Papi Chulo, Manly

“We’re all nearly 30!” That receives an instant rejection – perhaps in denial.

“How old are you again?” Because we never assume one’s age.

“25.” I really wish …

“25?! Really… are you sure? Not 26?” Someone was brought back to reality…

These comments were thrown around the table from various people.

Yes, we have gotten to the stage where this is a conversation that gets brought up more often than not. Yes, this may happen at every birthday meal. Yes, I finally understand why I was told once you turn 25 – every year you are 25.

Legit. Every time I answer with “I’m 25” I honestly believe it. I forget that I am no longer 25, because deep down that is the age I would just want to stay at.

So, on a lovely Sunday afternoon with a party of 12, we [NSF] were at Papi Chulo celebrating Miss CC’s birthday with what we do best. By eating.

Smoked hot wings with comeback sauce $16

The chicken wings were delicious and I must say, I was impressed with the amount of wings present in this serving. But what the real winner for the wings was the comeback sauce. A mix of chilli and mayo but there was a touch of pepper spice too, that is, on my palate. We simply loved this sauce to bits!

Roast Cauliflower, romesco, parmesan, brown butter crumbs $15

Cauliflower with Parmesan was delicious. I’m not much of a Parmesan kind of girl, but the cauliflower was cooked so well. It was soft and could only just feel like it melts in your mouth with a soft bite. The breadcrumbs scattered amongst the sauce offered an amazing textural bite.

BBQ baby octopus with grilled zucchini flowers, spring onions and soft herbs $19

The octopus was nice, but it didn’t blow my socks off. The octopus was soft yet chewy. I mean I didn’t have a tug-a-war eating it.

The food was served really fast, and I was impressed given how busy they were.

Papi Chulo BBQ platter: half rack lamb, 150gm each of wagyu brisket, chopped pork and pork belly, bread rolls $86

Pickles (comes with platter)

We opted for the meat platter, well because it has everything. The wagyu brisket would have to be my favourite, the charcoal smokey flavours mixed with their barbecue sauce was simply AH-MAZING!

Curly Fries $9

Who would ever say no to fries? Let alone springy, curly ones! And we kept that awesome comeback sauce for this! Bringing these fries to a whole new level!

Vietnamese Coleslaw $8

The coleslaw was a nice healthy touch; a nice refreshment breaking the smokey meat platter flavours for our next few dishes.

Balmain bugs, konbu butter $39

The balmain bugs were good, cooked perfectly. But nothing that made it stand out to me when I have been enjoying the wagyu brisket!

Baby snapper, lemongrass, chilli, macadamia and herbs $36

Now, this fish … wow! I mean, how can I explain this enough for you to order this when at Papi Chulo. Who would want to order fish when you’re there for that brisket! But this is a really tangy, spicy, and refreshing dish. It was a very Vietnamese tasting fish, it is definitely worth trying.

Warm chocolate cookie, vanilla-malt ice cream, butterscotch sauce, macadamia brittle $14

If only … if only we ordered two serves of this!!! I had one spoon and we passed it down the table and never saw the light of it AGAIN! The cookie was so warm, which was so pleasant to eat with the icy cold ice-cream drizzled with butterscotch sauce – which is to die for!

Banana split $14

Banana split was nothing too special. Honestly, all I could taste was the banana and cream.

BUT ALAS, hello to the Strawberry and Watermelon cake from Black Star Pastry! This is such a decadent cake! Layers of goodness, the rose water was not too overpowering and the watermelon adds a hit of refreshment throughout the cake. I believe I may become addicted to this goodness!

OH! And you know this is the place to be when the first thing you see are other foodie enthusiasts! It was great to bump into you Nessyeater, Annie and others which I am not sure who to identify!

Lastly, I wish Miss CC a wonderful birthday and may we have many more years of eateries to come where the next topic would perhaps be started as “Well, we are all about 40…” Let’s hope by then, we leave our ages behind us… I mean age is just a number, right?

Hit: Wagyu brisket, baby snapper, warm cookie
Miss: BBQ Baby octopus, Balmain bugs, Banana Split