buzz = reason to go

Unless you've been sleeping under a rock, Three Williams Cafe - known as the establishment for the urban dweller, the lazy dad or simply to nurse a hangover - is currently the talk of the town. It's all over social media like a moth to a flame. So, of course, I went!

Named after three historical figures from the area (William Redfern, Willian Chippendale and William Hutchinson), the cafe is a transformed storage space architecturally designed by Anthony Gill. It's large, spacious, has wheelchair access and is child-friendly. They even have 'Willy's Corner' specifically for the kids to enjoy! However, due to the large space and concrete floors it's incredibly noisy. To the point where we were almost shouting at each other to have a normal conversation.

The staff were incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and efficient; quick to provide a background on the cafe, as well as their recommendations. We were told everything on the menu can be gluten free, which was a welcoming surprise - especially for my dad! Our orders weren't written down, but everything came out as requested.

We ordered the Corn fritters with bacon, nuremberg sausages, tomato & capsicum salsa, roasted potato and sour cream; "The Merchant" - Chilli fried egg, crispy bacon, ranch dressing, pickled slaw on gluten-free bread; Sauteed wild mushrooms with marinated ricotta, truffle balsamic and parmesan on toast and Crunchy brioche french toast with fresh berries, yoghurt, roasted pecans and pure organic maple syrup. We also ordered some coffees, which tasted great but could have been hotter with a bit more froth.

When the meals came out the truffle smell was incredibly overpowering for the entire table, but upon tasting the sauteed mushrooms it had the perfect amount (and I'm not a fan of truffle!). The corn fritters don't look pretty, but they were better than expected and definitely on the higher end of the scale. The Merchant was good, with a bit of a different spin to bacon and eggs. But the brioche french toast. wow. Without a shadow-of-a-doubt the best french toast I have ever had in my life!! The combination of the fresh flavours, the yoghurt and pecans, just really gave it that wow factor. Not to mention the presentation! The portions are bigger than normal, but so are the prices. So I guess it evens itself out... if you eat everything. Which we did!

Co-owner Glen Bowditch (previously a manager at The Grounds and a founding emloyee of Sonoma) and Chef Tim Bryan (formerly Aria and Chiswick) have done an incredible job. Not only have they created the buzz and atmosphere, but they've created dishes for both breakfast and lunch which are reason in themselves to visit.

Next time - and there will be a next time - I've been told to order crispy bacon with the french toast, but I also have my eyes on the bircher muesli for the breakfast (it was a hard decision not to order this. It's always been my go-to, favourite breakfast dish). For lunch, I definitely need to try their famous Wagyu beef brisket 'Narnie'. Until then...

Cafe: Three Williams
Total price (4ppl): Food: $64; Beverages: $15.70
Hours: 7am - 4pm
Must order: Brioche French Toast with berries
Coffee: Single Origin Roasters