Taste

The staff here are great and very very helpful. Went there recently with a modest budget to buy something for my baking inclined sister and got a guided tour of the store. I’ve participated in a number of events here e.g. cooking school and bought things here and have found buying is fun, can be very economical at sales and interesting. Highly recommend

Foodies, Domestic Goddesses or those who just simply like kitchen ware you will find yourself in a nirvana of sorts at Taste on James Street. As you walk in you are greeted by an abundance of kitchen gadgets, pots, pans, saucers and even a extra large Le Creuset Tea Pot.
Wander upstairs and there are more kitchen delights to be found. As I wandered around the lofty upstairs I imagined how beautiful this would be for an event or long table dinner.
Taste is fantastic if you are the serious home cook who wants the right tools OR you are an ok cook who feels like you can achieve more with names like Kitchenaid surrounding you. Either way, pop in and I dare you not to leave with something in your hot little hands.

Last Christmas I wanted to make gingerbread cookies, but I had a very specific vision (yes, a vision — very artistic!) and it involved large christmas tree shaped cookies. I strolled into numerous kitchen shops assuming that finding a large christmas tree cookie cutter would be like finding a tree in the woods, but it turned out to be a bit more like Where’s Wally? NO ONE had them! Small christmas tree cookie cutters were everywhere, but my VISION involved christmas trees were big enough to decorate with lollies and give as gifts.
I recruited the help of numerous friends and family, asking them to keep an eye out for me. On Christmas Eve, when I’d all but given up and was rolling out my gingerbread dough ready to cut it into disappointingly small tree shapes, my Dad walked in with a large Christmas tree cookie cutter. ‘WHERE? WHERE did you get this?’, I asked him and ever since hearing his response (‘Taste’) I’ve had a new favourite kitchen shop. Upon my many subsequent visits I’ve always found what I needed and had a grand old time browsing their awesome range of things you never knew you needed but did!

Ooooh! Taste has re-​located to James Street. This was always one of my favourite places to browse for indulgent kitchenware but when it was located further up Wickham Street, it was troublesome to get to. I suspect we will have a much better relationship in its current location within the James Street precinct.
Like its namesake, Taste is filled with tasteful but expensive things. Luke Nguyen’s new range of kitchenware caught my eye today but I couldn’t justify $ 15 for four beautiful rice bowls when I already have so many bowls at home. Sadly the one thing my husband wanted in the Luke Nguyen range was the Vietnamese coffee set which they didn’t stock.
It’s easy to get so caught up looking at all their pretty cupcake holders, tea sets and funky cutlery that you completely miss their second level. On this floor, they run a range of cooking classes and workshop. The 2012 classes have not been finalised but keep an eye on their website which will have the classes listed in mid January.

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a maestro in the kitchen, you’re going to love Taste.
It’s chockers full of every possible thing you could ever need to rustle up some seriously good eats. Care for a rabbit shaped pepper mill? Of course you do. You also want the Dutch tin that will make your cake look like a 17^th century castle when it’s done in the oven. What about general containers in the shape of apples? Yes! Three please!
There are some seriously tasty goods in this store. Please be careful with that fine Riedel glassware you’re inspecting. And would you just look at those one of a kind bowls that look like they were obtained in some humble central American village. Egads! The range of Chasseur is unbelievable. It’s the first time I’ve ever wanted a Dutch oven so badly. (that’s what they’re actually called!) That long table in the back right of the room? Yes, that’s where they hold cooking classes (please check website for details).
The goods are a little pricey, but you can expect this from any shop on James Street. You’ll be happy to pay the price for a snappy new kitchen utensil that just gleams and outshines everything else in your chaotic second drawer.

OK, I have a confession to make. I’m not much of a cook. I’ve had a few cracks at it in my time and have come to the conclusion that I am, in fact, not Julia Childs. Great at eating… not so much at preparing the actual meals. But despite my self-​knowledge. something comes over me when I go into kitchen stores. This wave of «you can do it» washes over me and I convince myself that, with the right utensils, I can in fact master the art of kicking toosh in the kitchen!
Taste is one of those stores. You walk in and bask in the Donna Hay and Jamie Oliver glory and convince yourself that of course you could whip up a crème brule if you wanted to! In all seriousness thought, their stock is both functional and fashionable with kitchen appliances and wears for the fanciest or simplest of eaters. And at fairly reasonable prices. My favourite thing about the shopping experience was the resident old Labrador who roams around the shop at his own leisure. I’m certain he would have even been able to point me in the direction of an excellent mortar and pestle!
If you are replenishing your kitchen cupboards, buying a housewarming or wedding gift, or even looking for that specific something to make a specific dish, Taste is definitely worth popping by to have a look.