I loved that this one had so many unique and challenging situations. There were unexpected dishes that the customers asked for, but then when you find out why it is so sweet. We see the layers of these characters in just a few minutes when we start investigating the foods that are special to them. If you like books with investigations and layered characters, read this one.

I wish I was a good enough cook to figure out these flavors seeped into people's minds and tongues. I wish I could bring back the memories associated with the dishes they were looking for. Chef Nagare is who I aspired to be. He gives people their food wish. He makes them happy. He makes them understand what they left behind.

Dishes in this installment were little bit more basic than first one. However, as many of you know basic things are harder to master, harder to replicate. Chef Nagare went ahead and found those little things that made these basic dishes different than the others. I love how he always had some left for his family to make it a lesson for them too.

Next installment... Whenever it will come, I will be ready to dive into it head first. As I always believed, food is answer to everything, single key to all memories.

There is something so warm and satisfying about this sequel to the Kamogawa Food Detectives. Revisiting Nagare and his daughter, Koishi at their diner/detective agency, we are introduced to another set of characters looking to recreate a dish from their past. The dish is more than food, but represents an important part of their lives, or a person or decision of which the dish is a reminder. “Food is never about flavor. It’s something we feel-and in different ways, depending on where we are in life.” Like a warm bowl of soup, this book is full of comfort and humanity. I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Hisashi Kashiwa's THE RESTAURANT OF LOST RECIPES served up the memorable, delicious experience of revisiting the beloved past and discovering it was more and less and often very different from what one remembers -- a truly engaging and quiet-voiced story that offers a spicy, entrancing read about a small, out of the way restaurant where father and daughter restaurateurs offer magic and memory, transformation and possibility by seeing where you have been, who you have loved, and how all of that changes your life here and now and forever more. While some of the customer stories appealed more strongly to me, I enjoyed the entire menu. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

In Kyoto, there is an unassuming two-story building that has no sign. It doesn’t look like much, but once you go through the door, you will find delicious food that is comforting and centering. And if you choose, you can hire a detective to work for you, hunting down the dish that has haunted you for years. It may be a favorite from a local restaurant that closed or your favorite dish from childhood that you haven’t been able to find in decades. Either way, the Kamogawa Diner is a magical place.

The diner is run by chef Nagare and his daughter Koishi, and those who can find it and come through their doors are never disappointed. The first meal consists of bits and bobs that Nagare has put together, and most diners find it more delicious than meals they’ve had at expensive restaurants. Then, when they’ve finished their meal and tea or sake, the client will go down a long hall to Koishi’s office, where she will start the paperwork for the detective work. She listens carefully to the story the client tells about the dish they’re wanting Nagare to recreate, and gathers as much information as she can. She then hands over all her information to her father, who was a police detective before retiring and becoming a chef. And Nagare goes to work.

It doesn’t matter if they’re asked to track down the pink fried rice Koishi’s friend Hatsuko ate after school or the Hamburger Steak a confused mother just found out was her young son’s favorite dish, Nagare knows how to track down the information and find those lost recipes. So he finds out that the pink in the fried rice came from the fish sausage that was made at the company Hatsuko’s mother worked at the time, Nagare came back not just the recipe but with some extra sausages she could use to make the dish herself for her fiancé. And when Nagare discovered that it the was the woman’s own father, a chef himself, who had crafted the Hamburger Steak that was his grandson’s favorite, he brought the recipe back to her. She tasted it to discover the dish had flavors that elevated it above the humble hamburger she was expecting, and she realized her son had a more complicated palette than she’d given him credit for.

While these meals Nagare hunts down and makes for their clients may not fix all the problems in the client’s life, they do bring a sense of connection with their past and their families, and sometimes offers some wisdom for the future as well. So even when the story that brings someone to the Kamogawa Diner is painful, like the parents looking for a Christmas Cake that had been left as an offering after the death of their young son, the healing breakthrough that results can make all the difference.

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is the a follow-up book to The Kamogawa Food Detectives. These books do not need to be read in order, or even all at once. Each of these dishes constitute a story in and of itself, so they can be gobbled up in one delicious meal or eaten slowly, enjoyed piece by piece like a fine box of chocolates. Either way, they are heart-warming and comfortable, stirring up memories of delicious meals, childhood innocence, family warmth, and the comfort of home.

I loved reading the first book when it came out in February. It was sweet and moving, telling human stories through the foods we crave through our lives. And I loved The Restaurant of Lost Recipes just as much, for the same reasons. These stories are about the best parts of being human, of chasing dreams and making memories and learning to live with grief. These foods connect us and feed our spirits, and the stories echo those same connections. These stories are beautifully written, and the descriptions of the food so delicate and delicious, and I will keep coming back for more as long as the kitchen stays open.

Egalleys for The Restaurant of Lost Recipes were provided by G.P. Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley, with many thanks

This is book two in the Kamogawa Food Detectives series, It is a collection of stories of customers coming into the Kamogawa Diner for a meal and to ask the detectives to recreate a dish from their past - a dish they have no idea how to make or what ingredients are in it, only how the dish tasted or made them feel when they ate it. I will admit all of the descriptions of the various dishes made my stomach rumble with hunger. I love that each customer left not only with the recreated dish & the recipe, but also with a bit of imparted wisdom from the cafe owner. This is perfect for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold series.

I loved the Restaurant of Lost Recipes! It’s a gentle and heartwarming book that portrays the deep connection of food memories to family and community.

Chef Nagare prepares amazing food in his small, unassuming restaurant in Kyoto. He and his daughter, Koishi also offer their services as food detectives, hunting down the food from their clients’ past, all coming to him for help at a pivotal time in their lives.

I loved the short story format. Each of them starts with the client finding their way to Chef Nagare and vaguely proving clues to the dish they are hoping he can recreate. Two weeks later, they return and get to experience the magic of their past.

I had no idea what to expect from this book but picked it up as it looked unique and was centered around the themes of food, memories and community. It did not disappoint! I plan to now read the first book in this series and then wait hopefully for more!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy.

Don't read this book on an empty stomach! Kashiwai's novel is full of mini mysteries and descriptions of delicious food. The plot revolves around different people seeking to taste that one meal that holds special meaning to them. Chef Nagare follos the leads wherever they take him to track down the recipe his client requests. Kashiwai's characters are interesting and the plot's premise is unique. These ingredients combined with beautiful writing are what make this novel a delicious read.

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes
The Kamogawa Food Detectives Series - Book 2
Disclaimer - This is Not a Romance Genre Book
By Hisashi Kashiwai, Translated by Jesse Kirkwood

G.P. Putnam's Sons - October 2024 (US English)

Fiction


The detective chef and his assistant daughter are once again serving up dishes of delicious meals and memories. The Kamogawa Diner is not your typical diner. Instead of heading in to find a new delicious meal, the proprietors help you find an old memorable meal.

Patrons seek out the diner with hopes of having a dish recreated for them. Their knowledge of the ingredients are typically vague at best. But it is their other memories that are key to solving the mystery. There is also the hope that these meals might bring other resolutions to them as well.

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is a compilation of shorter stories of someone coming to the restaurant looking for help, then their return with the hope of resolution. They all stand on their own. I enjoyed revisiting the diner and learning about Japanese culture and cuisine. One drawback, if it can be called that, is always salivating over the delicious meals described in the book.




Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

They say that "Every Book has its reader," and for this book I am not that reader. The writing was good, and I enjoyed the parts where the "food detective" explained how he was able to reconstruct the recipe that the individual was looking for (and wish those sections had been further expanded). However, I am not a foodie (and am on a somewhat restricted diet) so the detailed descriptions of each client's meal not only did not resonate with me, but was list after list of "nope, can't eat that" rather than "yum!" I was intrigued by the concept of the altars to those who were deceased, such as the wife (and mother) of the two main characters, but am myself ignorant of these traditions, and so I felt a bit lost without more context, which, presumably was not at all needed in the original Japanese.

I'm giving it 4-stars because I can tell the fault is mine, and not the book's, which was well-written, although for my own interest/recommendation purposes, it was a three.

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is Hisashi Kashiwai’s second book of the Kamogawa Food Detective Series. This translated work is simply a lovely collection of characters all looking for the same thing, a food, meal or dish that helps the reconnect to another point in their lives. Each character(s) is at a junction in their lives, and whether or not they admit it, they are hoping this past time dish can help them move forward in the right direction. It’s a beautiful phenomenon how food and the senses can be tired to memories and bring on a fount of emotions. There is one quote that I want to try to remember, but generalized it states how a person appreciates things differently as we get older. AND how food is not just about flavor, but how we feel at various points in our lives.

As someone who loves food and talks about food almost daily, I greatly appreciate the descriptive texts of the dishes! It’s simply mouthwatering and pulls the reader into the character’s chair.

Yes, this book most definitely talks about food. And yes, the main two characters run a “detective” agency trying to recreate dishes of a person’s past. However, just like book one, each dish is delivers more than food, each section delivers mélange of emotions. Book 2 deserves its 4 stars.

Thank you Putnam Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

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!