Another wonderfully comforting, wholestome title in the Kamogawa Food Detectives series!

Is it repetitive? Yes. Is it exactly what I needed when I read it? Absolutely. Kashiwai brings us another set of customers looking for a meal from their past and the lessons that those meals bring. Reading The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is like having a cup of tea or mug of soup on a cold day - Heartwarming, comforting, and oh so cosy. If you enjoyed the previous book in this series, you'll love The Restaurant of Lost Recipes. Prepare to be hungry though!

I absolutely love this series of books - the descriptions of the food served in the restaurant make my mouth water and then research trips to Kyoto. The personal stories, the detective work, and then the meal memories/recreations are always pitch perfect - if not quite so tasty!

I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself once again in the world of Kamogawa restaurant. While reading this book, you can almost smell the kitchen aromas and taste the flavours described within its pages. One of my favourite sections was the chapter on Christmas Cake.

The author employs a formulaic structure that allows you to experience each story repeatedly, almost like a ritual. It’s akin to discovering individual characters as if they were part of a collection of short stories, yet the narrative brings the comfort of a familiar place where you can savour your favourite dishes.

I believe this book is a perfect palate cleanser between heavier reads, one you can easily pick up and finish in a couple of afternoons.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the proof copy. I was truly excited to re-enter this delightful world.

I loved the first book and I think I loved this one a little more.

I really like the writing style. It is simple but so rich at the same time. I love the food descriptions and each meal having a personal connection with the people.

Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3-3.5 stars. With thanks to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for the arc.

This is the second volume of stories about the Kamogawa Food Detectives, a father and daughter duo who track down and recreate recipes described to them by customers who are feeling nostalgic for a dish from their past. Like the first volume this is an undemanding but sweet read. If you are in the mood for a feel-good, cosy story - which will also make you very hungry - then this is the book for you. Just lovely.

"The Restaurant of Lost Recipes" by Hisashi Kashiwai is an excellent follow-up to "The Kamogawa Food Detectives". Similar in style to "Before the Coffee Gets Cold", each chapter or set of chapters focuses on one character and their request or wish which in the case of this series is to have a certain dish recreated. Deceptively simple, you get to appreciate the finer details in life without being bogged down with external factors like politics. Hoping there are more books waiting in the wings to be translated.

" Food is never just about flavour. It's something we feel- and in different ways, depending on where wea re in life"

Following on the heels of Hisashi Kashiwa's The Kamogawa Food Detectives comes a new series of stories. If it ain't broke why fix it... this new selection of tales follows a similar pattern with the talents of Nagare recreating long lost dishes supported by his daughter Koishi (and quietly observed and scented by Drowsy the cat).

This time dishes range from Ramen, Christmas Cake , Fried Rice and others- each request is linked to a personal memory that needs resolving for the restaurant visitors.

The repeated structure of the stories gives a comfort and familiarity ; this is a gentle read with the right balance of culinary delight and emotional impact.

A calming and relaxing read for the autumn .

I did google many of the ingredients and food references for a fuller experience- and a rumbling stomach

I loved the magical, heartwarming simplicity of 'The Restaurant of Lost Recipes.' This book is a sequel to 'The Kamogawa Food Detectives,' in which a father-daughter duo helps clients recover lost recipes tied to cherished memories. Each character's memories are very relatable and poignant. I loved the way their memories were triggered by savouring the flavours of their childhood or youth.
This was a fast and soothing read—perfect after a novel with darker themes. Even without reading the first book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I can't wait to try a Japanese Christmas cake next holiday season! 😊
I'm well aware this is not everyone's cup of tea but I would surely recommend it to fans of 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold'.

A lovely second visit to reunite with the Japanese father and daughter team. Beautiful descriptions of Japanese cuisine and culture along with helping people. A lovely read.

The follow up to the Kamogawa Food Detectives brings more lovely short stories of people being reunited with foods from their past. I think this is a lovely series, if a little repetitive at times. I do sometimes wish there was a little more detail, almost a third part to each story where we find out the aftermath of each individual. However, this is an easy and relaxing read, perfect of Before the Coffee Gets Cold fans.

Reconstructing magical moments, resurrecting lost memories, lose yourself in bittersweet, touching, thought-provoking tales.

This was a super cosy read and I really enjoyed it, nearly as much as the first book. You get to know the characters more in this book though, which is always a plus for me. I’m definitely a fan of this author.

I enjoyed this, although at times it felt like deja vu, as the format is identical to the Kamogawa Food Detectives. It felt lighter though, with far less about the actual investigations. So not quite as good, but still worth a read.

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes once again follows Chef Nagare and his daughter, Koishi, as they recreate dishes that hold special memories for their customers.
Each chapter of the book introduces a new character with a story tied to a particular dish from their past.

A captivating, heart-warming novel, recommended for lovers of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series.

This was very cosy and I really enjoyed being Kamogowa Diner. Each person who comes in has their own story and learns something valuable during the process. It is a very quick read.

The Restaurant Of Lost Recipes is the second installment in the Kamogawa Food Detectives series. I'd like to thank @panmacmillan and @netgalley for early access to this book. I loved the first in the series so was excited to continue<33

As with The Kamogawa Food Detectives, The Restaurant Of Lost Recipes follows Chef Nagare and his daughter Koishi in their mission to hunt down nostalgic meals for their customers causing memories to come flooding back.

I'd once again like to shout out Jesse Kirkwood for their excellent translating work; this book was beautifully written from start to finish.

Now, onto the review. As with the first book, I found The Restaurant Of Lost Recipes delicately written and full of whimsy. Although nothing magical happens between the pages, there is a magical air to everything that happens.

I enjoyed that you learn so much about each character during the reveal on how each dish was created and, even though we only see each character for a short period of time, they have a lot of depth.

If I was to give one critique to this book, and this series as a whole, it would be that not much happens in the story. However, if you're a fan of a book that has gorgeous imagery and relaxing pacing, then this is the book for you. I, personally, can't wait for more<33

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai is the second in the Kamogawa Food Detectives series and it is a delightful read, as the first book was. There are a series of customers who come to request a food that holds a special memory for them and it is the food detective who must track the dish down and cook it for the customer to savour.
The foods that are cooked for the customer who comes to find the Food Detective Agency on their first visit are all exquisite and detailed lists of how to eat them are given. Then on the second visit they are given the dish that they have requested to be found.
The books are extraordinary and are easy to read and be mesmerised by the descriptions of foods to be tasted and savoured.
Highly recommended

In an unassuming, bland building in Kyoto, Japan, lies the Kamagawa Diner. Nagare, a widower and an ex-policeman is the chef and his daughter, Koishi looks after the Detective agency side of the business. The people who need their very special services find them through a small ad in Gourmet Monthly and Drowsy, the local cat, meets and greets them.

They are people who are at a crossroads in their lives or who need to make a decision. And so look back to the past and happier times which they associate with a special dish. An Olympic swimmer wants them to recreate the dish that his father used to make for him as a child. They have been estranged for years but now his father has asked him to visit. A woman who became a single parent after the death of her husband wants reassurance that she’s doing the right thing for her son and a model has to decide how to deal with a marriage proposal amongst the Diner and Detective Agency’s clients. The most poignant chapter for me was ‘Christmas Cake’. Japanese Christmas cakes are very different from Western ones and the couple involved want Nagare to recreate one that was given to them as an offering after their young son’s death. They own a traditional Japanese confectionary store and are considering taking on a young apprentice.

I really enjoyed reading about Nagare’s detective work but the reader doesn’t follow him as he undertakes it. Instead he relates it to the clients when they return after a fortnight and taste the recreated dishes. There are no resolutions to the cases as the clients , after having approved the dish, go on their way with a second helping and the recipe in a paper bag. With ‘Christmas cake’ the shop of the cake donor is long closed and she has died so where does Nagare even start? But he is soon on the trail saying ‘that there’s always another connection. You just have to know where to look.’ He also says ‘we don’t concern ourselves with what happens afterwards.’

But this is, as was the first book, a story about food and its place within peoples memories. The taste of it, the situation which it evokes, where it was eaten and with whom. The descriptions of the set menu served to all new clients was absolutely mouthwatering and I loved hearing Nagare telling them on their second visit of his detective work in tracking the ingredients down.

I had a real sense of the Japanese ritual of food and its presentation with special tablecloths, appropriate plates and cutlery, certain makes of china which is as important as the food. Nagare says, ‘Asking for seconds is the biggest compliment you can pay a chef.’

The translation is excellent and preserves the Japanese flavour to the story. For example, one character says that ‘A Kyoto house is as long and narrow as an eel’s bed.’ It also emphasised the Japanese attitude to the dead as they have a shrine and are generally included in any family discussions. They are referred to as if they were still alive and are characters in their own right as with Nagare’s deceased wife.

This is a charming story with poignant stories which made me think ‘which dish would I ask the Kamogawa Diner to recreate!’ It could be described as ‘cosy crime’ but this doesn’t detract from its warmth and humour.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

I was pleasantly surprised that there was a sequel to the book "The Restaurant of Lost Recipes". But I was even more pleased because I am already a big fan of "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" and this series follows the same direction, only here memories are brought back to life. No matter how little information our recipe detectives get, it never seems impossible to find the exact recipe and cook it. Nevertheless, both series are individual and you don't get the feeling that it is just a copy. Greatly written and a book that you don't want to put down.
The sequel does not disappoint and I can hardly wait to read the next volume.

Just as charming as the first book - The Kamogawa Food Detectives.
I'd love to get more around each of the stories - the customers who come looking, the process of tracking down each of the recipe ingredients, and what happens next when they've found the food they're looking for!