The Menu of Happiness
09 October 2025Synopsis
The Menu of Happiness, translated from Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood, is the third book in the bestselling, delightful Japanese sleuthing series for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.
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. The Menu of Happiness follows on from The Kamogawa Food Detectives and The Restaurant of Lost Recipes.
‘Feel-good and foodie themes collide in this follow-up to The Kamogawa Food Detectives’ - The Times
The Menu of Happiness was a Japanese bestseller when it published w/c 04/01/2016
Details
09 October 2025
9781035060740Reviews
Feel-good and foodie themes collide in this follow-up to The Kamogawa Food DetectivesThe Times on The Restaurant of Lost Recipes
Kashiwai is among a certain coterie of Japanese writers to have perfected a globally successful literary formula: create a cafe-esque setting with beloved staff who deliver plenty of empathic kindness to customers whose visits inspire standalone narratives . . . Deliciousness lingersBooklist on The Restaurant of Lost Recipes
This cosy book delights in Japanese cuisineKirkus on The Restaurant of Lost Recipes
A treasure-trove of positivity and charmPrima on The Restaurant of Lost Recipes
