Food News

Looking like it has more in common with a trendy nightclub than an over-lit supermarket, Mercato e Cucina, is bringing a new style of fresh produce shopping to the good folk of Gladesville. And with parking underneath the 1200 square meter premises, Inner West residents may just love it too… Expect to find a butcher, cheese counter (with tastings including le Dauphin the ‘Prince of Brie’), a deli, a 400-bottle wine cellar (also stocking a range of grappas and Italian aperitifs), greengrocer, baker and a restaurant, all under the one roof. Owner Vanessa Martin, who rose to fame at Inner West favourite Il Piave, is understandably proud of her rather epic endeavour. She pointed out their house-made heat-and-eat lasagnes, which encourage a waste-reducing connection between the restaurant and the fresh food store, with products like “veal bones sent to the restaurant kitchen to make demi-glace”. Keep your eyes peeled for their own-brand products, like Coffs Harbour honey, which comes from a farm that Vanessa used to walk past every day when she visited her grandparents…
www.mercatoecucina.com.au