What’s the one dish you’d do anything to taste just one more time?

Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the Kamogawa Diner serves up deliciously extravagant meals. But that’s not the main reason customers stop by . . .

The Kamogawa Food Detectives is written by Hisashi Kashiwai and translated from Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood.

Food is what drew me to this book and not once did the book disappoint me. The first question of course that comes to mind is what kind of detectives are we talking about here. I mean food hardly needs detection.

Food is the hero of this story. The father-daughter duo run a diner and also a detective agency whose purpose is to recreate any dish their client demands of them. Every chapter brings a new client who is missing the taste of a particular dish from their past.

“Things can taste very different depending on how you’re feeling.”

The book works so well with the readers because food forms a core part of our memories. We all have a dish or two in our memories that we remember but haven’t been able to recreate the same taste. Like I remember the taste of omelette that I had at a tea shop somewhere near Rajgir some 25 years ago.

It was a simple dish but I haven’t found or managed to make an omelette like that. I remember the journey, the rainfall, family trip and stopping to eat while the elders had their tea. I guess I also remember it so well because of the happy day that it was.

The author writes with simplicity and feelings. Koishi and Nagare as food lovers and food detectives are relatable. Nagare is all wisdom where Koishi is witty. The other characters who come to the diner bring with them their stories of love, loss, friendship and relationships.

This book is a perfect read and I’m sure you will love it as much as I have. By the way, what’s your favourite food memory?

My rating: 5/5