Southern-style BBQ in Sydney

The BBQ platter at Papi Chulos.

 

Pickles were served on the side of the platter.

 

Growing up just across the Ohio river from the American south and with a southern mother, I’ve tasted a lot of fantastic southern cooking. So I was a little hesitant to say yes when our friends Jenny and Bill invited us to Papi Chulo, a BBQ restaurant in Sydney’s Manly Beach. It was the end of our time in Australia and what I really wanted was another good Asian meal like the one we had at Ms G’s.

But since Jenny and Bill always take us to amazing restaurants, I said yes. And I am so glad I did as we were not disappointed. Papi Chulo calls itself “the real deal American BBQ” and is located right on the wharf at Manly. On the menu are dishes from the deep American south like smoked pork ribs and grilled corn on the cob and also some classic South American dishes like ceviche and empanadas.

Together,  we shared ceviche of kingfish with jalapeño, celery, pineapple and crispy corn. And oh my, it was so good. We also had Dan Hong’s (not a) chopped salad – a light salad of raw and grilled vegetables. And then we went for it and had the Papi Chulo BBQ platter. It included rack of lamb ribs, wagyu brisket, chopped pork and pork belly and was served with pickles and bread. All the BBQ’d meats were done really, really well, even the pork. And we were all pretty happy with the BBQ sauce too.

If that wasn’t enough, we also had some really tasty curly fries. And there was dessert, too, including a warm chocolate chip cookie, with vanilla malt ice-cream, butterscotch sauce and macadamia brittle.

Yum. It was all amazingly well done. I even felt like I could be somewhere in the American south–with  big open to the water windows, ceiling fans, shutters and a casual atmosphere with good service. I felt a bit homesick.

 

Dessert.

 

The view from our table. A big thunderstorm came in while we were eating and we could see the lightning flash across the water.

 

 

 

Tagged as: American style BBQ, eating out in Manly Beach, Manly wharf, Papi Chulo