Salt Meats Cheese

I have driven pass Salt Meats Cheese (SMC) on numerous occasions, while I was always curious about it I never got the chance to step inside, that is until the Mutti Pasta Bar launch event last week. So on Saturday I decided to venture back and explore.

I wanted one of everything for my pantry

Located next to The Grounds of Alexandria, SMC is an Italian grocery store run by two passionate Italian boys, Stefano De Blasi and Edoardo Perlo. Besides offering high quality products from around the world at wholesale prices (that's right, you've heard me right, shopping at this place won't break your bank), they also do private dinners, catering, events and cooking classes.

The vast warehouse space is filled with olive oil, vinegar, salts, jam, grains, sauces, pasta, cheeses, cured meats, sweet and savoury snacks, the list just goes on and on. If you don't have specific items in mind, you could easily spend a good part of an hour looking through the shelves. I certainly did!

Sea salts sold by the gram

Oh and who knew there are so many different types of salt! Black truffle, Thai ginger, Spanish rosemary, aged balsamic, roasted garlic, just to name a few. But I think the best part is, at SMC, you can buy as much or as little of these gourmet natural salts as you want. 

Among all the imported products, you'll also find SMC branded items, some of them are made on site, and since these are done by hand there is no mass production, once something is sold out, like their freshly made mozzarella, it is gone for good till the next batch.

Galeria Del Jamon

A visit to the Galeria Del Jamon, "Gallery of Ham", is a must. Some of the best cured meats and cheeses are on offer. Not sure what you want? Grab a stool and menu and start tasting. Yep, you can taste anything on the menu. And if you are hungry, the Galeria staff will be happy to make you sandwiches with meats and cheeses of your choosing.

By the way, there is a foosball table too, a great way to keep the kids busy while mum and dad do their shopping. Or, the big kid in some of us might just challenge our mates for a game or two.

freshly baked bread

To further share their passion for fine food and cooking, a second SMC has been penned in for opening in February in Martin Place, no doubt it'll be a massive hurray for those work in the city. The Mutti Pasta Bar will likely to follow some time soon after, as it was announced last week a specially designed pasta bar will be launched at the Alexandria location early next year.

There are certainly a few things to look forward to in the SMC universe in 2014, but for now, you can swing by for all the goodies, catch some live sausage making action on the weekend and get your hands on freshly made mozzarella, courtesy of Stefano himself, which is simply divine.

And if you are feeling inspired after wandering around the warehouse then get your hands on the SMC recipe app (available free from Google Play and App Store). Worry not, all the curated recipes in the app consist of recipes with 10 ingredients or less, so you won't need bags after bags of ingredients, and there are pictures and tips in preparing the dishes too. Happy cooking I say!

Come to think of it, I should add a pasta machine and pasta & ravioli cooking class at SMC to my Christmas wish list!

I have to thank the gorgeous Bridget, a.k.a. the Internet Chef, for introducing me to SMC, I was hooked the moment I walked in. It is a wonderland for home cooks, aspiring chefs and of course, me, a lover of all things Italian, and yes, the accent too!

P.S.: Santa, I have been a very good girl this year! 

Salt Meats Cheese: 41 Bourke Road, Alexandria NSW 2015