Melbourne has plenty of quality restaurants and cafes, some of the best in Australia. A fun theme for visitors is to eat where talented chefs have published cookbooks. Some are so fresh off the press I can smell the ink, tricking my brain while my eyes feast on flavourful photos. These iconic Melbourne food stops are scattered across the city like pepperoni on pizza so I’ve put them in order most likely to be visited; most central then circling out in four directions, because who doesn’t enjoy a spiralling food coma?
There are 16 venues across five itineraries directly linked to cookbooks, plus another dozen places linked to these celebrity chefs across town. A weekend getaway will not fit them all in. Like when faced with a good menu, the most difficult decision is what to try. Below are five ‘set menu’ food tours that will challenge you by the length of their courses, and will take you to some of the best dining experiences of Inner-city North, South, East and West.
Get even more excited because many of these epic food destinations that inspired cookbooks also sell in-house jarred and bottled goodies to take home. If you want to know more about each foodie author (many celebrity chefs you’ll recognise from reality TV like Masterchef) at the end of the itineraries are all the cookbook blurbs, author bios, addresses to find where the magic happens, as well as gorgeous book covers.
DAY 1 – Melbourne Central
Start your day with superb croissants, cruffins or pain au chocolat at Lune in the CBD. The flaky croissant pastry has 100 layers of butter and flour or more. Lune is the Melbourne bakery famous for pastry chefs crafting behind glass while you dine-in or wait for takeaway. This ‘live theatre’ appears in more Australian patisseries these days, but Lune was a forerunner to elevate croissant dough to a wider Australian audience. Then in 2022 expanded to Brisbane and launched their cookbook. Being the best at one thing remains a rare but rewarding business model and Lune is the model case study. My favourite at any patisserie is the twice baked almond croissants covered in frangipane (an almond meal sugar paste) and flaked nuts. This traditional French croissant can look quite ugly, and Lune deliver a beautiful interpretation. Whatever flaky creations you taste you will be left with a lasting impression of hospitality excellence.
For lunch and dinner it’s time to flip a coin! Two central restaurants have awesome new cookbooks and are a few blocks walk from each other, both with exciting lunch and dinner menus.
Big Esso is the venue at Federation Square by Mabu Mabu founder chef Nornie Bero. Sharing is caring on their menus. Big Esso has lots of plates that suit lunch or dinner to share a variety of native Australian tastes and wild produce like mussels, Moreton Bay bug, and fish. Lots of seafood is a nod to Nornie's island upbringing as well as the venue style of indoor and outdoor. There are also set menus for those who want the house to decide, and a bar menu that showcases Australian drinks and ingredients.
Supernormal in Flinders Lane has been riding high on the food scene for over a decade. In 2015, they published their Supernormal cookbook and in 2023 have released a revised edition with a hot-looking bright red cover and more recipes. Supernormal has an a la carte and banquet menu available daily. Australia's neighbouring Asian food cultures have inspired Modern Australian dishes. Food fusion is something Melbourne embraced first in the world and the story continues. In Autumn 2024, Supernormal also launched a lunch ramen noodle menu. In case you need a lighter option between epic food experiences.
If you want more of Supernormal’s Andrew McConnell inspiration in your Melbourne visit, his co-owned Trader Group includes (nine at recent count) restaurants, bars and specialty retail stores with Jo McGann. You may recognise Cumulus Inc. (released a cookbook in 2015) in the CBD, Cutler & Co. (Fitzroy), and Builders Arms Hotel (Fitzroy – included in the below itineraries). Andrew also co-wrote another cookbook with butcher, Troy Wheeler, called, Meatsmith, published in 2023. The cookbook’s namesake is a butcher, providore and wine merchant in four inner-city Melbourne suburbs; Fitzroy, St Kilda, Balwyn and Brighton. You could dedicate an entire weekend trip to this dozen or so Melbourne Trader Group venues. Plenty of delicious reasons to come back because firstly, I need to finish my cookbook fan-girling.
DAY 2 – Melbourne Inner East
Head to the inner east to Smith + Deli in Collingwood for breakfast or brunch. It’s only half-an-hour stroll via Fitzroy Gardens, or a short tram or taxi ride. You will find lots of breakfast faves but all vegan to look like traditional food even the eggs. Being vegan and delicious is the speciality that made Smith+ Deli iconic. Lots of interesting plant-based fillings in typical Aussie breakfast options like toasts, wraps and big brekkie plates. There’s also an impressive-looking vegan Spanish tortilla potato omelette the size of a cake. Lots of vegan salads also entice and some have mimicked cheese like the Caesar dressing that is creamy and zingy with a parmesan reminder. Even the aioli sauce on the side of the tortilla is vegan (aioli is normally made with egg). All the flavours pack a punch. Before you leave, check out their pantry goods to take in your carry-on. They also have lots of fresh, cold stored deli goods if you want to swing by on the way home, such as ‘saucy wings’ and ‘beef carnitas’ made of mushroom.
Lots to look at in Collingwood and its arts and design scene. Lots of interesting shops along Smith Street, as well as side streets. The Plant Society gets a book-lover mention because it has two books already and a plant design handbook on the way this year. The leafy store has all your indoor gardening needs including carry-on suitable gifts for the urban green thumb.
Another worthy Fitzroy mention is CIBI, a Japanese café and store that published its cookbook in 2018. The place is a huge airy warehouse with tall, bright windows, also with alfresco footpath dining. You’ll be tempted by a late lunch but leave room for afternoon tea! You can also buy gorgeous, imported homewares and gifts like traditional toys. Any Nippon-lover will be extra happy.
Once you have an appetite again, Tarts Anon will be your stop in between lunch and dinner where you can taste impeccable tart slices and good coffee whilst sitting in the front terrace. The flavours change monthly alongside a few classics. You may have seen Founder Chef Gareth Whitton on the TV series Dessert Masters in 2023.
For dinner, you could circle back to the ‘Smith genius’ because their sister venue, Smith + Daughter restaurant is next door. A vegan menu with more polished plating that is gorgeous to look at before you devour it all (open for dinner on Tue, Wed, Thu). In between the two venues, a nice hospitality touch is you can see through a large window at the live food preparation. If you still can’t get enough of founder chef Shannon Martinez’ vegan creativity, she's als0 an Executive Chef at Ovolo Hotel’s South Yarra restaurant, Lona Misa, only six km away (awarded One Hat by Good Food Guide 2023).
What a nice segway to Scott Pickett, the other Executive chef at Lona Misa, published a cookbook in 2019, A Marriage of Flavours: Four Seasons of Beautifully Balanced Food. You may have seen him on the TV series Snackmasters. He has a fistful of restaurants around Melbourne like in the CBD is Chancery Lane, Longsong and Longrain. Matilda is in nearby South Yarra (add to Day 4 below). Pickett's Deli & Rotisserie is at Melbourne airport. You can eat celebrity chef creations until your last Melbourne hour before boarding.
DAY 3 - Melbourne Inner North
Today’s main meals are about Middle Eastern flavours and hospitality. Make your way north on a half-hour tram to Brunswick for a 11am brunch (or early lunch) at Very Good Falafel which recently published the cookbook Very Good Salads. You guessed it, they also have colourful glass cases of very good-looking salads to eat alongside their iconic green, crunchy falafel balls. Afterwards, plenty to see and do in Inner North Melbourne until you feel your next hunger pang.
Now might be the time to find Pidapipo gelati at its award-winning Laboratorio fit-out in Fitzroy. Awarded architectural retail design from Dion Hall and the branding was also shortlisted from entries across the county. The perfect blend to create an enticing Pidapipo cookbook, and they could ask their creative collaborator, Natalie Paull who published two Beatrix Bakes cookbooks. A fan girl can hope. (More about this in Day 4 below).
Yesterday’s Collingwood suburb joins Fitzroy via Smith Street, so the continuation of more great shopping, open studios, vintage, and sights like street art. This is where you will find one of the four Meatsmith butchers and providores (mentioned above in Day 1).
Once you are ready for more eats that inspired cookbooks, make your way for dinner to Rumi restaurant in East Brunswick Village, a few kilometres from both Brunswick and Fitzroy. Named after the 13th Century Persian poet, Rumi is a blend of Turkish, Lebanese and Persian like chef Joseph Abboud's heritage, who has led its popularity for nearly two decades. Rumi’s website says, “Signature dishes include sigara boregi (three-cheese-filled cigars), fried cauliflower studded with currants and pine nuts and a saffron-marinated, charcoal-fired quail kebab.” Make way! Appetite of a Caliph coming through!
A special mention goes to the cookbook cooks Tekebash and Saba, a mother and daughter dream team who used to run an Ethiopian restaurant called Saba at 328 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy from 2015-2020. The cookbook Tekebash and Saba, published in 2023, recreates their wonderful spicy creations and weaves a tale of culture and belonging. There is another Ethiopian restaurant at the same location, I’m sure it’s worth a taste if you walk by in your wanderings. I love how when you eat Ethiopian out, you can sample half-a-dozen curries, more than you would make at home, all piled on the traditional giant (and micro-bubbled) crepe, called an injera.
DAY 4 – Melbourne Inner South and Southeast
Time to get up! Fresh, crusty pastries are waiting. Time to ‘choose your own breakfast adventure’ and pick from one of two famous bakeries with cookbooks, both in the inner Southeast.
Choice No.1 in Prahan (take-away only): Baker Bleu published their first cookbook in January 2024. They have two takeaway-only bakeries in Prahan and South Caulfield. A lockdown success story of a businessman who follows his bread-making passion and is so talented that his humble home food business is today, two award-winning bakeries in Melbourne, and expanded to Sydney recently. Get your expertly baked breakfast at Baker Bleu in suave Hawkesburn Village on Malvern Road. Sourdough viennoiserie is the order of the day! Takeaway only so find a sunny curb or nearby leafy park to enjoy the food mastery. Alternatively, I recommend visiting at closing time in the afternoon to take back to your accommodation for more relaxed noshing. Baker Bleu has two venues (both takeaway). The Prahan store that is closer to the city has the pastry kitchen, and the Caulfield North store (further out in the same SE direction) is the bread kitchen. Of course, you can get all the goodies at both sites. Please also admire Baker Bleu’s Prahan shop design. IF Architecture was the 2022 Winner of Best Retail Design awarded by the Eat Drink Design Awards. At Baker Bleu you will find well-designed food art inside well-designed building art. Art nestled within art, like some warming pastry metaphor. How 'Melbourne' that feels.
Choice No.2 in South Yarra (dine-in available): Tivoli Road Bakery published its first cookbook in 2019 and you can enjoy a leisurely dine-in experience with coffee at their bakery in South Yarra. This talented husband and wife team with Michelin experience have been making locals happy with baked treats and staples since 2013. You can pre-order their new cookbook coming out in September 2024 called Sweet Seasons: Wholesome Treats For Every Occasion. The other cookbooks in the backlist are The Tivoli road Bakery (2018) and All Day Baking: Savoury, Not Sweet (2021).
Before dinner, there are plenty of shopping high streets near both bakeries like Chapel Street, Toorak Road and Greville Street. A meandering walk is excellent for digestion and the Melbourne climate is not too hot for open-air shopping and street-art spotting. Nearby in St Kilda is another Meatsmith (if you didn’t get to the Fitzroy store above), the gourmet butcher and providore with a new cookbook has some tasty pantry items for you to fit into your carry-on. The calm bayside and its beaches are also nearby if you need a brief ‘lay down’ between food adventures.
For dinner, a few kilometres from the above-mentioned urban villages is the suburb of Balaclava, where sits Tulum, a hatted Turkish restaurant so good the chef published a cookbook in 2019. The dishes are as you would expect from a hatted restaurant; elegant works of art. Plus, one Saturday lunch each month you can book into a cooking class and watch chef Coskun Uysal work his magic. Also stock up on Tulum’s in-house pantry goodies like smoked date butter. You had me at butter!
If you need more food destinations in our day (who doesn't), an honourable mention goes to the cookbook Beatrix Bakes: Another Bite by Natalie Paull who had a hugely popular bakery on this side of town until a few years ago. Late last year, Paull collaborated on a Summery ice-cream cake (how Aussie) with Pidapipo, an ice-creamery with four locations. If you didn’t make it to their architecturally-awarded ‘Laboratorio’ shop in Fitzroy in the Inner East itinerary above, then their Windsor gelateria is in the inner South, and they have many delicious flavours to try, I love passionfruit cheesecake.
DAY 5 - Melbourne West
Take a train west to Sunshine station and walk a hundred metres to eat at the awarded SalamatTea cafe and social enterprise, which has a culinary school training asylum migrants who have started new lives in Australia, just as the founder himself was an asylum seeker from Iran in 2012. In 2022, Hamed Allahyari published the cookbook Salamati: Hamed's Persian kitchen; recipes and stories from Iran to the other side of the world. Taste the café dishes that inspired the cookbook and you will find a homage to Persian cuisine and culture such as colourful rice dishes, breads and dips, hearty meat and lentil stews and leave space for exotic sweet bites.
That concludes the cookbook lover’s guide to Melbourne. I lost count of so many cookbooks made in Melbourne, quite the literary city! As you travel back to the CBD from the West, the suburbs of Footscray and Yarraville are worth a stroll and have many eateries offering global cuisines. I'll leave the rest of your day to discover plenty more food havens in this vibrant culinary city.
THE COOKBOOKS that inspired these Melbourne foodie trails
Lune: Croissants All Day, All Night By Kate Reid (2022, special boxed edition 2023)
LOCATIONS
Shop 16, 161 Collins Street, Melbourne CBD
119 Rose St, Fitzroy 3065
Shop 2, 835 High St, Armadale 3143
COOKBOOK DESCRIPTION - Lune Croissanterie is one of the most talked about bakeries in the world. From rave reviews from Nigella Lawson, Yotam Ottolenghi, René Redzepi and Rachel Khoo, to features in news outlets such as New York Times and The Guardian, Lune has been touted as ‘the best croissant in the world’ since it opened its doors in 2012. Customers are queuing quite literally around the block from the early hours to eat Lune’s pastries, but what makes this book so special is how Kate Reid elevates croissant pastry from a classic breakfast staple to a refined vehicle for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With step-by-step techniques for rolling and shaping croissants, followed by recipes for every hour of the day, plus what to do with leftovers and how to make a croissant a special occasion, this is the ultimate guide to baking the world's best-loved pastry.
About the Author - Kate Reid wasn't always a baker - far from it, in fact. After studying Aerospace Engineering at university, she followed her lifelong passion for Formula 1 racing and became an aerodynamicist for the Williams F1 team in the UK in the mid-2000s. In 2008, though, she wanted to change direction, and returned to her native Melbourne to find her new niche - pastry. After working in the cafes and bakeries of Melbourne and a stint in Paris, she knew that she wanted to create something perennially popular, and take her skills to a new level, and so, Lune Croissanterie was born. Since opening Lune in 2012, it has amassed a cult, global following, with celebrity devotees and an Instagram following of 232k. It's gone from a one-person show to a five-site bakery with queues around the block from dawn and The Cube, where Kate and her 120-strong team develop regularly changing recipes for everything from takeaway breakfasts to tasting menus of croissants.
Mabu Mabu: An Australian Kitchen Cookbook By Nornie Bero (2022)
LOCATION: Big Esso, Fed Square, Melbourne 3000
COOKBOOK DESCRIPTION - In Mabu Mabu, charismatic First Nations chef Nornie Bero champions the tastes of native flavours in everyday cooking by unlocking the secrets of Australian herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits. Nornie grew up on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait and while her wanderlust would take her to Italian and Japanese kitchens in Melbourne and London via Townsville, her home now is Mabu Mabu, a restaurant renowned in Melbourne and beyond for its innovative and delicious Australian Indigenous food. This book, also called Mabu Mabu – which means help yourself – reflects Nornie’s approach to cooking: simple, accessible, delicious, and colourful! Her native pantry (explored in a comprehensive glossary of native ingredients) includes seeds, succulents, nuts, plants and herbs, and her recipes range from Pumpkin and Wattleseed dampers (for which she is known) to Kangaroo Tail Bourguignon to Saltbush Butter, Quandong Relish, Pickled Karkalla and Pulled Wild Boar. Nornie also shares her knowledge of foraging, sourcing and substitutions, as well as the story of her formative years foraging, fishing and cooking alongside her beloved father on Mer.
About the Author - Nornie Bero is from the Meriam People of Mer Island in the Torres Strait and is the Executive Chef, CEO and Owner of Mabu Mabu. Bero has been a professional chef for more than twenty-five years. Her style of cooking is all about generosity and flavour and she has been creating dishes using Australian native ingredients for much of her career. Mabu Mabu’s venues – Tuckshop in Yarraville (catering), and Big Esso in Federation Square, Melbourne, champion Islander flavours and Australian native produce. Through the business and her book, Nornie is on a mission to make Indigenous herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits a part of everyone’s kitchen pantry.
Supernormal: Recipes Inspired by Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul and Hong Kong By Andrew McConnell (2024)
LOCATION: 180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 3000
COOKBOOK DESCRIPTION - Andrew McConnell’s Supernormal is one of Australia’s most loved restaurants inspired by the cooking of Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo and Shanghai, opening on Melbourne’s Flinders Lane in 2014 to great acclaim, followed by this cutting-edge cookbook first published in 2015. This refreshed 2023 edition features a striking new cover and includes the recipe for his iconic lobster roll and 88 more diverse dishes across eight chapters. Beautifully photographed by Earl Carter, it celebrates the irresistible lure of dumplings and tonkatsu, the comforting serenity of ramen, the bracing kick of kimchi and pickles and the addictive qualities of pipis and XO. It’s about midnight snacks and lunchtime feasting. It’s about bringing flavours from Asia, Europe and Australia together in surprising and traditional ways. And of course, it’s about sharing great food and eating well.
About the author - Andrew McConnell is one of Australia’s most successful chefs and restaurateurs, Andrew McConnell brings trend-setting style, attention to detail and good taste to everything he does. His groundbreaking restaurant group Trader House operates acclaimed restaurants Cutler & Co. and Gimlet, wine bar Marion, Supernormal, all-day icon Cumulus Inc. and classic pub Builders Arms Hotel. Andrew is also the author of Cumulus Inc. and, with Troy Wheeler, Meatsmith (2023).
Meatsmith: Home Cooking for Friends and Family By Andrew McConnell and Troy Wheeler (2023)
LOCATIONS:
273 Smith St, Fitzroy 3065
227A Barkly St, St Kilda 3182
612 Hampton St, Brighton 3186
431 Whitehorse Rd, Balwyn 3103
COOKBOOK DESCRIPTION - Celebrated Australian restaurateur Andrew McConnell and world class butcher Troy Wheeler unite for Meatsmith: Home Cooking For Friends and Family, featuring more than 80 brilliant recipes to inspire long lunches, impressive dinners and sensational shared celebrations. More than another meat cookbook, this is an elegant guide to classic cooking that will inspire moments to be remembered. Discover menus for special occasions – from a fiery butcher's picnic to a summer lunch in the garden – plus how to grill the perfect rib eye, prepare a spectacular steak tartare and create one great dessert. Master signature dishes such as beef wellington or glazed roast duck, delicious charcuterie, barbecue and roasts; and find stellar side pairings among an array of show-stealing salads, vegetable dishes, and sauces. Andrew and Troy’s belief in quality has seen Meatsmith become one of Australia's best boutique grocers, and it is now the essential cookbook every home cook must have.
About the Authors - Andrew McConnell (see above Supernormal cookbook).
Troy Wheeler — Falling into a career as a butcher in a small country town, Troy Wheeler moved to Melbourne and climbed the ranks to become one of the city’s best butchers. In 2015, he launched Meatsmith with Andrew McConnell, creating one of Australia’s best bespoke butcher and grocery stores focusing on heritage meats, sauces and charcuterie.
Smith & Daughters: A Cookbook (That Happens to be Vegan) By Shannon Martinez, Mo Wyse (2022)
LOCATION: Smith + Daughters and Smith + Deli, 107 Cambridge St, Collingwood 3066
COOKBOOK DESCRIPTION - A new refreshed edition of the bestselling 2017 edition, Smith & Daughters: A Cookbook (That Happens to Be Vegan) is once again setting out to prove that veganism is not a passing trend. Now, millions of people around the world are committed to eating less meat, and this essential guide to plant-based innovation in the kitchen has become a groundbreaking bible. Based on the landmark Melbourne restaurant of the same name, this energized cookbook offers 80 delicious vegan recipes with a Spanish twist to recreate at home, appealing to meat and vegetarian eaters alike. Across seven chapters, the book features big plates, small plates, salads, sweets, dressings and drinks, with recipes for 'chorizo' and potato, 'meatballs' in a saffron almond sauce, chipotle cashew 'cheese', 'tuna' and green pea croquettes, plus warm doughnuts and spiced Mexican flan. Forget your preconceptions of vegan food Smith & Daughters: A Cookbook (That Happens to be Vegan) is the iconic book for vegetarians, vegans and anyone who is even slightly veg-curious.
About the Authors - A veritable tour de force in vegetarian and vegan cooking, Shannon Martinez has been a chef in Melbourne kitchens for over 20 years. She is best known as the owner of Australia's most prolific plant-based business, Smith & Daughters, which resulted in the best-selling books Smith & Daughters: A Cookbook (That Happens to be Vegan), Smith & DELIcious: Food From Our Deli (That Happens to be Vegan), and Vegan With Bite. While Shannon eats meat, she has perfected her vegan repertoire and says this is what makes her food taste so good; she aims to replicate the flavours and textures of meat, rather than serving bland, predictable, vegan fare.
Mo Wyse is a Seattle and NY expat. She studied journalism, has a background in production but dedicated her passion for creative, plant-based food to creating Smith & Daughters, where she is the logistical, front-of-house and marketing brains behind this gun team.
Tarts Anon: Sweet And Savoury Tart Brilliance By Gareth Whitton and Catherine Way (2024)
LOCATIONS:
44 Sackville St, Collingwood 3066
29a Gwynne St, Cremorne 3121
COOKBOOK DESCRIPTION - Tarts Anon does one thing exceptionally well – tarts – and in this cookbook the team behind the legend reveal the secrets to making the perfect one for every occasion. Tarts Anon: Sweet and savoury tart brilliance is your guide to baking a stunning tart, every time. Featuring 50 different recipes: from beloved classics such as Plain Old Lemon and Vanilla Custard to more out-of-the-box offerings like Black Forest Tart; savoury crowd-pleasers like Mushroom and Parmesan, and truly celebratory tarts like the Saint Honoré, this book contains all the knowledge and inspiration you need to become a tart master. Also included are an in-depth shortcrust pastry recipe and helpful breakouts that guide you through fixing pastry pitfalls with dulce de leche, pouring praise-inducing glazes and perfectly portioning your finished tarts. Simple, elegant and versatile, tarts are both the perfect end to a meal and a meal in their own right – with this book at your fingertips, a world of showstopping circular bakes awaits.
About the Authors - Gareth Whitton was the head pastry chef at Dinner By Heston Blumenthal and former pastry chef at Kate Reid's Lune before launching Tarts Anon as an online side hustle during the Covid lockdowns. It soon snowballed into a hit retail store in Melbourne, Australia, an appearance on MasterChef Australia and a stunning run on the smash hit spin-off Dessert Masters. Gareth does the baking while his partner Catherine - a speech pathologist with a handy knack for dessert logistics - oversees everything else.
Baker Bleu: Bake it till you make it By Mike Russell (2024)
LOCATIONS:
42 Errol Street, Prahran 3141
119-121 Hawthorn Rd, Caulfield North 3161
COOKBOOK DESCRIPTION - The many exciting roads to bread glory and the best ways to enjoy it from a powerhouse couple who threw in their corporate jobs to realise their bakery dream. Baker Bleu The Book is a cookbook of sorts. At least, it has 70-plus delicious, inventive recipes for anyone who wants to emulate the best bread and Roman-style sourdough pizza bases in Melbourne. And those who are sandwich fiends (like Neil Perry), or who aspire to resourcefulness with leftover bread, or use croissant dough to make simple filled pastries at home (and prudently leave the whole croissant palaver to the experts). Or just crave the bakery's now cultish vegan challah (born of the fact its first low-grade food licence did not allow them to work with eggs). But there is more to it too. It's also a story of what's possible when you wake up one day and decide there's more to life than the soulless corporate grind. And you sign on with pluck and ambition to bake it till you make it.
About the Author - Nicknamed blue as a kid, Mike Russell spent his twenties seeking that thing that would make him tick. Advertising wasn't it. Discovering baking at 25 was the aha! moment, and he moved around honing his skills with leading bakers across Sydney and Melbourne. In 2016, he and his then-banker wife Mia Russell sold their house, upset their parents, and threw everything they had at a tiny shopfront in Elsternwick, swapping blue for bleu because it sounds gourmet, right? Eight years later the couple are full time in their business - which turns out 40,000 items a week, and regularly sells out. They divide their time between two sites in Melbourne and a shiny outpost in Sydney's Double Bay.
Sweet Seasons: Wholesome Treats For Every Occasion By Michael James and Pippa James (2024)
LOCATION: TIVOLI ROAD BAKERY, 3 Tivoli Road, South Yarra 3141
COOKBOOK DESCRIPTION: After the success of All Day Baking: Savoury, Not Sweet (as featured on Jamie Oliver's Cookbook Club), Michael and Pippa James return with Sweet Seasons, in this cookbook featuring more than 80 delectable recipes from retro hits to modern marvels. Discover how to embrace the sustainable side of sweets by using seasonal fruits, alternative sugars, wholegrains and other flours. Try fail-safe recipes for traditional favourites such as hot cross buns, mince pies, and other festive fare, and nail the classics such as custard tart, sponge cake, chocolate chip cookies and other achievable treats. Sweet Seasons also includes wonderful recipes for perfect pastries and pies, brownies, biscuits and more. You’ll find fabulous Florentines, luscious lemon poppy-seed cake, and creative custards and curds. It’s the only sweet book you'll need to celebrate all of life's seasons.
About the authors - Michael and Pippa James ran the successful Tivoli Road Bakery in Melbourne's South Yarra. Michael is an accomplished chef and baker, who grew up in Penzance, West Cornwall before moving to London, where he met Pippa over the pass at the two-Michelin starred restaurant Pied a Terre. They moved to Australia in 2004, and opened the Tivoli Road Bakery in 2013.
Tulum: Modern Turkish Cuisine By Cokun Uysal (2019)
LOCATION: 217 Carlisle Street, Balaclava 3183
COOKBOOK DESCRIPTION - Tulum is a much acclaimed modern Turkish restaurant in Melbourne, awarded in 2018 its first Chefs Hat by the Melbourne Good Food Guide, is the creation of one of Australia's most exciting new chefs, Coskun Uysal. With 7 chapters representing the 7 diverse regions of Turkey, each with their own seasonal ingredients, this handsome cookbook captures the essence of Tulum's delicious modern Turkish cuisine. Every 3 months Tulum's menu moves to a different region of Turkey, and now this book allows the home cook to create delicious simple yet refined dishes for all of the 7 regions. Tulum takes traditional, usually Anatolian, recipes and gives them contemporary twists using modern techniques. Coskun's Australian diners can now appreciate the varieties and rich traditions of Turkish cuisine, which is a far cry from its old image of dips and kebabs.
About the Author - Raised dirt poor in the back streets of Istanbul, Coskun was inspired by his mother's cooking and followed his dream by paying his dues in the restaurant Turkey before opening his very own successful restaurant in Istanbul, Moreish. After following his partner to Melbourne, Coskun worked in restaurants to save for his own brand-new establishment. In 2017 Coskun and Tulum were nominated for Best Chef of the year, Best Casual Dining and Best New Restaurant taking out the Best Casual Dining by Time Out Melbourne.
Very Good Salads: Middle-Eastern salads and plates for sharing By Louisa Allan, Shuki Rosenboim (2022)
LOCATION: VERY GOOD FALAFEL, 629 Sydney Rd, Brunswick 3056
COOKBOOK DESCRIPTION - A seasonal cookbook filled with salad and dips inspired by the Middle East. This book contains 52 very good salad recipes, brought to you by Shuki Rosenboim and Louisa Allan, owners of Very Good Falafel, a small falafel bar in Melbourne, Australia. With a focus on vegan salads, exceptional dips, soft pita and, of course, very good falafel, all made from local in-season ingredients – you’ll find all of these dishes, and more, in this very good book. Very Good Salads shares Shuki and Louisa’s original, much-lauded falafel recipe for the first time, along with their popular salads that change with the seasons. Making the very best of fresh produce, recipes include Iraqi Jewish and Middle Eastern-focused salads that are as good on their own as they are stuffed into bread with a side of tahini. Each salad makes use of the whole vegetable, with classic and less-expected pairings such as watermelon salad with za’atar, radish and fried pita; peaches, basil and hazelnut; and grilled leek with pomegranate, walnuts, spring onion, mint, dill and lemon zest; as well as larger offerings such as silverbeet rice cake and stuffed tomatoes with saffron rice and dried mint. In addition, the book shares recipes for traditional dips and the ultimate pita recipe that produces flawless bread to stuff or served alongside share plates.
About the Authors - After years selling homemade dips, sauces, and falafels at farmers' markets around Victoria, Louisa Allan and Shuki Rosenboim grew so popular that they set up a permanent shop on Melbourne's vibrant Sydney Road-and they've never looked back. Their small café has become a Melbourne institution. With a cult following and legendary falafel status, Louisa and Shuki are two of the city's most popular food creators.
Rumi: Food of Middle Eastern Appearance By Joseph Abboud (2023)
LOCATION: 2 Village Ave, East Brunswick Village 3057
COOKBOOK DESCRIPTION - Heartwarming, flavour-packed recipes from the Middle East via Joseph Abboud's iconic Melbourne eatery, Rumi. How often has the phrase 'of Middle Eastern appearance' been employed to evoke fear and prejudice? This cookbook is here to challenge that. Chef Joseph Abboud's food looks Middle Eastern because its proud origins are a little bit Lebanese, a little bit Persian, and a little bit Turkish - but it also represents the heart of an honest and enduring eatery in inner Melbourne's Brunswick, named for the 13th-century poet. This is food cooked with an egalitarian ethos and, yes, with soul. Forget veg-forward, this is hierarchy-free food; salads, fish, veg, meat and toum (with almost everything) all command their place in a meal at Joe's table. Regulars will give thanks for classics like the three-cheese Sigaras, the Rumi Meatballs and the famous Lamb Shoulder; everyone else has the joy of discovery ahead. To roll call a few, there's a Fattoush for Every Season, a delightfully 'inauthentic' Broccoli Tabbouleh, Joe's mother's Eggplant M'Nazleh and The Quail That Anthony Bourdain Ate. Joe is wary of sharing the 60-plus recipes in this book, not for fear of divulging secrets so much as exposing how simple his cooking is. Certainly, his intention is not that this book represents the end for these favourites. Rather, the opposite is what he hopes for: 'For their new custodians, it's just the beginning. Whatever that looks like.'
About the Author - Joseph Abboud has been cooking his take on modern Middle Eastern food at Rumi, his restaurant in Melbourne's inner northern suburbs, since 2006. The vibe is chill, the rules are broken, the food is generous, the cauliflower is burnt, and the locals are lucky. Joe earnt his stripes in modern European kitchens but made the jump to the cuisine of his Lebanese heritage after identifying an opportunity to explore new ways to frame Middle Eastern food; combining both the flavours he knew innately through his childhood and expressions of his own experiences. He took a punt that Melbourne was ready for shared plates, real charcoal barbecues, tahini sauces, Arabic coffee, and the honest Abboud hospitality his beloved restaurant is now known for. Turns out he was right.
Salamati: Hamed's Persian kitchen; recipes and stories from Iran to the other side of the world By Hamed Allahyari, as told to Dani Valent (2022)
LOCATION: 21 Dickson Street, Sunshine 3020
COOKBOOK DECRIPTION - A heart-warming story of resilience, homesickness and good Persian cooking in 70 glorious recipes.'By eating my food, you come into my family. You are sitting with me, with my grandparents, parents and cousins, talking, sharing and enjoying the feeling of being together.' Hamed Allahyari cooks to connect - for that joyful moment you can say salamati (Persian for 'health' and 'cheers') around the table. A restaurateur in Iran, it was natural for Hamed to gravitate to food after a long and perilous journey to settlement in Melbourne. He road-tested his dishes at hundreds of cooking classes, eventually launching his heartfelt cafe and SalamaTea restaurant. With every swipe of warm pita through herbed dadami dip, every bite of braised lamb with dried lime and saffron rice, every sip of homemade sour cherry tea, Hamed shines a light on his past in his native Tehran and continues to build an optimistic Australian future. This book is a gateway to Persian culinary culture, with recipes that are simple, celebratory and appealing, flexible and full of flavour. Wherever you live and whatever your background, you are invited to join the feast.
About the Author - Hamed Allahyari was born in Iran and arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2012. In Iran, Hamed was a chef and restaurateur when his life was placed in danger. He soon realised that leaving - immediately - was his only option. He travelled to Indonesia, then by rickety fishing boat towards Australia where he was detained on Christmas Island. Hamed was released into the community and slowly built a new life. His Melbourne restaurant SalamaTea is a hard-won sanctuary, a business that fuels his immigrant dream as well as a place for sharing pride in Persian cooking. Hamed has also brought his flair and talent to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and the Free to Feed cooking school.
Cookbook Honourable Mentions
Two cookbooks published in the last year but the author's no longer have open venues and are pursuing other foodie projects.
Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice by Natalie Paull (2024)
COOKBOOK DESCRIPTION - These are the cakes and desserts Nat has loved to eat since closing her cult cafe and bakery in inner Melbourne in 2022. Sweet-toothed superstar and bestselling baker Natalie Paull returns with Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice, an all-new compilation of colourful, creative recipes to delight fans and newcomers alike These are the cakes and desserts Nat has loved to eat since closing her cult cafe and bakery in inner Melbourne in 2022. By popular demand, the book includes legendary bakes that were not in the hit original Beatrix Bakes (hello lemon cream tart and chocolate sour cream layer cake). Discover recipes for irresistible cookies and tray bakes, cakes, tarts, pies (and a strudel), doughs and epic day-off baking projects to fill your weekend. It also features Beatrix baseix – think cream, custard and ganache – fruity bits and cake-cessories (honeycomb, toffee, streusel and spice), as well as the beloved Adaptrix tips for handy substitutions, all served in Nat's signature style: warm, encouraging and firm when required. Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice is an essential companion for anyone who always leaves room for dessert.
About the Author - Natalie Paull has been baking and loving all things sweet for more than 25 years. She started cooking in professional kitchens at the age of 18 and spent her formative years working with Australian food luminaries Maggie Beer and Stephanie Alexander. Nat opened the blink-and-you'll-miss-it cult cafe and bakery Beatrix Bakes in inner-city Melbourne in 2011 to widespread acclaim. Before closing its doors in August 2022, Beatrix fans lined up in the rain in their hundreds to secure a taste of the day's ever-colourful - and delicious - offerings of perfect cakes, buns, tarts, biscuits and more.
Tekebash and Saba: Recipes from the Horn of Africa by Saba Alemayo (2023)
COOKBOOK DESCRIPTION - A celebration of the food of Ethiopia's northernmost state Tigray, interweaved with the compelling story of author Saba Alemayoh and her mother Tekebash Gebre, who came to Australia as refugees and have nurtured a connection to their beloved homeland through shared recipes and rituals. From Tigray to the world, a love story through food. This is not your regular cookbook. The recipes are a legacy of Tekebash Gebre, my extraordinary mother. Tekebash was born in Tigray, under the rule of the last Ethiopian emperor. She lived under a communist regime before fleeing to Sudan. Since then we have been on a migration journey, from Aksum to Khartoum to Melbourne and beyond. Our hearts, however, will forever be Tigrayan, and through Tekebash's simple, vibrant dishes we celebrate a connection that won't be broken. It has been my privilege to translate and record what Tekebash cooked by taste, touch and memory for several years in our Melbourne restaurant. It's our story, and it's my tribute. But it will also resonate with anyone who knows the unceasing pull of a distant homeland and the comfort of its food.
About the Authors - Born in Sudan, to Ethiopian parents, Saba arrived in Australia in 1999 with her mother when she was nine. After finishing school, Saba joined the Australian Army and was a part of the first era of women in the Australian Army to go into combat. After the army, Saba opened an eponymous restaurant in Melbourne's Fitzroy. She worked front of her house while her mother, Tekebash Gebre cooked the food of her homeland by memory, taste and instinct in the kitchen.
Tekebash was born in Tigray, under the rule of the last Ethiopian emperor, who was overthrown in 1974 by a communist military government backed by the Soviet Union. She became a refugee in Sudan at the time of the rebellion during the transition in the 1990s from communism to a democratic government. After the closure of the restaurant, Saba relocated to Lagos, where she works in music and arts events and curates art shows.
More Melbourne Cookbooks From The Backlist
All images are sourced from the restaurants or the book publishers. This Melbourne cookbook list is not exhaustive but has focused firstly on most recently published and secondly with open venues at the time of publication. 100% human-made. No generative AI additives.