Every Other Day: NomNom: Grounds of Alexandria, Alexandria

One hot Saturday morning, I decided to wake up earlier than 11 a.m. (:D) and ~~forced~~ convinced 1/2heart to drive to the suburb of Alexandria for a lovely Saturday breakfast. Amidst the usual industrial buildings and factory-warehouses well known to the suburb, Grounds of Alexandria was bustling with customers.

We arrived at 10 a.m., duly put our names on the waiting list and just shrugged when we were told that we would have to wait around 45 minutes until our turn. We knew about the notorious length of waiting time at this place. However it is actually quite lovely to pass time while waiting to explore the grounds - from the small farm, the lovely flower beds, and the herb gardens.
People on the waiting list receive a buzzer that will beep (much like the food court buzzers) when it's their turn to come. So there won't be any problem to walk away from the reception area.

There is also a dining area outside and a small takeaway kitchen serving simple breakfast options if you didn't want to wait to get inside the main dining area.

right: the pig with the tastiest name ever

And some space for furry guests...

The grounds also has small stalls outside selling lemonade, pastries, and snacks.

True to their word, 45 minutes later, our buzzer produced the best sound we had heard all morning: empty table for us!

Well-Being Breakfast ($19) was plentiful, simple, and soulful. The green bean & fennel salad is seasoned to the minimum, letting the natural sweet taste of the vegetables to shine through. I have to say, the star of this dish would be the beautifully smoked trout, yumminess added when combined with the beetroot relish. Ooh, so good.

1/2heart had The Grounds Breakfast ($19). The home-made pesto was so fragrant and delish.

We also ordered some ice coffee and mocha. The iced coffee and mocha were a bit too weak for my taste, I think next time I will order some espresso instead to have a real taste of their coffee.
The counter also serves various pastries and tarts - all looking divine. Alas, our breakfast was more of breakfast + lunch fare (due to the portion), and we could not push ourselves to eat any more - not even those jam doughnuts we have been eyeing at the outside stall.

Lunch is served from 12 p.m. onwards, so we are looking forward to come back to this place and try more on their menu.

Also worth mentioning, is the deli/grocery/food store located just around the corner: Salts Meats Cheese. Beautiful (and expensive) imported food, lots of organic and home-made sauces (pasta sauces as well), home-made olive oil, etc.