Stuart Melling

Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC - Utah's biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows. I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen. Follow along on Instagram too!

MorningStar Farms Mini Corn Dogs

February 8, 2020January 26, 2020 by Stuart Melling

This relatively new product from MorningStar takes their traditional Corn Dog product and repackages it into smaller bite size pieces. Moreover, where the old style corn dogs where non-vegan, this …

Dining Elevated Flatware Rests review

February 1, 2020January 26, 2020 by Stuart Melling

If you’ve got even the slightest OCD bone in your body (I’ve got many) you’ll no doubt wince in agony when sat in a restaurant that merrily places their flatware …

Trader Joe’s Aloo Chaat Kati Pockets

February 8, 2020January 19, 2020 by Stuart Melling

Two Kati Pockets come inside the cardboard packaging (one shown here as my appetite beat the camera on this rare occasion…). Each pocket is wrapped separately so you don’t need …

Lightlife Plant Based Ground meat review

February 8, 2020January 14, 2020 by Stuart Melling

With Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods seemingly dominating the narrative when it comes to plant based products, you’d think the market starts and stops with these two huge players. You’d …

Simple Truth Meatless Kielbasa review

February 8, 2020January 12, 2020 by Stuart Melling

You better hold on tight, 2020 looks like the year that meat free products are really going to start hitting the mainstream in serious volume. Every company under the sun …

365 Organic Crinkle Cut Fries review

February 8, 2020January 12, 2020 by Stuart Melling

I can’t say I’ve ever met a French fry I didn’t like. Even when a French fry is less than stellar – I’m still going to eat it – and …

Simple Truth Emerge Plant Based Patties – a surprisingly good burger

May 7, 2021January 7, 2020 by Stuart Melling

Let’s get the obvious elephant in the room dealt with first. These burgers from Kroger are made in the spirit of those from Impossible/Beyond, if not a loving homage to …

Recipe: restaurant style Chicken Tikka Masala

December 8, 2019 by Stuart Melling

This recipe is my current working recipe for a restaurant style chicken tikka masala. What do I mean by restaurant style? Well, a rich, decadent curry that throws caution to …

One Culture Foods Japanese Spicy Ramen

December 8, 2019 by Stuart Melling

Ramen has to be one of the hottest food trends across the country these past few years. This product from One Culture Foods (a brand I’ve seen more and more …

Review: Ducktrap Smoked Wild Mackerel Fillet

December 8, 2019 by Stuart Melling

“Is it fishy?”…a question I’m forever fielding from the fish fearful. Salmon to tuna to trout – I’m not sure what people expect me to say, the response is usually …