The Grounds of The City @ Sydney

For those of you who have followed my blogposts would know how I liked The Grounds of Alexandria and The Potting Shed. Now they have The Grounds of The City.

Step out of the hustle and bustle of the Sydney CBD and be transported to an era of old-school charm and romance at The Grounds of The City.  Decor Is Just “Wow”. Furnished with 1920s charm like within the Orient Express, open-plan kitchen, The Barista’s Bar… from the conception of the design to the finish, many of the furniture you see around have been custom-made.

The menu comprises of food that would be totally at home in Parisian-bistro-inspired cafe. And with a juice and smoothie list that has concoction like this Morning Sunshine (made with watermelon, pineapple, orange, passionfruit), you know you have an Instagrammable hit.

Sourdough Toast With Roast Bone Marrow

Parsley & radish salad

The first time I had bone marrow was in Graz, Australia. And it was done in the exact same style here at The Grounds, simply roasted and served with toasty sourdough bread. Do not expect the Sup Tulang texture here, it was like a gooey butter and you could only have a bit before you felt jelat (queasy).

Victorian Queen Scallops

Garlic & fresh herb butter

Who would resist scallops baked on its half shell? Served a dollop of garlic butter, the scallops were cooked to perfection. I especially like the use of some soy sauce for that added dimension.

Fresh Linguine With Swimmer Crab & Clams

Hazelnuts, black cabbage, mushroom, garlic & crustacean oil 

Winter truffles were in season, so we felt decadent and added some to our pastas. This was a delicious marinara linguine with heat from bird eye chilli.

Cassarecce Pasta With 3 Cheeses

Parsley, pickled shimeji, asparagus, broad beans & thyme butter

Equally delicious were the three cheese casarecce pasta. Casarecce are short twists of pasta originating from Sicily which appear rolled up on themselves. 

Afterthoughts

If you do not have a reservation, be prepared to wait for a long time for a table. And if you have one, good on you. Once you are inside, absorb that vibes and energy, and admire the effort put into the furnishing and details. No “Kevin Bacon” (the pig) here. Probably no running-screaming children either.

However the service was quite slow on the day we were there. Except of one or two of them, most of the servers were quite badly briefed on the menu items. However the food and the drinks made up for this shortcoming. And the after meal coffee (separate charges) were fantastic. The cakes from the trolley looked great but we were not in the mood. Made a mental note to come again.

The Grounds of The City
Shop RG 12, 500 George St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Tel : +61 2 9699 2225

Visited in Jun 2022