World renowned Sydney staple The Grounds of Alexandria remains one of the most unique spaces in Sydney, a precinct in itself that seems to always be transforming and delivering new, unique concepts. The latest evolution for The Grounds encompasses three separate experiences, first a Pizza Solo, secondly a dedicated Soda Barn, and lastly a Backyard BBQ, pumping out some seriously delicious sounding burgers and brekkie rolls.
The three new venues have long been in the making, with Executive Chef Paul McGrath designing a special menu for each, tapping into the latest food trends and tastes that have been popular around Sydney while also keeping The Grounds unique aesthetic in mind. All three are located on the grounds, designed to complement the picturesque (and highly Instagram-able) property by Acme&Co and mark a substantial step up for founders Ramzey Choker and Jack Hanna.
“Originally, The Garden was a concentrated car-park…we wanted to transform the spot with inspiration coming from my childhood memories of going to my uncle’s farm in rural New South Wales,” said Choker. “It was an escape to a place with an abundance of animals and greenery, fun and laughter. We wanted to mimic this feel into a beautiful community space for our guests to reconnect in a busy world and enjoy time with their loved ones”.
These three new menus tap into Ramzey’s childhood memories, inspired by family BBQ’s and biking to local milk bars.
The BBQ venue will be flaming from dusk to dawn, starting the day with Smokey Brekkie Rolls made with maple roasted bacon and free range egg. Lunch will bring on a range of “Flamin’ Awesome Burgers” like The Big Cheese with house-made ground beef patty, three cheeses, and special sauce, and Captain Chook with buttermilk chicken, fennel slaw, and jalapeno aioli.
Soda barn taps into Sydney’s growing trend of craft sodas and delicately made drinks – both alcoholic and non-alcoholic – like three types of Daiquiris – Passionfruit, Strawberry, Coco-Lime – plus the very photogenic Unicorn Soda with strawberry and rainbow ice-cream topped with whipped cream, melted chocolate, sprinkles, cotton candy, meringue, and a lollipop. There’s also a selection of wine, craft beer, smoothies, and juices (including a make-your-own option).
Finally, the Pizza Silo’s menu is inspired by traditional home-style cooking but updated for a modern crowd, bringing in a Mediterranean dining experience that’s big on flavour with a range of new pizzas like The Grounds House-Made Sausage & Garden Thyme Pizza with crusted thyme, sesame seeds, and mixed herbs.
Along with the three new options, The Grounds has also launched a shuttle service to make the property a bit more accessible. It’s a friendly green Kombi van titled Express-O Bus, a free service designed to transport people from their office to The Grounds and back anytime between 10:30am and 3:30pm on weekdays. The bus has enough space for four to seven people and while the service is limited to neighbouring suburbs Rosebery, Mascot, and Alexandria, right now, we’re expecting an expansion on the cards real soon (Redfern, please). Private homes in the area can also be serviced and bookings can be made by simply dialing 0459 GROUNDS.
The Grounds:
Address: 7A, 2 Huntley St, Alexandria
Contact: (02) 9699 2225
Website: thegrounds.com.au
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 7am-9:30pm; Saturday-Sunday 7:30am-11pm
Images supplied and used with permission.
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