Sunday 28 February 2010

the book kitchen @ devonshire st., surry hills

A couple of posts back, I mentioned that I made a trip to Peter's of Kensington only to find it shut on a Sunday. Well, I ended up going back there this weekend (on a Saturday of course) and after a good hour of ogling at everything in the shop (seriously you need to go in there; they range everything from food, bakeware, tableware, music, books, travel gear, they even house their own little restaurant inside), I did end up leaving with a shiny piece of equipment which I'm rather excited about! Anyway, all shall be revealed as I start to make use of it in the kitchen!

En route to Kensington was a stopover for lunch at The Book Kitchen on Devonshire Street (just across the road from The Bourke Street Bakery). Whilst the queues extended down the street for Bourke St Bakery, The Book Kitchen was slightly calmer and we grabbed a table inside to have a late lunch.

Dry aged Angus beef on sourdough with onion jam, tomato and chips. The chips are absolutely delectable with a generous sprinkling of salt flakes.

Avocado, sourdough toast, Persian feta, poached egg, rocket and lemon infused olive oil. I loved the clean cut flavours of this one; it was just so wholesome to eat and I felt great eating it. Later in the afternoon, it did leave me a bit peckish though so maybe an extra serving of above mentioned chips would've kept me going till dinner.

Beautiful coffee and tableware - just my kind of cafe.

We sat on the big shared table, next to the bookshelves of cookbooks (yes, I had it all strategically planned out). There's a good range of cookbooks to browse and buy, I had a flick through a few and was intrigued by some of the vintage cookbooks they had also on the shelf. I didn't buy any books over lunch and well, J sort of just shook his head when I started pointing out which cookbooks I already had (and were on the shelves). He thinks I already have more than enough cookbooks (I beg to disagree) but I think he knows that it's a pointless conversation to have with me. 

Lunch was extremely pleasant and I really can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

7 comments:

mashi said...

looks fantastic and I love the sound of Persian feta with lemon & olive oil - good find! x

Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella said...

I really enjoyed our meals at the Book Kitchen too! :D Oh and I wish PoK was open on a Sunday too! They have a warehouse that is open then but it's not a patch on the store.

Amy @ cookbookmaniac.com said...

The aged angus looks so good! I have a hankering for steak now!

Whenever one thinks they have enough cookbooks, there is always one hidden in a corner, in a random bookshop that opens up the window to another kind of cookbooks. Moral of the story? You never have enough cookbooks.

panda said...

mashi - when you're back from holidays, let's go out and eat. I don't mind coming back here to try out the rest of their menu; i think you'll enjoy it!

lorraine - i absolutely loved the food here! the servings are just right and they taste so clean on the palate. and since going to Peter's of Kensington, I'm in love! so many goodies to find inside that store!

amy - the aged angus was good! and haha, i agree with you completely when it comes to cookbooks, i love them and just can't get enough of them :)

Rita (mademoiselle délicieuse) said...

Bookstores where you can browse and have coffee are great to while away the time and it's even better when there's cookbooks involved!

Jen (jenius.com.au) said...

I can't stop staring at those potato chips! That's all I need on a Saturday afternoon. A bowl of those and a good read.

panda said...

mademoiselle delicieuse - have you been to alice & gertrude? i love that cafe; i could spend days in there drinking coffee and just read books!

jen - those potato chips were scrumptious served with the salt flakes! agree, i could easily spend a weekend eating chips and reading books :)