Restaurant Review: Mr Carsisi

Location: 37C Piper Street, Kyneton
Phone: 03 5422 3769
Link: http://www.mrcarsisi.com/
Cuisine: Turkish, Middle Eastern
Overall Impression: 8/10

Turkish cuisine, in all its’ delightful glory has made a debut in Kyneton with the presence of Mr Carsisi on Piper Street.

The menu places emphasis on fresh vegetables, fish and lean meat that are prepared with a myriad of aromatic spices like fresh mint, sumac, cumin, cinnamon, oregano and allspice. 

Chef Matthew Fegan and his wife, Clare, travelled to Turkey and fell in love with the flavours and simplicity of the food. More travels through Syria confirmed their affections with the Eastern Mediterranean influences and after returning to Australia and manning the stoves at Kyneton's Royal George Hotel and tossing pizzas at Pizza Verde, they took over the lease of what was then Slow Living on the edge of St Paul's Park. 

Cleverly named after Istanbul's Misir Carsisi spice bazaar, their new venue in a former iceworks is cavernous like a bazaar but kept minimalist in decor. 

Top left: House-made bread

Top right: Grilled lamb cutlets, harra sauce, Turkish tabouleh

Bottom left: Fried salted fish potato cakes, tamarind & tomato sauce

Bottom right: Hommus

We were delighted by their banquet menu. The entrees were a delicious, mouth-watering smorgasbord of Turkish staples including a beautiful chickpea based hommus, charcoal-grilled lamb cutlets and fried salted fish potato cakes, with each dish offering zesty, delicious flavours and tastes. 

Roasted stuffed Port Phillip calamari, Persian Gulf rice, dried Iranian lime butter, herb salad

The calamari was beautifully cooked and stuffed with a medley of exciting flavours and textures. This dish was full of flavour and was perfectly seasoned. 

Confit Milawa duck leg, barberry & orange pilaf, pomegranate & walnut sauce

The duck leg was tender and bursting with flavour. The combination of sweet pomegranate with creamy walnut sauce, fresh coriander and almond slivers did wonders to flavour the pilaf. 

Vanilla halva ice cream sundae, almond mahmoul, tahini butterscotch, vanilla Persian fairy floss

The vanilla halva ice cream sundae was stunning. Each layer had a wonderful flavour intensity that worked beautifully together. We savoured every spoonful.

Turkish delight semifredo baklava sandwich, cinnamon doughnuts, rose petal ice cream

This visually attractive dessert of Turkish delight semifredo baklava sandwich, cinnamon doughnuts, rose petal ice cream was decadent and absolutely delicious. The fragrant rose petal ice cream and fluffy doughnuts concoction, together with the crumbly “sandwich” and creamy semifredo produced a balanced and delectable dessert. 

Mr Carsisi is a self-styled and unique eatery which serves modern Mediterranean meets Turkish cuisine and promises to be a feast for the eyes and palette.

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Mr Carsisi.