The Potting Shed, Alexandria
The first time I had gnocchi I was on a date. The date was fine, but the gnocchi itself wasn't as good. It was incredibly disappointing and a large proportion of it was left on the plate. The next few times I tried gnocchi the experience was the same and I started to think that maybe I had come across an Italian dish I didn't enjoy. My hope to convert to a gnocchi-lover was rapidly diminishing, until I finally came across proper handmade gnocchi and it was everything Masterchef had ever promised. A lot of places will use pre-packaged gnocchi and it is rubbery and stodgy, but when a place properly makes it in-house it is a beautifully comforting dish. When I had lunch at the Potting Shed in the Grounds of Alexandria, I had my eyes set on the gnocchi and upon tasting it, it was immediately added to my short list of good gnocchi experiences.
The Grounds of Alexandria is a well-known site that was formerly an industrial precinct from the 1920s. It's an acre big and houses many beautiful stalls and cafes, along with a florist and a small animal farm with a particular pig that's adorably named "Kevin Bacon". The Potting Shed is a restaurant within the Grounds of Alexandria. The place is stunning and has a well-carried out theme of a garden, with plants hanging overhead and particular dishes being served on small shovels.
My friend, Sharon, who was on a health kick, went for the freshly made juice that changes according to season. Today's fresh juice consisted of passionfruit and oranges. She was delighted with her choice as she found it delicious and very cooling.
I opted for the raspberry lemonade on the particularly warm day. It was wonderfully icy cold and freshly made, with the tartness of the fresh raspberries playing into the sweetness of the lemonade.
Sharon and my other friend, Michelle, both came to lunch intending to order a light salad, but looking around they couldn't resist the pulled pork sandwich. The pulled pork was incredibly saucy and sandwiched with some crunchy fennel and apple slaw, with sweet potato scallops on the side. They both agreed that the sandwich was a bit hard to eat as it was messy and the bread became soggy towards the end. They particularly enjoyed the potato scallops though.
Now it was time for my gnocchi, served with broad beans, black garlic, manchego cheese and a soft cooked egg. A bit of theatrics was involved, with me having to crack my soft cooked egg onto my dish. The egg was perfectly cooked and the egg yolk oozed into my soft and fluffy pillows of handmade gnocchi. I also loved the blanket of manchego cheese as it was tasty and stretchy, but I did think that the dish lacked seasoning, especially the crispy onion rings atop.
My other lunching companion, Rebecca, opted for the beer battered fish. The fish was fillets of ling, served with hand-cut chips, lemon and tartare sauce. Rebecca found the batter a tad thick which she thought overpowered the fish. However, she really enjoyed the chips and sauce.
Nerissa, another friend, was tempted by the linguine with clams, mussels, blue swimmer crab with fresh herbs and lemon. It was an incredibly large serving with lots of seafood present.
We finished our lunches, with some of us being so full that we left some food on the plate because the servings were incredibly hearty. We were left to explore the rest of the Grounds of Alexandria, which involved visiting the animals, taking pictures of the picturesque site for Instagram and looking at the pretty flowers the florist had in store.
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