The second book in the The Kamogawa Food Detectives series, The Restaurant of Lost Recipes, by Hisashi Kashiwai is just as cozy and hunger-inducing as the first. This book is a quick read with delicious food descriptions and clever storylines!

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is a sequel to the Kamogawa Food Detectives, which introduced us to Koishi and her father Nahare who run a Kyoto diner that also offers a detective service that will track down and recreate lost meals. Overall, The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is a very good second entry that is tonally similar to the first: gentle plot arcs that are peppered with beautiful descriptions of food and restorations of spirit. At the same time, readers definitely do not have to read the first entry to understand the second. To that, my one critique is that the relationship between Koishi and Nahare was somewhat repetitive but, to the extent there was something new, with slightly sharper edges to it that were offered without much in the way of either explanation or resolution. Still, a lovely gentle read!

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is a sequel. It has just been recently translated and popped up on my Netgalley account.
This Japanese restaurant is a nondescript establishment. Patrons come in and are served a meal of delectable delights that play wonderfully on each ones pallette.
Yet, it is not the food these patrons seek. Each one has a need to find a recipe lost to them years before. Patrons are looking for foods from their childhood, college days or other reasons.
Each patron sits down for a predetermined meal and afterward seeks consultation of their personal lost recipe.The daughter interviews and asks pertinent questions about Rach lost recipe. The chef father travels and follows the clues. The book is philosophical and endearing each time a patron begins to eat and savor their newly found lost recipe.
Each meal is richly described with cuisine and asks ingredients that I would guess could only be found in Japan. Not once was there teriyaki, a California roll or edamame. They were so exquisite and exotic sounding, this trader wants to travel all over Japan simply to eat.

Koishi and her father Nagare run a restaurant and a food detective agency. People come to them asking for special foods from their past, childhood favorites, foods shared with lost family members, and food that brings the memories alive. It's a delicious book of short stories tied together by the love of food and the memories that need rekindling. Their unassuming little restaurant has a five star quality chef and a compassionate attitude toward the importance of special recipes thought to be lost in time. It's a healing experience that takes one back to your own food memories. It's well-told, uniquely plotted, and leaves you wanting more. Loved it. Now I'm hungry.

The second book in this series and I loved it just as much as the first one. Because food makes the perfect cozy mystery. And I love the father daughter bonds, and how their restaurant is a door to the past.

A very cozy read for anyone who loves food and it’s magic. While charming in its set up and string of stories, I found the translation/voice of the text to be a bit difficult to connect to as it felt a little dry and stiff. The chapters/stories do start to blend together as well, but if you’re a fan of cozy books (I’m finding more and more that I am not) and food, definitely check this one out!

Nagare and his daughter Koishi return as the father-daughter duo of the Kamogawa Food Detectives. First, Kyosuke, a swimmer from Oita, requests his dad’s nori-ben (rice & nori) as he longs to repair his relationship with his father upon his deteriorating health. Kana, a food writer from Hirosaki, requests her father’s hamburger steak on behalf of her son, Yusuke. Yoshi and Masayuki, bakers from Fushimi, request a Christmas cake that was served at their son’s memorial to have some closure over his death. Hatsuko, a model friend of Koishi from Yawatahama, requests fried rice so she can make a dish for her fiance that truly represents who she is and where she comes from. Katsuji requests ramen from a yatai stall he frequented in college with his friends so he can remind himself of his youth and relate more to his son. Keiko, a singer from Ishinomaki, requests ten-don so she can reminisce on her first days in Tokyo as she prepares to leave the city for good to take care of her parents. The nostalgic dishes all share a simplicity and remind us how food connects us all.

One of my favorite examples of the vivid descriptions used of Japenese food in the book was describing a meal at the Kamogawa diner: First, the sashimi: soy-marinated tuna with a wasabi dressing, fresh slices of tuna, and thin-sliced sea bream smeared with sesame-seed paste. Dashi-maki omelet; miniature tilefish sushi; boiled hon-shimeji mushrooms and mizuna leaves in a bonito flake and soy sauce dressing; a pickled turnip cut into chrysanthemum flowers. These skewers are quail balls, steamed prawn, and salted smashed cucumber.

Thank you to Hisashi Kashiwai, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Publishing, Jesse Kirkwood, and Net Galley for the advanced reader’s copy of “The Restaurant of Lost Recipes.”

Father-daughter duo Koishi and Nagare run a restaurant in central Kyoto that has no sign, no advertisements apart from a single line in Gourmet Monthly magazine: “We Find Your Food.” Koishi and Nagare run a detective agency, promising to help their customers find foods that only exist in memory, to taste them one more time. In the second book of the eight-book Kamogawa Food Detectives series, new characters make their way to the diner, each of them bringing a memory of a food they wish could be recreated.

Ten years after their original publish dates in Japan, the Kamogawa Food Detectives books are being translated for release stateside, one by one. For science, I picked up the first book in the series from my local library to determine whether readers need to read the first book to enjoy the second. To that point, it’s not necessary, but it does benefit the overall reading experience. The first chapter of the first book explains a bit more about the background of the characters, particularly Nagare’s occupation as a former detective before he opened his restaurant. That said, if the only book you can find is The Restaurant of Lost Recipes, I won’t dissuade you from picking it up. There are enough context clues to get by on your own, and this book has told some of my favorite food stories so far.

The chapters are wonderfully episodic - perfect for a wind-down before bed or an escape during your lunch break. There is some repetition from chapter to chapter, which may grate on some readers but for me it feels like when I used to read books like The Hardy Boys or The Babysitter’s Club as a kid; each chapter refreshes the reader’s memory on why the characters do what they do and how they go about solving these food mysteries.

Because you’re not meant to fly through these books. You are meant to pick them up, read a chapter or two, and put them down until you’re ready to read again. The writing is straightforward, uncomplicated in the best kind of way. Like a well-made bowl of soup, the simple ingredients (words) come together in harmony, allowing you to savor each bite (story).

Admittedly, I think I was always going to love these books. Food connects us to our most deeply-held, cherished memories. It’s nostalgia. It’s joy. It’s how we show our love for one another, and for ourselves. Food aspect aside, the Kamogawa Diner is set in the Shimogyo Ward of Kyoto, on one of the streets near the Shosei-en Garden. I stayed in the same neighborhood (one block away!) seven months ago when visiting Kyoto for my honeymoon. This cozy series transports me back to those gorgeous fall days. I can’t wait for the whole series to be translated; I will delight in each and every one.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Hisashi Kashiwai, and Penguin Group Putnam for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

This is the second book about the food detectives of Kamogawa Diner by this author I have read. Chef Nagare and Koishi are back and helping their customers rediscover their favorite recipes and the lost memories associated with them. Each chapter is devoted to a different customer. I was happy to see Drowsy, the cat, appear in each chapter. This is a quick and enjoyable read. Thanks to the author Hisashi Kashiwai, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I adored Kamogawa Food Detectives and this one follows much the same pattern. A customer appears, gets served the set menu of the day with detailed descriptions of a vast array Japanese foods I'm only partially able to truly appreciate, gets sent to the back office to be interviewed about the recipe they want recreated, and two weeks later they come back to the father-daughter duo successfully recreating a precious culinary memory. Honestly it was starting to feel a bit repetitive, but it's such a short collection of these tales
But every time a guest is moved to tears, and each section end with Koishi and Nahare bantering about Kikuko, are repetitive elements that are intentionally the human grounding of this story collection..

WARNING: This book is NOT to be read when hungry. This is full of the most mouth-watering descriptions of asian cuisines from japan. The recipes described hold such a special place in mind to the people seeking help from the food detectives, and every one has their own story and intentions. This book was sweet, salty, and tangy.

This series is such a comfort read! So cosy, heartwarming and mouth-watering

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes was such a good follow-up to The Kamogawa Food Detectives! It made me excited to carry on reading this series.

If you're not familiar with the premise of this series, let me explain. These books are set in Kyoto, Japan where Nagare Kamogawa, a former police detective, and his daughter, Koishi, run a restaurant that has a side business: a food detective agency. Nagare is hired to use his detective skills to find dishes that hold special significance in his customers' hearts and then uses his abilities as a chef to recreate them. Each chapter focuses on a different character, and their story with the specific dish they ask him to look for.

Because the premise had already been explained in the first book, The Restaurant of Lost Recipes has a simpler structure of two chapters per character; the first one detailing the first visit to the restaurant and the story of the dish each person is looking for, and the second one focused on the tasting and the story of how Nagare got hold of the exact recipe of the dish in question.

I loved all of the stories in this book! Even though the structure is the same, each story was quite interesting and different amongst themselves; the characters were quite unique as well. Once again, the food descriptions really steal the show in The Restaurant of Lost Recipes. All of the food Nagare cooks sounded so incredibly delicious! It was a mouth-watering read. Reading this book truly felt like a treat to me. I can't wait to keep reading this series!

Thank you very much to G.P. Putnam's Sons for my e-ARC!

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai takes us to the Kamogawa Diner where you will have an amazing meal and hire Nagare and his daughter, Koishi, to find the recipe for the meal you can’t stop thinking about. This is a heartwarming novel with inspiring stories about people who wish to remember a time that food brought them joy. This is the second book in the series, The Kamogawa Food Detectives. The characters are charming, the food is described in mouthwatering detail, and the mysteries of finding the exact recipes are clever.

I would recommend this book for all readers, especially if you need an uplifting book to make you smile and think about which meal you would like the food detectives to make for you. “Food is never just about flavor. It’s something we feel...”

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai is the second book in The Kamogawa Food Detectives series. The first book in this series is one of my favorite books. Kashiwai has beautifully written about a father-daughter team who prepare special dishes for visitors from across Japan. These visitors will describe a dish that they would like prepared and the father-daughter team will research the recipe and prepare it for the customer. Each of these stories is heartwarming and I love this book series. However, each of the engagements has a very similar pattern and the second book becomes somewhat redundant. I love the stories but would love a little variety in Kashiwai's next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adore this series! The food descriptions are vivid and make you want to try everything. The stories are incredibly touching. I especially loved the Christmas Cake one and thought the message was well delivered. The father-daughter relationship at the heart of the book is my favorite part overall, besides Drowsy's appearances. I would recommend the book to anyone who loves food writing, cozy reads, and those that loved books like "Before the coffee gets cold" and "The midnight library". An excellent read, thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it already.

These stories were little dramas: A woman who has fallen out of contact with her father tries to connect with her son, a couple who lost their son need to decide whether they "adopt" an apprentice, a woman must decide how to answer a marriage proposal, and more! They're all looking for that one meal from their past that will help them overcome some hurdle in their life. But no matter how hard they try they can't replicate that nostalgia - until they reach out to the Kamogawa Food Detectives!  

My favorite arc of the book was "Christmas Cake" where a couple, who own a traditional Japanese bakery, ask for the father-daughter food detectives to recreate the cake that was made for them as an offering after their son's death. The story was heartbreaking, even with how short it was, and of all the arcs this one seemed to have the most depth and development.

I wanted one more chapter for each arc (each character's story arc only lasted two chapters), but there is no third chapter with a final resolution. Every story's character had an issue they needed to resolve and their meal was the stepping stone to reach their final decision but then we never got to see their decision!

While you don't get to learn the final choices of these characters you can still find enjoyment in the descriptions of food and the vibes of each story but if you're someone who needs a definitive resolution then this book is not going to satisfy you 😋

Such a cute book. It made me feel very nostalgic and think about what meal I would love to recreate. Every person had an interesting backstory and even though some of them were sad the over all comfort of the book made you happy.

I'm not gonna lie, I requested this solely because of the cover. I mean, look at it, it's so cute! And the book is very wholesome. It's basically short stories where every chapter features a different person coming into the restaurant to solicit food detective services, which consists of finding dishes that the people don't know many details about or can't get the recipe of for one reason or another.

Each person has a story and learns something from having the dish recreated for them. It's a very simple premise with a straightforward execution. I admit it got a bit dull for me, but the stories and the descriptions of food made this a cozy, easy read overall.

nagare and koishi are back, solving mysteries and making their customers cry in the sequel to “the kamogawa food detectives,” “the restaurant of lost recipes.” drowsy is there, too.

i loved book 1 for its easy reading and light-heartedness, and book 2 is no different. both are, at their cores, books about food and how it connect us to our pasts and each other. they evoke those feelings of love, nostalgia, and hope or the future. if you have a love for food or even a curiosity for japanese cuisine, i think this is the perfect read for you.

I cannot wait for every book in this series to be translated! This was so full of joy and laughter, mixed with some very real feelings of sorrow. It made me tear up several times with how heartwarming it is. My favorite story in this was the fried rice one. The descriptions of food are so good, do not read when really hungry!