Pappa deep fried chicken skin

Papparich, Chatswood

Long time readers will know that I’m not immune to slipping in the occasional Survivor reference. Full disclosure: It’s one of my favourite television shows of all time. Not just my favourite reality show, but one of my favourite shows period. It’s now the only reality show I watch and the only one I enjoy.

This wasn’t always the case.

Let me take you back to the 19th of July 2009. This will forever be remembered as the day I threw my remote at my TV (the 20th of July is remembered as the day I had to awkwardly explain to my parents why we needed a new TV). It was the season finale of the first season of Masterchef Australia which pitted Poh Ling Yeow vs. Julie Goodwin. Poh was my absolute favourite and the fact that she made Hainanese chicken rice in the finale just solidified my spot as the driver of the Poh bandwagon.

Alas, she lost the finale and one Samsung remote control was hurled across the room.

I never thought I’d get to meet her.

Then, I decided to attend Papparich on Saturday and I learned once again why Justin Bieber says ‘never say never.’

(Disclaimer: I was invited to attend this lunch by the fine folks at Wasamedia PR. However, all opinions are still my own).

Papparich Chatswood

You know how I knew it was going to be a good day? My knowledge of the Northern Suburbs of Sydney is ridiculously bad and my Google Maps decided to take a break from working as I alighted my train. Somehow, I still found Papparich with the guidance of nothing but my instincts.

I was a little early and got to watch fans queue up to meet Poh; Papparich’s first Australian ambassador. There were folks laughing giddily and pointing with excitement. I felt the exact same way as all of them but I had sunglasses on so no one could tell that my cheeks had become crimson red. There were also a lively crowd in there indulging in some tasty and authentic Malaysian cuisine.

I decided to wander around the premises as I awaited the arrival of some other bloggers.

Papparich Chatswood
A master at work.

Finally, a team of food blogging all stars arrived after seeing the blogging signal in the sky. The team from For Food’s Sake, Jeroxiethe Jugernauts and my homies from I’m Still Hungry were all ready to dig in. Yeah, I have no idea how I managed to sneak on to the guest list either.

Let’s go:

Satay chicken
Pappa’s satay chicken

As soon as these bad boys arrived, my mind immediately shifted to Sam Smith’s hit “why don’t you sa-tayyy with me?”

I already knew these were going to be good before I had taken a bite. The chicken was very tender and had plenty of flavour by themselves. Smothering them in the included sauce was like putting Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal on the same team in the early 2000s; championship material and a great way to get the ball rolling.

Roti canai with curry chicken
Roti canai with curry chicken

Prior to my visit, I thought I had tried roti before. Nope, once again I was proven wrong like that time I was convinced that girls didn’t like me because of my looks (turns out I’m a bit of an asshole). You haven’t had  roti until you’ve tried the roti at Papparich. The roti was crispy and flaky on the outside juxtaposed against its soft inside. Slap some curry chicken on it and you’ve got another winning combo.

Pappa prawn mee
Pappa prawn mee

Look at all the colours, man. I was staring at the bowl for so long because it was just so aesthetically pleasing. I didn’t want to rouse the ingredients as they sat there strutting their stuff for the world to see.

The soup was absolutely great for a chilly day. The prawn’s natural flavours had made its way into every facet of the noodles and other ingredients. It just made everyone in the bowl better which is a sign of a great leader and teammate.

I know, my personification game is on point today; just like the prawns in Pappa’s prawn mee.

Pappa special nasi lemak with curry chicken
Pappa special nasi lemak with curry chicken

Let me talk about the curry chicken a bit more. The key to great chicken curry is utilising the right parts of the chicken (thighs from chickens that squat are always killer). Soft chicken meat mixed with great curry power = a curry to rule them all. I know bloggers love their eggs poached but don’t sleep on the classic boiled egg. Throw in the nuts and redang sauce for a sweet texture mix-up.

Steamed chicken
Steamed chicken

Confession: This steamed chicken came with a side of rice but I’m going to put the rice on the side like it’s name is Michelle Williams.

This chicken was probably the most underrated item of the day. The sweet soy sauce it swam in was divine. The chicken was also incredibly tender and was a joy to eat. I was distracted for a minute trying to make Poh laugh and the chicken had completely disappeared.

Poh Ling Yeow at Papparich Chatswood
Sadly, it wasn’t me who cracked her up.

God, she’s amazing.

Ahem; back to food:

Pappa deep fried chicken skin
Pappa deep fried chicken skin

I never thought I’d get to live out a scene from South Park yet here we are. Serving just the skin of chicken (which is the best part) is something I feel like we should’ve been doing a long time ago. This is the biggest food innovation since sliced bread. This is the biggest bird innovation since Big Bird on Sesame Street. This is the biggest fry innovation since the French decided to fry potatoes.

Imagine pork crackling except with chicken skin. They were surprisingly dry so the accompanying sweet chilli sauce was a nice boost. Still, I’d body an entire Pringles can full of these in a (probably one of my last) heartbeat.

Papparich Chatswood
I can’t be the only one who thinks that the Papparich logo kinda resembles a weird fusion between Colonel Sanders and Walter White.

Here’s the TL;DR who has a friend that only dates pappa riches:

– Poh may not have won Masterchef; but she won my heart a long time ago.

– You can blindfold yourself during your dish selection and still have an awesome meal at Papparich.

Poh and iFat at Papparich, Chatswood
I almost pro-pohsed.

Papparich, Chatswood

1/63a Archer Street, Chatswood

Opening Hours:

Sunday:10:00 am – 9:00 pm

Monday:11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Tuesday11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Wednesd:ay11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Thursday:11:00 am – 10:00 pm

Friday:11:00 am – 10:00 pm

Saturday:11:00 am – 10:00 pm

PappaRich on Urbanspoon

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13 thoughts on “Papparich, Chatswood

  1. Ah, this is so damn good. The food, as well 😉

    I think I’m going to quote your description of the fried chicken skin – like the skins themselves, I don’t think its description could possibly be improved.

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