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A Sydney Food Tour

October 9, 2013 by Tania 16 Comments

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Chippendale, Sydney

Chippendale, Sydney

One of my most favourite things to do when I arrive in a city is to go on ย a tour straight away. This isn’t a tour in the usual sense where you get on a bus and drive around to find one of the 7 wonders of the world or a famous building or bridge. No, for me it is to get in amongst the cafes and markets and see what’s happening in the food scene. Get a snap shot of what people are eating and drinking.

It has always been the same for me. It’s not a new fad, I’ve been in the restaurant industry all of my life. And so…in Asia or Europe or Australia, that is what I like to do. I find a local or a professional food guide and set off at a cracking speed to see & hear as much as possible. So when my darling friend Julie arrived from New Zealand a couple of weeks ago, I thought she might like to do a bit of a tour of ย a handful of diverse Sydney places. This is our whistle stop tour. You might like a little look yourself.

Something for Jess

Something for Jess

I was picking her up from Central Station, in Sydney’s centre, and rather than go for the congested lower end of Surry Hills I decided on the newly gentrified Chippendale. Something for Jess provided us with a satisfying coffee and a freshly baked orange praline muffin. This tiny personal space relies on a weekly changing menu of home grown produce and local favourites like Pepe Sayer butter and luxe bakery bread to lure the locals. Recycled and reclaimed and a definite place to return to. It was hard to leave with the smell of bacon in the air and the friendly service. Don’t come here for shiney and new and leave your Ikea mentality behind but be prepared for fresh interesting food that leads rather than follows. Quirky.

Something for Jess, corner Abercrombie and O’Connor St Chippendale

Inside something for jess. A completely reclaimed interior

Inside Something for Jess. A completely reclaimed interior

Changing board

Changing board

Then off to the country in the city. There may be endless things good and bad written about “The Grounds of Alexandria ” both in print and on the net, but you cannot beat a twirl past here with a visitor to Sydney. On this Friday mid morning, the place is full and we have to go to the garden with a “buzzer” until they are ready for us. The garden visit is certainly not painful. Out here produce used to be grown and picked but the restaurant seems far too busy to be able to support itself in this way now. The garden has sprouted a children’s play area, private alfresco dining and pop up food sales as well as gorgeous tables to sit at amongst the garden greenery. To me though the draw card was Kevin the oh so adorable pig, who rolls over and lets you tickle his tummy.ย DSC00118

Kevin

Kevin

Kevin bacon

Kevin Bacon laying down getting ready for a tickle

They have recently introduced markets. See theirย facebook page for details, but on this Friday there are market stalls set up along the walkway outside the restaurant with some very delicious looking foods.

Pastries outside

Pastries outside

Cheese stall

Cheese stall

Market day

Market day

Once inside we ordered a little snack to see us on our way. A plate of toasted Quinoa rolled Soft Boiled Eggs on an Asparagus Salad and some Falafel with a fresh green salad .

Quinoa Eggs and felafal and salad

Quinoa Eggs and felafal and salad

Such a great place to take visito

Such a great place to take visitors

Pastries ready in the kitchen

Pastries ready in the kitchen

Once you leave the grounds walk across the carpark and into the Salt, Meat and Cheese warehouse. Here you’ll be able to buy hard to find ingredients and the just plain gourmet….there’s aย fresh pasta and a cheese and charcuterie shop overflowing with cured meats and cheeses stacked in tempting stacks leaning towards you displaying their names. Ask for a taste of their very reasonably priced Jamon. Buy flavoured salts from the salt box and all manner fresh and packaged foods.ย 

Cheese at Salt eat and cheese

Cheese at Salt Meat and Cheese, Alexandria

Charcuterie

Charcuterie

Fresh Pasta

Fresh Pasta

Salts from thesaltbox.com.au

Salts from thesaltbox.com.au

My New Zealand pal is suitably impressed so far, but I have plans to wow her further and we move on to another surprising ย place for the second part of our lunch. One of my favourites in the Alexandria area is Bread and Circus Wholefoods Canteen. This hippy- centric cafe is open 7 days. 7 am to 4pm. The menu is posted daily in a nod to seasonal & fresh and it’s chaotic free form nature just makes me smile. Like visiting an Aunt in Byron bay, the share tables are crowded with cutlery containers, pinch bowls of salt and pepper, flowers, jars of condiments, organic jars of vegetables and well, if it all gets too much, you can go and recline in a striped beach chairs on the concrete slab beyond the by-fold doors.

IMG_8244

Bread and Circus when empty

Bread and Circus when empty

Salad mixed plate small $16

Salad mixed plate small $16

Love the chaos at Bread and Circus

Love the chaos at Bread and Circus

Rosetta Stone Artisan bakeryย is also in the warehouse style complex along with Campos coffee and the innovative Cipro Pizza a taglio ย (another great love, but not on this tour).ย This warehouse is a one stop cafe treat. You can stay here from breakfast to dinner

roseetta breadBread and Circus Wholefoods Canteen

21 Fountain street Alexandria

So thats lunch. Now it’s time for other surprises and I am so pleased Julia is still up for more. Bourke Street bakery is even famous in New Zealand and when I mention we will be swinging by here she is very happy. We buy one of their famous ginger brulee tarts to share. I so love these, with their crunchy pastry base and creamy ginger custard and the finest cover of ย caramelized sugar that cracks when your teeth bite into it.

Bourke Street bakery , Surry Hills

Bourke Street bakery , Surry Hills

Bourke Street Bakery ย ย  original location 633 Bourke St, Surry Hills

Now for a change of pace we head to the grotty back streets of Newtown to visit Young Henry’s micro brewery. This surprising business opens out before you as you walk in through a side door and down the corridor of a garage style brick complex to end up in front of a bar. There are huge vats and nimble looking bearded chaps climbing ladders to peer over the top of each vat checking the product. They are a welcoming mob and you are cheerfully offered a tasting of all of their ales for $10.00. There are “Feather and Bone” charcuterie plates paired with local Cornersmith cafe pickled Brussel Sprouts if you intend to settle in for a while. Buy a take away bottle for home and bring it back for a refill when you get to the bottom.

Young Henry’sย Newtown Brewery ย Units D & E Wilford St Newtown

DSC00127

Young Henry's Micro Brewery

Young Henry’s Micro Brewery

Young Henry's

Young Henry’s

Newtown is home to many interesting places but none quite so special as Black Star Pastry and it could be a crime to leave this suburb without sampling something from this shop. It is now well past 3pm and the tiny shop is still a sea of people snapping up the last cakes and tarts on display. We buy the last Salted caramel and Chocolate tart made with beautiful Amedei Italian chocolate. We find the last two plastic stools out side on the street. There is no where inside Black Star as the single window bench is full of people gobbling down the last watermelon and strawberry cakes.

Black Star Pastry ย  277 Australia Street, Newtown ย  ย  ย  ย  7am – 5pm

Black Star's Chocolate Tart

Black Star’s Chocolate Tart

Our last stop is in the Rock’s. It’s a quintessentially Australian pub in the oldest part of Sydney. This is another brewery and we have a chat to the young brewer while we sip a cold beer called ย “three sheets” ale. This is the oldest continually licensed pub in Sydney.

The Lord Nelson

The Lord Nelson

This is the end of the day, we have ย laughed and chewed our way around a mere 4 suburbs. There are so many amazing places to visit in Sydney. I am planning another tour shortly….now Julia has gone back to New Zealand….who wants to come?

The Lord Neslon ย  ย 19 Kent St The Rocks

The Bar

The Bar

Footnote: Since I wrote this story Kevin ( the Piglet) has grown up and been taken to a farm. there are other animals to visit here now.

signiture

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Filed Under: reviews, Travel Tagged With: Black Star Pastry, Food Tour of Sydeny, salt meat and cheese, The Grounds of Alexandria, The Lord Nelson, Young henry's

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Comments

  1. cityhippyfarmgirl

    October 13, 2013 at 3:35 pm

    I had heard Kevin had been stolen and hoped when I read your post that he was back where he belonged. (Oh some people truly suck.)
    I haven’t been to Bread and Circus for ages and didn’t realise there was bready goodness near by so clearly I need to remedy this. (Also the fact that you called it hippy centric…I’m there ๐Ÿ™‚
    cityhippyfarmgirl recently posted..peddling towards sunlit shoresMy Profile

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  2. Asmita

    October 12, 2013 at 2:04 am

    Wow!
    What a gorgeous place and lovely clicks!
    Asmita recently posted..Caesar Club SandwichMy Profile

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  3. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef

    October 12, 2013 at 12:44 am

    I read in the paper that baby Kevin and his pal were stolen. People that do that sort of thing just make me want to spit. Poor little Kevin. He’s so cute.
    Maureen | Orgasmic Chef recently posted..Chocolate Brownie Cookie Sandwiches Filled with Peanut Butter ButtercreamMy Profile

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  4. Jas@AbsolutelyJas

    October 11, 2013 at 7:44 pm

    What a truly fabulous tour – I would most definitely follow you around on a food tour of Sydney!! Whenever I come to Sydney I’m always overwhelmed by ‘all of the things’ and as a result never end up eating at half the places I intend! I’ve been planning on visiting the Grounds and haven’t gotten there yet, and have been desperate to visit N2 gelato ever since it opened too, but haven’t gotten there either. I did get to eat bugs at Billy Kwong last time I was down though, so I guess I’m not doing too badly ๐Ÿ˜‰
    Jas@AbsolutelyJas recently posted..Ping!My Profile

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  5. Kari @ bite-sized thoughts

    October 11, 2013 at 11:10 am

    You are a darling friend – what an amazing tour! I am very impressed enjoying it second hand.
    Kari @ bite-sized thoughts recently posted..Toronto to Burlington, Vermont (featuring Walmart, scary driving, and vegan crepes)My Profile

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  6. Diane

    October 10, 2013 at 10:52 pm

    I’m already booked! …’cause I know what secrets and marvellous discoveries are awaiting. And stamina has already been tested…Date please?

    Reply
  7. Lisa the Gourmet Wog

    October 10, 2013 at 6:50 pm

    Ditto Celia, I was thinking that all along reading your post Tania, love this great city of ours and would love to try out these wonderful places I’ve never been too. It’s funny how the Harbour Bridge can be such a big divider though. I tend not to cross into the city side much and your post shows I really really should!! x
    Lisa the Gourmet Wog recently posted..Middle Eastern Zaโ€™atar Crumbed Eggplant ChipsMy Profile

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  8. Krista

    October 9, 2013 at 8:09 pm

    What a fun and inspiring tour! So many beautiful and inspiring places full of deliciousness. You make a fantastic tour guide. ๐Ÿ™‚
    Krista recently posted..New Goslings and Early Morning on the FarmMy Profile

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  9. ChgoJohn

    October 9, 2013 at 4:43 pm

    You can be my tour guide anytime, Tania! This is my kind of sight-seeing. Don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy seeing the tourist-y things but show me where to get a good piece of cheese, a nice chunk of bread, a fine cup of coffee, a tasty gelato or pastry, and I’ll be in your debt forever. ๐Ÿ™‚
    ChgoJohn recently posted..Blueberry-Lemon SliceMy Profile

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    • MyKitchenStories

      October 9, 2013 at 4:56 pm

      I would most certainly love to John

      Reply
  10. yummychunklet

    October 9, 2013 at 4:37 pm

    Wonderful looking place!
    yummychunklet recently posted..Apple-Cinnamon Fruit BarsMy Profile

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  11. Angie@Angie's Recipes

    October 9, 2013 at 3:20 pm

    I have enjoyed the tour and the eats…esp. that quinoa egg salad…that small plate of mixed salad is a little bit expensive, but looks great! I hope Kevin and Barney have found their way back to the owner….poor thing…must be really scared.
    Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted..Gluten Free Quinoa Chocolate CakeMy Profile

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  12. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

    October 9, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    What a fun tour Miss T! ๐Ÿ˜€ And you’ve covered so many delicious eating options too!
    Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella recently posted..Harajuku GyozaMy Profile

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  13. Hotly Spiced

    October 9, 2013 at 1:29 pm

    That is absolutely outrageous. Who would be so vile? I cannot understand anyone stealing someone elses defenseless pets. That is sickening. This post was so upbeat and lovely and it’s a shame that it had to end on such a sad note. Thank you for the lovely tour – I feel I was seeing Sydney almost from the eyes of a tourist xx
    Hotly Spiced recently posted..The Mosman MarketsMy Profile

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  14. InTolerant Chef

    October 9, 2013 at 9:59 am

    What a wonderful tour indeed Tania! Me, me, me- I’ll come on one with you! What a great way to get your finger on the pulse of the local foodie scene whatever the country. X

    Reply
  15. celia

    October 9, 2013 at 9:12 am

    I love that we both live in the same city, and yet I haven’t been to a single one of the places in your post! Well, I did try to go to the Grounds once but was so appalled by their service and the parking in the area that we left without ordering. It’s nice to take a peek into it from a distance, thank you! ๐Ÿ™‚
    celia recently posted..Ho-Mi Garden ToolMy Profile

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Tania Cusack Hi, I'm Tania and this is My Kitchen Stories. I share all kinds of recipes here. Most recipes are quick and easy, just perfect for families. BUT, you could also find vegan, cakes and desserts too. Come and have a look around Read More
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