Three Williams, Redfern – Rating: 16/25

Three Williams

The entrance is very understated with merely a small, golden Three Williams logo marking this café’s existence. Due to the massive crowds, you’ll need to leave your name with the host and then mill around outside.

The interior is large and fairly sparse with exposed pipes and concrete flooring. It all looks very polished but boy is it loud. Between the large tables of shrieking women, toddlers running up and down the wooden (ie not carpeted and very echoey) disabled access ramp, no sound absorbing materials of any kind and general table banter, I wouldn’t be surprised if you need to meet your breakfast partners again later just so that you can hear what it was they were trying to say to you during your meal.

The wait staff are quick and punctual but there’s very little interaction other than the essentials either because they’re busy or simply wouldn’t hear you anyway.

Cappuccino

Flat white

Our coffees ($3.80) were absolutely exquisite. Every cup was presented well and the strong flavours kept us coming back for yet another. Iced latte or black ($3.80) are also available as well as affogato ($5.50).

Iced tea

Willy’s iced tea with seasonal fruit (glass $5, jug $12) changes fairly regularly. The waitress did warn me that today’s offering was ‘spicy’ as opposed to fruity but I decided to try anyway. Unfortunately there was very little distinguishable tea flavour and there was an overpowering amount of cinnamon. I’ll stop there but sufficed to say, I would not order this again unless a fruit version was available.

Grilled chorizo and haloumi stack

The lighting in TW is very dim so I apologise for the dark image. The grilled chorizo and haloumi stack ($19) was a definite winner. Everyone at the table loved it. Sonoma sourdough underneath, baby spinach, eggplant, haloumi and crispy, spicy chorizo all topped with a fried egg. The ingredients work extremely well together. A fantastic idea and well executed. Housemade cranberry sauce is served on the side and it works with the dish but isn’t essential.

Eggs on toast

The eggs on toast ($11) can be ordered poached, scrambled or fried. My guest’s scrambled eggs arrived with chives on top (my favourite topping for eggs) and were cooked through as well as can be expected. The hash brown ($3) on the side tasted good but you’ll need to add your own seasoning if you like it slightly saltier.

Crunchy brioche French toast

My favourite dish of the morning was the crunchy brioche French toast ($16) which was presented very well and tasted even better. Yoghurt, roasted pecans and (fresh!) berries adorned this soft slice of brioche and it’s a flavour combination that can stand its own against most others. The yoghurt is the ingredient that makes it work together. Pure organic maple syrup finishes it all off.

The merchant

No plain old bacon and egg roll here. The merchant ($13) is based on a brioche bun and adds the delectable tangyness of picked coleslaw to make it a bit more interesting. The occasional pickle especially was delicious. There’s a decent amount of bacon and a “chilli fried egg” which didn’t really add much other than your typical egg so I wasn’t too sure the chilli was required. It all tastes and presents well but I would still have liked less bun in relation to the rest of the ingredients.

Also available is bircher muesli with shaved melon, passionfruit and served with a raspberry compote ($12), heirloom tomatoes with two soft poached eggs, serrano ham, fresh avocado on sourdough with a smoked cheese sauce ($19) and corn fritters, bacon, Nuremburg sausages, tomato and capsicum salsa, roasted potato and sour cream ($18).

Some delicious-sounding dishes for sure and our food offered up some great combinations but I will only be returning on days that I think would be quieter. Being a victim of your own success is fine but an establishment’s interior needs to compliment its clientele if it has an effect on noise levels. Therefore, a great result in most areas except Atmosphere which has brought the overall score down.

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