When I look up the address for Little West, I end up re-reading it out of shock – the cafe is located where my childhood home was.

Its kitchen is where my teen bedroom used to be (minus a Keanu Reeves poster or two). But a personal connection isn't necessary to be compelled by Little West: this charming 18-seater is worth visiting regardless.

Owners Josh Harrison and Sebastian Shearman opened this cafe in August and enlisted food editor and stylist Amanda Chebatte for their menu, asking her to highlight the surrounds in meaningful ways. You'll taste this in the bush tomato sauce: a punchy condiment that supercharges the smoked brisket sausage roll.

"It captures the unique heritage that Haberfield has," says Harrison. "It's actually three unique heritages."

The suburb's Federation-era history is reflected in the condiment's classic Australian flavour. The addition of native ingredients – warm pepperberry and umami-rich bush tomatoes – recognises the 60,000-year-old presence of Indigenous people here (the Gadigal and Wangal of the Eora Nation especially).

The roma tomatoes in the sauce, meanwhile, pay tribute to Haberfield's long-standing Italian community, who I remember selling mortadella, Chinotto and copies of La Fiamma to when they dropped by my dad's shop in the 1990s.

Today, only half the store remains, and its deli section is where Little West now sends out its excellent three-cheese-and-greens toasties, farm bowls and bestselling muffalettas with crisps.

The muffaletta takes three days to make: standard orders are stacked with olive relish, deli cuts, spinach and roasted capsicum, while the vegan version has a refreshing hit of thinly sliced fennel and herbs. 

The farm bowls are good starter kits for stacking on fried eggs, smoked brisket, hash browns and other sides. Prices are under the $20 mark and portioned accordingly. There are nostalgic touches, too, such as iced Milo, and don't miss the peanut butter, date and banana smoothie – it's like a semi-nutritious dessert you can drink. 

Little West might be Harrison and Shearman's first cafe, but their previous hospitality experience has proved handy. Shearman, who has worked at Pablo and Rusty and Mecca Coffee, has the challenge of keeping wide-ranging customers caffeinated, from older Italians used to darker roasts to younger specialty coffee geeks.

"What we found with Market Lane, it's ticked all the boxes," he says of their Melbourne-based roaster. "I've had a 70-year-old Italian man drink espresso at our bar and love it," he says.

"Then we have people going, 'You have a gesha from Guatemala, that's amazing!'" Sourcing limited-release coffee, such as like gesha, isn't about flexing insider access, it's in tune with Little West being upfront about where ingredients are from.

Being able to name the family in the Chapada Diamantina mountain range that grows beans for your flat whites, for instance, is as important as getting brisket from the butcher just footsteps away.

Little West may be tiny, but its outsized commitment to everything impresses: from the restoration of the century-old building's facade, to an unassuming damper dish that doubles as a lavish dessert, sweetened with chocolate, wattleseed and golden syrup. 

The native dukkah that lifts brunch bowls and avocado toast is house-made from lemon myrtle and toasted macadamia, and like the bush tomato sauce and macadamia and wattleseed granola, can be bought from the cafe's shelves.

It's a reminder of the shop this once was, and is a welcome touch that makes Little West feel like home, whether you once lived here or not.

The low-down

Little West

Vibe Cosy cafe offering a local, native twist on brunch staples. The farm bowls are good starter kits for stacking on fried eggs, smoked brisket, hash browns and other sides. Prices are under the $20 mark and portioned accordingly. There are nostalgic touches (damper, iced Milo), but don't miss the peanut butter, date and banana smoothie – it's like a semi-nutritious dessert you can drink. 

Insta-worthy dish The rich damper, which is hit with a rich amount of Callebaut chocolate, golden syrup and wattleseed, and is served with cultured butter for extra decadence.