An unexpected wonderland in Alexandria…
When I drive out to our warehouse in St Peters I always go past this rather cool looking site on Bourke Road, Alexandria. It looks like a warehouse, and appeared to have a bar or cafe in there, but I was never quite sure what it was (the perils of driving past at 60km per hour – eyes on the road!!). Well, this weekend, I finally uncovered the mystery… behold, The Grounds of Alexandria – a cafe in a truly amazing space.
I nab a parking spot just outside when someone else was leaving – very lucky! As I exit the car, I run into fellow phd-er Dave who just had breakfast with the family (including his two little ones). After a quick chat he says that the place is fantastic and great for the kids cause there is a garden to play in – they did have to wait an hour for a table though. An hour?! Did everyone in Sydney suddenly feel the need to have breakfast in Alexandria this morning? Since it was now 11.30 – I thought my party of 5 would be safe, but alas, no.
We grabbed takeaway coffees after putting our name on the list and waited for “the call” whist sitting on railway sleepers amongst the edible garden. It was so beautiful – and to think that we were right in the middle of such an industrial area – made it even more surreal.
An hour later… the call! We had clearly missed the breakfast menu since it was now nearly 1pm, but we were all equally as excited by the lunch menu. Sitting in the packed warehouse space we gazed at the exposed brick walls, high wood ceilings, massive industrial windows and pulley systems before ordering our delicious gourmet burgers and hand breaded schnitzels.
After finishing our meal, we wandered around the site to ‘walk it off’. It really is an amazing space and a fabulous idea. Perhaps leave it a few months until the hype dies down, but I do recommend the Grounds of Alexandria for a bit of magic and inspiration on a weekend. Just try to drive past all the outlet shopping on your way home…
Sarah Jones
The Grounds of Alexandria
2 Huntley Street, Alexandria
groundroasters.com
