09 Sep 2007, ST
By Huang Lijie
FOR anyone who has shopped in a gourmet store but been stumped when it comes to using the produce and products on offer, a trip to Jones The Grocer in Dempsey Hill might change that.
The Australian fine food purveyor is opening its first branch outside Australia and New Zealand on Wednesday.
Mr Stuart Smith, 35, director of the gourmet chain, said: 'Jones' philosophy is about pairing good food and flavours, and we are keen on helping customers realise that with our products.'
Jones, which was started in 1996 by Lindsay Jones-Evans in the affluent suburb of Woollahra, Sydney, grew a following over the years for its selection of gourmet foods.
The store opened several franchises. In 2003, the group was bought over by Senselle Foods, an importer and distributor of special food ingredients.
Today, its 10 Australian stores and one New Zealand outlet continue to stay true to the original mission of bringing good gourmet food together in an accessible manner.
Suggestions on how to mix and match its offerings are found in recipe cards, product information displays and in its cafe offerings.
A recipe card for chilli linguine on the pasta rack, for example, suggests pairing Setaro linguine ($12.20) from Naples, Italy, with its Imaginative Cuisine lemon infused olive oil from the UK ($16.90).
The handmade pasta, extruded from a bronze die, has a slightly rough surface that is supposed to be better at absorbing flavours and picking up the citrus accents in the olive oil, Mr Smith said.
Six to 10 recipe cards, free for customers to take, are available in the store at any one time. They will be changed monthly.
The store boasts a 100 sq ft walk-in cheese room stocked with 90 varieties from France, the UK, Italy and Spain, including raw-milk cheese prized among aficionados for their complex notes.
Customers will find written recommendations on which wines and complements such as dried fruit, nuts and honey go best with each cheese.
A suggested pairing: Jones' sour dried cherries from Tasmania ($6.50 for 100g) balances the richness of the triple cream cow's milk cheese from Victoria, Australia ($6.70 for 100g).
In-store cheese expert Travis Sanders, 24, who has relocated from the flagship store in Woollahra, will also be on hand to offer suggestions.
And if you believe that the test of a pudding is in its taste, place an order at the 90-seat cafe. Its menu is designed to show how various products can be brought together in a dish.
The cafe, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, tapas and desserts, offers casual cafe fare with hints of decadence, evident from the slow roasted wagyu beef rump on white bean with tomato salad and sherry vinegar ($27) and its arancini - Sicilian fried risotto balls with braised leek and gorgonzola cheese ($7). Menu items range between $3 and $27.
This 6,200 sq ft store, the largest of its 12 outlets, was scheduled to open 11/2 months ago. Delays in construction work, however, have pushed back the opening date.
It was designed by Landini Associates, the brand consultant behind Harrods' luxury food convenience store and a basement bar at Harvey Nichols.
For Jones, the firm has created a minimalist look with a touch of rustic: Six walnut wood communal cafe tables flank a central coffee bar counter with a 10-seat bar area. A see-through kitchen runs the length of one wall while the cheese room occupies the furthest left corner of the store.
As to whether Jones is feeling the heat from its Dempsey Hill neighbour Culina, a veteran local premium food retailer which opened about three weeks ago, Mr Smith said: 'I see Culina and Jones complementing each other with the range of products each offers.
'We differentiate ourselves through our exclusive in-house Jones' products which make up about 60 per cent of our offerings. These products are sourced from a network of more than 450 suppliers in Australia, New Zealand and Europe and made to our specifications.'
Jones The Grocer is at Block 9 Dempsey Hill 01-12, tel: 6475-2005
Open: 9.30am to 11pm daily
By Huang Lijie
FOR anyone who has shopped in a gourmet store but been stumped when it comes to using the produce and products on offer, a trip to Jones The Grocer in Dempsey Hill might change that.
The Australian fine food purveyor is opening its first branch outside Australia and New Zealand on Wednesday.
Mr Stuart Smith, 35, director of the gourmet chain, said: 'Jones' philosophy is about pairing good food and flavours, and we are keen on helping customers realise that with our products.'
Jones, which was started in 1996 by Lindsay Jones-Evans in the affluent suburb of Woollahra, Sydney, grew a following over the years for its selection of gourmet foods.
The store opened several franchises. In 2003, the group was bought over by Senselle Foods, an importer and distributor of special food ingredients.
Today, its 10 Australian stores and one New Zealand outlet continue to stay true to the original mission of bringing good gourmet food together in an accessible manner.
Suggestions on how to mix and match its offerings are found in recipe cards, product information displays and in its cafe offerings.
A recipe card for chilli linguine on the pasta rack, for example, suggests pairing Setaro linguine ($12.20) from Naples, Italy, with its Imaginative Cuisine lemon infused olive oil from the UK ($16.90).
The handmade pasta, extruded from a bronze die, has a slightly rough surface that is supposed to be better at absorbing flavours and picking up the citrus accents in the olive oil, Mr Smith said.
Six to 10 recipe cards, free for customers to take, are available in the store at any one time. They will be changed monthly.
The store boasts a 100 sq ft walk-in cheese room stocked with 90 varieties from France, the UK, Italy and Spain, including raw-milk cheese prized among aficionados for their complex notes.
Customers will find written recommendations on which wines and complements such as dried fruit, nuts and honey go best with each cheese.
A suggested pairing: Jones' sour dried cherries from Tasmania ($6.50 for 100g) balances the richness of the triple cream cow's milk cheese from Victoria, Australia ($6.70 for 100g).
In-store cheese expert Travis Sanders, 24, who has relocated from the flagship store in Woollahra, will also be on hand to offer suggestions.
And if you believe that the test of a pudding is in its taste, place an order at the 90-seat cafe. Its menu is designed to show how various products can be brought together in a dish.
The cafe, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, tapas and desserts, offers casual cafe fare with hints of decadence, evident from the slow roasted wagyu beef rump on white bean with tomato salad and sherry vinegar ($27) and its arancini - Sicilian fried risotto balls with braised leek and gorgonzola cheese ($7). Menu items range between $3 and $27.
This 6,200 sq ft store, the largest of its 12 outlets, was scheduled to open 11/2 months ago. Delays in construction work, however, have pushed back the opening date.
It was designed by Landini Associates, the brand consultant behind Harrods' luxury food convenience store and a basement bar at Harvey Nichols.
For Jones, the firm has created a minimalist look with a touch of rustic: Six walnut wood communal cafe tables flank a central coffee bar counter with a 10-seat bar area. A see-through kitchen runs the length of one wall while the cheese room occupies the furthest left corner of the store.
As to whether Jones is feeling the heat from its Dempsey Hill neighbour Culina, a veteran local premium food retailer which opened about three weeks ago, Mr Smith said: 'I see Culina and Jones complementing each other with the range of products each offers.
'We differentiate ourselves through our exclusive in-house Jones' products which make up about 60 per cent of our offerings. These products are sourced from a network of more than 450 suppliers in Australia, New Zealand and Europe and made to our specifications.'
Jones The Grocer is at Block 9 Dempsey Hill 01-12, tel: 6475-2005
Open: 9.30am to 11pm daily
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