Translator – Jesse Kirkwood
Kamogawa Diner – Kamogawa Detective Agency – We Find Your Food
The Kamogawa Detective Agency is run by Nagare Kamogawa and his daughter, Koishi. Their advertisement is cryptic so you’ll need to be determined to find their door. Your perseverance will be worth it, though, because Nagare and Koishi can recreate that dish you’ve been craving.
This father and daughter team track down the exact flavours the diners in this book are seeking, but it’s not just a meal to them. What they’re really searching for is a taste of nostalgia.
Whether that’s someone who is about to embark on the next chapter of their life, wondering about the road not taken or remembering the warmth of kindness in their early life, Nagare and Koishi will track down the correct ingredients.
This was a quick, light read. It quickly became obvious why this book is being compared to Before the Coffee Gets Cold. In both books, you meet a new character, learn enough about their backstory to know why they have sought out the cafe/diner and witness the resolution.
Due to the format, you don’t get to spend a lot of time with each person seeking a connection. This resulted in me staying more on the surface of the chapters. I didn’t become emotionally invested with anyone, although I remained interested throughout each of their stories.
While the food connected the people to their loved ones, I would have preferred getting to meet them and eavesdrop on their conversations.
I’m not sure if you can read a book like this without thinking about the dish that you would hire the Detective Agency to track down for you.
The first thing that came to mind for me was my Nan’s lasagne but my experience doesn’t really fit the criteria. After she died, I searched her cookbooks for the recipe that I knew wouldn’t be there because she was a make it up as you go along cook.
Then I realised that I watched Nan make lasagne so many times throughout my childhood that I knew the measurements, the brands she used and the steps. I was able to make it from memory the first time I tried and every time I make it I feel connected to her.
What I’d be looking for is an experience the Kamogawa Diner can’t provide, the opportunity to watch my Nan cook one last time, not because of the food but to have one more conversation with her.
Regardless of my own impossible wish not fitting the scope of the magic Nagare and Koishi create in the lives of their customers, I enjoyed seeing how the right combination of ingredients can have the power to transform a life.
‘So, hoping we can track down a dish from your past, by any chance?’
Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read this book.
Title: The Kamogawa Food Detectives
Author: Hisashi Kashiwai
Translator: Jesse Kirkwood
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Imprint: Mantle
Published: 10 October 2023
RRP: AUD $19.99 (paperback)
Once Upon a Blurb
Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant called the Kamogawa Diner run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare. Customers who can find the hidden diner are treated to an extravagant meal, but it’s not the main reason for visiting…
The father-daughter duo have started advertising their services as ‘food detectives’, capable of recreating a dish from their customers’ pasts that may well hold the key to forgotten memories and ongoing happiness.
From the widower looking for a specific noodle dish that his wife used to cook to a first love’s beef stew, the restaurant of lost recipes provides a link to the past and a way to a more contented future.
A bestseller in Japan, The Kamogawa Food Detectives is a celebration of good company and the power of a delicious meal.
Schizanthus Nerd 