Paper Plane Cafe

Nestled in the streets of Parramatta, is a little gem called Paper Plane. 

Open for a short time between the hours of 8 and 2:30, Paper Plane is hard to catch.

Although off the main 'Eat Street' of Parramatta, Paper Plane still musters up a healthy crowd. With the small space they have, every table is fills up quickly and a waiting time isn't uncommon here. 

The cafe is adorned with chalk boards and industrial chic decor. Although somewhat aesthetic the dark tones strewn throughout the cafe makes the small space much more apparent. 

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The menu had a huge variety of breakfast options served all day and at a reasonable price too.
The menu is wide including classics like your 'bacon and egg sandwiches' to something more exotic like 'pesto eggs and hollandaise'.
The lunch menu begins from 11 am and has some interesting combinations of burgers and sandwiches that you won't find in any ordinary cafe.

Something I did notice however is that they explicitly note that they accept no varieties to their menu items. I'm not sure how strict they are to this protocol (as we abided by the rules and did not make any attempts to request variations) but seems a bit pretentious - especially since most establishments high or low, are obliging without question.

I started with the coffee of the day which was the Papua New Guinea Single Origin.

With an altitude of 1600-1800, fully washed with floral notes the latte cup really brightened up an overcast day.
As a coffee addict, I really love the idea of having a different choice of beans every day. It definitely brings a little bit of change to the non variable menu, the only part of the menu that offers specials for that matter.

Steak Sandwich

The steak sandwich was served with two large pieces of sourdough bread.
The serving altogether was huge and wasn't physically practical to eat with your hands (as a sandwich is traditionally eaten).
The chunky slices of steak however were tender and juicy but lacked a little bit of salt and pepper.
There was a distinct lack of aioli and overwhelming amount of caramelised onions whose sweetness dominated. Although the steak's juiciness was welcome, it soaked through the bread and left it in a mushy mess.
The balance wasn't quite there in this sandwich both in texture and flavours.
The 'bad boys' were wonderfully crunchy, well seasoned and nicely cooked - a nice accompaniment to any sandwich. Although only a handful are required as they are incredibly filling.

Paper Plane Burger

The Paper Plane Burger was a known favourite to the menu and an interesting one at that. I've never heard of peanut butter in a burger before but there's always a first time for everything.

The burger came with a serving of shoe string fries (that were just a little under cooked for my liking), but were covered in delicious chicken salt.
The burger was a gorgeous picture with it's toasted sesame buns and oozing cheese.
Upon the first bite, the flavour and texture combination was mind blowing!
The sweetness and saltiness of the peanut butter brought out the other flavours of the meat and cheese, and even the freshness from the lettuce and tomato.

Oozing peanut Butter

I was happily munching away at my burger until I was about a quarter of the way through when the peanut butter became way too much. It wasn't served as a scrape along the top bun, but a smeared, generous dollop. With every bite the peanut butter started to become more and more overpowering and eventually completely coated my mouth blocking out any other flavour but its own.

Lemon Cheesecake French Toast

We finished with an alluring menu item. The Lemon Cheesecake French Toast was too indulgent and delicious to miss out on.
The punchy flavours from the various fruits and the creamy and citrus cheesecake spread made for a nicely rounded dessert. The french toast was a fairly large size, comfortably enough for two to share but too indulgent for one.
The toast was nice and thick and provided a great base for the toppings. Crushed meringue pieces adorned the dish adding another texture to the full flavoured dish.

It was a great dessert to finish lunch on but even though it's listed as a breakfast item, it'd be a little too sweet for me to start the day with.

The cafe is quite small and with such limited opening hours it gets quite busy, so be prepared to wait. 

We were served by a friendly and accommodating waitress although we couldn't say the same for her co-workers:  a grumpy barista and a disinterested waitress. If not for our waitress' kindness, the service is mediocre to say the least. 

They seemed to lack staff as many orders took longer than some and the staff were rushing left, right and centre. Perhaps just one more staff member and some basic training on smiling could do them a little good. 

Overall the food was quite good and very creative. The serving portions were huge and prices reasonable. If only they were open a little longer and with better customer service the little cafe truly has a lot of potential. Despite its minor flaws, I'd definitely come back here to try more of the menu and grab another of their single origin roasters.