The Grounds

Salt Meats Cheese Meets Me!

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

So, if you’re not from Sydney, you probably haven’t been to Salt Meats Cheese or The Grounds in Alexandria.  So you’re missing out.

First of all, The Grounds.  The Grounds is smack bang in the middle of Sydney (not the CBD) but pretty close to inner Sydney in what used to be a fairly industrial area.  And if I’m honest, a few years ago when I had a chance to live in Alexandria, I turned up my nose and flatly refused to move there.  Well, gentrification is a powerful thing and now Alexandria is a pretty hip place for well, hipsters and yuppies.  The Runner and I are DEFINITELY NOT hipsters, however we *may* be yuppies…. Or at least the product of one time yuppie parents.  Anyway, The Grounds is a fairly new and fairly popular place in Sydney for those of us in our mid-30s who live near the city and drive mini-SUVs or Volkswagens.   They have great coffee, yummy food, a pig and some chickens.  Yup, you read that right, it’s a regular Old MacDonald’s Farm for city kids.  The pig is named Kevin Bacon-  get it, Kevin….BACON!  He’s a minor celebrity in Sydney having been the victim of a kidnapping earlier this year.   Yes, you read that correctly.   It was a massive news story.   The chickens are just chickens but there’s a lamb, or a goat…I’m not really sure which.  I grew up in a city, it has four legs and doesn’t bark or meow, it could be anything.    The Grounds is as close as I’ve gotten to a pig or chickens or lamb/goats/sheep unless you count the meat aisle of the grocery store.  Anyway, The Grounds has a garden, café,  and a bar, you can buy flowers, fresh fruit, blueberry lemonade,  donuts and all sorts of other treats.  You can have a coffee, have some lunch, get married (as some friends did) and have afternoon drinks.  It’s all very pretty and very urban- hence why the urban yuppies love it.  If you’re in Sydney, I highly recommend checking it out.

As if The Grounds wasn’t enough, Foodie-Hipster-Yuppie heaven aka Salt Meats Cheese is next door.   They have artisanal meats, cheeses, oils, salts and pastas.    They also have a wide range of imported and specialty foods.  They sell the type of food that seems like a great idea at the time but that you never actually eat and then you feel guilty about having in your house (I’m looking at you $8 spaghetti sauce).  You can buy chocolate pasta, a range of gluten free flours, flavoured olives and smoked and flavoured salts.  I still have not graduated to the level of Foodie-ism where I know what to do with a flavoured salt, but I do know where to buy them.   And yes, I have purchased, cooked, and eaten their chocolate pasta—and it’s delicious!  One of the best things about Salt Meats Cheese is that they also offer cooking classes.   For my pre-wedding, “hens” day, we did their pasta making class- super fun, and this past Sunday, I went to their Burger Making Workshop.

Wow!

First of all, I learned a lot.  The class was taught by a butcher who explained how to choose and prepare our own meat for our burgers.  Hint—buying the pre-minced mince at the butchers is for amateurs.  And don’t even think about buying the pre-made burger patties because according to the butcher, it may not even be beef.

Lucky for me, I happen to have a meat grinder (as should everyone, of course!) He showed us how to prepare the meat (3 parts chuck steak to 1 part brisket) for the mincer- it has to be cold and cut up in chunks.   We were allowed to choose our own seasonings- but told to Keep It Simple!  The meat was the star of this burger.  And it was!  It was one of the better burgers I’ve ever made- and all I put in it was ground thyme, a bit of cooked onion, and tomato ketchup.  We cooked the burgers ourselves, with a bit of help and another hint- cook the burger in olive oil for 6 minutes on one side and only 3-4 minutes on the other.

The team at Salt Meats Cheese was awesome as well- they had a selection of condiments, a delicious brioche bun and piping hot, super delicious fries to go with it.  YUM!  It was a super fun Sunday and we even got to take some burger patties home… which The Runner was particularly pleased with!  It also inspired me to start doing more cooking classes!  There’s so much to learn in the kitchen and so much fun to be had, so in 2015, I’m going to make learning to cook better a priority!

See below for some photos from the day…. try not to drool too much!

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7 days to go!

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

So, I’m nearly done with my 30 day Gluten free challenge and to be honest I haven’t done THAT badly!  I’ve had one full on cheat day (for Charity) and other than discovering that the muesli I ate had gluten in it, I really haven’t had to change my diet too much.  Yes, there have been the occasional cravings for sourdough toast, and yes, there have been a few restaurant meals where I’ve had food envy– but overall it hasn’t been that bad!

My tips for gluten free eating– not that I’m an expert after 23 days but- here’s what I’ve learned:

1)  Mexican Mexican Mexican- Ok, yes, it’s my favourite food but as long as you stick to corn tortillas it’s pretty much all gluten free!  Last night I made a fajita extravaganza- grilled skirt steak, pico de gallo, refried black beans, black and white rice, corn chips, corn tortillas, and grilled veggies- all without gluten!

2)  When in doubt, ask-– I’m amazed by how many restaurants will make alterations if you tell them you’re gluten free- I went to The Grounds in Alexandria (LOVE that place!) and really wanted a burger- because they look amazing– and they were able to do them on gluten free bread.  Ok, the gluten free bread wasn’t as amazing as the brioche looked, but it was pretty good!  Nearly everywhere in Sydney can accommodate – I’ve even had a cafe serve me polenta instead of toast with my breakfast.

3)  Read labels.  Wheat and gluten pop up in the most bizarre places- soy sauce, muesli, some but not all chocolates.  Read the label before ruling it out or shoving it in your face!

4)  Don’t be a pain in the a$$ but don’t feel bad about it either.  Everyone these days is on some sort of diet, special eating plan or just doesn’t like things– so many people are paleo, dairy free, gluten free, vegan, sugar free, organic, pregnant, detoxing, etc that it’s totally normal (at least in my group of friends) to have a “special” diet.  Actually there’s a great essay doing the rounds at the moment on how “special diets” diets are a First World Problem.  Click here to read it.
Everyone is on a diet of some sort but to be honest, no one wants to hear about it.  It’s not that interesting.  No one wants to go out to dinner or to eat with someone who either lectures them about the virtues of their diet or who turns up their nose and can’t eat anything and makes a big song and dance of it.  Ok, so you can’t have carbs, that’s fine, but if I’m shoveling rice and pasta and potatoes in my mouth and enjoying it, I don’t want to hear about how evil carbs are.   And, if you’re vegetarian and we’re in a steakhouse don’t be surprised when there’s only one option for you to eat– you’re the one who agreed to go, don’t make everyone else miserable trying to make you happy.  Which leads me to tip 5….

5) Research– it kind of follows on from point 4 but if I’m going out to eat, I have to do some legwork before I go.  What’s on the menu? Is there an option for me there?  Is it a pasta and pizza deal with nothing else on the menu?  If so, it could be a challenge and it’s best to know that ahead of time!

So, with only 1 week to go, I’m giving this challenge a 2/10 on the difficulty scale.  I’ve only used one of my official cheat days so far– and the second one I’m using on Saturday for a hens day (it’s high tea during the day and pizza at night).   So it’s not too bad…. next month’s challenge– 30 days No dairy…. I’m anticipating this could be a bit more difficult!