When the locals can’t get enough of the signature ‘narnies’ and the crunchy brioche French toast, you know the cafe must be worth a visit. And we for one could not wait to get our hands on one of Three Willams signature housemade flat bread sandwiches as soon as the word got out. Located on Elizabeth Street in Sydney’s inner east suburb of Redfern, next door to the furniture mecca, Great Dane Furniture, and a couple of doors down from Tait, there is much to be experienced in this booming part of town, and Three Williams Cafe has caught our eye for more than its excellent breakfast repertoire.
While it may not be headline news that Redfern is the new cool locale in Sydney, we are loving the discovery of new stars on the rise on the local food scene – as much as we love the furniture and homewares stores taking up residence on the once seedy streets.
The café is co-owned by Toby Iaccarino and Glen Bowditch, who are not without an extensive line of industry experience. Glen comes from a background that saw him spend time at two of Sydney’s foodie cult followings, The Grounds in Alexandria and the name synonymous with ‘beautiful bread’, Sonoma. The chefs aren’t without cred either with ex-ARIA chef Tim Bryan bringing a rustic, wholesome menu to the table, while pastry chef, Noreen Bryan, succeeds in keeping those with a sweet tooth content with ruby grapefruit iced doughnut’s amongst other sweet concoctions.
Anthony Gill Architects is the team behind the bold and raw interior aesthetic and is clearly showing Sydney-siders how to do rustic industrial through a strong sense of materiality. The interior is composed of bare brick, exposed red pipes, concrete flooring and a plywood ceiling and that key element that comes with industrial buildings, space! Spanning a generous 280 square metres, the furniture is a crucial constituent with custom made chairs, tables and stools by Nicholas Rogers and tanned leather benches stretching along the length of an exposed brick wall.
Pop in for lunch, grab a house made seasonal soda and try one of the narnie sandwiches made from naan-style flat bread filled with beef brisket or grilled prawns. Or make a breakfast visit and don’t go without trying the delicious banana smoothie with medjool dates served in a vintage milk bottle, or the best French toast you have ever had (apparently the secret is corn flakes, we have been told).
The team at Three Williams have generously supplied us with recipes for those ‘out of area’ so that we can all create a little Three Williams style fare at home with the Spiced Carrot Salad and The Merchant breakfast burger recipes straight from the café’s kitchen.
CHILLI FRIED EGG & BACON BRIOCHE BUN | AKA “THE MERCHANT”
BY Three Willams | Serves 4 | Prep Time: 20mins | Cooking Time: 10mins
Ingredients
4 Each Free Range Egg
4 Each Bacon Rashers
8 Pinch Shichimi Togarashi – Japanese Red Pepper
2 Tsp Chives – finely sliced
4 Tbsp Ranch Dressing – See Recipe Below
160 G Pickled Slaw – See Recipe Below
1 Pinch Sea Salt
4 Each Brioche Bun 100g – Sliced In Half
Method
1. Fry the bacon in a non-stick pan or under a grill till sizzling and golden.
2. Meanwhile toast bun and fry egg in an egg ring in a non-stick pan.
3. Arrange the Slaw on the base of the bun, followed by a drizzle of Ranch Dressing, then bacon and finally egg.
4. Season Egg with Japanese Pepper and a sprinkle of chives.
5. Nestle the lid on top.
Ranch Dressing Ingredients
250 Ml Mayonnaise
125 ML Buttermilk
125 ML Sour Cream
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Clove Garlic – Minced
2 Teaspoon Chives – Chopped
1 Tablespoon Parsley – Chopped
2 Teaspoon Oregano – Chopped
½ Teaspoon White Wine Vinegar
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
¼ Teaspoon Smoked Paprika Powder
Ranch Dressing Method
1. Combine all ingredients.
Pickled Slaw Ingredients
2 Cups White Cabbage – Finely sliced
2 Each Baby Fennel – Finely sliced
2 Each Cucumber – Finely sliced Into Rings
600 ML Water
400 ML White Wine Vinegar
200 G Sugar
1 Tspn Caraway Seeds
1 Tblsp Salt
Pickled Slaw Method
1. Boil the bottom 5 ingredients and pour over the veg, allow to cool.
SPICED CARROT SALAD WITH CITRUS DRESSING
BY Three Willams | Serves 4 | Prep Time: 15mins | Cooking Time: 30mins
Salad Ingredients
3 Bunch Baby Carrots – Washed – Stems Trimmed
1.5 Tblsp Harrissa paste
300 G Chicken – That’s Been Roasted Then Shredded
1 Punnet Wild Rocket
2 Tblsp Mung Bean Sprout
3 Sprigs Mint – Picked and hand torn
5 Sprigs Coriander – Picked And Washed
3 Tblspn Roasted Cashews – Chopped
2 Each Avocado – Halved, Seeded And Cut Into Wedges
3 Tblsp Citrus Dressing – See Recipe Below
Salad Method
1. Place carrots in a baking dish rub with a Tblsp of olive oil then toss with harrissa, season with a pinch or 2 of salt.
2. Roast at 180c till golden and a little burnt at the tips and tender. (nobody likes crunchy buggs bunny carrots!) Allow to cool, room temp.
3. Combine all ingredients along with a pinch of sea salt and crack of pepper. Toss till all combined.
4. Arrange salad on 4 decorative bowls or plates. Alternatively you could leave out the chicken and serve as an accompaniment to a roast dinner.
Dressing Ingredients
1 Each Orange
1 Tblsp White Wine Vinegar
300 ML Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dressing Method
1. Zest the orange with a micro-plane
2. Cut orange in half and sear the cut side in a hot non-stick pan for about 5 mins till caramelized.
3. Squeeze out 3 Tblsp of juice from the caramelized orange and whisk in 1 tspn of the zest along with the vinegar and a pinch of salt.
4. Whisk in the olive oil.
Dressing will keep fine in the fridge for about 4 days.
The post Three Williams | Redfern’s New Local Cafe Haunt appeared first on Est Magazine.