Project Turkish — Restaurant in Melbourne

As with all of my reviews, I try to be fair and reasonable as I do understand how hard it is for small business. Hopefully they take these on as constructive feedback. But what do I know? There's plenty of positive feedback so maybe my experience was not what others received.

Before I get into other areas, the most important part of any eatery, is the food. I'll just get this out of the way, a very poor experience :( How bread or simit cannot be fresh at 11am for breakfast, is just wrong. Heating up stale bread and putting butter on it, doesn't make it fresh again. The WHOLE concept here is Turkish. And we Turks know our bread... Onto the main Turkish platter. I've NEVER been served uncooked/ungrilled Haloumi for breakfast (3 small cubes), let alone had a Turkish Breakfast without real Turkish village cheese. Add to that the most blandest Sucuk I've ever had (which I did not realise Sucuk could actually be cooked to make it bland!). I've also never seen Nutella served in a Turkish breakfast before, but maybe they are tying something new for their customers. The Menemen was nice and light, and had good flavour. Coffee too was very nice.

Now onto some smaller things which just annoyed me enough to say something. I think perhaps the owners are new to hospitality as small things like, bringing our Menemen to the table 10 mins before the other meals, but no plates or bread for us to begin. Just sat there in a pan with a lid until the other stuff arrived. Also, PLEASE change your cutlery. The ends of the knife and forks kept digging into our hands AND and they are so pointy! I know that seems petty but it seriously was annoying 😂

Best part was the resident cat! Super cute and just hanging around.

There's so much better Turkish breakfast around but I hope my experience doesn't sway you from at least trying it. I'm...

Have been living in the area for years and I've seen this cafe changed owners so many times - that it's sad that most it didnt last cos the location is superb.

When I heard that another cafe has popped up yet again (and its halal!), I had to go check it out!

I'm glad I did 😊 Food was delicious! We had the spread (loved the cream and honey dip) with additional paoca and simit (yummm).

I had the manti - was initially apprehensive cos the manti(s) I had tried in the past were super sour. This one tho, with the addition of chilli flakes, was delish. A good hit of sour and spice - plus its so comforting on a really cold day.

Coffee was on point - turkish tea was a good combo with their cheesecake (it helps to cut through the creaminess and sweetness of the cake). I do recommend sharing the cheescake as it is quite rich.

Service was; pros: honestly, everyone was really nice. It seemed like a family business; where the moms/aunts were cooking at the back and the dad/uncle was doing his thing making turkish tea. The older gentleman was always looking out if the customers needed anything and even offered us another cup of turkish tea refill for free.

cons: i went on a Sunday and it was really busy and hectic. I think, its prob cos they are a new business and still trying to find their ground - but service was slow. Food took a while to come out . They forgot my manti order but I got it in the end, after I asked for it.

If there's another thing they could do to improve is ... perhaps add some outdoor heaters? The cafe within is quite small and many customers were hesitant to sit outside cos it was quite cold but i reckon, outdoor heaters would do the trick 😊

In all, i truly enjoyed and devoured the food. Plus, we saw a cat roaming around in/out of the cafe; how apt for a Turkish cafe. Feels like in Turkey. Will def come...

I recently visited project Turkish after seeing it advertised on TikTok and Instagram, and I was excited to try it out. Unfortunately, my experience did not meet my expectations.

The pricing is extremely high for the Quality of the food offered I spent $130 for a simple breakfast, which Included “The spread” (three plates), one gözleme, Toast, and a coffee. The price does not align with the quality of the food provided. The tea and coffee were enjoyable. However, the food was basic, dry and bland. Given the high price, I expected much better quality and flavour. The taste of the food did not justify the cost.

While the staff were lovely and kind, the service was disappointing. We waited 50 minutes for our food to arrive, and during this time, we were not offered table water or even our drinks. It was frustrating to watch other tables, who arrived after us, received their food first. There seemed to be no systematic approach to the way food was served.

The atmosphere is great! With a bit of improvement, it could become a wonderful spot to relax and have a good chat with a friend. The highlight of our visit was the friendly cat that approached us straight as we walked up the stairs - so cute!

Despite the pleasant atmosphere and drinks, I cannot recommend this place to anyone. There are many other amazing places where you can have a much more enjoyable experience for a better value. Save your money and...