The Restaurant of Lost Recipes

A Kamogawa Food Detectives Novel, Book 2

By: Hisashi Kashiwai, Jesse Kirkwood - translator

Narrated by: Hanako Footman

We all hold lost recipes in our hearts. A very special restaurant in Kyoto helps find them . . .

Tucked away down a Kyoto backstreet lies the extraordinary Kamogawa Diner, run by Chef Nagare and his daughter, Koishi. The father-daughter duo have reinvented themselves as “food detectives,” offering a service that goes beyond cooking mouth-watering meals. Through their culinary sleuthing, they revive lost recipes and rekindle forgotten memories.

From the Olympic swimmer who misses his estranged father’s bento lunchbox to the one-hit-wonder pop star who remembers the tempura she ate to celebrate her only successful record, each customer leaves the diner forever changed—though not always in the ways they expect . . .

The Kamogawa Diner doesn’t just serve meals—it’s a door to the past through the miracle of delicious food. A beloved bestseller in Japan, The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is a tender and healing novel for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

©2024 Hisashi Kashiwai (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“This cozy book delights in Japanese cuisine.” –Kirkus

“Kashiwai is among a certain coterie of Japanese writers to have perfected a globally successful literary formula: create a café-esque setting with beloved staff who deliver plenty of empathic kindness to customers whose visits inspire stand-alone narratives. . . Deliciousness lingers.” –Booklist

Can’t wait for the next

This book is like a warm cup of tea on a snowy day as you sit, wrapped in a warm blanket, to watch the snow fall

thoroughly enjoyable!

Having recently visited Japan, I enjoyed this novel knowing some of the places and foods that were in it. As an audible, i liked how each story was two chapters long and thus could be stopped at the end of each story and picked up later.I also liked how each story was sentimental, a mystery solved, a happy ending. The narrator was also good - added a nice additional dimension with his British accent.

Endearing and Enchanting

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is the second installment of the Food Detectives series. It exceeded my expectations I liked this one even more than the first. I found it equally endearing and enchanting.

I love stories that pack an emotional punch and this one did just that. Many of the stories involve grieving loved ones. I absolutely love the banter between Nagare (a widower) and his daughter, Koishi. I also love how they talk to and include Nagare’s wife/Koishi’s mother in their conversations and investigations.

Christmas Cake pulled at my heartstrings and was my favorite in the collection. I cannot recommend the audio book enough. Absolutely perfect narration. My trips to my local Japanese restaurants have greatly increased during my listening experience. Eating the food discusses in the stories always adds to the experience.

Easy, Pleasant, Foody story

I loved the calm
Pace of the story and the rhythm of each chapter. Food and experience were elegant, simple, endearing and appetizing.

The magic of flavor

Food is a way home no matter how far away you are. This father daughter team reunites loved ones with their distant memories. Bringing joy and closure to costumers one dish at a time. 12/10