The Nameless Restaurant

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.

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.

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.

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.