Paper Plane Cafe, Parramatta

Owners Ben and Carla were travelling around South America, where they spent a lot of time in cafes, before they cut their trip short and hurried back to Sydney to open their own cafe. With a background as accountants, they faced quite a few challenges when they finally opened Paper Plane Cafe in Parramatta in February this year.

Many of the so to speak outlandish menu items didn’t go down very well in this area, but after educating their customers every day about artisan bread and strange flavour combinations, it’s actually all the ‘weird’ stuff that’s selling well now. With weird stuff we’re talking peanut butter and bacon burgers or turkey and cranberry French toast.

As for the cafe name, it carries over from Ben and Carla’s trip where a plane took them to South American and back. But there’s also an allusion to kids. When you’re a kid you’re not scared to eat anything. And lastly, much like building a paper plane, Ben and Carla were building a business and experimenting along the way.

The Food at Paper Plane

Paper Plane hinges on that feeling of coming over to a mate’s place – it’s like you’re sitting in someone’s kitchen, finding a cosy nook while sipping a Numero Uno coffee. And the food reflects exactly that homely atmosphere. It’s the kind of food that Carla and Ben themselves like to eat – mostly a lot of comfort food, but also some inspiration from food trucks in South America.

All Day Breakfast of Champions

Alright, so let’s talk about this Monte Cristo sandwich. It’s ham, turkey, cranberry sauce and Swiss cheese melted between two pieces of French toast (which are made using Brasserie Bread sourdough). Strawberries are perched on top with sprinkles of icing sugar and cinnamon. I bite into this turkey French toastie with intrigue, and I’m not disappointed. It’s such an interesting combination of flavours – and it really, truly works.

If bold, weird flavours aren’t your thing though, you can always opt for the BIG Brekkie, a huge wooden board of sunny side up eggs, bacon, chorizo, hash brown, sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, rocket and Brasserie Bread sourdough. It’s almost big enough for two people, kids.

Lazy Lunch

At lunchtime, go for the Midnight Cuban, a manwich of triple smoked ham, pulled pork, Swiss cheese and dill pickles on Brasserie Bread sourdough with a white BBQ sauce and a side of bad boys (aka hot chips). The sandwich is crunchy and full of flavour, balanced with a piquant acidity from the dill pickles. And those bad boys are perfectly fat and crisp.

Burger maniacs should try the Paper Plane Burger, a hefty burger comprising of a beef patty, peanut butter, bacon, lettuce, tomato and cheese on Brasserie Bread brioche bun. Again with a side of bad boys. A lot of people may recoil at the thought of peanut butter on a burger, but it’s absolutely delicious and in fact quite subtle. Other intriguing burger choices include a coffee rubbed burger or jalapeno popper burger. Or if you’re so inclined, there are also pulled pork or chicken sliders on Brasserie Bread slider brioche buns.

When you pay for your brekkie or lunch, don’t forget to add to the tip tally, which is starting to creep across an entire wall of the cafe. When we visit, the tip question du jour is “Where would you rather be?” with Paris and New York labelled on two tip jars. The jar with the most money wins!