burger

Ferry Nice to be at Papi Chulo

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Located right on the Manly Wharf, Papi Chulo will change the way you think about barbeque and meat. This place is not your usual American smokehouse as it intertwines with Brazilian and Latin American. Their menu is fantastic for the meat lovers and if you have any intention on ordering the entire menu, go ahead! However it’s best to bring at least seven foodie mates along, well at least we did. Ok, it felt right to organise another food blogger’s event with the opportunity to overlook Manly Wharf during the day.

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Finally made it to Papi Chulo’s in 30 minutes flat from Circular Quay wharf.

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Here at Papi Chulo the view is fabulous.

The only time you’ll notice me sitting in silence is when the Smoked wagyu brisket (300 gm) ($34) arrives. It’s too damn delicious and has abundant marbling that moistens the meat from the inside. Be sure to taste the natural smoked juices and yes you’ll know there is a difference. Reality is that their wagyu servings has limited availability for seven people but overall they were mighty good.

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Smoked wagyu brisket (300 gm) ($34)

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Just look at the brisket closely, it’s so hypnotising.

My eyes were also interested in the Smoked hot wings ($16) with comeback sauce. I must confess, I ate three out of nine. It was so hard to stop grabbing the entire bowl of mid-wings for myself because they were the most popular appetisers on the table. Let’s face it- the wings are crisped and create the perfect combination of smoked madness. It’s really wings that everyone will love.

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Smoked hot wings ($16) 

Curly fries ($9) tasted heavily on the tongue, but I personally liked it best when it’s bathed in the creamy spicy comeback sauce. They are somewhat twirly, if you dive your fingers into the basket and there’s so much fun when dunked into the sauce.

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Curly fries ($9)

Although I didn’t have the opportunity to try Irene’s Zalamero smoothie ($8) because well her blog name already says it all (Irene’s Getting Fat). I can already imagine this tropical shake to be constant with creamy coconut milk and fresh passionfruit and mango sorbet. To confirm, you’ll have to ask Irene. Haha!

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Zalamero smoothie ($8) 

Love a bit of pea-NUTS in your beverage? Then the El Mani ($8) will probably be the best nutty treat everyone will love. Sorry to the peeps who are allergic to peanuts, you’re really missing out with rich peanut butter that is super thick and creamy, finished with Pringle shaped chocolate chips containing nuts, off course.

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El Mani ($8)

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So awesome to witness what Papi Chulo was cooking.

We were all in desperate need for some more protein so we had to order their signature dish, Papi Chulo BBQ platter (serves 2-4) ($86) – I don’t think there is a marriage more perfect than the one that exists between half rack lamb ribs, 150gm each of sliced wagyu brisket, chopped spicy pork and sliced pork belly . Another glorious fact is that they serve it along with a bowl of colourful pickles and super soft bread. I must say it does look tremendous on the camera. They key to devouring this platter is that there is no key. You’ll be in a race amongst six foodies to fight for the caramelised tender pork belly, smoky barbecue lamb ribs, shredded pork that is well marinated and slices of more wagyu brisket. All the meat falls apart so easily and does create a perfect intense pit barbeque flavour. As for the bread rolls, I ate three. In all seriousness, their rolls are well made with that fluffiness texture. I can guarantee that they won’t last long once served to the table.

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Papi Chulo BBQ platter (serves 2-4) ($86)

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Colourful sides of vegetable pickles

We know the main attraction here is the barbecue meet, so I guess the “Sloppy Joe” ($18) wasn’t a star at our table. Containing pulled kurobuta porkpit beans, jalapeño, nacho cheese on two soft buns. You’ll  be loving this if they didn’t serve Papi Chulo BBQ platter.

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“Sloppy Joe” ($18) 

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What’s next Chef?

Arriving fashionably late, Amy from milkteaxx orders Papi Chulo burger ($18) With grain fed beef, baconAmerican cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickles and hugged by two honey- coloured soft buns. Seeing Amy’s hungry reaction, I think you’ll really enjoyed it.

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Papi Chulo burger ($18) 

I don’t think the #FoodiesatManly were going to just leave without ordering the entire dessert menu. Look who we have here, Banana Split ($14) with fresh split banana, chocolate fudge, peanut praline, banana ice cream, peanut butter ice cream, and cherry jam, whipped cream and glace cherry. A bit too ordinary, but we managed to finish it. I was expecting something extreme, for example maybe 100s of 1000s? Or maybe dressing it up with almond flakes and light sparkles? Yeah, I know…a bit extreme 😛

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Banana Split ($14) 

There is something special about the Warm chocolate chip cookie ($14). I don’t know if it’s the scoop of vanilla malt ice-cream or the drizzling butterscotch sauce or maybe it’s the crumply macadamia brittle. But this famous classic American cookie is warm and chewy and goes so well with a glass of cold milk.

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Warm chocolate chip cookie ($14)

I thoroughly enjoyed the Pear and rhubarb cobbler ($14) with ginger crumble, crème anglaise, orange and ginger ice-cream. Can you smell the smallish chunks of fresh pear and rhubarb? It certainly had my attention with the perfect combination of flavours. The ginger crumble and ginger ice-cream kept multiplying with its own textures.

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Pear and rhubarb cobbler ($14)

Papi Chulo is a great place to relax and enjoy the lovely bright casual atmosphere. It’s not hard to see why this restaurant is obscenely popular. Hospitality here makes it more welcoming place for everyone. I highly recommend you to catch the Sydney Ferries at Circular Quay because it’s difficult getting to Manly by car if you are not familiar with the area. As a bonus, you get to see the amazing Harbour Bridge and water views.

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Catch the Sydney Ferries to visit Papi Chulo.

Photos by Vanny Tang

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Hooters in Parramatta – The American Fun

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Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Me hanging out at HOOTERS on a Saturday night must be odd, right? Well if you mention a few words like chicken wings, burgers and curley fries, then that’s my entertainment and happy meal for the night. You’d be surprised HOOTERS is a family restaurant not just for the males but women and children. In fact inside looks reasonably nice, glossy wooden tables and chairs with a collection of American road signs and a massive open bar area. There’s at least 2 dozen of plasma screen TV’s mostly broadcasting a range of sports and perhaps most customers are too busy concentrating recent hockey scores than the HOOTER girls, who are dressed in trademark white singlets, mini tangerine shorts and who can forget their lovely BIG personalities, so attractive.

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Well Hello Nikki.

I have just the way to kick start this post , boys and girls I present to you 20 Pieces Boneless Chicken ($28.95)!!! Arriving pipping hot from the deep fryer land. This famous boneless chicken is glistening ominoulsy with SUPER THICK and STICKY orangey sauce. The flavour is addictively sweet and tasty. The spiciness level of these chickens will depend on the choice of hot sauce. Votes were in and medium spiciness for the table.

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20 Pieces MEIDUM Boneless Chicken ($28.95)

 I’ve been looking for you Fried Pickles ($9.95) – I know it sounds a bit extreme but I’ve got to stop sounding so uptight and live a little. We are in HOOTERS! Let’s have a little DEEP-FRIED  pickle. We were warned about this dish. And I don’t normally eat pickle, believe it or not. I try to avoid it as much as I can but this basket of lightly breaded sliced pickles is the BOMB! The pickle brings a new crunch. It is dredged in a tasty pickle juice coating and is perfectly golden brown. And if you want to challenge the pickle flavour then dip those babies into the creamy cheese sauce.

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Fried Pickles ($9.95)

Well that’s not fair when I turn my head for a split second and this is what I have left. I shouldn’t be shocked at all how these wings can disappear in the matter of seconds. The 20 pieces of MEDIUM Chicken Wings ($24.95) is a tad different to the boneless chicken. That’s because these wings have bones in them. Bet you didn’t know that right? 😛 As well as less saucer but still freaken tasty.

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20 Pieces of MEDIUM Chicken Wings ($24.95)

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TV Entertainment for ALL AGES

I am glad HOOTERS is on top of this stuff, off course I am talking about the Western BBQ Burger ($19.95)Their is just so much stuffing in this burger like juicy slices of bacon, deep-fried onion rings, fresh lettuces, melted American cheddar cheese and fat chunky beefy patty that is more than a mouthful. Aside from the burger there’s a handful of curley fries.

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Western BBQ Burger ($19.95)

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Can you handle this?

For the Quesadillas- Steak ($19.95) a light fluffy warm tortilla filled with a savory mixture of fat juicy chunks of steak and layers and layers of melted cheese served with red tomato based Mexican rice and fresh salad. Least popular appetiser for the table but I think that’s because it’s missing the smashed avocado that adds the delicious twist on an old Mexican favourite.

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Quesadillas- Steak ($19.95)

And you thought we couldn’t handle MEDIUM wings…Well hello HOT WING department.  Would you dare to refuse the 20 Pieces of HOT Chicken Wings ($24.95) ? These wings were a spontaneous creation for the table. River of oil kept flowing out at every single bite. The spice is overwhelming for a beginner but medium-hot for the intermediates. You may need to be saved from their cheese sauce ($0.50) if ever your in doubt and can’t conqueror the entire piece of wing. The chicken wings can’t be described in words, it’s a feeling you’d have to experience it yourself.

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20 Pieces of HOT Chicken Wings ($24.95)

It is ridiculous how the Rib Combo ($49.95) – HALF pork ribs with 300 grams rump with curley fries can be pretty massive for 2 people. For a real awesome value this beast of a plate is suppose to be for 1 person however if you can tank it alone then order it. Let me start describing the pork ribs– slow-smoked baby back ribs covered with HOOTERS BBQ glaze. Can you see how HOOTERS sauce ’em up real nice? Caution: Those ribs involve a lot finger licking from the sauce. Glad that’s not over because the juicy rump is so firm and flavoursome that I squealed out loud.

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Rib Combo ($49.95)

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Can’t pin down how HOOTERS fries are so freaken curley.

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SHOT GUNS  pork rib! Oink.

Mr Clarke Kent spotted one super lengthy fries sitting on his wooden plate. This potato must be between 25-30cm long. C-R-A-Z-Y!!!

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Have you heard of the saying “No Curls, No Girls” ? 

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Women’s toilet sign

My HOOTER experience was almost over and I just couldn’t say goodbye to our lovely waitress Nickki without taking a photo with her. You see what I did to my face? Haha. DIY troll emotion icon. I couldn’t help it.

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That is an amazing pair of eyes Nikki. Don’t you think? 😛

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 Sweet way to say good-bye Nikki. 

(Note: Ignore the price of the bill as this post did not mention a few items.)

Apart from HOOTERS world-famous buffalo chicken wings, premium juicy beef burgers and extremely curley fries, HOOTERS atmosphere is definitely unlike any other…as there is always something fun happening every minute. Yes, it is kind of overlooked at because of the girls but amazingly each of their dishes we ordered from the menu is very decent. Do order a few drinks while watching sport games as it adds an extra vibe to your entertainment.

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Free balloon to take home.

Photos by Vanny Tang

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Not just a garden, Gazebo Wine Garden

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It feels like spring has already sprung in Sydney and to make use of the weather I travelled all the way to Potts Point to eat at a magical garden, Gazebo Wine Garden. You step inside and it gives you the sense of “nature”. It was a very warmish and windy day, so we were offered to sit inside by a friendly staff.

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To celebrate the warm weather we had ordered  Rosé Wine Sangria ($25) served in a jug. Large strawberry and lemon wedges were soaked in crème de fraise (strawberry), bianco Italian Vermouth and lemonade. The benefit of having strawberries soaked in alcohol is fantastic. I quite enjoyed the crispness and fruitiness along with the after taste, sweet.

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It was a bit difficult to share one jug amongst 9 humans, especially the sangrias were filled with chunks of ice cubes. We could only pour 3-4 standard glasses.  So we were suggested by the waiter to try Red Wine Sangria ($25). I was pleased with the taste of the sangria, slightly stronger in flavour and a hint of spice but because it contained cognac, cinnamon, star anise and nutmeg, topped with fizzy lemonade. And my personal favourite the soaked seasonal fruits oranges and apples, DELICIOUS!

For myself I mostly enjoyed the Rosé Wine Sangria because of its sweetness, but if you prefer sangria to taste bitter than go for Red Wine Sangria. I believe this is more of a manly twist on a “female drink”. But if you are indecisive, GET BOTH!

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Our first starter Veal & Chorizo Sausage Roll ($17) was well presented. I am glad we didn’t have to cut it ourselves, otherwise we would have gotten into a pastry mess. The several layers of pastry turned out to be light and flaky topped with sesame seeds to garnish was a top pick for our table. Dip together with sweet chutney completes the dish.

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Next our Pate of chicken & duck liver ($17), a reasonable portion of pate, however a tad odd in presentation. The pate looked irregular. The toasted bread was warm and crunchy, very crunchy. In my opinion I didn’t like spreading pate onto that sliced toast. It was very hard to bite.

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On the bright side,  I absolutely loved their autumn chutney and pickles. The colours bring out the entire dish. I remembered I finished the entire pickles by myself…. 😛

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For our mains Grilled lamb burger ($22) a great version to eat lamb. The bun turned out to be light and puffy.  The lamb patty was very juicy. Standard portion of smoked sliced eggplant, fresh sliced tomatoes and lettuce. Perfect texture and reasonable flavour, however I questioned the mint aioli. In fact I couldn’t taste the mint part, but the aioli was there.

Funny how the menu states “Fat chips”. They were indeed FAT CHIPS! Very ADDICTIVE! But a tad undercooked. Much prefer a different sauce rather than the standard tomato sauce. But I guess tomato sauce is a popular pick.

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Pasta is one of a classic dish to have in a restaurant and for the Linguine ($27.50) served with a small portion of  hand picked spanner crab with overpowering chilli and mint to garnish was unexpectedly full of flavour.  With the half slice lemon it gave the pasta a tanginess which was refreshing.

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I rarely eat pork cutlets with bones on them and surprisingly this Pork cutlet ($27) cooked in honey and rosemary was exquisite. Served with a bite-sized pork crackle, a dollop of sweet smooth potato mash, sliced carrot and picked relish. And  garnished with roasted pine nuts was my personal favourite dish.

The fatty pork crackle being so crispy and crunchy and bursting its porky flavours was happily consumed with a smile on my face. I remembered the meat being tender which made it easy to slice, however it was a challenge to scrap off the meat from the bones. Overall, a JUICY and TENDER dish !

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I regretted not having dessert but I was completely full with shared starters and mains.  Next time I should remind myself to leave some room for my stomach to try their glorious selection of sweets. And to leave the boys at home so the girls can try “The Girl’s Picnic” lunch.

Very glad we drove by Kings Cross because it’s a GEM for brunch!

Photos by Vanny Tang

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