If you are not yet attracted by the neon lights from the Hummus Club on William Street, then perhaps some smooth and creamy hummus might change that. Judging from the social sentiment, this crowd-funded eatery has more substance than hype. And I love hummus and middle eastern cuisine, so I was super keen to see what it was all about. Coming in at 6pm on a Thursday the Hummus Club was packed out, but it did not take more than 20 minutes to get seated. The venue's combination of alfresco and covered dining allowed to restaurant be really nice, cool and airy. More importantly, it is a much welcomed addition to the William St. strip!
To kick of the meal, the obligatory hummus with the addition of mushrooms.
If you do not yet know what hummus is, or like me think that Hummus originated from Lebanon/Turkey, then this is a Wiki-fact for you! Hummus is a chickpea dish that originated from Levantine and Egypt. While most perceive Hummus to be "easy", I can tell you it is not. The balance between the acidity and creaminess is key to making a hummus that keeps people wanting more! I reckon the Hummus club did exceptionally well. The addition of mushrooms was a random decision by me and I personally think it was a bad one because it did not give any added satisfaction. It was just "there" if you get what I mean. There is nothing wrong with a good, minimalistic hummus. In fact, the hummus in its most basic form would have been enjoyable enough!
To get the protein going, we called a serve of the Zaatar Fried Chicken and Lamb Kofta.
The chicken wings came out looking like herbed crusted nuggets and boy, I really enjoyed them. In fact, I think the herb crust was an absolutely genius idea because not only goes it give you a crunchy flavour bomb on the outside, but it also serves to preserve the juicy chicken flesh during frying. The chicken was served with some garlic tasting paste called a Toum that is super tasty. I reckon this was a winner although my sister was not the biggest fan.
Lamb Kofta.
Meatballs made from lean lamb mince with good amount of spice in it. When I think meatballs I do not usually think healthy. But when the Hummus Club puts Lamb Kofta with yoghurt, some refreshing sumac/red onion salad, it tasted pretty damn healthy! The combination of the spices, pungent onions and a cool yoghurt really complemented each other well. If not for an ice cream binge during the 15 minute wait for a seat, I would have finished everything. There was also a honey like dressing that was used to top the meatballs and boy were they good!
We also ordered the Batata to go with the meat. These crunchy potato gems came topped with spiced salted and a Toum. I cannot described how delicious these were, so definitely order them! If only I had not eaten all that ice cream earlier haha. The Hummus Club was an amazing venue that night. I left the venue feeling not quite as excited as I arrived probably due to the guilt of coming here will a belly filled with ice cream ha ha. But if anything, the Hummus Club definitely exceeded my expectations for a newcomer. The price was what I would expect from a Perth diner. The basic hummus though felt a little pricey at $14 and some might even argue that the Zaatar Fried Chicken could have had at least 6 on the plate but hey, Perth is not the cheapest for eating out!
WenY
