When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. I had to give it a try.One of BuzzFeed’s Highly Anticipated Mystery Novels of 2021!The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes-one that might just be killer…. Even though its origins are Spanish, ensaymada is apparently a beloved Filipino recipe now. It’s a soft, sweet pastry covered with butter and sugar and… cheese. I opted to make ensaymada, which is something that seemed to come up over and over again throughout the story. You can stop on by Dinner and a Novel to see how the ube crinkles and chicken adobo look.
If you’d like to try some of the plentiful food Manansala mentions, you don’t have to go far! She conveniently included a few recipes in the back: Lila’s go-to cookie recipe for ube crinkles, salabat-spiced banana bread, a coconut jam, and of course, chicken adobo.
Since this is my first cozy mystery, I don’t have much to compare it to, but it was fun and enjoyable and will definitely make you hungry - if that’s what you’re looking for. Overall, the story was super entertaining. Tita Rosie runs a Filipino restaurant, and Lila’s investigation of the food critic’s death takes her to restaurants all over town, which had me drooling all over the place. Alongside the characters, of course, are plenty of food mentions. I really appreciated the diverse representation throughout. The pages are full of a varied cast of characters - they almost pop right off the page. Lila is quickly caught up in the investigation and trying to conduct her own so she can clear her and her family’s name. Right away, a local food critic heads into the restaurant to cause trouble and then drops dead at a table - oh, and he happens to be Lila’s ex-boyfriend too. In the story, Lila moves back home from Chicago to help her Tita Rosie save her restaurant.
0 kommentar(er)
