This is a fun cookbook with lots of recipes that look delicious. There are photos for about half of the recipes, maybe a little less. There are lots of creative fusion type recipes that take on Italian classics with an Asian spin, for instance. There is no nutritional information for the recipes. I enjoyed the story and information that preceded each recipe. The recipes are relatively simple but use whole foods and interesting flavors.

I read a temporary digital loan of this book for review.

Family Style has over 100 recipes inspired by Peter Som's identity and heritage. The cookbook begins with an introduction and pantry list, which is useful. Next are the recipes for this and that (eggs, bread, snacks, and soups), vegetables, rice bowls, noodles, mains, and sweets. Each recipe has an introduction, ingredient list, directions, and a photo. I appreciate that the recipes include a photo because you can see what the dish looks like and it can help you decide if you would like to make it. Some recipes I would like to try are the Hong Kong French Toast Grilled Cheese, One-Pot Creamy Kimchi Risotto, Mapo Eggplant, and the Apple Cake with Salted Maple Caramel. I do wish the recipes listed the prep/cook times at the beginning though so you do not have to read through the directions to see if it takes 20 minutes or over an hour to make. That said, the recipes look delicious, and the cookbook would be better for those more confident in the kitchen.

This book was part cookbook and part family nostalgia. It was really well done. It had a good intro section including what staples you should have in your pantry. Though the recipes were a bit challenging, I love how unique they are. This is not just a book of recipes you could find anywhere. These recipes are thoughtful well executed recipes. I liked that many of the recipes blended different culture’s recipes in a thoughtful way. The photographs were beautiful and did a great job highlighting the recipes. I really appreciated all of the tips throughout. I think this book would appeal to a lot of people and I highly recommend it.