Mr Carsisi from 37c Piper Street

As a self-appointed ‘foodie’ I am quite surprised that it has taken me until now to eat at the infamous Piper Street in Kyneton, Victoria.

My visit to Piper Street was impromptu and therefore I had not chosen a place to dine prior to arriving.  I was overwhelmed to see the number of wonderful looking cafes, restaurants and pubs.  Eventually I decided on a restaurant with a Turkish influenced menu called ‘Mr Carsisi’.

Mr Carsisi is housed in a restored ice works and owned by Clare and Matt Fegan who have been in the hospitality industry for many years.  Their website tells me that Mr Carsisi is their long planned love child.

Matt Fegan gained critical acclaim at the renowned Royal George also in Kyneton.  After time in Europe, Matt travelled extensively and his love of the tastes throughout his travels, particularly Turkey, is the inspiration of the food at Mr Carsisi.

 

The inside decor was sleek, clean and classy – but not over the top.  Just really well done. We sat and dined on the lovely large verandah.  It was beautiful to overlook St Paul’s Park and a proportion of Piper Street. It was obvious that many of the diners had made the short trek from the city, which I feel is a real tribute to Mr Carsisi, Piper Street and the delightful township of Kyneton.

 
Mr Carsisi encourages mezze plates (share plates), so we ordered four dishes from the mezze section of the menu;

Zucchini and mint fritters, mint yoghurt ($7.50)

By far and away my favourite of the four – these were so light and delicate.  The flavors were perfect as was the balance in the texture.  Left me wanting more of these little ones!
 

Hommous, spiced lamb, pomegranate, pine nuts & tahini lemon sauce ($11)

 
If I could be an ‘ambassador’ for hommous and the variations you can make to it, I would be!  Bizarre I know, but I just love this stuff and Mr Carsisi did not disappoint me.  This was so delicious – and the pairing of the pomegranate was just so divine – who would have thought?!  My one request would be more pomegranates please!
 
Babaghanooj, zaatar bread ($7)
 
This was also well made and quite lovely.  Eggplant is not that easy to work with in my opinion and this dish was very well done.
 
Roasted almond & chickpea falafels, tahini yoghurt ($7.50)
 
I think I caught this dish on a bad day.  Maybe my expectations were too high, as I have already expressed my love for chickpeas!  I want this blog to be positive but constructive when required. So, I just felt this dish was a little dry and over cooked.  I got a strong sense that this was a one off though and would most likely not be the case next time.
 
Pleased to meet you Mr Carsisi!  I will come again.
 

Food – 6.5/10

Service – 6/10
Ambience – 8.5/10
 
www.mrcarsisi.com

Open Friday to Tuesday – Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.