Paramount Coffee Project

PCP is awesome if you want to pay $ 30 for 2 coffees & 2 croissants.
There was 1 fabulous male waiter.

Clean, neat, minimal but not barren, good space, and the two best parts:
Outstanding coffee, excellent service.
The first impression upon coming to Paramount was a great one. Our «waitress» was kind, patient to answer questions without making us feel inferior, and even remembered what we ordered 20 minutes after we had gotten our drinks (she came back around and asked how our drinks were and named them specifically).
The espresso here is off the charts. I highly recommend the Hara Sana as a flat white. It’ll blow your taste buds out of the water.
I also commend paramount for having a solid selection of OTHER café’s beans in support of the idea of bringing people together, not for competition.
Really, a great café all around.

As soon as we walked in, we were impressed. The café’s high cement ceilings and it’s modern décor create a beautifully clean aesthetic. It’s filled with sophisticated 20-​somethings who seem to have come for a nice brunch from some well paying job in the fashion industry and everything seems to be in place. The staff are very friendly and have very cool aprons haha. The only gripe that I have is that this place is a little pricier than others that offer the same quality of food and are just as pretty.
Coffee:
Order the PCP coffee milkshake. Best ice coffee I have ever had in my life. I’m not a huge coffee elitist though so if you are, they had menu for just coffee specials so I’m sure you’ll love that. They do cold drip too.
Food:
One word, waffles. Let me tell you, I am not a huge waffles fan but I loved both their sweet and savoury waffles dishes.
Their fried chicken and waffles? Yum, filling, must have. The sauce they serve this with is absolutely divine and just makes you want to eat the whole thing up. −9÷10
Their sweet waffles with figs, maple syrup and pistachio ice cream were my favourite though — sweet but not too sweet. The figs are a beautiful touch. Would appreciate 1 more fig though haha. −10÷10
The PCP Bibi, a mixed dish with black rice, veggies, fried egg and cured salmon, while nice, was a little more average though. It’s unique, and a nice, fresh brunch meal, but not delicious and I wouldn’t come back for it. Adding 3 slices of salmon for $ 8 was also quite unreasonably overpriced. −6÷10
Tip: come here with some friends, order a couple of different dishes and share. Trust me, you’ll want a taste of everything and you won’t regret it.

Decent breakfast spot. Came here for brunch a few times since I live in the neighborhood. Waited about 15 minutes for a party of 2 the second time, and 35 minutes for a party of 4 the first time. Had some baked eggs and coffee. Never had baked eggs before so it was quite delicious. Was really filling. They also have a Los Angeles branch too.

A friend from Perth told me to check out Paramount. In general I would say my coffee standards are quite high. It met my expectations of a specialty coffee place. I wasn’t super impressed with the staff and they didn’t try to tell me about the coffee, which makes me wonder if they know about it. Would probably stop in again, as the interior is absolutely beautiful, but not for the service.

There certainly are some strong opinions about this café. I can only speak for my own experience, which was unanimously good. I mean picture this, the beginning of the Easter long weekend, latte in hand and sitting there waiting for buttermilk fried chicken with waffles and patata bravas? What’s not to love about that picture? Our food was really enjoyable, so much so that I decided to take one for the team and order the hot cross bun with banana and Nutella. Yum yum. Great café, good friendly service, will be back again.

The first time I had Baked Eggs was at Paramount Coffee Project. Since then whenever I see Baked Eggs at other places I would order it to see how they measure up to PCP Baked Eggs, and I have yet to find it. What I like about it, you asked? It’s so tomatoey with the right amount of chorizo and perfectly runny eggs on top, delicious! Their Banana Bread was served with apricot and some micro herbs. It looked so pretty.
The place is airy with clean modern industrial-​feel interior and plenty of natural lighting. There are communal tables and some smaller tables with plenty of space in between, or you can sit on one of the bar stools by the counter in the middle of the place. Service was laid back and accomodating. Oh yeah, they serve great coffee too!
Verdict: a fantastic place for brunch/​lunch!

Unfortunately, not a fan of PCP at all.
The waitstaff were rude and slow (perhaps they were having a busy day), coffee was weak and bland, and the food was very average (I could make it at home).
My dining partner wanted sugar for his coffee and there was none on the table and we waited 5mins but had no service still, so he started walking up towards the kitchen, and the waitstaff finally took notice and brought one to us. A few seconds later, the staff brought our food and it wouldn’t fit on the tiny, cramped tables so he rudely asked twice within a few seconds whether we had finished with the sugar (as if he couldn’t see that the sugar remained untouched in the space of 2 seconds?).
My pulled pork taco looked good, but that’s about it. Tasted very bland. My dining partner’s avocado on toast was quite simply, avocado and tomato smeared on toast.
Coffees were so bland. I like mine strong, with the taste of the coffee bean coming through, and my dining partner likes it weak — and neither of us liked the coffee so not sure what consumer they are trying to target.
Waste of money, won’t be back.

This is a cool café in a warehouse type space. My friends and I sat at the communal table which was ok, but the table is quite big so it can be hard to hear the people across from you when it gets busy. I’d recommend getting one of the smaller tables if available so that you can have a more intimate experience with your dining companions. I was expecting the coffee to be exceptional but I didn’t think it was that great.
The menu is kinda bizarre and I didn’t know what half the items were — the wannabe hipster vibe is strong in this place. I opted for one of the more traditional items on the menu and had baked eggs with green salsa, kale and feta and it was delicious.
After we had finished eating we sat chatting for a while, but there were people waiting for tables so they politely asked us to leave. I wanted to like this place more but three stars is all I could give after my overall experience there.

The good: the coffee is among the best in Sydney, particularly the brewed coffee. And that’s not surprising when you watch the guys behind the coffee bar. You can tell this is a place that considers a cup of good coffee an art.
The bad: the food is underwhelming, especially for the prices, and especially in a neighbourhood with among the best brunches in Sydney. The service is also very slow, even for a coffee.
The bottom line: Great place to go for a slow, enjoyable cup of coffee on a weekend morning. But if you’re in a hurry, or if you want a nice Surry Hills brunch, look elsewhere. 4.5 stars for the coffee; 2.5 stars for the food.

The space of PcP is really nice — design, airy, great music and bobo vibe.
The staff is super friendly too.
I know it is mostly well known for its coffee and as I am not a big coffee drinker I cannot comment on that. The food left me with a meh-​like feeling. I was not too impressed to be honest. The menu is quite different with a few interesting options (by the sound of it) but I feel it was quite expensive overall and will not be remembered.
To be fair we all had breakkie already so were more looking into savoury/​lunch types of dishes and I do not think that is PcP strength.
Will give another go at the breakfast menu next time. The Cronuts looked yum too.

Although you wouldn’t think it if you walked past on the street because from there you can’t see much of the inside, this place is sure to tick your boxes. You’ll notice when you walk in the massive communal table that’s planted in the centre of the café, which you’re encouraged, but not forced, to sit on. Communal so that your experience here can be shared with others, which I think is a great idea.
Another thing you’ll notice is that the high ceilings, and the spaciousness of the seating, gives you breathing space, which is particularly important on weekends as brunch can be a nightmare at places where you have to ‘squeeze through’ to get anywhere — the bathroom, your table, the exit.
The next thing I noticed were the cronuts in the glass window next to the bar, which were waiting to be eaten like an open packet of Tim Tams. I chose the caramel and macadamia, which was a delicious but unhealthy breakfast that I treated myself to because it was Friday.
I could go on about other things like the staff’s friendliness or the versatility of the space (it’s used for functions as well), but I won’t because I have other reviews to write, but yes, come here, please. You’ll have fun!

What an odd spot. In a back street in Surry Hills, this well designed café hits all the right notes when it comes to food and coffee.
I had that American style sandwich which I think could have been a philly steak. It was enjoyable… As enjoyable as I could have hope really. My wife had the crumbed eggs and was equally pleased. What I really like about the menu is that it was a little different from the standard café menu. They sort of mix it up a bit.
That said, this place is definitely worth a visit when you’re bored with cafes standards.
A weird thing to note. I found half a peanut in my coffee. At least I hope it was half a peanut. Because if it wasn’t, I have no idea what it was.

I’m in two minds for Paramount. I absolutely LOVE the coffee here, especially the filtered ones. I would have given them 4 stars for the coffee. But I’m less than impressed with their food and think it deserves a 2 star. So I’m settling with 3 stars as an average. Oh and you gotta try the coffee without, and then with panela to taste the difference. It is made from dehydrated cane juice, commonly found in Colombia and Mexico. (Yes I looked it up on Wikipedia.) I got the Colombian coffee which has hints of panela to go with it. These guys take their coffee very seriously. They even have brief tasting notes in the description!
Skip the meals, they’re pretty average and not worth the price. There’s a stark contrast between the quality of coffee and food. We ordered the fried chicken on waffle and a sandwich. The sandwich was fine, the only grudge was the meat was too chewy (overdone). The waffle was a disappointment because it was stale and soggy. I think they left it at the counter for too long. Anyhow, I hoped that the chicken was better — but Murphy’s law prevailed in this instance. The fried chicken pieces were soaked in the watery Japanese curry for too long and turned into a soft starchy shell surrounding some meat. Who makes watery Japanese curry anyway? Japanese curry should be thick and starchy — I think they over diluted the instant curry powder pack.

Sometimes, you make mistakes in your life. But you wouldn’t know it was a mistake until you’ve made it right? Well, this particular mistake I’ve made was getting the cronut.
I first heard about this croissant and donut hybrid a couple of years ago when it came to NYC. People were waiting for hours and hours for this thing and I never understood the appeal of it. So when I saw it on the menu of Paramount Coffee Project, I decided to try it. Of course, I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as I’ve heard the original was, but I was expecting better. This imposter was dry and almost chewy. It tasted like it was baked a week ago. And it was $ 5 so it was definitely not worth it.
Their mains were not much better. I ordered the baked eggs ($ 17) It had chorizo, cannelini beans, and came with a piece of toast. The eggs were good but the chorizo was really salty, and super dry. I’m sensing a theme here.
To wash it all down, I had a flat white ($ 4) which wasn’t bad. I guess if they have the word, «coffee» in their name, then that’s what you should come here for. And that’s it. I mean, you wouldn’t go to a gas station to buy sushi so the same concept applies here. Just stick to the coffee, avoid the food and you should be fine.

Great coffee! Great food! I wanted to come back for breakfast again but didn’t have much time on my trip.
Had the pork bao. Super delicious! The menu sounds great.
The staff had a bit of a hipster attitude but still friendly. The space is very big and bright.
Defiantly coming back again.

Whoever says you can’t eat chicken and waffles for breakfast is crazy and you should no longer be their friend.
It’s pretty much the best way you can start the day, particularly the gourmet version they dish up at PCP. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had PCP in it. The rest of the brekky/​brunch menu is similarly appealing in that menu-​paralysis what’ll-I-have kind of way, and when you tee it up with a Magic (flat white on a double ristretto base, not on the menu but the baristas are down with everything coffee and took this order with a knowing nod, the kind one connoisseur gives to another, even though I’m kinda faking it til I make it).
The interior feels like some kind of fancy designer’s living room, all open and light with a semi-​industrial feel and the Slurry fashion crowd schlepping past with their Boston Terriers and their red velvet loafers.

Located closer to the city compared to the other cafes of its type. I didn’t have any expectations of the food this time and that might have been a blessing. Queues for lunch on the weekend are to be expected.
BAKED EGGS $ 17
It was OK, it was a very peppery dish: the chorizo there to give heat and spice amalgamated in a cushion of baked egg with only one egg yolk still runny at least, all that on a foundation of baked beans. The eggs were heavily seasoned with ground pepper and this might not agree with everyone. This is not the best way to cook eggs in my opinion, the base was kind of overcooked and tasted like the eggs prepared in a ring on the barbie.
CRAB PO BOY $ 19
Fancy name but at the end of the day it was just a deep fried soft shell crab in a bun with some condiments. Overpriced for what it is.
ONION RINGS $ 5
I did enjoy these babies. Extra crispy batter with the onions soft inside but still having a slight bite so you know it’s still onion. Really good with the aioli. The only snag was that they were bunch up together and they need more care when frying. These should be included with the crab burger as a meal as at $ 24 for both is unreasonable.
PCP COFFEE SHAKE $ 9
This is the best iced coffee I drank in my life. I was expecting a good blend at this place with coffee in its trading name and they didn’t disappoint and at $ 9 well you better not fuck up.
CRONUT ~$ 4
This one was too was a little more oily and more donut than croissant for me. Still better than the ordinary coffee shop cronut but similar to Brewtown’s but more stale. It can’t touch Adriano Zumbo’s Zonut which is still the best cronut in Sydney for me.
Conclusion
I think they are just strong on the coffee and drinks. Food is average and very overpriced. Most of the seating is made of communal tables. I’ll probably only go back for the iced coffee but even that is not a good reason enough.
@thesydneynoob

Coffee was good but they only have almond milk, no soy… Doesn’t reallllly matter, I just like having the option :)
Two of us had ordered food from the mostly lunch-​looking menu and they were just ok. Nothing memorable. The menu had lots of interesting sounding items on it, just nothing we’d want to eat for breakfast… And perhaps not even for lunch lol. Fun to read though.
Service was fast and friendly but we prob shoulda been topped off of the ok-​ness since it was lacking the bustling crowd at every other popular café on a weekday.
If you’re nearby and need a stop for coffee for takeaway, it’d be worth it. If you’re looking for food, I’d say take a pass.

So this is a review of just the coffee. Many of the negative reviews are about the food — I didn’t try the food. But if you are a coffee lover you cannot ignore this place. Specifically as James F loves place — and he knows his coffee.
So they do not just serve one bean but many beans from different roasters, and you can try them all. If you want a take away coffee I would suggest that you ask which bean you should try.
Today the first coffee that I tried from Reuben Hill was not to my liking, as it was too weak — and so the barrister simply suggested that I move to another bean. And they were right about their selection — specially as you can’t go wrong with Mecca. I could have sat here the whole day!
So if you love coffee and want to sit and try, block out some time and make your way down here.