Pochito — Restaurant in Sydney

We ended up here for lunch recently, when visiting Sydney for a book launch. Our dear friend Ms. TW picked us up from the airport, and swept us away for a Chilean street food lunch. We were in desperate need for food, as they don't feed you on planes anymore. Remember the good old days when they actually gave you a proper lunch or dinner? Nah, it's pretty dim in my mind too. Pochito specialises in empanadas and coffee, with other items like pastries and sandwiches. Hubby and I stuck to empanadas, while our friend Ms. TW chose the Bacan. Bacan is grilled chorizo on a roll, with slaw and a coriander salsa. She especially loved the salsa, coriander being a fave herb. She enjoyed the spicy, tangy sausage, and the fresh slaw. She felt this was a great combo of flavours and textures. I went for a garlic, cheese and prawn empanada. This was deliciously cheesy, though I wouldn't have minded a bit more prawn and garlic. But for such a good price, you really can't complain. I wolfed this down, so sadly there are no photos of the interior. The friendly waitress cum part-owner told us that all the pastry is house-made, and all the empanadas are handmade. Mr P. chose the chicken and mushroom version, which he loved. He said it had a fabulous, herby, white sauce, good pastry, and was just a great combo. Our friendly waitress who is also the part-owner Paulina, told him this was her grandmother's recipe. Or maybe her mother's? Oh Mr P., keep your head straight And I had alfajores - delicious, delightful, dulce de leche shortbread sandwiches - yep, I had to try this. And it was a delight - sweet, caramel-y, coconutty deliciousness, with a tender, crumbly shortbread. A sweet treat indeed. Hubby and Ms. TW went for Berlines. These are yeasty German doughnuts popular in Chile, and apparently so-called due to the large German influence from German immigrants to Chile during the latter half of the 19th century. I just know they are delicious. Look at all that squidgy caramel! And there we have the vanilla version. See the lovely black specks of real vanilla? What could be nicer? Yep, that's right - nothing:) Pochito is a friendly, homey café, with food that is from the heart of the owners Paulina and her mum Patricia. And clearly it is popular with the Spanish-speaking locals, and others too. Worth a drop-in after a lunchless plane...

I loved it! I came from VIC and after reading so many good reviews, I had to come and try their hand.

The staff were lovely, super polite and patient.

The food...it was heaven! The Barros Luco OMG, super tasty, just perfect. The Chacarero was well balanced and you could taste all the ingredients. It was moist and full of flavour. None of them was made with marraqueta bread, but their bun bread was airy and fresh. I could almost risk to say that I suspect that they make it there. Not sure.

I also had fried cheese empanadas and pino empanadas. Both delicious and generously filled! The cheese didn't have the classic Gouda taste but it was super nice. The pino, you know, varies from store to store and home to home even in Chile. So, it will still remind you of home and it will successfully cover your empanada craving. I will definitely buy both again with my eyes closed!

Last but not least, the two berlines and the coffee. I got one traditional custard/crema pastelera berlin and a manjar berlin. The dough was superb: soft, well fried and sutil. The custard was like a real chilean custard. With flavour! No like the typical watery ones from here that leaves you disappointed. According to my Aussie partner, their coffee was great too. He also loved all the sandwiches, empanadas and sweets.

10...

A Gem in Mascot

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Pochito in Mascot that exceeded my expectations. This hidden gem turned out to be my new go-to place for comfort food. The highlight of my experience was undoubtedly empanadas. They were well cooked with moist stuffings, which made each bite a delightful experience. The flavours were perfectly balanced, and the fillings were cooked to perfection. I had shared the fried Napolitana and Apple empanadas (sorry was too eager to dig in and missed out on a photo). These fried empanadas were a delight as they weren't oily as compared to Paula's.

Another standout dish at this cafe was the Lomito, featuring oven-roasted pork as the hero. The pork was tender and succulent, a true testament to the chef's skill. The meat was well seasoned, enhancing its natural flavours. To complement the dish, the Lomita had just the right amount of sauce (smashed avo and mayonnaise prebe), adding an extra layer of deliciousness without overpowering the pork.

Apart from the fantastic food, I was impressed by the friendly and efficient staff. They were attentive, ensuring that all customers felt welcome and taken care of.

I highly recommend this cafe to anyone in search of delicious Chilean...