by Kate on April 22, 2012
Every now and then, something comes along and just changes everything. It’s a shift so great and so momentous, we just don’t want to go back to how it was. And that’s what’s happened in Sydney, with the opening of The Grounds of Alexandria. This is where I ended up (upon the recommendation of the wonderful Jill Dupleix, and then everyone else) this morning, with the rest of cool hunters and leisurely espresso cravers. I’ll post a proper post this week but I just wanted to do a sneak preview of sorts. The place is darned revolutionary. It’s a warehouse space turned into my future dream home of rustic, polished, spacious, light-drenched, and just awesome.
Drinks in jars may be more overdone than zeit geist, but here it works, and the rippled iced coffees done in a two-hand-to-hold jar is syrupy and not too sweet. There are vanilla and chocolate milkshakes and granola with yoghurt and berries so fragrant you’d think they were fake. And a little carrot cake topped with cream cheese icing had me pause for teariness. It is the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. And I like carrot cake. But actually, speaking of carrots, Peter Rabbit is outside.
There’s a whole garden out there. A whole sprawling brick-paved, pergola-topped garden with raised garden beds and raddichio growing amongst the strawberries (see fragrant strawberries earlier). There are tiny baby eggplant for heaven’s sake. Sitting perched on a rafter-sided garden with my carrot cake in one hand, strong soy flat white in another, and balancing some almond and plum compote-topped porridge there somewhere too, I was as happy as a duck in water. Yes, and there are ducks, and rabbits.
These kids wander around with towel-wrapped ducklings that squeak with concern, but it’s a cute sight. I’d like to see a more watchful eye over the critters, (nobody should be allowed to hang a rabbit in the air for that long), but I have no doubt the uncomfortable animal handling will be ironed out. Or I hope it will. The visiting children are overwrought with excitement, it’s a veritable petting zoo. But with good coffee.
Inside the place is immaculately designed, high ceilings, massive windows, the white railway tiles, copper coffee pots and turquoise cup and saucers just gorgeous. There’s a cafe, coffee roasting and testing facility and bakery, all housed in this massive warehouse. The coffee roasting facilities also incorporate a boutique coffee school, which includes a coffee workshop area to educate caffeine fascinators. But this is a game changer because of the garden, where The Grounds grow their own heirloom vegetables. The vegetable garden patch meets cafe makes us conscious that what grows around comes around. It’s an idea that Sydney will hopefully see a lot more of in the future.
At the helm of The Grounds is creative entrepreneur Ramzey Choker, as well as coffee expert Jack Hanna and interior design and events agency The Artistry.
Photography by Kate Gibbs.
BUILDING 7A, NO.2 HUNTLEY ST ALEXANDRIA NSW 2015.
by Kate on January 26, 2011
The early bird catches the sesame seed bun. Hanging out today with my wee friend Atticus in Melbourne, traipsing around and making lamingtons and finding distractions instead of going for a run around Albert Park lake. We made an early stop at the South Melbourne version of Grill’d, the burger spot. Walls are amusingly scribbled and chairs are fire engine red. The burgers, his a mini with cheese and lettuce and mine with mustard, pickles, sauce, are soft and actually juicy.
Grill’d is all over Aus, but I went to this one..
278 Clarendon Street
South Melbourne
(03) 9686 6866
by Kate on December 13, 2010
Love these things from creative design studio Ma + Chr, who have done restaurant and bar interior designs as well as their own happy little pictures you can buy. It’s based in Paris and was founded by Mathilde Aubier and Christine Delaquaize.
by Kate on December 10, 2010
Kangaroo Island is not just about kangaroo and other cuddly things, a new culinary world is burgeoning as enterprising islanders take on pursuits other than the traditional wool farming. Abalone and marron farming, samphire pickling, rare breed farming and Ligurian beekeeping are bringing travellers across from the mainland as epicurean adventurists. First stop off the ferry from Adelaide is Penneshaw, where we find the best fish and chips on the island.
Sue Pearson’s Fish attracts tourist buses and locals for her whiting fillet in a beer batter. She also does more intricate local marron with a lamb chorizo risotto when I am there. Here are some pics, including the view opposite of the Adelaide ferry coming in.
by Kate on October 24, 2010
Adriano Zumbo, of course. Theses oatmeal and ylang ylang macarons are soft and chewy on the inside, and crispy on the outside, again, of course. But even more amazing were the rice pudding and the coconut and pineapple macarons, the first with that creamy pudding flavour folded into to the not-too-sugary macarons. Pretty clever mister Zumbo.
Pictures by Kate Gibbs, taken using tiltshift.
by Kate on September 28, 2010
The laneways, little nooks and spots of urban funkyness that make Sydney totally jealous of Melbourne has been well reported on. So Sydney ups the ante, opening new bars and cafes in the few laneways it does have, and then Melbourne just blows all the effort away with some brand new, uber creative culinary post. Like this one.
Freestyle Espresso has been open for six weeks and for those in South Melbourne who have already found it (despite local council’s determination to disallow any on-street signage), it’s become a reliable little local. The walls are painted black, but a terrazzo speckled floor and flecks of turquoise blue throughout give it a bright happiness. There are just two comfortable little armchairs for paper reading and caffeine hitting, or plate balancing, but meals are best had at the tables.
Carolyn, who owns the new little Freestyle Espresso, does a wicked Croque Monsieur, with grilled cheese, leg ham, mustard and bechamel sauce, which she toasts to a crisp while it’s still saucy inside. A Breakfast Cassoulet, a large serve, comes with a firm mustard and basil sausage and three types of beans (chickpeas, flageolet and berlotti), crispy bacon (and, refreshingly, you don’t have to ask for it to be done this way..), and is topped with a soft fried egg.
The Dench breads (a local favourite) come with homemade date, vanilla and orange butter. We love the introduction of a Breakfast Bloody Mary, all lemony with Tabasco, Worstershire and celery. The Bircher Muesli is creamy and laden with grated apple and yoghurt, and is topped with passionfruit curd and scattered with toasted almond flakes.
For lunch, a poached chicken salad is tossed with parsley mayo, apple coleslaw and served with a side of crispy herbed potatoes. Or, oh so Melbourne, a pappardelle pasta comes with beef, tomato, red wine and sage ragu. The ball is officially in Sydney’s court.
All pics by Kate Gibbs.
Freestyle Espresso: 6 Union Street South Melbourne (03) 9696 4396.
www.freestyle-espresso.com.au
by Kate on August 15, 2010
A Saturday morning at Palm Beach, where we dropped in to the decked and red-and-white stripe decked out The Boat House. Hands down, best fish and chips I’ve had in Sydney, all beer battered and crispy flathead. Sunny wintery Sydney on the Hawkesbury at this little cottage setting was refreshing and so happy making. Two little girls ordered two enormous strawberry milkshakes. After lunch, wandered down to Whale Beach, where the sand is extra grainy and the surf was up!
The Boat House: Barrenjoey Boathouse, Palm Beach
Open Daily 7.30am – 4pm
A couple of articles published in The Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Living today for its special coffee issue. Here is one!
Trickle-down effect: Entrepreneurs are taking advantage of our coffee mania, writes Kate Gibbs.
“A coffee-flavoured condom was released in Ethiopia aimed at encouraging safer sex – a move considered to be a resounding success and attributed to the popularity of coffee.
As coffee-geek culture percolates across the globe, a new breed of inventor is jumping on the coffee wagon. Syrups and liquors, cupcake flavours and sweets, even stout and lager are getting an injection of the most socially acceptable drug…”
Read the full article here.
… A sweet place in the Netherlands with a hotel, kitchen garden, restaurant and market all in one. The hotel rooms are modern and minimalist, while the whole place still has an amazing rustic charm. Check it out here.
Local Sydney artist Ears, or Daniel O’Toole, has been in the Inner West street scene for a while. He has carved out a style in which beautiful curling eyes have adorned many street walls, and his art has also cropped up in Paddington and the East. But this incredibly talented “graff” artist has now turned to more studio-based pursuits, doing painting we can actually buy instead of wander past.
He told Side Street Sydney: “Sydney needs a cultural explosion. There are more people behind the desire to make it happen so hopefully when Sydney does have its creative orgasm it will last a long time and will set the wheels in motion for a new direction that embraces the potential of creative people to run businesses and events in Sydney. For this to happen we need help from our councils and government. With this in mind the new liquor licensing laws are a new hope on the horizon for us all. And I feel that for next 5 to 10 years in Sydney is the place to be. For me its exciting to be somewhere that DOESN’T have 100 cool little bars hidden in back streets and lots of galleries that have seen so much ‘street art’ that they are over it. It’s still all new and fun in Sydney, and we get to pave the way now as the first generation to see small bars opening after a long stint of RSL dominance and pokies galore.”
