The owners of Newport’s popular The Pint of Milk have opened a bigger restaurant around the corner in Williamstown called Mezmez.
The interior is tastefully decorated and telling of the Turkish influence that’s in the menu if the name doesn’t give it away.
‘Contemporary Middle Eastern’ is how I’d define it – shisha pipes hang prettily as table decorations and I’m in love with the cut-out lamp shades too.
Coffee comes from Brunswick’s Code Black Coffee. The breakfast and lunch menu has cafe standards for the poached eggs-avocado-toast types but there’s a breakfast section devoted to more Turkish food and that’s where I encourage you to head. It’s always more fun to learn about unfamiliar ingredients when dining out.
I decided to go for the grilled soujouk (Turkish sausage), treat potatoes, spinach, fried egg and dukkah ($16.50). A Turkish twist on the fry-up hangover breakfast if you will. It was a generously proportioned plate with lots of punchy flavours from the soujouk and the liberal scattering of nutty dukkah. I had this meal at 10am and didn’t eat again until dinner!
The kids shared a creamy snickers milkshake ($7) with crunchy peanut butter and chocolate squiggles. There’s no kids menu but there are plenty of options that are suitable for kids – in our case some excellent toast from Crumbs Organic Bakehouse and Vegemite ($6).
On my way to pay the bill I spotted this platter of temptation at the counter.
Nutella doughnuts – only $3.50! Oh my god these were amazing. A ball of light fried dough smothered with grainy sugar and filled with a golf ball of oozy chocolate hazelnut spread. Big enough for two – if you’re willing to share!
Despite a generally affluent population, presumably with money to spend on restaurants, Williamstown hasn’t really hit it in the culinary stakes for me. Mezmez is thankfully an exception to the rule and will be my go-to cafe in the area from now on. I look forward to trying their lunch menu, which starts at 11am and leans even more towards Turkish flavours, with mezze and gozleme on the cards.
Features:- pram access;
- high chairs;
- standard menu suitable for kids; and
- close to playground at Commonwealth Reserve.
Mezmez, 42 Ferguson St, Williamstown (03) 9397 8804
Daily 8am-4pm
