'Test Kitchen is phenomenal - a mad, magical, ten-course feast of a novel, gorgeously written, totally original, packed with ideas and invention. Incredibly ambitious too - so many characters, so many stories, all of it choreographed so expertly. I have no idea how Neil Stewart did it, even after reading it twice. It deserves to be a massive success. Three Michelin stars' Paul Murray, author of The Bee Sting
'An amazing novel . . . Veering from humorous to horrifying, Test Kitchen shows real insight into the mildly unhinged nature of both high-end restaurants and their diners - with wit, lyricism and a killer turn of phrase' Marina O'Loughlin
'Test Kitchen is like A Visit from the Goon Squad meets The Menu and I'm loving it!' Alice Slater, author of Death of a Bookseller
It's Tuesday night at sleek London restaurant Midgard. In the kitchen, knives race through mise en place; the front of house hums with anticipation: the stage is set for chaos.
The maitre d' is tangled in a conspiracy he can't escape. A young foodie plots revenge. The nervous new sous chef is about to crack. A restaurant critic has her pen poised. A patisserie chef is haunted by an ex-lover who won't let go. And a diner with a terrible wound conceals an even more terrible secret.
Watching from the shadows is Marley, one of the waitresses. As stories collide and truths quickly unravel, she knows something terrible is about to unfold - but she's powerless to stop it.
Gripping and darkly comedic, Test Kitchen explores the twisted world of food, power, and passion - a biting tale of mothers, magic and mortality, served on a silver platter.
