The Cookery Book, Sailors Bay Rd, Northbridge

The Cookery Book, Sailors Bay Rd, Northbridge

Saturday 8 September, 2007

After brunch at one of my favourite locals, Maitre Karl, I decided to take a different route home. To my surprise I stumbled across a strip of fabulous shops on Sailors Bay Road that included antiques, vintage clothes, furniture and cook books. What a find!

The Cookery Book is set in amongst these shops, is a foodies paradise and is Australia's only exclusive distributor of cookery books for the professional chef and the enthusiastic home cook. On entry you are met with thousands of books (they stock almost 3000 cookbooks at any given time) separated by country e.g. Australia, America, United Kingdom and then by speciality e.g. BBQ, Bakery, Seafood etc. I was overwhelmed and didn't know where to start.

I soon found my way to the Australian section and picked up a copy of My Vue by Shannon Bennett - the genius from Melbourne who owns and runs Vue de Monde. Then I started searching through the other countries and stumbled across a few titles from Marco Pierre White. This notoriously bad boy chef has moved through several restaurants and I was fortunate to dine at Mirabelle in London many years ago. I also purchased a copy of White Slave.

I approached the counter and was met by a lovely staff member who asked if I worked in the industry. When I explained I was just a foodie she grabbed recent newsletters for me and asked me to sign up for their monthly newsletter. I was impressed that they showcase all the upcoming books and offer brief commentary on each. As I had showed interest in Shannon and Marco, I was directed to the books by Anthony Bourdain. I have them all and was pleased to learn that there are two upcoming books, one with an introduction by Tony (My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals Portraits by Melanie Dunea) and another on his travels around the world with his TV show, No Reservations. Bring on November!

My quest for cookbook stores all started back in 2001 when I visited London and was introduced to Books for Cooks just off Portobello Road in Notting Hills. This cosy space dedicated to cookbooks also houses a cafe with a set menu that is an experience not to be missed. Since then I have visited Books for Cooks in Fitzroy, VIC and also The Book Kitchen in Surry Hills, NSW.

If you know of another local or international cookbook store worth visiting - let me know!

The Cookery Book - 44 Sailors Bay Rd, Northbridge - (02) 9967 8211

http://www.cookerybook.com.au/