Troy McNaughtonBeware the man of one book....
March 31st 2006 03:07
... or "cave ab homine unius libri"... (Cicero)
Entering a bookshop before you’ve had your coffee seems like some kind of reverse universe where food comes out of your mouth fully formed and shattered pieces of glass fly off the floor to recompose themselves into champagne flutes.
Never fear! You can soon set this inversion right at Sappho Books. I might never have set foot in this bookshop if it hadn’t been from a tipoff from a friend who discovered it by mistake. Behind the book shop itself, more or less in what could be an extension and a townhouse backyard, is a tiny little café, complete with detached bathroom!
Iced coffees with plenty of icecream, frappes crunchy with berry bits and ingeniously sprinkled with shaved chocolate, books within arms reach – not to mention the personal efforts of the staff – combine to make this little hideaway a very special place for long talks or quiet reflection.
Umbrellas and pergola shelter you from the elements if you want to sit outside, but there is also a simple rustic/ethnic bench seat/cushion arrangement going on in the back room; an assortment of chairs and tables mean you can always find a spot you like the look of.
By all means make it your own – though I get the feeling some of the instalments in the backyard claimed their patch when the café first opened, so try to avoid Regular Rage – but there’s no pressure to buy books or leave when you’re done. No kids, this is not your average Chinese restaurant.
Best of all, its not quite Newtown, not quite the CBD, not quite Redfern, but it’s still on your route to Broadway shops or Sydney Uni or Leichardt or Parramatta from the city. There’s a peculiarly Glebe boho sensibility here that reflects the gradual gentrification of the area: it’s low-key, unimposing comfort meets staff who smile with gourmet options.
And although this is not a toilet blog (though I think we could all use a bit of direction/warning there), I appreciate a café that keeps their bathrooms clean enough to cook in – provided they don’t actually. Better than all the sharehouse facilities I’ve been forced to endure – and plenty of posters to entertain you while you’re there! That hiatus between caffeine hits can really make or break a café experience.
You won’t get accosted by crazies, ranted at by revolutionaries, or sneered at by snobs, and it’s totally possible to go there without getting the least bit edumacated.
To drink is human, to drink coffee, divine!
The Sappho Books café can be found at 165 Glebe Point Road, Glebe.
Entering a bookshop before you’ve had your coffee seems like some kind of reverse universe where food comes out of your mouth fully formed and shattered pieces of glass fly off the floor to recompose themselves into champagne flutes.
Iced coffees with plenty of icecream, frappes crunchy with berry bits and ingeniously sprinkled with shaved chocolate, books within arms reach – not to mention the personal efforts of the staff – combine to make this little hideaway a very special place for long talks or quiet reflection.
Umbrellas and pergola shelter you from the elements if you want to sit outside, but there is also a simple rustic/ethnic bench seat/cushion arrangement going on in the back room; an assortment of chairs and tables mean you can always find a spot you like the look of.
Best of all, its not quite Newtown, not quite the CBD, not quite Redfern, but it’s still on your route to Broadway shops or Sydney Uni or Leichardt or Parramatta from the city. There’s a peculiarly Glebe boho sensibility here that reflects the gradual gentrification of the area: it’s low-key, unimposing comfort meets staff who smile with gourmet options.
And although this is not a toilet blog (though I think we could all use a bit of direction/warning there), I appreciate a café that keeps their bathrooms clean enough to cook in – provided they don’t actually. Better than all the sharehouse facilities I’ve been forced to endure – and plenty of posters to entertain you while you’re there! That hiatus between caffeine hits can really make or break a café experience.
You won’t get accosted by crazies, ranted at by revolutionaries, or sneered at by snobs, and it’s totally possible to go there without getting the least bit edumacated.
To drink is human, to drink coffee, divine!
The Sappho Books café can be found at 165 Glebe Point Road, Glebe.
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Comment by Cibbuano
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they must do terrible business!
Comment by Lia
And a note of warning to anyone who visits Bondi Junction- Arthur's Cafe (Oxford Mall) makes the worst milkshakes and iced mochas I've had the misfortune to drink.. watery! Well, except that time on King St when the milk was actually off..