Granata's at Pemulwuy

We went on a mini adventure a couple of mornings ago. I knew it was going to be a hot day so I thought we would get out and about early. The day before I had been surfing the net and stumbled upon a very fabulous looking cafe called Granata's. What attracted me to the cafe was their FB cover photo of a sweet bambino with spaghetti all over his head - so I thought the place just had to be child friendly.

Granata's is located in a suburb called Pemulwuy. I had never heard of Pemulwuy so I was intrigued to know where it was (if you have no clue where it is either - click here - it's near Prospect Reservoir).  I packed the fam into Harry Hyundai and headed off into the wild blue yonder (it was actually only 20 mins away!).

I think since being a SAHM and now a WAHM I have completely forgotten about the concept of peak hour. You know that time of day from 6am - 9am where all of Sydney's roads are gridlocked. We left the house at 7.30am on a mission to have coffee and breakfast. So a 20 minute trip became almost an hour long journey. By the time we turned into the road where Granata's is, there were a few cranky and hungry passengers on board as well as a frazzled decaffeinated driver!

Now Pemulwuy is a fascinating suburb. To get there we had driven through very industrial metro roads and very suburban streets. Then you turn into Nelsons Ridge - the Lend Lease housing development that is Pemulwuy and you discover loads of lovely parklands, loads of lovely modern houses and than the pinnacle that is Granata's!

This large, airy cafe is quintessentially Italian - the gorgeous staff and equally gorgeous interior are oozing Italian charm. The seating is all white with silver topped tables, with bleached timber flooring and some funky silver booth seating. Beautiful white cane light fittings are hanging from the ceiling - it has an almost coastal feel to it, yet you are smack bang in the middle of western Sydney. The long front counter is home to many decadent looking sweet treats, a very handsome barista and at the back there is a large open kitchen where you can watch the chefs do their thing.

We were greeted immediately by the barista Marco and coffees were promptly ordered. We perused the ample menu - which is very reasonably priced - and the little bulls spied the massive container of nutella that was on the counter behind us. Now let me tell you, I don't have nutella in our house. Main reason being that I  have been known to have a sneaky spoon or two behind closed doors! So my "nutella deprived" children begged me for some as they had seen ads on TV (a very good reason why one should not let their children watch too much TV).

As they are my little taste testers I relented and they were ordered a nutella pancake sandwich.  When the "sandwiches" arrived we all let out a little gasp. Not only was there a very delicious looking sandwich, made with two big light and fluffy pancakes oozing with nutella, but also a little ramekin full of big fat blueberries and maltesers! Italians certainly know how to look after their bambinos. The serves were huge and only $6.00 each. They also come as jam or butter sandwiches. Forget McDonalds hot cakes people, this dish is the bomb! (That's how my 5 yr old described it anyway). There is also toast ($4), banana bread, fruit salad and yoghurt, normal pancakes ($8) and eggs on toast ($7) available for kids at breakfast time if you think the sandwich is a wee bit too decadent. 

For Mummas and Pappas the food is equally as delicious. Poached eggs on toast came with 3 perfectly poached eggs on sourdough toast - for $8.00 and the big fat bacon and egg roll looked very tempting for $9.00.  If you decide to go for lunch (which I can't wait to go back and try), there are numerous divine sounding salads, pastas and wood fired pizzas on the menu.

The Vittoria coffee was expertly made by Marco - I have since found out that he gives away free hugs to those that lerv his coffee - ladies what are you waiting for?! For kiddliwinks there are the usual juices and milkshakes on offer. As I mentioned before there are all the divine looking treats in the front counter - think cannoli, lemon meringue tarts, profiteroles, napoli etc etc etc. Or have some of their Gelato - perfect on hot western Sydney day. If you live nearby, or you fancy a drive, make sure you pop in after the school run as they do some fantastic after school specials for both Mums (and Dads I'm sure) as well as kids.

There is a real family friendly buzz at Granata's. Besides the very kid friendly staff there are parents popping in with kids on their way to school, grand parents out and about with their grand kids and Mummas with strollers on their morning walk dropping by for takeaways.  The space is big enough to fit many prams, both inside and out. It was fairly quiet on a Wednesday morning, so there was loads of space for the little bulls to roam around but I dare say that on weekends this place will be pumping. Granata's has only been opened a few months so I'm sure as the word gets out about how fab this cafe is you may well need to ring ahead and make a booking on weekends.

Close by to Granata's you have 3 playgrounds (unshaded), a kids cycle way, a lake, a reserve, tennis and basketball courts, so if your kids need to blow of steam after your meal you have quite a few choices as where to let them play. There is also a shopping centre a 5 minute drive away. 

What is it with Italians? They have that certain Je ne sais quoi (I know that's French but I have no idea what the Italian version is). Granata's is just so darn lovely. Everything about it. If you live in the vicinity head there ASAP, if not, don't just think that it is in the middle of nowhere, combine a visit with a day trip to somewhere like Calmsey City Farm, Prospect Reservoir or Western Sydney Parklands, trust me you won't regret it x

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https://www.facebook.com/granataspemulwuy
30 Watkin Tench Parade, Pemulwuy, NSW
02 96882278
Weekdays from 7.00am
Weekends from 8.00am
CASH ONLY

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