Hi hi loyal friends who still have hope I’ll someday get freebies out of this (ah if I had the energy of an Instafamous lifestyle blogger with a hefty DSLR…what a life).
Who’s kidding anyone, freebies come to bloggers who spend most of their living breathing life behind a computer perfecting their metatags, their search engine ‘searchability’, their social media following etc etc. We all know that’s not what this blog is for. This is for me to be a millennial know-it-all who rants about some random things and bungs all her sub-par food photos and thoughts on the food she inhales gluttonously. Okay that was self-deprecation not self-hatred (please no therapists)!
I wanted to tell you guys about an awesome food experience I had recently at Tramsheds in Harold Park. Yes, late to that party too. My high school girlfriends wanted to catch up over a nice meal for one of our crew’s 24th birthday’s so we decided something not related to a sushi train or burger joint (usually my top picks) was in order. If you haven’t been to Tramshed’s yet, it’s a beautifully arranged bunch of restaurants/cafes/delis/gelaterias sitting elegantly in the refurbished Rozelle Tramway Depot built alllll the way in 1904! Very cool. Sydney has clearly put its money where its mouth is with this one, and it’s paid off with flying colours.
Each sophisticated establishment has its own charm, whether that be in the colour palette or unique seating arrangement. You’ll find something to intrigue you here and to suit any occasion. We had a brief walk around and decided Butcher and the Farmer was the ambience we were best dressed for. We were seated immediately without a booking and reveled in the airy, casual open space of this modern Australian meat and seafood specialist. I was obsessing over the eggshell blue cloth napkins and blonde wooden interior – it was Scandi design at its finest. 
We ordered two starters and three mains. The first to arrive was the Salmon cured, thinly sliced with fennel, orange and dill dressing ($18). I could’ve literally stole that gorgeous blue China plate, it was so pretty and the salmon was spread over it delicately as if an artwork of sorts. The cured salmon was soft and subtly scented with dill and orange, a nice refreshing start to our meal.
The next to arrive was the Breadboard, fresh bread with butter ($6), which made my eyes gleam a little in anticipation. Oh how I love my carbs, especially drenched in a thick layer of quality butter. And this was exactly that – a warm, crisp exterior and soft, fluffy innards with a little tang from fresh Pepe Saya cultured butter. I think I probably ate two thirds of the little loaf, but the girls didn’t seem to mind (#gluttonouspig). 
The birthday girl ordered their Lychee and Mint Caipiroska muddled lychee, smashed mint, lime, vodka ($16) which was punchy with frgrant mint and lime at first but as the ice diluted it, became a bit of a chore to drink. Girlfriend #2 was intrigued by the sound of the Fig and Honey Crusta fig syrup, brandy, orange liqueur, lemon juice, honey sugar rim ($18) which was a stunning hue of salmon pink and aromatic with its warmer, less overpowering notes. 
Onto the mains! I wasn’t in a harved (hungry/angry/starved hehe) state so I liked the sound of the Salmon king, charcoal grilled, with charred asparagus ($29, no longer a menu item). Upon arrival, my heart sunk a little when I realised there was A TONNE of garlic (a very IBS unfriendly ingredient) all over it but I removed the pieces and sucked it up. Garlic symptoms aren’t nearly as bad as onion’s. The salmon was a little overcooked for my liking, I’d prefer if it were a little more pink inside, but the skin was crisp and the asparagus was cooked to smokey perfection.
Birthday gal got the Butchers Sausage house-made (300g; $16) which was a humongous portion of three fat pork and fennel sausages and a nice heap of sauteéd cabbage. Bang for your buck for sure. There were noticeable chunks of melty fat inside the sausage and she said the flavour was sweet and subtle, but that it became a bit of a chore to eat after the second sausage.
Our other friend was in a vego mood so we all got intense food envy when her Butternut Pumpkin smoked with marinated goat’s feta, macadamias, pepitas ($14) came to the table. Theatrical in presentation – with its generous chunk of soft, sweet from being slow-roasted pumpkin with skin, tangy cheese and a nutty touch from the macadamias and pepitas – I was in awe when I had a taste. And again, such a good price point for such a generous portion.
We ended the night comfortably full and excited to find time to catch up once again to explore more of what Tramsheds has to offer. Now that I finally have the job secured, I’ll probably be blogging more than bi-yearly too!
Butcher and the Farmer, Tramsheds Harold Park, Shop 7, 1 Dalgal Way, Forest Lodge NSW 2037, (02) 8629 8800, find them on Facebook.
the hungry plum. 