Lunch and The Food Stalls at The Grounds of Alexandria

Lunch and The Food Stalls at The Grounds of Alexandria, Building 7A, 2 Huntly Street, Alexandria NSW 2015 (all photos taken by me with my Nikon D60 30mm f1.4 lens)

Finding out about this place a few months ago, my first visit to The Grounds was a spontaneous one where I found myself finishing work in the city at 8am on a Wednesday with a need to eat something fancy. Where I live there is a lack of nice breakfast places (unless you want to count Yum Cha and Pho) so it's always nice to venture out.

The Grounds of Alexandria is a wonderful place, not only being home to a top restaurant, but its also home to gourmet food stalls, a coffee stand, a pig sty (housing the famous pig Kevin Bacon), outdoor seating, beautiful lush gardens and quite frankly, to some very delicious food.

I sat down to lunch with my friend and I ordered myself 'The Grounds' burger, a mini burger with a beef patty, cheese, tomato relish and lettuce. The bread was sweet and warm. It came with fish-shop cut fries and garlic/mayo sauce to dip in. I then ordered fresh Apple Cider and a latte to top off the meal. My friend ordered fresh pan-fried salmon on a warm salad of quinoa and beans and we then chatted and gossiped away the long lunch hour.

It's true, the wait for a seat in the restaurant is long but its worth it, especially since you can pass the time by browsing the gourmet food stalls. My favourite is the Dessert cart - full of strawberry, chocolate and banana, caramel and pecan tarts, coconut macaroons, fruit pies, bread rolls, fresh jam and pastries all neatly laid out on quirky chopping boards.

It reminded me of  my time in Paris - in the scents, the friendly people, the display, the hustle and bustle, the passion for food and the quiet sunshine while you browse and taste the sweets. But The Grounds is more special to me because it's set in my favourite city - Good ol' Sydney.