Type: Café/Restaurant
Location: Kingston shops
Meal: Late breakfast/early lunch
Food et: Steak burger
My sister and I decided to hit up Me & Mrs Jones for breakfast one Sunday morning. Apparently my sister knows friends of friends of the owners or something and wanted to try it out so she could report back that she had been there or something…I dunno, I was tired hungry and just went where I was led. This may have had something to do with the night before and because of said night before; we actually ended up getting to the joint at about midday, closer to lunch than breakfast.
The indoor seating area was packed, which was a shame because it’s a pretty cool space. It reminded me of a London train station, or somewhere in old America (Boston maybe?), with brick lined walls and industrial furniture. However, despite the industrial feel, it’s quite a warm and welcoming space. It reminded me of something you would find in a trendy Melbourne suburb, a welcome change to a somewhat stiff Kingston. The atmosphere inside was buzzing, with everyone seemingly happy to be there.
We ended up yoinking the last table available in their small outdoor seating area, which is enclosed (thankfully) and a little away from the main restaurant, to allow for street traffic in between.
I ordered a decaf flat white and a Cirtus Crush frappe – both of which came out promptly. The flat white was really tasty – something that is hard to achieve when decaf is involved (I’m allergic to caffeine, leave me alone coffee snobs!). The frappe was cold and refreshing, giving me the vitamin hit I sorely needed.
As it was nearer to lunch time and I decided that I needed something with salty, greasy chips, I ordered the steak sandwich. The steak sandwich includes steak (duh!), blue cheese, lettuce, tomato and aoli. Served with chips – huzzah!
Gotta say, this wasn’t the greatest steak sandwich of all time. The bread was crunchy, the meat was tender and the blue cheese wasn’t too strong (which can overpower dishes easily) – but there just wasn’t a whole lot of flavour. I think a tomato chutney or chilli jam would have really capped it off. The chips were crunchy and salty and everything I wanted, although they were a little bit oilier than I would have liked. (edit: I just checked the menu online and it said it has a “pinot noir jam” – but I don’t remember it, so it wasn’t a lot or it wasn’t very strong). The cute little jar of aoli for dipping was a nice touch, and the chips were delicious dunked in.
But then, mid bite in to my burger, I found this amongst the layers:
It was rolled up originally, so we figured it was a piece of glad wrap that had been covering salad leaves and had accidentally fallen in to the mix. Thankfully I found it before it went in my mouth, because that would have been an especially chewy mouthful. I informed the waitress about it and she was extremely apologetic and ran off to let the kitchen know to look out for any further pieces that may have escaped to green leafy freedom.
Apart from the plastic and the general lack of flavour, in the end I was full and happy – and wanted a nap.
K ordered the Smashing Avocado, which consisted of smashed avocado, Persian fetta, pine nuts and poached eggs on a soy and linseed bread.
As soon as this was put down in front of K, I automatically wished I’d ordered it too. It’s a simple idea that looks fantastic, is a perfect size and is a healthy but tasty option. K said that it was awesome and that she wanted to try her own variations at home.
The service at Me & Mrs Jones was great. The waitress who was running the outdoor area was polite, friendly and attentive. It took us a while to get glasses for the water on our table, but that was the only issue (and I’d ordered other drinks so I wasn’t desperate). All the staff I spoke to where really remorseful and concerned about the plastic I’d found and handled the situation well (short of comping my meal – but that would have made me feel guilty anyway).
Verdict: I really enjoyed my experience at Me & Mrs Jones. It’s a cool place, trendy but welcoming. The staff are friendly, the atmosphere is pleasant and the food is interesting but dependable. I've been back for dinner twice since I wrote this review and it's been great - try the Brulee. Try. The. Brulee.
My only gripe about this place is the price. It's quite pricey for a "everyday meal", and I think it's quite pricey for what you get - you pay for the trendiness. I would consider this place good for people who like food and are willing to spend a few extra dollars, but might be more suited to a date night or a special occasion for most.
Rating: 4 /*****
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