July 8th, 2011
Established in Sydney in 1996, Jones The Grocer set the benchmark for Australian gourmet food retailing. Hosting an iconic walk-in cheese room, a contemporary “communal” cafe, as well as an extensive selection of gourmet deli products, Jones The Grocer continues to be recognised as an innovative market leader, both in it’s home base of Australia, and also now in overseas branches, including two in Singapore and also the UAE and New Zealand. The Singapore stores were recently recognised by the local food and beverage industry with the Gourmet Retailer of the Year award for 2011.
The first Singapore store was opened at Dempsey Hill in September 2008, and the most recent store, at Mandarin Gallery in late 2009.
The store at Demspey Hill is set within one of the restored military barracks buildings- and the corner location provides generous open air terrace seating along both both sides. The interior takes full advantage of the high ceilings- creating a bright, airy atmosphere. Raw concrete flooring, white walls and ceilings, and clean, uncluttered product display shelving are the backdrops for the vast array of attractively packaged and presented gourmet deli items. The assortment covers many categories from premium tea leaves, luxury chocolates, home made pasta sauces, fresh bakery, to wines and champagnes, soft drinks and bottled waters, and the temperature-controlled, walk in cheese room. A wall of book shelves at the main entrance holds a selection of cookery books that are available for browsing or purchase.
In the centre of the floor space is the large “island” food counter- with stainless steel serving benches along three sides- with some counter seating. Generally the cafe is based around a communal dining concept, with bench tables set in between the building pillars, and some large dining tables at the rear of the space. The main kitchen, set to one side, is partly “open” through glass windows, and coffee and dessert preparations are handled at the central counters. Seating outside on the terraces is at small tables on one side and at benches set between the pillars on the other- all cooled with over head ceiling fans.
The cafe serves a selection of international dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner with the menus being regularly updated with new items. The weekend brunches – served until 3:00pm, are particularly popular – with queues for seats common by mid-morning. The cafe draws clientele- both expat and locals- from the surrounding residential areas, and has a steady turnover of customers all day. Some of the most popular breakfast dishes are the “Spanish eggs en cocote”– baked eggs, tomato relish, strips of bacon, spinach and sourdough bread- served in a metal platter on a wooden chopping board; “Breakfast BLT”– grilled bacon, avocado, roasted tomato & watercress with aioli & toasted focaccia bread; and “Jones Traditional English Breakfast”– eggs poached, fried or scrambled with Jones sausage, slow roasted tomato, sautéed mushrooms, bacon & sourdough toast.
Lunch dishes include a “Wagyu beef & blue cheese burger”; “Mushroom risotto”; and salads, soups, sandwiches & baguettes. Desserts are a specialty with a large selection on display on the counters- include brownies, macarons, and Jones cheesecake. The dinner menu is served from 6pm until 10pm and essentially has the same selection as the Lunch menu.
Excellent coffee, and free wi-fi, makes Jones The Grocer a popular place for people to hang out during the day- and more than a few business meetings can be observed most afternoons. And there is always a steady stream of shoppers coming in to purchase the gourmet deli items, so the cafe and store have a cheerful, vibrant atmosphere.
See slide show below for more views inside Jones The Grocer
Jones The Grocer
Address: Block 9 #01-12 Dempsey Road, Dempsey Hill, Singapore, 247697
Tel: +65 6476 1512
Website: http://www.jonesthegrocer.com/
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday 9:00am – 11:00pm
Breakfast– 09:00am ~ 12:00 noon Weekend Brunch 12:00pm ~ 5:00pm
Lunch– 12:00pm ~ 5:00pm
Dinner– 6:00pm ~ 10:00pm
