Late Nights at the Donabe Diner

At Hana Chen's community diner, no guest ever goes hungry in this delicious and heartwarming novel about food and found family

Tucked away in a quiet alley off Carpenter Street, Hana Chen runs an unnamed community diner. In a world where food is scarce in the aftermath of the Japanese Occupation of Borneo, the diner is a refuge for the people of Kuching as they slowly rebuild their lives.

Hana provides a seemingly endless supply of delicious, fluffy white rice, no matter how few grains she sprinkles into her mother’s trusty donabe cooking pot. In turn, she asks her customers to bring enough ingredients to feed five people, so she can make whatever homecooked meals their hearts desire.

As Hana listens to her guests’ stories, she says little about herself. Her mother has been repatriated to Japan, and she’s estranged from her wealthy Chinese father, who wants Hana to forget about the diner and marry the son of a business associate. But Hana’s heart is softened by Kim Choo, a young girl who is the star of the local opera troupe. As Hana begins to trust in the community around her, she discovers that the diner will always be a place of sanctuary – and perhaps love too.