Paper Plane Cafe, Parramatta

I'm not a morning person. When it's the weekend, I always treasure sleeping in. Sometimes until midday. The problem with that is missing out on yummy brunch meals which are predominantly located in the Inner West, Inner Sydney and Eastern Suburbs. So whenever I see a new cafe opening up around Western Sydney, I literally get ecstatic. With Circa Cafe putting Parramatta in the cafe spotlight when they won the SMH Cafe of the Year Award last year, it was no surprise that more cafes are popping up in this city lately. This includes Paper Plane Cafe which had only started earlier this year and have already gotten a mention in this year's Cafe Guide. So when an old friend wanted to catch up in Parramatta recently, I knew that was a good chance to give this place a shot since they do all day breakfast. Win!

Once I stepped inside, it felt like I was in a cafe in Surry Hills with pots and plants scattered around the place, minimalist furniture, a rusty bike at the corner and flowers in jars at the table. On the day I went (about a month ago actually), it wasn't busy though I have heard that there are waits for tables on weekends now. You can either look at the menu on the blackboard or opt for the paper menu on your lap. While there are some cafes in Parramatta with a rather small menu of about one page or even less, Paper Plane Cafe offers a really generous selection with its menu spread across 5 pages. And that's not including the drinks.

Watermelon and Lime Fresh Juice ($5.00)

Even the juices served in rectangular jars reminded me of the inner west cafes. Already had coffee earlier so grabbed myself a watermelon and lime juice. Very fruity, naturally sweet and quite thick to drink actually. It was a bit hard drinking with the paper straw, which got soggy quickly so I ended up asking for a new one. 

Chorizo Hot Pot ($14.50)

After lots of time scrolling through the extensive menu (and wondering about what the 'bad boys' are. They are chips by the way), I decided to get the chorizo hot pot since it's very similar to baked eggs and I have been craving for baked eggs lately. This consists of chorizo and eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce and topped with fresh rocket, feta and a side of crusty bread. Three slices of crusty bread actually. It was an enormous serving that would definitely be suitable for sharing between two people. Loved eating the spicy and juicy chorizo sausages with the fairly runny eggs. The feta had a mild taste which complements well with the rich tomato sauce. Was very surprised that I was able to finish most of this since I was struggling halfway especially with the bread.

Chicken Caesar Salad ($11.95)

My friend A decided to go for a healthier option with the chicken caesar salad. This was a surprisingly generous dish loaded with mixed leaf salad, tomato, chicken, boiled egg and parmesan cheese with a Caesar dressing. It was certainly not a light salad since A wasn't able to finish it but it looked very delicious and fresh from my view especially the firm tomatoes and the boiled eggs.

With all of the dishes priced at less than $20, you can guarantee good value for money especially with the servings we've got from our dishes. The service was friendly and accommodating to our needs without any attitude. Loved the pop culture inspired tip tally located at the back of the cafe (Game of Thrones v Breaking Bad anyone?). Would love to go back to try some of their other dishes including the Midnight Cuban, the Reuben, Portobello Eggs Benedict and the Truffled Eggs. They also have thick fries known as "Bad Boys" on the menu, which got us guessing for a while. With its all day breakfast and weekend trading hours, you can expect Paper Plane Cafe to become one of the next top cafes to check out in Parramatta's ever-happening cafe scene.

Paper Plane Cafe
5/2 Horwood Place, Parramatta NSW 2150
0400 888 772
https://www.facebook.com/cafepaperplane
Mon-Fri: 8:00am - 3:00pm
Sat-Sun: 9:00am - 3:00pm
Kitchen closes at 2:00pm