This is now the third book in The Kamogawa Diner series which I think now has to be said is considerably more about the meals / food than it is about the investigation. The premise is simple, using an obscure advertisement in a Culinary Magazine, the father and daughter duo behind the Kamogawa Diner draw anyone to them that has a longing for food or a particular dish that they remember but now cannot access. He's the chef, she's the head of the detective agency although these days that's mostly her getting the details of the client's longing (craving), and leaving it to her father to do the leg work to track down the dish.
Each chapter revolves around a new dish, each format is the same - a person arrives at the diner, is fed an absolutely glorious meal, then sits down and explains the dish that they are longing to try again and why. They return in a few weeks to be presented with the dish by the chef father, who then explains (increasingly briefly it has to be said), how he tracked down the recipe / ingredients / the something special.
Nothing special therefore in terms of "mystery" or "detecting" but everything to do with some absolutely glorious food descriptions that even for a coeliac vegetarian have a tendency to make the mouth water.
Definitely a series for fans of the eclectic, and not one to be recommended for when you were feeling a bit peckish anyway.
The Menu of Happiness
Welcome to the Kamogawa Diner, where every meal is a mystery ready to be solved. This unique establishment is run by a father–daughter duo who offer more than just mouth-watering meals. They act as ‘food detectives’, delving into the past to produce nostalgia-infused dishes for their hungry clientele.
Among the patrons is a once-renowned pianist whose promising career was marred by a self-inflicted injury. She longs to taste the yakisoba shared with the only man she ever truly loved. The diner also welcomes a man haunted by shadows of regret. His mind races back to the gyoza served by the parents of a lover he once jilted, as he seeks understanding and, perhaps, forgiveness.
The Kamogawa Diner doesn’t just serve food – it revives the essence of forgotten recipes and rejuvenates cherished memories. Each dish is a portal to the past, serving not just sustenance but solace and reconnection through the miracle of delicious food.
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