Breakfast has got to be one of my most favourite types of meals. It contains some of my favourite foods: eggs, toast, potatoes, coffee. Oh, coffee. And I feel that breakfast really can be had at any time of day… I’m definitely a big fan of the all day breakfast, if you can find it… and eggs on toast (or rice, yes, still breakfast) has definitely made many a happy dinner in my household.
The tricky thing when it comes to breakfast though, as a typically morning meal, is that I’m very much NOT a morning person, usually getting by on the average morning with a strong coffee. But on weekends, that’s when breakfast becomes it’s own special thing. You see, I rarely wake before 9am on a weekend… let’s face it, usually later. And I very rarely make plans with friends to catch up on the weekend before 11am… which usually means brunch, which IMHO, is the best meal of any weekend! There’s something wonderfully comforting, satisfying and somewhat indulgent (and thus, sexy) about brunch: rolling out of bed a little later in the day, moseying on to your favourite spot in your most comfortable shoes (or slippers) and enjoying a good, hearty breakfast.
One of our favourite spots for brunch is the Paper Plane Factory Cafe. We stumbled upon this place quite randomly – I recognised the signage from its sister cafe in Parramatta, and it turned out to be one and the same. The Parramatta location is popular, especially on weekends, located on Horwood Place amongst a number of brunch hotspots. I visited the Parramatta cafe maybe once before, and found it fine, but was put off by the crowds and queues. I’m not a big fan of waiting around for a table and/or service, especially when I haven’t yet had my coffee (!), and the Man is also less patient of (loud) crowds in packed restaurants. I’m sure this is what it means to get older :P.
The Factory Cafe, meanwhile, is tucked away in one of the industrial streets in Girraween, not too far off from the Great Western Highway, surrounded by other large factories; and on a weekend, it’s much, much more chill. It’s a lovely big, roomy space, filled with light and hipster chic, and reminds me of any number of coverted warehouse cafes and restaurants you might find in Botany or Alexandria. Only much much closer to our home deep in Western Sydney and without all the traffic!
I’m not 100% certain, but I think the menu is also slightly different from the Parramatta cafe. You’ll find the usual suspects of eggs, bacon, bread, muesli and fancy variations of the such. My favourite is the Avochizzle, a huge helping of smashed avocado (there goes the home loan) and grilled chorizo, piled on a hefty slice of sourdough and topped with two poached eggs. The balsamic (and I think truffle?) drizzle around the plate not only gives the dish that luxe finish, but provides just the right sweet tang, almost like a good bbq or brown sauce.
A feature on the menu here also is the “bad boys” or salchipapas, the Paper Plane take on Latin American style chunky fries, cut super thick almost like wedges. They’re well seasoned and you can get them plain or loaded with a number of different toppings, like pulled pork, cheese, bacon, etc. Since usually we visit closer to the lunch end of brunch, we typically get a serving of these to go with our breakfast “mains”. We’re a big fan of the humble breakfast roll too, filled with two fried eggs, bacon and of course a hash brown.
So if you’re looking for a quieter brunch location, away from the typical city hubs, and like us you’re not a big fan of crowds, we’d definitely point you in the direction of this cafe. The coffee’s decent and when the big chunks of fried potato arrive, well what more can I say, it always bring a smile to our table! It’s quite a charming setup and we find the service happy and consistent. We’ve also never struggled to find a seat and there’s the option to enjoy a table inside or out in the sun. Don’t wake up too late though (like me on many a morning…!), this place wraps up by 2pm every day. 🙂
x
A.
Paper Plane Factory Cafe
Unit 1/64 Mandoon Road, Girraween
www.facebook.com/paperplanefactorycafe/