G.R.U.B – Grass Roots Urban Butchery 0

http://www.grassrootsurbanbutchery.com

THE ENTRY COW’S BUTT

You know when you walk into a store, it could be a department store, a clothing store, a sporting store, ANY store…..and you are just OVERWHELMED with GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME, GIMME ONE OF EVERYTHING YA GOT!?!? Well that’s EXACTLY how I felt the minute I stepped foot in Vaucluse’s new “hot on the local food scene” Grass Roots Urban Butchery a.k.a G.R.U.B.

THE FRONT OF THE STORE

From the VERY MOMENT you arrive at G.R.U.B you’re smiling. Firstly, you are greeted at the door by a life-sized cow grazing on the welcome mat! I mean if that doesn’t make you chuckle….well, if that doesn’t make you chuckle, you’re just a damn misery guts! (Hmmmmm that sounded very Anne of Green Gables or Pollyanna, rather)…..Anyway, as you move into the space, which is beautifully designed – crisp, clean, modern, yet has a warmth to it – your eyes start darting LEF TO RIGHT LEFT TO RIGHT……and the GIMME commences! On the right is the refrigerated cabinet packed with stunningly presented meats of all sorts and on the left is shelf after shelf after shelf after shelf of organic, sumptuous, tempting, healthy, sparkly, new and desriable product! You instantly recognise that this joint is SO MUCH MORE than *just* a Butcher shop.

LOOK HOW FRESH AND DELICIOUS THAT LOOKS  – AND TRUST ME  – TASTES!

Owners and founders, husband and wife team Dominic and Alex O’Neil, had some pretty simple, yet very noble intentions when setting up shop. They wanted to create a one-stop local store that supplied everything needed to put together a healthy, delicious, and organic meal. They personally, with their young family and busy lives, were sick and tired of travelling each afternoon to Venice for their Veges, Melbourne for their Meat and Bangkok for their Bread! What they WISHEDDDDD they could be doing was going to one place ONLY, and purchasing the A to Z required for the evening meal, and then returning home and spending the time THERE cooking, not running around in the car! The only way that this was going to happen, they thought, was if THEY were the ones to create that local store……so that’s what they’ve done!

DOMINIC AND ALEX

Dom and Ali believe that it is ABSOLUTELY FUNDAMENTAL that they AND their customers know EXACTLY where all of their produce comes from so they have researched and sourced everything they supply THOROUGHLY. They have also travelled to most of the farms that produce their foods and are in the process of organising personal visits to the others. They have chosen their suppliers based on how they treat their land and their animals, as they believe that not only is it the right thing to do for the enviornment, but also that healthy land and healthy animals LITERALLY produce tastier meals with greater health benefits……and although I ain’t no doctor, (wish I was, one of my life regrets is not studying medicine, but I digress…) I’m with them!

Details such as an “open butchery area” and a plasma screen displaying footage of the farms where the produce comes from, just show you how true to their word Dom and Ali are…..as Dominic said to me when I was there, he really disliked it when he used to go to the butcher for something and the butcher would say “give me a minute, I’ll grab that from out the back”….out the back WHERE, off the floor? From the bin?!? Ha! But you get the drift…..what you see with these folk is what you get! AND I LOVE IT!

THE OPEN BUTCHERY AREA TO THE LEFT

It is also VERY IMPORTANT for Ali and Dom to be able to assure their customers that they are getting TOP QUALITY produce ALL THE TIME. It is for that reason that they have chosen to procure their organic pork from a company called PASTURE PERFECT PORK. They also use this pork for their DELCIOUSSSSSSS ham and bacon. (Bought enough for the week and have been inhaaaaaaaling it 24/7). The pork is actually “turned into” the ham and bacon locally, in Kogarah by an italian butcher who makes small goods, “Dolce Vita”.

The Lamb sold @ G.R.U.B comes from a group called MALONE, in South Australia, and although it is not organic, it is grass fed/grass finished. The Beef , supplied by TARALGA SPRINGS, like the lamb, is grass fed/grass finished. NO Grain. NO antibiotics. NO chemicals. The Chooks are sourced from Burrawong most of the time, however, sometimes when these chook-a-doodles aren’t available, G.R.U.B goes without, as if they can’t obtain the best, they’d rather say, “sorry, we don’t have ’em at the mo!”

HOW GOOD DOES THAT LOOK?? AND ALREADY MARINATED! THANKS GUYS!

Other products to crrrrrry tears of true joy over at G.R.U.B are; the largest, tastiest, brightest vege on the planet (I bought 1 x cucumber 44 years ago and am still eating it – was large enough to feed NSW), beautiful and refreshing teas and spices, from OVVIO ORGANICS , tear-worthy pastas, organic ketchup, Himalayan rock salt, sourdough breads, free range eggs, butter and cheeses from Paris Creek farms and the list just goes on and on and on……and it’s dinner time and I have to give the baby a bottle!

YUMMY BREAD

FREE RANGE ORGANIC EGGS – EGGSELENT! (SORRY COULDN’T RESIST THAT ONE!)

PRETTY PINK HIMALAYAN ROCK SALT

GORGEOUS OVVIVO PRODUCTS

AND……..FOR ALL THE SOUTH AFRICANS – BILTONG!!!

THE VEGE – MMMMMMMMMMM

THOSE GARGANTUAN CUCUMBERS I WAS TALKING ABOUT!

To add to ALLLLLLL of this, G.R.U.B also  have CLASSES starting up! (For those with nothing on this weekend – Sunday, October 17th from 11-3pm – you can still book! For more info check out  www.foodbyhollydavis.com – scroll down to the Vaucluse classes.)……AAAAAAAND, if you’d like to see some food by Holly – check out the snaps below, taken from a lunch hosted @ G.R.U.B – WARNING – DO NOTTTTTT LOOK AT THESE PICS WHILST YOU ARE STARVED OR YOU MAY CURL UP AND DIE.

SHREDDED, SLOW-COOKED BEEF BRISKET, MUSHROOMS WITH CABBAGE AND SORREL AND BEEF SHORT RIBS WITH SHALLOTS

STANDING BEEF SHIN WITH MARROW BONES AND KALE – YUMMMMMMMMMMM

STANDING BEEF SHIN WITH MARROW BONES AND KALE – YUMMMMMMMMMMMM AGAIN!!!

RHUBARB, YOGHURT, HONEY AND HONEYCOMB – OH PUUUUH-LEASE…..REALLY THERE ARE JUST NO WORDS!

……NO WORDS AT ALL!

In addition…..If you’d like to, you can follow G.R.U.B on facebook – there are loads of recipes, specials and details of upcoming events there (such as last week’s Olive Oil tasting with Dee from Nolans Road Organics – see below!)

DEE CHATTING TO SOME G.R.U.B CUSTOMERS

Verrrrrrry soon, G.R.U.B. hopes to offer a home delivery service as well as a full website. For now, anyone wishing to ask any questions or make special requests, Dom and Ali can be contacted on the number provided on the interim site (www.grassrootsurbanbutchery.com). They’d be happy to hear from you!

All in all, I can VERY CONFIDENTLY say that G.R.U.B is DEFINITELY worth a visit, it’s DEFINITELY something to be excited about, and it’s DEFINITELY “one to watch”!

Sorry for the Eggselent joke! ;)