Papi Chulo @ Manly

 

 What was supposed to be our first date a year ago, a ferry ride to Manly, a lovely lunch and a few drinks ended up being cancelled due to horrendous whether and we went to the movies instead!. So we took the opportunity of our first anniversary celebrations to do it instead! Perfect date day though! A sunny day, with a little crisp wind and of course, awesome company!

 

Merivale's Papi Chulo is nestled right on Manly Wharf, literally a few steps from the ferry. Where an American smoke house/Latin inspired menu meets beach art deco décor which makes for a beautiful light and airy atmosphere with gorgeous views of the Harbour.

 

 

 

We start with drinks and I am drawn to the Bloody Ceaser Romero with Bacon-washed Olmeca Altos Tequila, papi's spice mix, olive and clamato juice (it’s a pimped up bloody mary, only better!)

 

 

We start with a bowl of Pea Guacamole with tortilla chips. Sprinkled with peas, pea shoot tendrils and sunflower seeds this guac is good. The warm crisp tortilla chips have the smallest hint of salt to the them.

 

 

The Tropical Taro Salad (which came with hidden slices of smoked Kingfish) was a surprise. Refreshingly light and tangy the crispy strips of taro added a perfect crunch to this salad.

 

The highlight dish of the day turned out to the be the Roasted Cauliflower with romesco, parmesan and burnt butter crumbs. We both LOVED this dish. The cauli was soft and tender but still held firm and the cheesy romesco sauce and crunch butter crumbs were just superb.

 

 

 

The Smoked Hot Wings with comeback sauce were another pleasure. The wings are fried to perfect crunchy crispness and tender and juicy meat. However I wasn’t really taken with the comeback sauce, but that is my personal taste).

Service is fantastic and dishes are served quickly. Staff are super friendly and there is no one person waiting on tables it’s a variety of servers.

Next up is the Jumbo King Prawns in lemongrass and coconut dressing. Two huge prawns adore a small plate and take a good 2-3 big bites to eat. They are really delicious.

 

 

 

 

I’m hitting my limit by now and lucky to have a few minutes break before the Lebanese Chicken Platter arrives with sides of curly fries and Vietnamese Coleslaw. BBQ chicken with peri peri spice is served on a platter with tabbouli, pickled veg, lettuce and pita bread.

The curly fries are super curly and cooked perfectly. The Vietnamese coleslaw adds a tangy freshness to the meal. We are so full now and end up taking a doggy bag home with us.

We do manage to share a dessert of the Chocolate chip cookie, marshmallow, butterscotch and vanilla ice cream.  Warm gooey choc chip cookie with a disc of fluffy marshmallow topped with ice cream and butterscotch is a perfect date dessert.

  

Although this was a year in the making, we finally got to visit and I know I will be recommending this to friends and definitely would like to come back and sample more of this delicious the menu.