Back & Forth

A quick flick through the menu at Back & Forth reveals a burger with two beef patties, special sauce, American cheese, pickles and mustard, all between a Brasserie milk bun. There’s also a four-deep stack of thick pecan pancakes swimming in peanut-butter gelato.

Alex Savidis and Sam Gibson also run nearby Ritual Coffee Traders. The pancakes are joined on the breakfast menu by a nut-and-seed-based gluten-free bread sold by the loaf, or served with tomato, goat’s cheese and avocado. There’s also an acai gelato which is blended, like a thick smoothie, and placed it on a stack of granola, blueberries, figs and dried strawberries. The two cafes share a similar vision for specialty coffee (from Gabriel Coffee) and a similarly clean but industrial fit-out. But Back & Forth beats its Northbridge cousin in scope and size.

Back to the burger; it is a bigger, less-sloppy version of the deluxe American-style burger that has become the norm in Sydney. Or try the som tum-inspired green papaya salad with poached chicken.