I think the best way to navigate Mediterranean Wholesalers is to bring your own Italian nonna. Really, they should offer a No-Nonsense Nonna rental service along with the shopping trolleys.
Since no such service exists, I was left to face the fomidable rows of dried pasta shapes on my own. The supermarket also sells pallets of other mediterranean goods, from caranoli rice to tomato passata, jerry cans of olive oil, frozen filled pasta, as well as offering fresh bread, wine, sweets and deli products such as chorizo and baccala. When you’re done with your shopping, you can even settle down at the authentic-looking Italian bar for an espresso and a slice of super-cheap apple cake or marble cake.
My shopping basket:
- frozen beef tortellini ($5.50)
- Carmelina sundried tomatoes ($4.55)
- Mazzetti pesto because I don’t have enough basil to make my own now ($4.65)
- La Risera Arborio rice – just picked a brand randomly ($2.99)
- Reggia pasta – again no idea, but I spotted a little old lady stocking up on the sale items, so figured it must be ok ($0.99-$1.19)
- Di Martino bucatini – mainly just so I’d have a point of comparison for the Reggia pasta ($1.19)
- Di Martino Calamarata – cos it came in a nifty box and was an unusual ring shape ($2.29)
- Montefiore mozzarella and prosciutto for my pizza ($3.99)
- Giant hunk of grana padano – 600g was the smallest I could find! ($11.91)
- Arroz de Calasparra – the best rice for paella as told to me by a snobby Spaniard ($7.95). It’s double the price at Simon Johnson!
If anyone can enlighten me as to what brands I should have been buying or whether I made the right choices, please let me know!
Check out my visit to Mediterranean Wholesalers as part of a Shop and Cook Tour – Lebanon to Morocco here.
- Mediterranean Wholesalers, 482 Sydney Rd, Brunswick +61 3 9380 4777
get some wine next time; anything barolo and if you have to spend $50 on a bottle do it – it is the cheapest in town and is super yum. and have a coffee.
tim
Thanks for the tip Tim. Any tips on what to buy at this behemoth grocery store are welcome!
Did you have a piece of cake with your coffee? I was tempted by the cake display but v full after lunch that day….
btw the prosciutto was amazing! I used to buy mine from Queen Vic but now I’m holding out until the next trip to Mediterranean Wholesalers. Fabulous for a simple carbonara.
How much is your jarlsberg cheese a kg. Regards Lina [from melbourne]
Hi Joyce – I believe this post is already 2 years old. Would you know if the prices of good change that much? Thanks for sharing this.
I think Mediterranean wholesalers like these are the best places to find authentic and a huge variety of pastas. The number of types just boggle the mind, and someone who isn’t experienced at choosing the right types for the right dish would get lost in the shop.
i have recently bought a stick of dried stock fish by mistake and not baccala could you please tell me how to prepare it thanks