A bestseller in Japan, you know this will be sentimental when critics praise “Entirely delicious”, “I absolutely devoured this book”, and “I savoured every word.”
This is a mouthwatering celebration of memory and the power of a delicious meal.
On a side street of Kyoto sits a whited-out storefront without signage, yet inside it radiates human warmth. Customers have to find it for themselves; the only clue a few words in an upscale culinary magazine: "The Kamogawa Diner - The Kamogawa Detective Agency - We find your food."
The four-table diner with no menu is run by chef Kamogawa and his daughter Koishi. First-time customers get a set meal, left up to the chef, with each item of the very best ingredients. Even the beautifully mismatched modern and traditional dishes are of the finest quality.
“If only I could taste it one more time.”
Hideji wants to taste the Udon his ex-wife used to make - his new wife uses the same ingredients, but something is missing. An elderly woman wants to taste again the beef stew she had on a first date over fifty years ago - following a walk in the woods and visit to a temple. A man wishes to taste the sushi he was once given by an Okinawan neighbour - the rice was yellow. A wife talks of a delicious Tonkatsu: “Oh, it’s not me who wants to eat it.” It is all her dying ex-husband talks about. A young girl wants to taste the Neapolitan spaghetti she had when she was 5 years old, on a trip with her grandfather.
Given 2 weeks detection, somehow Kamogawa unlocks the secret to the meal, discovering the origins, and buying local ingredients unavailable anywhere else. He also incorporates the experience into the food - the anticipation, the smell from the kitchen, the temperature just enough to burn your mouth a little. The time, the place, and the moment all contribute to the taste of the dish. He tracks down people who knew the history, and even retraces the steps preceding the meal. He completes the circle.
This is Kyoto comfort food, based around the seasons. Each first set-meal - of up to twelve small dishes - is described in detail, as is the preparing and eating of the sought-after dish.
If you love cooking - and eating (especially Japanese food) - this will warm your heart like an Okonomiyaki grill. There is no conflict or tension, simply inquisitive memories respected and sated by resolution.
My other review of Hisashi Kashiwai:
Translated 2024 / Hardcover / 208 pages
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