Books and food at Cook & Book.
Apr. 29th, 2007 09:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
franceslievensWhen buying yesterday's clothes stand, we decided to check out the bookshop at the other side of the street. It's located in a brand new building and brings a brand new concept to the shoppers: Cook & Book. Not only can you buy a book, but they'll cook a meal while you're at it. The conceptual store is divided into nine different areas, all filled with books that mirror the theme of the area. You've got comic books, literature, travel guides, art books, children's books, a musical area that's specialised in jazz... Wandering around these different rooms, checking out the interior behind every corner and turn was impressive. The tables for the cooking part of the experience are located in the different areas, so you can choose the setting of your meal according to your own likeness. Want to have a quick snack with other guests? Take place at the big table in the comics sections. Want to enjoy a quiet meal? Have a seat in the airstream that's built in the middle of the travel area.
When we walked through it on a Saturday at noon, the shop was not exactly buzzing with clients. Being located close to a business park they probably make their biggest profit at weekday lunches. For snacks averageing around 10 euros you can be tempted to leave the cantina. We decided not to stay, though. The menu of salads, soups and small exotic dishes wasn't to our Saturday taste of having a quick sandwich. Neither did we leave with a book. The shop doesn't stock many books that aren't Francophone – a bit of a let-down for a shop that's located so close to businesses that must have Dutch speaking employees. On the other hand we did see many Dutch and English books in the art section, so probably what's on offer has more to do with what's good, than with what they want to offer. We didn't get to browse the literature area to see whether we could find some Dutch or English novels there.
All in all Cook & Book offers a great experience: browse books during lunch break and eat at the same time. Fnac doesn't give you that opportunity and is extremely crowded. Be careful though: Any book you take with you to your table is considered as sold! It's a pity that the shop's located completely out of centre...
A good review in Dutch: Resto: Cook & Book.
When we walked through it on a Saturday at noon, the shop was not exactly buzzing with clients. Being located close to a business park they probably make their biggest profit at weekday lunches. For snacks averageing around 10 euros you can be tempted to leave the cantina. We decided not to stay, though. The menu of salads, soups and small exotic dishes wasn't to our Saturday taste of having a quick sandwich. Neither did we leave with a book. The shop doesn't stock many books that aren't Francophone – a bit of a let-down for a shop that's located so close to businesses that must have Dutch speaking employees. On the other hand we did see many Dutch and English books in the art section, so probably what's on offer has more to do with what's good, than with what they want to offer. We didn't get to browse the literature area to see whether we could find some Dutch or English novels there.
All in all Cook & Book offers a great experience: browse books during lunch break and eat at the same time. Fnac doesn't give you that opportunity and is extremely crowded. Be careful though: Any book you take with you to your table is considered as sold! It's a pity that the shop's located completely out of centre...
A good review in Dutch: Resto: Cook & Book.
