Situated on the corner of Tennyson Road and Bertram Street, Paperboy is arguably the most charming café in the Breakfast Point area. With its art deco facade and gold leaf lettering, it makes for a stylish hub for locals.
Story by Elena Antoniou
We sat down with the owner of Paperboy, Jack Li Han Tsao, to ask him how he creates such a warm environment in his café – and how he gets his Mee Goreng so damn good!
What is your full name?
Jack Li Han Tsao
How old are you?
29
Where do you live?
Epping
Please tell us about your cultural heritage
I was born in Taipei, Taiwan. My whole family immigrated to New Zealand when I was 7 and we moved to Sydney, Australia, in 2007.
What is your first food memory?
Growing up in Taiwan, there are lots of recipes using pork. So going out to a restaurant, pork was always the hero in the dish.
How long have you owned Paperboy and what was your inspiration for the café?
It will be five years in October. We purchased Paperboy, Concord, as an existing business in 2017.
Tell us about why you love the Breakfast Point/Mortlake community?
I have worked at many cafés over the years and no café or restaurant has ever given me the sense of belonging like Paperboy has. Coming to work in the morning feels just the same as going home after work to my family.
There are small kinds of things that the community does that are so heartwarming. For instance, last week I got sent a simple text when we left our door unlocked — I was so touched by the gesture. It really makes me realise that I am not here just to sell some food and coffee, but to look after the community like I would my friends and family.
What are the most popular dishes on your menu?
Our big breakfast, Breakfast on Tennyson, and Mee Goreng are the bestsellers.
Tell us about the Mee Goreng? It’s an absolute favourite of Bon Vivant’s
Mee Goreng is an Indonesian dish commonly sold by street vendors and it is delicious! We spiced up the simple dish with oat fried soft shell crab and house-made hot balado sauce. Our chef drew inspiration from
his home town of Kalimantan, Indonesia, where he grew up.
Where do you source your produce?
Most of our produce is sourced in Australia. We purchase directly from Sydney Markets for our fresh produce and Sydney Fish Market for our seasonal seafoods.
We also home grow the bulk of our fresh herbs at my Epping family home. We import a small amount of specialty ingredients that are native to other countries that give that extra magic to some of our dishes.
Paperboy is such a hub for the community. What is the key to making it a happy place for customers and staff alike?
It’s the shared objective of our chef, barista and myself to create a delectable but casual dining experience for the community. When your team has the same goal as you, it creates a naturally happy environment.
Any exciting plans you have for Paperboy in the future?
We are in the final stages of designing our next winter menu that will start in March, 2022. We will have a total refresh of each menu item to reflect local, seasonal produce. We are really excited to share it with the family.