It would be remiss of me to write an article on Instagrammable venues at Chatswood Interchange and not write about Gram Café – a venue literally named because their dishes are so insta-worthy!
I have visited Gram twice now and both times we have experienced long queues to get in. Believe me when I say it is VERY popular if you can visit during Monday to Friday, outside of peak hours, I highly recommend it. While I’ll admit the length of the queues were daunting at first, both times we were seated in under 30 minutes. They don’t make savoury meals so the prep time is quite swift and the table turnaround must be huge!
A Japanese chain, the firstGram Pancakes opened in Shinsaibashi, Osaka in 2014 and now boasts over 50 stores around the world, mostly based in Japan. So, why is it so successful ? So Instagrammable?
They have an impressive range of desserts, sweet drinks and the like but ultimately it all comes down to one major thing and that’s soufflé pancakes: those super wobbly fluffy little clouds of delight. I love them, I need them, I crave them. They are just so fun to wobble for a boomerang.
The first time I visited, I had a Christmas themed pancake that was made with cherries and it was pure heaven. My guest had the matcha pancakes with matcha cream, red bean sauce and shiratama mochi. I am not a big fan of matcha but Jimmy gave them two thumbs up. While these were not the soufflé style, they were still so beautifully presented, I even squealed when they arrived knowing the pictures would be awesome.
On my most recent visit however, it was all about the soufflé pancakes for me. The first bite melted all my worries
away and for a brief moment in time, it felt like all was right in the world. Covered in maple syrup and topped with a little plonk of butter, it was simply perfect.
We washed it down with a matcha latte and taro latte which were both adorably decorated with some wonderful latte art. Raff, the cute blonde kind from @boyeatsworld, ate a dish with three types of ice cream, the black sesame was my favourite for sure – it also came with a smaller soufflé pancake which made him very happy!
Besides the food, the venue’s interior and merch are on point. They have key rings and plush pancakes you can buy in various sizes and I did see some girls quite excited at taking a pancake cushion home (who wouldn’t be?).
The venue is split into two areas with a bridging section – a wonderful feature wall with the motto “The World Made Pancakes, Gram made it Fluffy” – grammatical errors aside I fully support the sentiment – Gram is a winner for me!
When we left, we ordered a bunch of the little soufflé pancake treats and a mango and lychee drink so I could get a splash shot outside. It only took thirteen tries, but Raff finally managed an epic splash on his thirteenth attempt, talk about unlucky 13!
Written by @spooningaust
Content Creator – Jason King
