The Grounds of Alexandria. At Last.

There are those lucky days when the GPS and time management gods manage to smile down upon me simultaneously. I had to drop Mr SSG off at the airport early yesterday morning and the drive to the airport is not my most favourite one. Fortunately, the trip progressed with military like precision and I didn’t get lost once. Heartened by my success, I added The Grounds of Alexandria as my next destination and let the lady with impeccable diphthongs work her magic.

It’s taken me this long to get to The Grounds since they opened in 2012. I don’t think I can add much to what the press, the food bloggers and everyone else has had to say in praise of this combined coffee roaster, coffee school, cafe, bakery and mini farm. But it was such a beautiful place to be on a winter’s morning in the middle of a light industrial area that I got a bit trigger happy with the photos and it would be such a waste not to put them on the blog. So I hope I don’t bore you to tears with things you’ve seen for yourself already.

The decor inside the cafe area is part shabby chic and part urban garage.

The exposed brick walls give the space a homestead feel and there are quirky little touches here and there.

Like this chick embossed brass plaque on the bathroom wall.

Knit – Seed Femme, top underneath – Target, necklace – Red Phoenix Emporium, jeans – SFAM.

Here’s an opportunistic outfit photo. You can’t see them in the photo but I’m wearing my Seven For All Mankind pink A pocket jeans from back in the day. That’s pink as in pink stitching on the pockets rather than actual pink pockets. I vividly remember buying them from Ebay, one of my first online clothing purchases.

Opportunistic is my watchword these days.

Those days of perfectly timed food and beverage photos are long gone. It’s more a case of getting somethng into your mouth when you can and taking the photos later if at all.

The cold winter’s morning was perfect for porridge and The Grounds’ Apple Sweetened Pear Porridge with Goji Berries ($12 eat in, $8 take away). It was Goldilocks just right and packed full of fruit, nuts and healthfulness.

The passionfruit muffin ($4 eat in) had a deliciously cakey texture to it and was flavoured with fresh passionfruit rather than canned. Mum had the banana bread, a huge serve for $7.50 which she loved. I couldn’t get in quick enough for a photo but it was very attractively presented with butter, ricotta and jam. Like the muffin, the banana bread’s texture was lighter and more cake like than your average cafe offering.

The coffee. Oh, the coffee. So perfect I had to have two with breakfast. The Grinds blends are rich without being bitter. I know there’s lots of complex talk to describe coffee blends but the main thing I tasted with each cup at The Grinds was mellow.

Well fed and coffeed up, I took a walk around with Baby SSG.

There were too many breads, cakes and pastries to choose from at the take away counter. Those poor people who have to decided there and then as they order their coffees to go.