Hummus Market, Williamsburg

This post is in collaboration with Hummus Market.

I was recently invited to dine at Hummus Market, a Mediterranean restaurant that opened within the last couple of months. At first glance, it looks like many small neighborhood eateries in Brooklyn. It’s cute and approachable from the front, but the most charming area is clearly the backyard. In addition to the candles, the hostess lit some incense for an extra special touch. So relaxing and comfortable, it feels like you’re dining in your own backyard.

It was very nice of them to allow my friends, Brian and Gabriel, join me for dinner too. Food is best when enjoyed with good company. Brian’s trying to look calm and cool for this photo, but I have a feeling he’d rather not be in it. At least I didn’t ask him to be my hand model, hah.

Hummus Market is 100% vegetarian, and many of their dishes can be made vegan if you omit the cheese or eggs. If you’re here with friends, you should definitely get the meze to share. I’m used to many tapas style restaurants in Manhattan charging at least $10 per dish, so meze for $6 is a nice change. They may be simple dishes, but for me, were the highlights of our meal. And, of course, you have to order hummus if you’re at a restaurant with hummus in the name, right?

Interestingly enough, there was no falafel anywhere on the menu. As much as I love falafel, I tend to think of it as Mediterranean fast food. It seems that they’re going for a more of a sit down dinner vibe at Hummus Market, and perhaps not serving any falafel was a statement.

Five dishes was plenty for the three of us, especially as they came with warm pitas. In retrospect, we should have asked the chef to point out the signature dishes before we ordered. We tried both the white and wheat pitas. I tend to steer clear of pitas when having Mediterranean to avoid filling up on carbs, but these were really airy and fluffy. They took me to a happy place.

There are seven different types of house made hummus on the menu, and we picked the Garlic Hummus ($13) with garlic confit and thyme, drizzled with olive oil. Smooth and creamy with a tasty, but not overpowering garlic flavor. It was very good, but $13 seems a bit steep considering the large plate dishes are also the same price. It might just me though… I consume hummus regularly, sometimes in absurd quantities, and even make my own at home.

We placed our order before Gabriel arrived, and when we told him we had ordered the Tabbouleh ($6), he declared that you can always judge a Mediterranean restaurant by its tabbouleh. So true, and in this case, I’m quite a fan of their tabbouleh. In fact, I would happily eat an entire bowl of this stuff all by myself. The serving bowl is so beautiful too.

Oh, and in the background, that’s their handwritten brunch menu. I think the handwritten menus are supposed to be temporary, but the handwriting adds a lovely, authentic touch that’s consistent with the atmosphere.

We also ordered the Roasted Peppers ($6) from the meze section of the menu. To be honest, I wasn’t all that excited about this dish initially (it was Brian’s pick), but ended up liking it. The peppers in balsamic were the star of the dish, and the toppings added good texture and flavor. Oh, the fluffy goat cheese and yummy pine nuts!

I’ve been obsessed with the watermelon and mint combo for the last few months, and having this dish ($6) in late September was almost like bidding farewell to summer. Very refreshing. The pistachios were a nice topping, but the feta was a bit hard for my liking. I wish it were lighter and creamier like the goat cheese on the roasted peppers.

Last, but not least, the Shakshuka ($13)! I’ve been craving shakshuka, so it was a pleasant surprise to see it on the menu. It comes with a mixed greens salad, which was tasty despite how simple it was. The tomato sauce was hearty and flavorful (I could eat it all day!), but the poached eggs fell short for me. I mean, the eggs tasted good, but didn’t have the runny yolk that I’ve come to expect from poached eggs. You know me and my obsession with yolk porn…

Note: This post is in collaboration with Hummus Market. I was invited as a guest of this establishment and received a complimentary meal. This was not in exchange for a positive review and all opinions expressed here are my own.

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