{store review} A foodie warehouse: “Dijon Food” in Caringbah

If you live in Sydney, this is a tip you’ll thank me for, and forever!

DIJON FOOD is a huge store, installed in a warehouse, which is a true Ali Baba cave. You will find absolutely everything you need to create the best meals… It ranges from speciality bread making, pastry ingredients, to French, Northern and Eastern European, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Asian ingredients which you normally find with difficulty or nowhere else…

Let me guide you through its aisles. I am nearly an official tour guide over there. Meet with Thelma (in the photo above, on the right), the wonderful manager who is ready to find any crazy ingredient for you.

Your diet is a bit special, you are a healthy food advocate, you will find all the seeds, cereals, flours, dried and candied fruits, nuts you need for your bars, mueslis and crunchy salads.

You are French and feels homesick in Sydney… head to DF, you will find the best mustards, vinegars, chouquettes sugars, pâtés, unbleached baker’s flours, Biscuit roses de Reims (pink dry crunchy sponge finger my grand-mother used to dip in Champagne), cornichons (French gherkins), a nice range of Bonne Maman jams and jellies, verjus, crème de cassis, Grand Marnier pâtissier and a huge collection of Monin syrups (Ginger, Curaçao, grenadine, orgeat, hazelnut, vanilla, caramel, chai tea, white chocolate, bitter…).

You miss Middle-Eastern delights, you will find Foul Moudammas, Rose and Orange blossom water, fine semolina, burghul, pomegranate molasses, dates and nuts of all sorts.

If you like to cook and you have a car, you have no excuse, you NEED to go there. I have no share in the business ;) I am a faithful client and love to go there and take my foodie friends.

Their collection of spices is extraordinary! As a spice collector, it is one of my favourite providers. Also their prices are very good.
You will find ground spices as well as whole seeds and blends. You will find an exceptionally good Italian Mixed Herb, celery and fennel seeds, dried onions, black, white, red and green peppercorn, nigella, mace, marjoram, juniper, caraway, chive flakes, anise seeds, bouquet garni, dried rose petals, raz el hanout, sechuan pepper, fenugreek, sumac, spearmint leaves, all the classics and many more.

Dijon Food is also famous for its specialised sugar, precious for ice-cream making, pastry and brewing. You will also find all sorts of gums to go with your gluten free flours such as Guar or Xanthan.

There is a huge number of references. You will find rare ingredients, funny foreign versions of things you have always used. It’s interesting. I find it as rewarding as visiting a museum.

If you are a fan of legumes such as soy beans, lentils being the Indian sort or the French Lentilles du Puy or even the black beluga caviar lentils, you will be in heaven here…
Wendell makes us his signature soup, which is a hamhock plus a lentil mix from Dijon Food, so pretty and colourful, and fresh iceberg lettuce. We will publish that one soon.

Have you tried those? Adzuki, canellenni, borlotti, soya, mung beans? Red, red split, du Puy, Persian lentils?

The baking and pastry section is pretty impressive. You will find the most enormous variety of flavouring such as marshmallow, bubblegum, fairy floss but also, lemon, cherry, caramel, blackberry, pina colada, champagne, brandy, cinnamon (so spicy), coffee, butter-rum, peanut butter and so many more. I have tried them all… I use them for my marshmallows and the pastry cream I stuff my profiteroles with.

If you are into French Forest mushrooms for delicious creamy sauces such as morilles (morels), for meats or pasta, try those! They are the real stuff! All you need it to re-hydrate them.

The variety of flours you will find at Dijon Food is mind boggling. It is ideal for special diets, intolerances and allergies, but also for people like me who luckily do not deal with any of those but who loves trying new tastes, new recipes.

And of course, you will find all sorts of quinoa, couscous, and amazing sides for your juicy dishes.

You will find also a choice of corn syrup, pure glucose syrup, treacle, golden syrup and molasses.

I forgot to mention the extraordinary collection of vinegars such as pear, blackcurrant, French cider, French white wine, etc, and to go with it the also extraordinary collection of oils such as cotton seeds, all sorts of olive oils of course from the simplest to the most exclusive, and very exotic apricot seeds or avocado oils.

Well, now you have seen a very small portion of this treasure chest, it is now your turn to visit it and let me know what you found :)

Important info:

Their website http://www.dijonfoods.com/

Address: 5-7 Resolution Drive – Caringbah – NSW 2229 – Australia

Store Hours:
8:30am – 5:30pm Mon-Fri
9:45am – 5pm Sat-Sun