Three Williams has been on the “Talk of the Town” chart on Urbanspoon for quite some time now, and it seemed like the whole of the Sydney foodie population had eaten there already. Today, on a gloomy Saturday morning, Mike and I finally made our way there.
Even though their photogenic French toast was very impressive,unfortunately, the overall experience was a hit-and-miss for us.
—–HER{curio}MAJESTY SCORE SHEET—–
Visited: 16 August 2014 (for breakfast).
Food: 7/10 || Ambiance: 7/10 || Service: 9/10
What I loved: The French toast.
What I didn’t: The portion of the narnies.
Will I come back: Probably not.
Located in Redfern, Three Williams placed a bit of distance between itself and the notoriously packed Surry Hills and Newtown brunch districts.
We went at around 10am on a Saturday morning and got a whole-day free on-street parking straight away.
The shopfront was rather plain, and lacked the warm and brunch-y feeling. I would’ve walked right past it if I hadn’t already known their logo (3 dots on a W) from my Urbanspoon research.
Inside, it was visibly spacious with a lot of pram space and comfortable distance between the tables. When I noticed the ramp access on the right, I pointed out to Mike that their main target clientele must be families with young kids – this theory was confirmed when I saw the kids’ area at the back. It seemed like a children friendly/family friendly place.
Ok, now, the food.
Crunchy brioche French toast, blueberries, yoghurt, roasted pecans and maple syrup, $15. This was definitely the best French toast that I’d ever had in Sydney.
The crunchiness of the crust of the brioche was executed flawlessly and the texture of its inside struck a perfect balance between fluffy and moist. The fresh fruit and yoghurt gave the French toast a healthier interpretation than the commonly perceived greasy pleasure.
The French toast was a 10 out of 10 for me.
Although, admittedly, I felt that the maple syrup made it a tad too sweet as a breakfast main. I would’ve enjoyed it even more as a dessert/afternoon tea snack for sharing between two people.
This was Mike’s Grilled prawns, tzatziki, hummus and sumac narnies, $15.
“Narnies” are their signature house made naan-style flat bread with fillings (as explained on the menu). The naan-bread itself was soft and was very easy to swallow with a wad of hummus. However, I had a problem with the prawns.
There were only 5 pieces of prawns in one narnies (we had already eaten two before I took this photo). With the $15 price tag, frankly the presentation and portion was quite pathetic.
My sister, Ju, specifically recommended me to try their Banana, medjool date, and walnut smoothies ($7). So I did.
It was a genuine banana smoothies, with real banana taste. If you like banana, you would love this. There was only a very subtle hint of walnut and medjool date, though.
My morning face showing off the size of the smoothies. It was big enough for two to share.
I’m a big fan of industrial/warehouse style cafes (like Brewtown Newtown), i.e. the more laid-back and comfy hipster style. However, even though it felt like it was what Three Williams was trying to achieve with its space, the overall design and their heavy use of plywood did not do the trick for me. Overall, the hipster-ness was lacking.
Nevertheless, the service was superb during our visit. We only waited 5 minutes on a Saturday morning for a table, and the meal came reasonably fast after we placed our order. I counted, there were 9 staff in total (baristas plus waitstaff) working away while we were there; and the waiters were all attentive and friendly.
{Three Williams} Address: 613a Elizabeth Street, Redfern NSW Website: https://www.facebook.com/threewilliamscafe/timeline