Mezze Mezze is designed to be shared. Photo: Cassie Abraham.
Mezze Mezze is the newest Verity Lane vendor, serving up a sharing menu of Mediterranean dishes. This passion project takes over from La Cocina Pura and opened in early August.
Owner and chef Oğuzhan Orçan grew up in the town of Osmaniye in the south of Türkiye, near the Mediterranean Sea. He had a passion for cooking from a young age but trained as a data analyst and worked for insurance companies. Finally, he decided he wanted to do something new with his life and have an adventure, so he moved halfway across the world to Australia and began his career in hospitality.
Owner and Chef Oğuzhan Orçan designed the Mezze Mezze menu to be shared with friends over a drink. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
And it was in Canberra that he met his wife, Janita.
“Once I met my wife, things escalated! She’s so supportive of me and understands how passionate I am about food and sharing my heritage,” Oğuzhan told Region.
“She was the one who pushed me to open my own business.”
They were looking for a location when the space at Verity Lane became vacant and they leapt at the opportunity to join the food hall.
To fit in with Verity Lane’s casual vibe, Oğuzhan created a menu that could pair well with the drinks from the Verity Lane bar and would encourage people to share dishes.
“Mezze is all about sharing. In fact, the word mezze means small dishes for sharing in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries. We want to encourage that culture of sharing food,” Oğuzhan said.
Tender lamb skewers on house-made pita bread make a fab lunch. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The menu is split into hot and cold mezze, side dishes and mains, with a traditional semolina cake dessert. I loved the sardalya: crispy fried sardines with a zingy rocket and sumac salad. If I closed my eyes, I could imagine eating these by the sea, and they would pair perfectly with a crisp white wine or an ice-cold beer.
The tender lamb shish (skewers) are melt-in-your-mouth good, and are also served with salad, tzatziki, and house-made pita bread. There’s a chicken version of the dish, and stuffed eggplant is also available as a main meal.
The menu is full of crowd pleasers – hello hummus and crispy zucchini balls! – and very friendly to vegetarians and other dietary requirements. It’s also nice to see a different style of Turkish food than the takeaway kebabs and pide we often see in Australia.
Sardalya – fried sardines – would pair beautifully with a crisp white or ice-cold beer. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Oğuzhan also brought me a plate of vine leaves to taste. He explained that this is the dish that reminds him most of his childhood.
“It’s a staple dish, and we roll them from scratch. My Mum is the best at making these, and she is coming to visit in October, so I’m excited to have her helping me and making the most authentic version!”
Mezze Mezze is located at Verity Lane Market, Sydney Building, 50 Northbourne Ave. They are open for lunch from 12 to 2 pm Tuesday to Saturday, and for dinner from 5 to 9 pm Monday to Saturday. Follow Mezze Mezze on Instagram. Visit Verity Lane Market or follow on Instagram.
