Papi Chulo Comes to Town

Merivale (which owns Hemmesphere, Papi Chulo and Fish Shop) are having an event where the Ivy would be transformed to the ultimate BBQ party where you can try all of Papi’s signature dishes and cocktails, plus hear a live set from Afro-Colombian rock & roots band, Watussi.

Now if you really want to know more about Papi Chulo’s cuisine please check out my previous review of the place which is more comprehensive – see here.

I’m there with a couple of work colleagues. We get there late, get some wine and start to chill for the evening. Now the music is loud (so we can’t hear each other), the lines for Papi Chulo stall are long and there no tables left to sit. Doesn’t start good.

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So we get our food and head upstairs and start chewing through some amazing roast meat and light Thai food and sipping some full bodied Argentinian wines.

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Now I opt for the Smoked Wagyu Brisket, the Lamb Ribs, Chicken Wings and the Scallop Ceviche.

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Smoked wagyu brisket. Is amazing!!! The soft tender meat has intense charcoal waft and flavour from the grill. The meat just breaks apart in your mouth – it’s quiet a sensation.

Smoked lamb ribs with Papi’s BBQ sauce (same as my previous review so I will just rehash- The ribs are amazing, the meat just falls of the bone, is oh so tender and melts in your mouth. It is the taste of perfectly roasted ribs. The BBQ sauce which is sweet, salty with a slight tangy (but not overpowering) flavour complements the ribs beautifully.)

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Smoked hot wings – comeback sauce! Beautiful crispy wings with soft chicken meat inside and a spicy kicker of a sauce which has both spice and light tang to grip the chicken! Very similar to the wings I had at Black (by Ezard).

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The scallop ceviche is similar to their prawn and scallop ceviche I tried last time. I love it, fresh mix of flavours and textures. Amazing.

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We decide to move on to some Thai food. We have the fish, roasted in banana leaf with Thai curry. It looks interesting, the flaky fish is beautiful and the waft of the Thai spices escape the banana leaf to give you little mid-week kicker – that you need.

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The BBQ prawns are next. They are okay, I do prefer my seafood (ex fish) a little raw and less spice and flavour.

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Once we have finished our food, we have some leftover tokens. We have more cocktails and wine between us. My colleague disapproves of me ordering the extra cocktails – but I order them anyway and she still decides to drink them.

First we have the Papi’s Iced Tea. It’s got Havana Club and Angostura rums with earl grey & peppermint teas, Cointreau and lemon juice!! It has a refreshing start on the tongue but it really hits you. I find this really healthy, tea has antioxidants so it’s good for you (and don’t give me that “disapproving” look!).

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The second cocktail is the Palomita, and its got Belvedere Pink Grapefruit, fresh pineapple, San Pellegrino Grapefruit soda and cinnamon – plenty of healthy fruit!

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My colleagues abandon me – leaving me to pursue my Travel Czar ways… I have a few tokens left over and am debating whether to finish them off myself (probably the worst idea) or give it away. A happy half-way house presents itself… I run into a friend who is getting into the hip South American BBQ thing with a friend of hers. The result is shown below:

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We share a few glasses of wine before calling it a night.

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