Little Miss Collins, Parramatta. ‘The Pancake Files’!

[invite] Bianca: I was intrigued with the concept of Little Miss Collins in Parramatta. Essentially a shipping container perched on a formerly empty block of land. In saying that, nothing about the set-up feels haphazard or uninviting. The space is very quaint and cosy.

There is somewhat a ‘Grounds of Alexandria’ vibe with the chickens in the outer perimeter dining area. There’s a lot of opportunity for expansion, as there is a great deal of land behind the cafe currently unused.

There is a big heavy hitter a few doors up in the form of Circa Espresso but LMC owner, Tony tells me the food is so vastly different there really isn’t any competition.

Starting with a Skim Cappucino $3.5, cleverly branded and needing half a teaspoon of sugar to cut through the bitterness. I was even more impressed once I was told they have their own coffee blend.

Mum and I together are a dangerous mix, with seemingly no control over our maddening sweet tooths. Let me be completely honest, what drew me to the cafe was their pancake. The Miss Collins Ricotta Hotcake  $17 was everything you’d want from a good pancake. Light and fluffy and my one pet peeve, seeing ‘ricotta pancakes’ on the menu and needing a magnifying glass for said ricotta. Drives me insane #firstworldproblems. Not a problem here, with generous amounts of ricotta! I loved the sour tartness from the apple compote, the fresh fruit and the texture of the nuts and honeycomb. I appreciated having the maple syrup on the side so I could control how much was added. The only thing I really question was the price, as it was a little expensive for a single pancake.

To break up the sweeties, the Sweetcorn Zucchini Fritters $16. This had a few great elements but did lack a little finesse. I enjoyed the mixed vegetables, particularly the capsicum. I enjoyed the sweet corn and the peas but the fritters were not crispy which I believe makes for a great fritter. I’m a big advocate for pesto in general so big tick of approval from me.

Mum was eyeing the Acai Bowl but I swayed her into ordering the Acai Smoothie $8, which in essence, fulfilled the want and meant I didn’t have to suffer. I can’t stand the things! She, on the other hand, was particularly satisfied with this compromise.

I gave the Nutella Milkshake $7 a whirl. It needed a good stir to thicken out. But a pleasant flavour.

And finally, the French Toast $17. There was a lot to like here. Full flavoured French toast which had been soaked right through. Texturally very interesting with the caramel nuts and bruleed banana. Again, sourness from the berries to cut through all the sweetness. It did arrive at the table with the ice-cream melted, so aesthetically it lost its wow-factor but this didn’t affect the taste at all.

I was pleasantly surprised by the food and the café itself. And being only a short 20-minute drive away from the Meadow (or a bike ride if I was feeling ambitious) I could see this becoming a regular.

Bianca

*For Food’s Sake dined as guests of Little Miss Collins.