Bookplate

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
On the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in a grand old structure, the National Library of Australia sits as a shrine to knowledge and learning. People buzz around the shelves conducting business of one sort or another and it would be easy to get lost in your work until the hunger pangs tugging at your belly bring you back to reality. Luckily the Bookplate Cafe located on the ground floor just off the lobby is there to refuel the energy reserves.

Hungry taste buds are satisfied by the array of breakfast options on offer along with the cakes, pastries, sandwiches and salads that are available each day. However, the standout is the blackboard specials menu which changes daily and boasts creative options such as Asian-style chicken, shiitake mushroom and rice noodle soup served with crusty bread, or the fusilli with chorizo, chilli sun dried tomato, pesto and shaved parmesan.

The cafe interior is warm and brightly lit by the light that streams through the floor-to-ceiling coloured windows that line the walls and the assortment of armchairs, plush couches and cushioned chairs make for a cosy place to enjoy your food. Although full, the cafe isn’t noisy, and perhaps its patrons are unconsciously reverent - aware that they are still in a library after all.

Shelley Hepworth, May 2006