This book is the epitome of comfort. Each part focuses on someone who is looking for a recreation of a dish they've had before. Their story is told through food and a longing for a person or moment lost. The dad/daughter duo running the restaurant and attached food detective agency are charming and they way they each use their skills to extract as much information from the clients and to track down the exact recipe or ingredients is delightful.

I finished this book feeling warm and also very, very hungry. I don't think I've ever read anything with such incredible descriptions of the food, my mouth was watering at the way the narrator described every detail of each dish.

Such a comfort read💕

Kamogawa diner is not an ordinary restaurant. It has a detective agency for food. People visit the restaurant to ask for recreating a dish from their memories.

Food is not only the taste, but some of them come with a special memory. This book is so heartwarming and beautifully written. I especially love the story of Tonkatsu. It made me tearful but also hopeful.
All the stories feature common Japanese dishes.
I read one chapter per day, so I can cook the dish mentioned in the book for our dinner😊(I'm not good at cooking, so no photos of them😂)
This book made me miss my family and Japanese food a lot.

I listened to the audio book and enjoyed the way it was read. I love how Koishi sounded cheerful girl and Nagare sounded a bit quiet typical Japanese dad.


💖Do you have any special dishes that you wish to recreate?
—Mine is my great grandma's Sukiyaki. It was her new year's family dinner dish. We ate while all of us playing games and catching up, just remembering about it makes me smile💕


If you like Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, you need to give this a go! I also recommend this for foodies😄 The food mentioned in the book sounds super delicious!

Cozy, comforting and inspiring book.

A small restaurant located in a concealed alley in Kyoto. Without any signage, but still had people visiting. They came here because they saw an ad on a magazine saying, finding your long lost dish…

The father Nagare was an ex-police, now as the chef here. His daughter Koishi was good as investigation. Therefore they helped their clients to find the memories, the long-lost dish and to recreate the dish. In fact, to heal their hearts.

The small individual chapters were not only healing their hearts, also the readers’. I could imagine the clients went in with a heavy heart but once they were tasted the recreated dish and spoke to Nagare, they were more relaxed.

I love seeing the father and daughter interaction. How the daughter helped and interviewed the clients and how the father recreate the dish.

If you were oblivious and you had a dish you were looking for, please visit (read) this comforting restaurant.

(The narrator has a very outstanding Japanese accent when she’s saying the name of dish and place)

This was an easy read which told the story of different people’s memories through different meals they’d had at some time in their life. I liked seeing how the different characters connected to food and the reasons they were seeking out the food detectives and it certainly made me nostalgic for dishes from my life and the memories that accompany them. A lot of the meals were sought out due to a loss of some kind, or some sad moment in their life that made them want to connect to something happier, or connect someone they love with a happy memory and so at times it was bittersweet but interesting all the same. I did find Koishi to be immature and a little irritating at times in the way she behaved with customers and her reactions to them. The audiobook was really well narrated and made it an enjoyable listen.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Memories are never just visual, sometimes it is a sound or a smell that take you back. For me it would be the fragrant sweets Parma Violets. This book tells the tale of a chef and his daughter who run a secret recipe detective agency. Visitors manage to find this undercover restaurant in order to relive a meal they once ate and has stayed with them. Based on the sketchy memories of the visitor, the chef detective and his note taking daughter piece together snatches of past experience to reimagine the meal in question. With quite literally mouthwatering descriptions of food this is a gentle story of people’s lives and will appeal to those who, like me, enjoy the ‘Before The Coffee Gets Cold’ series of books.

I loved Kamogawa Food Detectives and wish I could give it more than 5 stars! I listened to audiobook and found the narration clear and with the right amount of emotion. I also liked how the narrator changed voices and adapted it to different characters. I also enjoyed hearing the pronunciation of the Japanese names and words.

The charming short stories that make up the book left me with feelings of longing and nostalgia and made me think about which food I would give for to taste again.

The foods were described beautifully and I had to pause the audiobook to look up the dishes, cooking styles and even the dinnerware mentioned in the book! I am already looking forward to the next books in this series!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan UK Audio for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved "The Kamogawa Food Detectives" so much so that I found myself revisiting it through its equally enchanting audiobook format. The audio version does not fall short of delivering the same satisfaction and flavour as its on-paper counterpart.

Hanako Footman's narration is a true standout. Through her skilled pacing, thoughtful character interpretations, the delightful range of voices, and the flawless execution of Japanese phrases, Footman provides an immersive experience, practically teleporting you to the heart of the narrative itself.

"The Kamogawa Food Detectives" by Hisashi Kashiwai is a feast for both the mind and the soul. Seamlessly blending low suspense, drama, and culinary delights, this cosy detective novel transported me straight into the warm and welcoming Kamogawa Diner and its food detective agency. I just loved it.

Nagare and his daughter Koishi are the duo championing this unique sleuthing endeavour, digging up memories and unearthing emotions through gastronomical lanes. Serving wholesome portions of love, belonging, and nostalgia, they deliver a tantalising menu of mystery tales that resonate on a much deeper, human level. Kashiwai’s novel beautifully demonstrates how food is so much more than a mere sustenance; it becomes a vehicle for exploration into one's past, present, and possible futures.

Kashiwai's characters shine through for their authenticity, each story revealing a slice of their lives, intertwined with the powerful nostalgia that only familiar tastes can evoke. Except for one of the chapters where they explore Beef Stew, they are all everyday Japanese dishes elevated into majestic keys that unlock long-forgotten memories, desires, and enhanced self-understanding. Prepare to immerse in a gastronomical adventure, from Nabeyaki-Udon to exotic dishes like barracuda sushi and quail tsukune balls. You're in for a real Japanese treat full of Midnight Diner series vibes, but more. It's just too delicious.

What sets this novel apart is the skill of Kashiwai, deftly steering clear of trivialising the depth of emotions connected to food. The storytelling maintains a refined touch, teasing out the beauty of small details while invoking life stories that plucks at the heartstrings. The Kamogawa Food Detectives entrances not only the culinary enthusiast but every reader who relishes the complexity of human emotions, memories and their triggers. It is a dining experience unlike any other — filled with heart, soul, and an array of mouth-watering Japanese dishes. Expect to leave satiated yet yearning for more.

Very grateful to Netgalley, Macmillan UK Audio and Mantle for the advance audio copy #pudseyrecommends

Listened to and finished in one sitting. I became so gripped in the stories, such a beautifully told story. I read a lot of translated books especially Japanese literature but I’ve recently fallen in love with Japanese books that incorporate food in some way especially after reading Sweet Bean Paste. I adored how this book told so many stories and helped people through the recreation of recipes. It was a wonderful, wholesome book that made me feel so cosy whilst reading, it was like a warm hug.