Papi Chulo opened just before the year 2013 ended. It has been trending since then. It is another of the Merivale group's list of growing restaurant and bars but this time it opened not in the CBD but in Manly. The first one to do so on that side of town!
We decided to go for lunch as we could do lunch time bookings. Dinner bookings after 6.00 pm are not accepted unless it is for 8 people or more but pre 6 pm is fine. Knowing that we were planning to eat as much as we could, I skipped breakfast that morning just so I had some extra space in my tummy! Hehe!!
I liked the decor of the restaurant. There was a Cuban feel, a South American buzz. I think the music helped with the vibe. Very laid back!
As I walked around to take photos, one of the chefs, Patrick Friesen, posed a slightly goofy shot for me. Hehe!
We got a nice little window nook table for lunch and after poring over the menu, here is what we had.
Grilled corn on the cob, smoked cheese and lime. The girls enjoyed it and I had a bite to sample the taste. There was a light cheese flavour in the corn but not enough to overwhelm the sweetness of the corn.
Prawn and scallop ceviche with mango, chilli and coconut dressing. I fell in love with this dish. The scallops and prawns were very fresh and the dressing was delightfully light, tangy, creamy and slightly sweet. A beautiful medley of flavours! The crunchy texture came from the finely julienned taro strips which I think were lightly grilled. Yum! I could have done with more of this dish!
Empanadas (3 per serve) filled with wild greens and raclette, served with tomato jam. We decided to choose this dish as Papi Chulo is a South American themed restaurant and empanadas is one of the dishes representing the region. The tomato jam had a lovely smoky flavour which lifted up the empanadas.
