This sequel to the Japanese bestseller The Kamogawa Food Detectives continues the story of chef Kamogawa and his daughter Koishi, following the same pattern of cooking and solving mysteries in their nondescript Kyoto diner.
These charming stories are mouthwatering, as each new customer is given a set meal that is richly detailed. They divulge their wish to Koishi, and in 2 weeks, return to find Kamogawa has recreated the dish and restored their memory.
An athlete would like to taste again the Nori-ben his estranged father would make for his school lunch - always just rice spread onto a sheet of nori - did his father even care for him? A food journalist takes pictures of each dish, before asking for a basic hamburger steak - she never tasted it herself, her father once made it for her son. A couple who own a simple bakery wish to taste the traditional Japanese Christmas cake offered at their 10 year-old son's funeral. A model wants to recreate for her husband the fried rice from her small northern town to show him who she really is. She doesn't even recall the taste, just that she liked it. A singer would like to taste Tokyo-style prawn tempura before moving up north to help her aging parents. Katsuji has the longest story, wanting to taste again the ramen he ate as a student from a food cart alongside the river in 1975.
Customers have to work to find this hidden gem on a side street of Kyoto, with its drab exterior and no signage. Kamogawa's dishes touch the senses more than the fancy meals in Gion, and the journalist soon forgets to take her pictures.
"For a long time, she'd buried these memories somewhere deep inside her. Now, they all came rushing back at once."
These nostalgic stories follow the same pattern as the first book, each story stands on its own. The structure never changes, we are told each time how the detection works, and are presented with the results. Drowsy, the lazy outdoor cat, still tries to be picked up.
All around a charming, good read.
There are eleven books in this series, this is the second to be translated.
My other review of Hisashi Kashiwai:
2014 (translated 2024) / Hardcover / 224 pages
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