Three Williams, Redfern (II)

By now, most of us would have heard about Three Williams and their narnies and French toast. Some of you love it, some of you don't. Regardless, it remains successful with countless people queuing up each weekend. For me, it's one of the cafes in Sydney that I would be happy to return again and again especially after noticing a few specials popping up every now and then on their social media sites. Sure enough, those specials are now available on their brand new Spring menu. Recently, I was invited to a tasting session of Three Williams' new menu one evening where we got to sample a decent selection of their new dishes from the new narnies to the generous salads and the infamous French toast. 

Super Smoothie ($8.00)

Since it was getting dark, it was harder for me to spot this hidden cafe since the only signage was the W on the door. However it was easy to spot once you get to see the light coming from that familiar spacious cafe. Once I was seated down, I was treated to a sample of the Super Smoothie. This contains kale, apricot, apple, LSA, banana, ginger and cinnamon (dairy free). Was expecting it to be similar to a matcha smoothie when I saw the colour but it was quite sweet, smooth and refreshing like a pressed juice. So good to have on a warm day and it's healthy too! 

Seasonal house made soda - Raspberry and lime soda ($5 for glass/$12 for jug) 

The seasonal house made sofa was also a treat to have during the warmer seasons. It was not too sweet, lightly flavoured and had a nice fizzy sensation. Finished more than a few of these drinks throughout the evening.

Crispy school prawns ($8.00)

Man the crispy school prawns were so addictive that our table had no problem finishing this off. Loved its crispy batter which matched well with the zesty aioli. It didn't bother me at all eating these prawns whole one by one. They are quite sharp though so I wouldn't recommend popping them into your mouth too fast.

Herb rubbed free range roast duck with roast pears, rocket, apple balsamic and aioli ($16.00)

We were getting very excited when we saw the duck narnie ending up on the table. The roast duck was very tender and blended well with the creamy aioli. Though what surprised me about this dish was the pear. As soon as I chomp into the familiar roast duck meat, I came across the sweet and chunky pieces of pear hidden inside. While it was unexpected, the sweetness of the pears and the apple balsamic worked so well with the rest of this otherwise savoury dish.

Wild mushrooms, baby spinach, truffle balsamic, Stracchino cheese sauce and Parmesan ($15.00)

For the strict vegetarian readers, fear not! The wild mushrooms narnie was absolutely delicious to the point that I wouldn't mind going vegetarian (for a week) myself. My eyes gazed heavily on this narnie especially when I could smell that truffle aroma from the balsamic. Combining that with the succulent and juicy wild mushrooms plus the intriguing and flavoursome cheese sauce (!!!), you get a winning food-porn worthy combination that will convert any meat eater. It's no surprise that this was one of the fave dishes of our table.

Grilled Atlantic octopus, savoy cabbage, preserved lemon, radish, chilli, hazelnuts and jalapeno dressing ($17.00)

After the calorie-intensive narnies, we settled ourselves down with a couple of salads starting with the Grilled Atlantic Octopus salad. I found this to be light, zesty, colourful and substantial on its own. Loads of flavours and textures whether it was the crunch of the cabbage and the hazelnuts; the softness of the grilled octopuc; the tangy sensation from the peserved lemon; and the mild spicy tastes from the chilli and jalapeno dressing. It would actually convince you to be friends with salad.

Organic tofu, charred broccolini, roasted almonds, Japanese seaweed and fresh peas ($15.00)

At first I thought that the tofu looked like feta cheese from afar (I had an exhausting day). Not a huge fan of tofu in the past but its softness worked itself well in balancing the texture on what was otherwise a crunchy salad. With all these ingredients, it's another welcoming and healthy addition for the vegetarians.

Slow roasted free range pork loin, caramelised apple puree, cherry tomato and black pudding ($18.00)

By this point, I was filling up and the main dishes have arrived so we soldiered on. Due to its slow-cooked method, the pork was so tender that it melts in your mouth with lots of fatty bits that can tempt you when you're on a diet. Matched well with the sweet apple puree and the tomatoes. Personally I don't mind black pudding at all and this was quite good too. From afar, this actually looked like a dish you may get at a fine dining restaurant judging by its presentation, only with bigger servings.

Beer Battered Chips ($8.00)

One can't go to Three Williams without trying a bit of their beer battered chips. These were no exception. Crunchy on the outside and piping hot and soft on the inside, it was no wonder that we got really addicted to having more chips than we really should.

Rangers Valley mbs 7+ Wagyu minute steak with red wine butter and chips ($19.00)

Just when we were satisfied by the bowl of chips, even more chips showed up on our table along with a generous slab of wagyu minute steak. While it was hard to cut, the steak was actually quite tender when we had a taste of it. Haven't tried the red wine butter before but it was intriguing dabbing into this. Personally I thought it had an unusual flavour and seemed too creamy and buttery for my liking but I'm sure others would have enjoyed this.

Pan seared market fish with pea puree, broad beans and snow pea tendrils ($20.00)

Even though the dishes were shared across the table, we were getting very full by this point. However, I couldn't resist this simple yet beautiful looking seafood plate. Especially after looking at the dabbles of pea puree scattered around the plate that blended nicely with the other greens. The fish used that evening was the silver dory, which I found to be well cooked and seasoned though I couldn't help coating the fish with a squeeze of lemon for the flavour boost. 

Crunchy Brioche French Toast - caramel bananas, hazelnuts and Belgian chocolate ($16.00)

The one thing that kept our stomachs from going into food coma mode was, of course, the infamous Crunchy Brioche French Toast. While their original French toast from its opening day is still on the menu, Three Williams has added another option on the Spring menu for the chocolate and caramel lovers. It is incredibly sweet but oh so decadent. Just look at the spoonfuls of chocolate, crunchy hazelnuts and caramelised banana pieces topped over the warm, crispy and crumbled toast. As soon as I cut into the toast, you can gaze at how soft and fluffy it really is on the inside. Everything on this sweet dish is so bad yet so good. While it's not gonna get me thinner for Summer (sigh), it is worth the cheat meal when you dine here this season.

Gotta say guys, I am impressed and satisfied by what Three Williams has offered at this tasting. While we tried a generous selection of new dishes this time, there were even more dishes from the that we didn't get to try. The atmosphere was chilled and relaxing. Also, the service has been attentive not only on this occasion but at other times that I've visited this cafe in the past. Will certainly be returning again to try more new dishes as well as the classics on the new menu before the next seasonal menu arrives. 

The Random Foodie Vault: check out my previous post of Three Williams back in April 2014.

Disclaimer: The Random Foodie dined as a guest of Three Williams, courtesy of Wasamedia. Opinions are however, my own.

Three Williams
613a Elizabeth Street, Redfern NSW 2016
(02) 9698 1111
http://www.threewilliams.com/
Mon-Sun: 7:00am - 4:00pm

Three Williams, Redfern

I promised myself that I will try to keep up with the latest, hippest, talk-of-the-town cafes and restaurants on the block this year. Boy was I so wrong. At this point I am probably one of the last bloggers to talk about this ridiculously popular cafe. Better late than never right? If you still haven't heard of Three Williams, you are probably on a strict diet, not into cafes or you have been living under a rock. Even if cafes aren't your thing, there are countless pictures of those delicious narnies, brioche French toasts, croquettes and chips flooding instagram and Facebook. And if you ask me, I'd say that it really is worth the hype!

While it looked minimalist with only a W as the signage to identify the cafe, you could still spot it easily from the queues of people waiting outside. Before I arrived there, I spotted a photo on instagram in which a person who was at Three Williams a bit earlier was unhappy about having to wait at least 40 minutes for a table. It got me a bit nervous considering my lack of patience especially when I'm hungry. It didn't help when we saw loads of people queueing outside the cafe. Thankfully (or not if you are in a large group), we actually only needed to wait for about 5-10 minutes for a table for two but it does vary on the day and time of course. 

Inside, we were stunned at how massive Three Williams really was compared to most places we've been to. Very noisy and busy atmosphere but the staff was friendly, quick, efficient and attentive to our needs. It's also a child friendly cafe with a play space "Willy's Corner" at the back for the kids to doodle on the blackboard. With the spacious venue, this will be great for families with babies or toddlers since there's enough room for a pram.

White Coffee - Mocha ($3.50)

We started off with a couple of drinks. Since I was really tired and I have a coffee addiction no matter where I go, I needed my usual mocha to kick-start the day. Three Williams uses Single Origin Coffee beans which is always lovely to drink. While it has a smooth texture, the taste was more bitter and stronger which is good for me to get myself energised. Cute coffee art too.

Seasonal House-made Soda - Pineapple and Mint (Glass: $5.00, Jug: $12.00)

Since it was a warm day, we also opted for a chilled drink of Three Williams house-made soda. On the day, we decided on getting the pineapple and mint soda based on staff recommendations. FYI: the flavours do change regularly on a seasonal basis. While it wasn't too sweet, it was refreshing to have given the amount of fried, oily, sweet and carb-inducing dishes coming up. 

Fish Croquettes with Lemon and Aioli ($3.00 each)

Since Three Williams first came into my radar, I've been looking forward to trying out the fish croquettes. And man these were sooo good! Nice golden crumbled coating with a hot, soft, creamy, buttery, fishy and even slightly cheesy filling. Digged the shredded fish inside the filling. Found these little morsels to be so addictive that I wouldn't mind ordering a few more if I didn't order more dishes. Perfect with the lemon wedge and the aioli sauce for a flavour boost. Croquettes for brunch? Yes please!

Beer Battered Chips with House Aioli ($7.00)

Before heading here, heaps of people have told me that I MUST get the beer battered chips. Some even claimed that the chips at Three Williams were the best that they've ever had in Sydney. Luckily, CC and I are both crazy about chips no matter where we go. And omg they really were damn good! The battered chips were incredibly crunchy with the soft and fluffy potato inside. I can imagine these chips were cooked at least twice (maybe triple cooked?) to get that crunchy texture. Very addictive and perfect to share with friends...even though we gobbled the whole bowl very quickly.

Glazed Beef Brisket Narnie with Slaw, Gherkins, Chipotle Mayo ($15.00)

Of course when you're at Three Williams, you have got to try at least one of their signature house-made narnies. A narnie is a naan-style flat bread with a thicker, dough-like texture that can hold a substantial amount of fillings. Similar to a sandwich actually. My pick was the beef brisket which was suggested by the staff. So deliciously tender, fatty and juicy with the thick slabs of beef brisket combined with the crisp slaw and the tangy gherkins and the chipotle mayo. This is serious melt in your mouth, droolworthy goodness! It is very messy to handle and even messier when you try to use cutlery. You must eat this by hand. It's definitely not something you would usually see at other cafes in Sydney and it's certainly one of the reasons why there was so much sudden hype for this cafe. Was so bummed when I polished this off because I wanted more...if only I have a bigger stomach.

Crunchy Brioche French Toast, Blueberries, Yoghurt, Roasted Pecans and Maple Syrup ($15.00)

Three Williams does not have a dessert menu but they do have a tray of daily baked treats at the front counter including donuts, brownies and pistachio cakes. However I've been hearing lots of recommendations for the crunchy brioche French toast from many fellow foodies. In terms of presentation, it looks beautiful and colourful with blueberries, strawberries and pecans scattered across the plate. The toast was much thicker and bigger than I expected. Also, the sweet flavours were overwhelming for CC (who was digging into the chips while eating this toast) to handle. Despite that, the toast was delectable with its crisp texture, fluffy innards, fruity berries and the dollop of creamy yoghurt to balance the crunchiness. This unique brioche French toast is one you wouldn't usually see at many cafes with all these ingredients, taste and presentation. Will definitely order this again with something small and savoury on the side too like chips and croquettes.

Bibimbap Pulled Pork Narnie with Chilli Kimchi, Bean Sprouts, Julienne Carrots ($15.00)

Because the narnies were out of this world, I made a few more visits to see how the other flavours tasted. The bibimbap pulled pork narnie was the other flavour that caught my attention on my initial visit so I was especially looking forward to biting into this messy dish this time. Everything was mouthwatering from the tangy (chipotle or lime?) mayo, the spicy kimchi (which wasn't very spicy at first though it does give a kick to the tastebuds eventually) and the shredded pulled pork which was juicy and full of irresistible flavours. 

Fried Tempeh Narnie with Asian-style Pickled Vegetables, Sirarcha and Lime Mayo ($15.00, $13.00 for take-away)

They also do takeaway for most of their dishes if you are in a hurry. This was what happened a week ago when I was about to go to a friend's house party later that day. Bought the chips which was a crowd pleaser for my mates as well as the unique fried tempeh narnie. While it's a vegetarian dish, the slab of tempeh has a meaty texture when I bite into this. Also digged the massive crunch from the cracker. With so much veggie fillings, you could be forgiven for thinking this is a bit healthier than most of the other dishes (hehe I don't blame you :p). Because of the sirarcha, it was also much spicier than the Bibimbap narnie. Great flavour boost even though it got me grabbing the water bottle at the end. 

With lovely service, reasonable prices, spacious room and yummy food with generous servings; it is no wonder that I keep going back to Three Williams to try all the dishes especially the addictive narnies. This is a great place to go for a family outing or a catch up with friends but be prepared for queues at peak hours brunches and lunches on weekends if you are in a large group. Already looking forward to heading back here soon to try a few other dishes including the Merchant roll, spicy smashed beans with avo on toast, the baked treats, the caramelised cauliflower tabouli salad (seriously!) and even more narnies! 

Three Williams
613a Elizabeth Street, Redfern NSW 
(02) 9698 1111
https://www.facebook.com/threewilliamscafe
Mon-Sun: 7:00am - 4:00pm (Kitchen closes at 3:00pm)