Papi Chulo

For my 23rd birthday, I’ve decided to finally try out Papi Chulo at Manly. I have been meaning to go since they’ve opened about a year ago but have since not took my lazy ass to Manly till now. What even made this a better opportunity was the fact that their dishes were designed to be shared! Given a group of 12, we had 9 different dishes to go around. I had pre-determined the menu to cater to everyone’s needs at just $40pp, and man was that enough to give us a food coma. What else was impeccable was the service we got from the staff throughout our stay. One of my friends, who is a waitress herself, even noted their good service saying that it’s not everyday service like this comes by and I totally agree.

For starters, we had the Pea Guacamole with Tortilla Chips, Smoked Hot Wings with Comeback Sauce, and Southern Calamari!

Pea Guacamole with Tortilla Chips ($14)

Sambel Asli – Can you stand the heat?

This may have been the best pea guac I have ever had! Even the chips were crispy and a bit thicker than usual cut which gives it an extra crunch. Being the bunch of Malaysians and Singaporeans we are, we couldn’t have not helped ourselves to the Sambel Asli staring at us right on the table. Might I say that we were all throughly surprised to find this kind of chilli here at a restaurant like this! Kudos to them! I always have one sitting in my fridge. That being said, we added the sambel to our mix of the guac and chips. Heavenly!

Smoked Hot Wings with Comeback Sauce ($17)

The sambel really didn’t stop at the guac, we literally added it to everything! We looove our spice. These wings had the perfect texture of super crunchy on the outside and succulent on the inside. Cooked to perfection. Added with the comeback sauce and it brings this dish to a different level! Highly recommended.

Southern Calamari, sorrel, sour cream, bacon, crispy potato, dill ($23)

This was kind of the only seafood and more on the refreshing side of dishes that we had. The calamari was really tender and not rubbery at all. The sauce had a tang to it which really goes well with the calamari. The bacon and crispy potato lifted up the dish with saltiness and texture.

By this point, I think everyone was pretty much 1/4 of the way to Foodcomaville. It was time for the mains! This was the favourite part of the day for me, the spread was like one to belong on a Pinterest board.

Pictures do not do it justice. As the plates of food was being endlessly laid down on the table, everyone’s oohs, aahs, and omgs were coming out.

Suffolk Lamb Ribs with Papi’s BBQ Sauce ($32)

The star of the mains were close, but it had to be the ribs! I don’t know what’s in that sauce but I think it put everyone on a high for the day. The sauce was so tangy and sweet yet savoury, it was an explosion in the mouth all at once. Not to mention the tenderness of the meat and how it just effortlessly peeled out from the rib.

Roast Cauliflower, Romesco, Parmasan, Brown Butter Crumbs ($17)

I love a good cauliflower dish. Ever since Nic and I tried the one at Ester, I don’t think i’ve looked back on cauliflower dishes. This was much different than the one at Ester. Different texture and taste, but very good in it’s own way! I loved the freshness of the cauliflower and the nuttiness of the romesco sauce. Would have perfect if the cauliflower was just a little more crunchier.

On the left: Ranger’s Valley Wagyu Brisket – 300gm ($34)

I don’t know why I didn’t take a photo of the brisket, I completely blame it on the sight of everything being laid out at once. So this is the only picture I have of it taken by Nic. It’s the one to the left. It was so tender! The BBQ sauce came back again with this dish as well, we couldn’t get away from it even if we wanted to. So good. Coming in at one of the top dishes of the day as well.

Curly Fries ($9)

Literally the only carbs we had, I had to order this to compensate for the amount of protein we were having. Not that anyone of us were complaining. One of the crunchiest curly fries out there! So addictive. Again with the sambel. A+.

Lebanese chicken platter (not really), Irvin Fasr BBQ Chicken, Coriander, Tabouli, Garlic and Chilli Sauce, Soft Tortillas, Lettuce (Whole $36)

Last of the mains was the Lebanese chicken platter (not really). That’s actually what it say in the menu. HAH! Again, the chefs really hit the tender mark again. This was a really fun dish to have because we could make our own wraps if you didn’t want to have the chicken alone. Some of us even had a go at making a sort of san choy bow version with the leaves on the platter.

Special Cake ($68)

Last but not least, dessert! The guys at Papi Chulo had a mud cake specially made for the occasion. It was drizzled with fresh and frozen raspberries and some popping candy as well! When it was cut into, we started noticing some honey and honeycomb in between the layers and that was the best part of the cake. Not your typical mud cake in the sense. Even though I am not a chocolate person, definitely enjoyed this cake.

Thanks to the chefs and staff at Papi Chulo for making my *early* birthday celebration a one to remember!

It’s coincidentally going to be a weekend cooked by Patrick Friesen because look out for my post on Work in Progress coming Monday on my real birthday.

Overall rating: 8/10

Papi Chulo
22-23 Manly Wharf MANLY NSW
www.merivale.com.au/papichulo