SYDNEY | Have you tried sopaipilla pasado before? Sopaipilla is a doughnut like fried pasty, that’s popular in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. In Chile, they’ve been a staple in homes and as street food since at least 1726.
Traditionally, the Chilean version is made with a dough infused with cooked pumpkin, and served both as a savoury side and a sweet dish. At family run Chilean cafe Pochito, I tried a sweet version, sopaipillas pasadas, for the first time. It’s a sopaipilla boiled in chancaca sauce (a hot syrup cooked with panela, orange peel, and cinnamon). The flavour is wonderful, with the sweet syrup coating the crispy, unsweetened sopaipilla. The taste is familiar yet unique, and so enjoyable.
It’s not just sopaipillas that you come to Pochito for. They also serve up what many consider to be the best empanadas in Sydney, along with Chilean sandwiches and hot dogs (the Churrasco transported me right back to my time in Santiago, where I enjoyed similar sandwiches at Chipe Libre and Fuente Alemana), and an assortment of other Chilean dishes and grocery items.
If your thirsty, the coffee here is top notch, and the sun dried peach drink with barley, mate con huesillo, is well worth giving a shot.
From pop up empanada stall to full blown cafe, mother and daughter duo Patricia and Paulina Bustamente have created a unique space in Mascot with a great community feel. And, being only a 25 minute walk from Sydney airport, you’ve got no reason not to visit when your in town, local or not.
Pochito
1021 Botany Road
Mascot
New South Wales 2020
Australia
Telephone: 0412 603 100
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Wed – Fri: 8:00am to 3:00am
Sat: 9:00am to 4:00pm
Sun: 9:00am to 3:00pm