning of Hateful Eight, but a cozy version. The book is quite descriptive, be it the characters, the world or the recipes. They are bought to life with the prose.

On the flip side, this is very short. At less than 150 pages, there just isn't enough time for the plot to mature. Once the scene is set, we just get the the climax and it's done, which left me with a sense of unfulfillment. I really wanted to see more of the characters and the plot, than what I got. I wish the book was a bit longer so the story could run a full course.

But still the premise and prose were interesting enough that I will keep an eye out for future (hopefully full length) books.

I haven’t read any books from this author or world setting before. But I’m going to be on the look out for them after this! This is an enjoyably different, really quirky novella. The recipes and descriptions of their preparation, magic and mundane, had my tummy rumbling. The characters are fun, and the interactions of the clientele in this hard to find eating establishment, could lead to catastrophe. Or alternatively, maybe a master magician of good food, the Owner and Chief, will satisfy their stomachs and save the world for another day. (Hard to find? With no name how are you going to search for it, let alone find it? Maybe I will stumble on it by happenstance some time in the future. I think I would like that.) Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Starlit Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.