The Grounds of Alexandria, Alexandria

What do you do with an old Four n Twenty pie factory? Turn it into a cafe of course! That’s where The Grounds of Alexandria comes in. I have heard great things about this place and was warned to be prepared to wait. We had just frequented the Growers Markets and Mr Dough had round 1 of his breakfast so I had about an hour before the hungry beast growls again.

The Grounds of Alexandria is really impressive use of the 1800 square meter space. Upon entry there are vegetable gardens with roaming chooks and large outdoor communal space where people can buy takeaway. There also houses a coffee research facility (they take their coffee pretty seriously), bakery and most importantly the cafe. There were hoards of people waiting at 10am and we put our name down on the list and were informed it was an hour wait. I didn’t mind as I amused myself watching the chickens walk up and down their enclosed pen.

Spot the chook

Directions..in case you are lost

Ok, on to the food. The wait wasn’t too bad, we were seated within 45 minutes and the food came within 10 minutes of ordering.

The coffee so good, I had 2 cups

Too funny….I couldn’t resist

The scrambled eggs were light and fluffy and I think they can give Bill Granger a run for his money.

House-cured ocean trout with a fennel and herb salad, dill creme fraiche and scrambled eggs

I ordered this because I am fascinated with quinoa at the moment. I never had crisp quinoa before and I imagined it to be like little rice bubbles but to my surprise it was actually quite hard. It provided a really interesting textural element but after a while it keeps on getting stuck in my teeth!

Soft boiled eggs rolled in crisp quinoa

 

I wouldn’t be put off by the constant queues, in fact the service here is professional and welcoming. Grab a takeaway coffee and sit outside and just enjoy the weekend.

 

The Grounds of Alexandria

Building 7A, 2 Huntley St

Alexandria, NSW 2015

+612 9699 2225

 

 

 

 

Wilbur’s Place, Potts Point

This is how much my life revolves around food. We received a wedding invite with the ceremony being held at Potts Point and there was a good amount of time until the reception at night. Immediately my brain went into food mode and thought of places I could go to eat after the ceremony. I mentally started drawing out a perimeter around the location and made a mental list of all the places I had wanted to try. The winner? Wilbur’s Place. It is the latest baby from Bourke St Bakery and it’s concept of being cheap and quick but not compromising on quality.

Wilbur’s Place is situated next to LL Wine and Dine on Llankelly Place and it’s a small 20 seater hole in the wall with bench seating on the outside. When we arrived, there was a mix of families, couples and friends all trying to enjoy the sun after experiencing continuous days of downpour. We sat inside facing the street for people watching as Potts Point by day is very different by night.

Inside the cafe

The service is simple, seat yourself and when ready order at the counter. Lunch time fare consists of rolls, plates of meats, soup and salads. Looking at the menu, one thing already caught my eye which was suckling pig. I am a sucker for suckling pig with the sweet, juicy flesh and the paper-thin slices of salted crackling on top. Upon ordering, I was disappointed when the waitress pointed out that the last plate had just gone out. I went with the brisket roll instead and Mr Dough wanted the cured Salmon salad of the day.

Brisket is a cheap cut but really flavoursome. Here it is slowly roasted so it just falls apart, pack in pickled cucumbers, red cabbage slaw and lather on the mayo and you have one happy camper. The challenge was when biting into the roll for the juices not to fall out!

Brisket roll – $12

The trout salad of the day came with roasted baby beets which I absolutely adore (Mr Dough dislikes). Within the salad of radicchio and chives, the crunch of parmesan biscuits added a nice textural crunch. The portion of the salad could have been a little bigger and I felt bad for Mr Dough so I gave him half of my roll.

Cured salmon salad of the day – $15

We finished our meal and Mr Dough was tired, wanting to go home and have a nap before the festivities began at night. Meanwhile I was thinking if there was a chance to grab a drink at the bars nearby before the reception!

Wilbur’s Place

36 Llankelly Place

Potts Point NSW 2011

+612 9332 2999