Welcome to the Age of Gourmet, an era where chefs and Gourmet Hunters are celebrated superstars! In a savage world ruled by the pursuit of the rarest and most luxurious foods, it's either eat or be eaten! While searching for the tastiest ingredients imaginable, Gourmet Hunter Toriko and his chef partner Komatsu travel the world, facing monstrous yet tasty beasts.

But there's still one place the duo has yet to visit—the Gourmet World. However, since both Toriko and Komatsu are not strong enough to tackle the perilous challenges of the Gourmet World, the IGO President prepares a rigorous training regimen for them. Next up on their list, a trip to the Labyrinth Desert in order to procure the highly sought-after Mellow Cola!

After traversing the treacherous desert, Toriko, Zebra and Komatsu find themselves seperated and inside the Gourmet Pyramid where Mellow Cola resides. While Toriko and Zebra are fighting (and eating) their way through the Pyramid's myriad of monsters, Komatsu discovers a strange room with an ancient cookbook written in an alien language. Using his chef intuition, Komatsu is able to figure out from the cookbook how to obtain and prepare Mellow Cola, which can be found in the terrifying Salamander Sphinx!

But that's the least of their concerns since lurking around is a familiar and more sinister creature waiting to abscond with their fizzy spoils! Can the trio take on both creatures and manage to wring the delicious beverage out of the Salamander Sphinx?

Toriko volume 16 is available from VIZ.com!

by Sean Baylor