With an optimistic approach, I didn’t think The Grounds of the City would be that busy as it was brunch time on a weekday but as we turned the corner at The Galeries, TimmyC and I were faced with a large crowd. Luckily most of them were waiting for coffee and takeaways and the line for a table was relatively short. We placed our name and number for a table of two on the list and was advised that there’d be a 20-30 minute wait, 18 minutes later we received an SMS that our table was ready.
Walking inside the restaurant was like teleporting back to an era where men would wear hats with suits and would read the newspaper instead of staring at their phones. There were so many things to look at, I didn’t know which way to turn my head until my gaze was distracted by the cake trolley. Yes, you read that right, you can request the cake trolley to be wheeled to you. I feel it would pair perfectly with a bottomless cup of tea (which is also on the menu).
Flat white ($4.00). TimmyC really enjoyed his coffee, I now understand why there was a huge queue outside waiting for takeaway.
Black truffle omelette with mushrooms and goats curd ($28.00) plus a side of bacon ($5.00). TimmyC at first had chosen eggs benedict for breakfast which was quickly vetoed by me as I heard about the specials. This choice was so popular, it was sold out soon after we had placed our order. When the server placed the plate on the table, I found the smell of truffles intoxicating. The omelette was perfectly cooked and I really enjoyed the addition of the subtle sourness that the creamy goats curd provided. I loved how ordering a side of bacon meant a plate of bacon rather than just a single rasher- WIN!
The Bakery Basket The Grounds continental selection of freshly baked pastries with house-made preserves, cultured butter and whipped mascarpone ($16.00). I thought the delicious flaky buttery pastries didn’t need anything more, so not to waste the delicious condiments, we ordered a slice of sour dough toast ($4.00). I loved everything about this (I even started to just eat the mascarpone when I ran out of things to spread it on) and thinking about it again makes me salivate. The cherry on top was that they warmed the pain au chocolat perfectly to give a molten chocolate centre.
So delicious and melty on the inside while being crispy and flaky on the outside.
When eating in Sydney CBD, I can tell you where to get ramen, congee, thai stir fries, dumplings and baos, but if you wanted a good brunch spot, I’d be lost for words. The Grounds of the City fills that void and then some. I cannot wait to go back to try more from all parts of their menu and might even stick around for a bottomless cup of tea.
Venue: Grounds of the City
Address: Shop RG 12, 500 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9699 2235
Website: http://thegroundscity.com.au/
It was just a few streets away from Pitt Street Mall, tucked in down the end of a cute little hipster-friendly looking alleyway lined with other funky modern shops. I was surprised to see that the patisserie was really small with no seating and they didn’t sell any beverages – but that didn’t matter as we found the cake cabinet very inviting.
Croissant ($4.00). We were tempted to go back and get another croissant, we basically finished it a few steps away from the shop front.
Choc eclair puff ($5.50). This was heaven. The choux pastry was perfect with its little bit of crunch, the vanilla bean cream was divine all topped off with the right amount of chocolate. I was also tempted to get another one of these as TimmyC ate most of this one.
Mascarpone cake lightened mascarpone, layered with crispy coconut dacquoise, fresh strawberries ($10.00). The perfect marriage of strawberries and mascarpone with an added delight of the chewy coconut dacquoise layers. As much as I enjoyed this, I preferred the choc éclair puff more as it didn’t have the hype and expectations placed on it like the mascarpone cake had. I thought the price of one cake was a little steep considering its small serving size.
Sausage roll. Not the most delicious sausage roll I’ve had but it provided a good savoury relief from all the sweets I was having for breakfast.
I am eager to head back there and eat more of these cakes and croissants while hopefully also getting to taste more of their cake range.
The menu.
My friends couldn’t remember how much each puff was but I’ve seen on some reviews they are around $7.60. They bought home Rosie, PoPo and ‘Nutty Freckle’ (nutella).
Cutting one up reveals a light fluffy custard that isn’t too OTT and you could easily eat more than one without feeling sugar sweats. I thought I would enjoy Rosie the most because of the similarity with Pierre Hermes’ Ispahan but surprisingly my favourite was PoPo. I thought the flavours of the nutella and rose/lychee weren’t strong enough.
It could be said that these choux pastries are really gimmicky as they are very instagrammable and ridiculously cute but lucky they are also delicious. I can’t speak for all flavours though and I still want to get my hands on ‘Blackie’ (black sesame), ‘Quackie (pineapple), ‘Hopper’ (strawberry) and ‘Chai-ger’ (chai).
I love the funky interior setting of the cafe, the natural light through the windows makes it the perfect place to take food photos.
Brunch is ready!
Large flat white ($4.50). TimmyC said it was a nice smooth coffee but not the nicest one he has ever had.
Vermont Chai infused tea recommended with soy ($5.50). I didn’t think the taste of chai was very strong but it was very milky and frothy.
Pressed French toast blueberry custard, lemon yoghurt, macadamia ($17.50). There is an ever so slightly crunchy exterior of the French toast before you hit the squishy soft almost pudding-like centre. I like the subtle sweetness on the surface of the toast but I felt that the blueberry custard didn’t add anything except for visual effect. We really enjoyed the yoghurt + fresh blueberries + toasted macadamia combo.
How soft and squishy does that French toast centre look!
Eggs Benedict Christmas ham, smoked hollandaise, rye muffin, poached eggs ($16.90) + Teddy’s hash brown ($4.50). I think the Teddy’s hash brown makes everything better; add it to your benny, whopper, heck even your oats! I love how it was crunchy on the outside and soft and potatoey on the inside. TimmyC substituted the Christmas ham for Pialligo Estate bacon which accentuated the smokiness of the hollandaise. The rye muffin was a little tough to cut through but I really enjoyed this breakfast.
The eggs were cooked perfectly.
This hash brown is what you need in your life right now!
Double points to Teddy Picker’s for an awesome extensive tea menu and their collaboration with local businesses such as Tea Garden Co and Red Brick Espresso.
They take much pride in their work and it was really nice that they stuck the cakes/sweets down into the box as it would have definitely been found upside down by the time I got around to eating them.
Raspberry rose vanilla cake ($7.50). This was a delicate cake consisting of what seemed like raspberry mousse, vanilla bean panna cotta and a raspberry jelly layer. It was very easy to eat and reminded me of summer. I would want this cake in a bigger size.
Raspberry and vanilla, a match made in heaven.
Strawberry tiramisu ($7.50). There is no coffee component to this dessert at all, in fact the only thing it has in common with a tiramisu is the layers of sponge biscuit and cream. The custard cream component was thick and luscious which was really soaked up by the sponge and sweetened by a little strawberry sauce. With what started off as ‘just one bite’ turned into TimmyC almost finishing the whole thing to himself.
Chocolate and caramel cake ($7.50). Sorry for the photo, it had spent a few hours in the box before I got around to eating the cake. I thought this would be an OTT really rich cake but all the textures and flavours were rather light and so you could eat a whole cake easily without feelings of regret and sickness. The caramel mousse-y layer was particularly good.
Orange and chocolate eclair ($6.00). This was shared around between some friends who like the chocolate/orange combination. TimmyC who doesn’t like the combination, still appreciated the choux pastry texture and the creme patissiere. I wish we got there earlier to try their many other eclair flavours like: chocolate, vanilla & chocolate, pistachio and white chocolate, coffee and chocolate or their salted caramel. 
TALES OF A CONFECTIONIST 