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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Pappa Rich, Broadway

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Deep fried chicken skin? Mention the idea to people and you'll get two distinct reactions: a lightbulb flash of excited glee or a look of confused horror at the very thought. We'd been resisting this plateful of goodness on earlier visits, but on our third lunch at the recently opened Pappa Rich on Broadway we finally caved. Those golden fried curls of chicken skin would be ours at last.

It's a huge serving that lands on our table, a tangle of crunch hot from the deep-fryer. There's skin and fat, dredged in seasoned flour, fried to a crisp and served with a bowl of sweet chilli sauce on the side. You'll need it. The acidity is essential to cut through the richness. There's a guilty sense of pleasure as you crunch down each mouthful but really, it's all about nose-to-tail eating, right?

Malaysian coffee in traditional kopitiam cup at Pappa Rich, Broadway
Traditional Malaysian cham coffee and milk tea in a kopitiam coffee cup 

Relax. Not everything on the menu is this dangerous to your arteries. A heavy black folder yields a huge compendium of options, page after page of traditional Malaysian snacks and dishes. Glossy photos of most dishes take the guesswork out of ordering too.

Ordering pad and waitstaff call button at Pappa Rich, Broadway
Ordering pad and the green button to summon waitstaff

You will need to write down your own order on the notepad provided. Staff usually sense any confusion and will scoot over to help if you're having trouble. Press the green button to summon the waitstaff (so much easier than trying to flag someone down) and they'll run through your order again to check for errors.

Making Malaysian iced coffee at Pappa Rich, Broadway
Preparing iced coffees in the kitchen

The drinks section of the menu is particularly impressive. They make their teas and coffee the traditional way, using a long coffee sock for stronger brewing. If cham doesn't float your boat - a Malaysian favourite that mixes brewed coffee and tea together - there's no shortage of alternatives.

Soya milk pudding drink at Pappa Rich, Broadway
Soya milk pudding $4.90

You can slurp your way through 61 different drinks, from coconut frappes to hot lemon honey tea to perennial favourite, the Milo dinosaur, a massive mug of iced Milo topped with ice cream and an avalanche of extra Milo powder.

The organic soy milk comes plain or amped up with additions of tofu pudding, cincau grass jelly or rose syrup.

Open Sesame black sesame soya milk with sesame ice cream at Pappa Rich, Broadway
Open sesame $7.50
Black sesame with soya milk and sesame ice cream

I couldn't resist the Open Sesame, a huge scoop of black sesame ice cream bobbing in a stein of black sesame soy milk. It's a little grainy in parts but there's so much calorific goodness in here it doubles as both a drink and dessert.

Malaysian coffee socks at Pappa Rich, Broadway
Traditional coffee socks for brewing and straining strong Malaysian tea and coffee

Proving roti dough at Pappa Rich, Broadway
Proving roti dough

They make their own roti here too, and although you don't get the same street front show you'll find at Mamak, you can still check out all the action in the open kitchen - just watch out for the flurry of waitstaff carrying orders out of the kitchen.

Flipping roti at Pappa Rich, Broadway
Tossing and stretching the roti dough

Tossing and stretching roti dough at Pappa Rich, Broadway
Roti dough so thin you could read a newspaper through it

Roti bom and roti telur bawang at Pappa Rich, Broadway
Sweet round roti bom and roti telur bawang filled with egg and onions on the grill

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Roti telur with curry chicken $12.90

The roti comes plain, with egg (telur), or with egg and red onion (roti telur bawang). You can order it on its own ($4.90), with vegetarian curry sauces ($6.90) or with curry chicken ($12.90).

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Roti telur 

There's some impressive flakiness going on, the billowy light pastry perfect for soaking up any sauce. It's not quite as good as Mamak, but it runs a close second.

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Nasi lemak with fried chicken $13.50


Nasi lemak is a perfect one-plate meal of carbs, protein and vegetables. Choose between chicken curry, beef rendang or fried chicken for your meat. The fried chicken has more of a crisp skin than a deep-fried crunch but it's the coconut rice that is particularly impressive, with a rich coconutty taste that floods the palate.

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Nasi lemak with beef rendang $14.50

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Biryani rice with red chicken and sambal eggplant $13.50

You can also order jasmine or biryani rice with a host of sides. We had the sambal eggplant in its first month of trade, a battered nugget of sticky sweetness that won us over immediately, but it looks like they've changed their eggplant recipe since then (pic to come in the vegetarian dishes summary).

The red chicken reminds me of sweet and sour sauce, erring a little too much on the sweet side for my liking.

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Ipoh koay teow soup with steamed chicken $14.50

Looking for something a little lighter? The Ipoh koay teow soup is a nourishing stock filled with slippery rice noodles. A plate of steamed chicken comes on the side.

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Steamed chicken

The steamed chicken is soft and succulent, resting on a bed of cucumbers and dressed with a light soy and fresh sprigs of coriander.

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Dry koay teow with steamed chicken $13.50

You can also order your koay teow noodles "dry", served not in a bowl of soup but bathed in a dark and super sweet soy sauce.

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Pappa char koay teow $13.50

We've traversed much of the noodle menu. The Pappa char koay teow comes with plenty of omelette strips, fish cake slices and three plump prawns.

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Crispy egg noodle $13.50

On a cold winter's day I succumbed to the crispy egg noodle, a nest of deep fried egg noodles on top of a puddle of thick gravy studded with prawns, fish cake, chicken slices and vegetables. It's a comforting and stomach-warming combination of sauce and crunch.

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Chilli pan mee $14.50

One of my favourites has been the chilli pan mee. Burst that poached egg so the yolk runs everywhere, and mix up the noodles with the pan-fried chicken mince, dried anchovies, fried shallots, vegetables, shiitake mushrooms and chilli sauce. There's a good amount of heat in this dish. You can always remove the chilli sauce if necessary but that whack of chilli is what makes this dish so good.

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Vegetarian steamed black cod fish with ginger $6.90

Vegetarians won't go hungry either. There's a double page spread devoted to vegetarian dishes, included vegetarian dim sum. The vegetarian fish, mutton and chicken are all made from gluten, not meaty in taste but satisfyingly chewy in texture.

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Vegetarian fu chook roll $4.90

The vegetarian fu chook roll has a refreshing crunch from jicama or yam bean, all wrapped up thin sheets of soy bean curd (the fu chook).

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Vegetarian char koay teow $13.50

You can skip the prawns and fish cake and get a vegetarian char koay teow.

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Rice with double serve of sambal eggplant $13

They'll also let you swap out the red chicken so you can order a double serve of sambal eggplant too. It doesn't have the same shell of batter it had in its opening month, but it's still pretty tasty.

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Roti telur with curry sauces and sambal $7.90

The roti telur, filled with a thin layer of omelette, should keep you going too.

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Pappa deep fried chicken skin $6.90

Vegetarians will have to avert their eyes when the deep fried chicken hits the table, although the earth-shattering crunch of that skin may be hard to ignore. There's enough here to share this plate between at least four people (trust me) or do what we did, and bring the leftovers back to the office for afternoon snackage.

"Deep fried chicken?! How could you?" said one colleague in calorific horror. How could we not!

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PappaRich Broadway on Urbanspoon

Pappa Rich Broadway
Shop 5, 185 Broadway, Ultimo, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9281 3228

Opening hours:
Sunday to Wednesday 11am - 9pm
Thursday to Saturday 11am - 10pm

Also at:
Chatswood - 1/63A Archer Street | Tel: +61 (02) 9411 3207
Parramatta - Shop 2185A, Zone 6, Westfield, 159 Church St Tel: +61 (02) 9633 3387
Macquarie Centre set to open November 2014




Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Malaysian - Kopitiam, Ultimo
Malaysian - Malacca Straits, Ultimo
Malaysian - Mamak, Haymarket
Malaysian - Sedap, Regent Place, Sydney
31 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 7/16/2014 02:27:00 am


31 Comments:

  • At 7/16/2014 8:18 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I walk past Pappa Rich every day and have been intrigued by the crowds it pulls at all hours! I sort of assumed it was just cheap student nosh given the predominantly Asian student-y crowds, but your pictures and review suggest it's a cut above! I'll have to stop by. Thanks, Helen, for the detailed post - a very useful guide!

     
  • At 7/16/2014 8:20 am, Anonymous john | heneedsfood said…

    I've walked past and peered through the window many times now. Food looks great! I can already visualise the gleeful expression on your face as you crunch into those golden pieces of skin!

     
  • At 7/16/2014 9:29 am, Blogger Cassie | Journey From Within said…

    yes, how could you not!
    Damn the fried chicken skin and black sesame drink has me!
    I really need to make my way over!

     
  • At 7/16/2014 9:39 am, Anonymous Bianca@forfoodssake said…

    That chicken skin!! I've yet to make it to Papparich, will have to change that. The Sambal eggplant looks delicious. :)

     
  • At 7/16/2014 10:52 am, Blogger Mel said…

    I would go here JUST for the chicken skin to be honest! We've had a Pappa Rich branch open in Parramatta so I'll be checking out the chicken skin VERY soon!

     
  • At 7/16/2014 3:24 pm, Anonymous Alice said…

    Lol, they're definitely going to sell out of those chicken skins sometime soon methinks! Any drink called a Milo dinosaur totally needs to be slurped in my book. (I hear they're all the rage in Singapore!) Really wish I had those roti skills!

     
  • At 7/16/2014 3:54 pm, Blogger Milktea Eats said…

    that chicken skin was worth every single calorie!

     
  • At 7/16/2014 4:46 pm, Anonymous Simplicity by Sarah said…

    Give me some deep-fried chicken skin any day! Also, the roti looks delicious! I can never pass up some roti!!

    Sarah

     
  • At 7/16/2014 6:55 pm, Anonymous Michael @ I'm Still Hungry said…

    FRYDAY FRYDAY! I keep missing out opportunities to visit PappaRich - I must make up for that! Fried chicken all day!

     
  • At 7/16/2014 8:23 pm, Blogger irene said…

    How could we not order the chicken skin, indeed. I need that in my life STAT!

     
  • At 7/16/2014 9:15 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    They seem to have added some new dishes on the menu - I've never seen the chilli pan mee before, looks like something I'll like!

     
  • At 7/17/2014 12:56 am, Blogger Annie said…

    so many yummy dishes to try though i can't keep my eyes off that fried chicken skin

     
  • At 7/17/2014 1:32 am, Anonymous Padaek said…

    Oh dear, another mouth-watering post. I'm all about nose to tail eating, and that crispy chicken cracking justifies my belief! The food looks amazing, especially love the look of that dry koay teow with steamed chicken! Omg - slurp! PR looks good to visit. Thanks for the thumps up. :)

     
  • At 7/17/2014 8:27 am, Anonymous Martine @ Chompchomp said…

    Malaysian food always looks sooooo comforting and delicious. I need to find someone who can make it gluten free for me! I am interested to try fried chicken skin! And oh that sambal eggplant made my mouth water!

     
  • At 7/17/2014 8:56 pm, Blogger Sarah said…

    Wow, you've really traversed the Pappa Rich menu! Good job! :) I love the fried chicken skin too! But I normally get milo ais and nasi lemak. :)

     
  • At 7/18/2014 9:38 am, Blogger Roo Food said…

    I'm dreaming of those crispy delights of chicken skin....soon....very soon...

     
  • At 7/18/2014 9:47 am, Anonymous ChopinandMysaucepan said…

    Dear Helen,

    I was in KL recently and saw Papparich outlets everywhere but there was so much food, I didn't even get a chance. That chicken skin looks so tasty and evil!!!

     
  • At 7/18/2014 6:11 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Say WHATTT?? Deep fried chicken skin?
    I'm in!

     
  • At 7/18/2014 6:44 pm, Blogger Ramen Raff said…

    hahaha nice move with the double serve of eggplant sambal! That chicken skin looks damn sexy!

     
  • At 7/18/2014 8:06 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    they make 61 types of drinks?! Oh man! Loving the look of all those noodles.

     
  • At 7/18/2014 8:37 pm, Blogger Maddie Loves Food said…

    We visited Papparich in Kuala Lumpur last year and were surprised to find that it wasn't as near as popular as it is here in Sydney. MUST VISIT to try all the drool-worthy drinks here, I'm a sucker for black sesame so the Open Sesame sounds like just the drink for me! Love the chicken rice here too :)

     
  • At 7/18/2014 9:17 pm, Anonymous Gourmet Getaways said…

    It's all coming back to me! Nasi Lemak, Teh Tarik, Beef Rendang...Chicken Skin - whoa! I love to try them all again!

    Julie
    Gourmet Getaways

     
  • At 7/19/2014 12:37 am, Anonymous Felicia @ Next Stop: Food said…

    Yes please to fried chicken skin! The Nasi lemak looks really good :)

     
  • At 7/19/2014 3:41 am, Anonymous Berny @ I Only Eat Desserts said…

    Omg the black sesame drink sounds amazing :D I'm probably a person that would scream from happiness hearing about chicken skins haha

     
  • At 7/19/2014 8:41 am, Anonymous adrian (food rehab) said…

    So obsessed with their roti. I make rolls outta them filling it with chicken skin, curry, their poached egg, chilli sauce. Soooy nasty and messy but life changing haha

     
  • At 7/20/2014 9:44 am, Anonymous Damo said…

    Chili pan mee was terrible for me. The noodle used isn't pan mee and the pork mince was a wet mess.

    I guess each to their own taste.

     
  • At 7/21/2014 3:31 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Oh wow...I think I know where I'll be getting my Malaysian (semi-Singaporean) fix now :)

     
  • At 7/21/2014 8:23 pm, Anonymous Amanda @ Gourmanda said…

    I always go to the PappaRich in Chatswood as it's close to home, but have never tried the fried chicken skin...sounds dangerous!

     
  • At 7/26/2014 2:33 pm, Anonymous Keren @ Justonemorespoon said…

    I've been wanting to try this restaurant for a while now. Look at that roti!!! I still remember the days where I go ga ga over deep fried chicken LOL. But they seem to have a pretty decent selection of vegetarian/vegan food too!

     
  • At 7/27/2014 10:53 pm, Blogger Vivian - vxdollface said…

    haha that's a lot of dishes! Though I do find that Papparich is a place I go to time and time again for a quick Malaysian feed :) I love watching them toss the roti

     
  • At 8/02/2014 10:22 am, Anonymous Sara | Belly Rumbles said…

    I fall into the light bulb flash group. Really have to check Pappa rich out, have been salivating over their food via social media for a few weeks now.

     

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