Leaf Cafe & Co Wentworth Point — Restaurant in Sydney

The formula for a successful brunch cafe in Sydney for me is good coffee teamed up with a mouthwatering menu that will have you wanting to try every dish on the menu.

Chef Ryan takes creativity to another level, combining flavours you might not have imagined such as espresso caramel with fried chicken. Having created the menu at other famous cafes, I can see why his dishes are featured on social media.

Let’s start with the drinks, not only do they serve a variety of flavoured lattes (think red velvet or taro), but they take their coffee seriously. Offering a variety of different house blends, the cafe had a brand ethos to provide specialty coffee paired with modern and nutritious food in a contemporary setting. The coffee is locally roasted in South Granville.

Now let’s talk about the menu, there are a lot of tempting dishes which I was keen to try.

We tried the following dishes: Breakfast gnocchi - Homemade potato gnocchi with roasted tomato, chorizo, shallot, chilli, parmesan snow, poached egg and potato skins. It was one of the standout dishes, I loved the saltiness of the chorizo, sweetness of the tomatoes and crunchiness of the potato skins.

Karage chicken and waffle - nut and rice flake crusted waffle, green apple and cabbage slaw, bacon, corn flake, chilli, crushed berry and espresso salted caramel. Now talk about CREATIVE!

French toast with espresso, whipped matcha cream cheese, black sesame caramel, salted pistachios and seasonal berries. This was extremely fluffy and a great sweet treat option. The French toast soaks up the sticky espresso and caramel sauce which makes this dish extra indulgent and so addictive.

Spiced lamb ribs - Charred baby corn & asian herb salad, kewpie and lime. The lamb was extremely tender and melted in your mouth, one of my fave dishes.

Crushed avocado delight - Herb crouton, smashed avo, chili & broccolini salsa, finger lime, poached egg, house dukkah and whipped goat cheese. Now this dish was like a masterpiece on a plate.

Roasted pork neck - Sauteed kimchi, roasted nuts, saltbush and chili caramel.

Breakfast Eton mess - House baked granola, acai, yogurt, seasonal berries, crispy kiwi, crushed dehydrated strawberry and wild honey. It was very similar to Bircher muesli.

It might seem like a bit of a trek out to Wentworth Point, but the food here at Leaf Cafe by chef Ryan is worth the visit.

Note: I dined as a guest of the venue. All views and opinions...

I've always been pretty happy with this place. Service is fine and relatively quick, the staff are friendly but also don't get overly in your face when you're trying to eat (take note other cafes, let me eat my food! 🙃). Coffee is good for a small chain and the Apple Crumble scroll I had was delicious, even if I wished it had more chunky apple pieces in there. Would highly recommend you coming here for a coffee and a light sweet refreshment.

They seem to have changed their food menu though since I went there last and not for the better from what I tried. I liked their chicken and waffle here beforehand, it was simple, a nice sweet waffle with chunky sugar crystals, salty bacon and a nicely seasoned fried chicken with syrup to pour over with a simple slaw. In my mind perfect, a comforting Southern style American breakfast. Just what you would need after a long week and you want a treat.

Now they've changed it to a Karaage style chicken, which isn't bad if done right but this was not. Presentation was great but that's the only positive. The chicken was bland and dry with no flavour, the slaw was sweet and watery, the waffle was inedible as it was near impossible to cut into and chewing it was a huge effort, it was simultaneously too crunchy and too chewy as the texture of the outside crumb meshed with the inside of the waffle and the espresso salted caramel sauce was vile. I got no hint of salt or sweetness just an overwhelming bitterness that drowned out what little flavour was already on the plate. I think there was some kind of raspberry on the plate too but I found it hard to tell as there was no fresh zing to tell me they were there.

I will still go back, however I'm now pretty apprehensive to try more of their new menu. I'm hoping it was just a one off and the rest of the dishes aren't just focusing on presentation over taste as that would be very...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We've been proud residence for over 19 years, and the Leaf café is hands-down our favourite place for breakfast, brunch, lunch, every time! If they opened for dinner, we’d be first in line. The food is always fresh, and the vegetarian options are yummy!

But the real standout? Tess. She is more than a staff member, she's an incredible human bean (pun very much intended! Lol) She’s an absolute gem, kind, welcoming, and never forgets a face. Even on the busiest days, she makes you feel seen and valued.

A perfect example? I mentioned how great it would be to see cauliflower steaks on the menu, and not long after, there it was, on the menu! That level of care and attention to customer suggestions is unheard of, It's a true reflection of how this cafe operates. With love, intention, and a genuine desire to make people feel comfortable.That’s Tess, thoughtful, caring, and one-of-a-kind.

And of course, I cant leave out a massive shout out to the baristas, you absolute legends. The coffee is next level. If you haven't tried their skim mocha, stop what you're doing and go now. Their chocolate isn't your average syrupy blend, it's the real mackoy. Rich, velvety and made with care every single time.

Huge thanks to the whole team, and especially to you, Tess once again. You're the heart of the Leaf Café, and we love you for it! Keep doing what you and the Team do. You've got lifelong customers right here.💛

With love and endless appreciation from very full and regular...