Night Noodle Markets Sydney 2015, Hyde Park
The noodle markets is an annual event here in Sydney (as well as Melbourne and Brisbane) that has thousands of people from all over Sydney as the attendees. You expect it to just be food bloggers and young instagrammers with their cameras out taking photos of their food, and well, you're not wrong. But what you don't expect is an array of all other kinds of people. Families, university students, business men and women, all coming together to enjoy some good food.
Jen and I have been anticipating this event for awhile now. So when we finally found a time slot where we were both free we took the opportunity at hand, especially since many others started posting pictures on the social interweb - making us both even more keen for the delicious food.
We were also accompanied by our two friends, Oscar and Candace, both equally fun personalities. They're both avid food appreciators and are always open to trying new cuisines.
When we finally found some seating, we straight away started trying the Ramen Tacos, BBQ Chicken Skewers (Inihaw Na Manok) and The Whisky Maple Cookie.
These skewers were just as good as they looked. While walking to Hyde Park, we could see the smoke coming from these stores and of course, that could only mean that it was going to be freshly grilled. Biting into the chicken, it was tender and so so so soooooooo juicy. The chicken had charred bits, adding depth to the flavour as well as having a marinade that was so tantalising I am salivating as I am writing this haha! Definitely worth a try, but make sure you get napkins because you can bet the sauce will be on your face by the end of it.
The Whisky Maple Cookie from The Singleton Whisky & Sugar Bar - 1 for $3 or 2 for $5
Jen and I had doubts with this as we're not big fans of the taste of brown liquor and worried that it'd be overwhelming in this delectable treat known as a cookie. To our surprise, the cookie had an amazing sweetness from the maple and only a hint of the whisky. It was quite sticky and ultimately, the cookie had a fudge-like texture - not that we're complaining. But it may not be a hit amongst the crunchy-cookie fans. So good that Jen wanted to buy some more to bring home but by then, the line was too long and we were still hungry.
Side note: When we sat down, we had no idea how close we were going to be to a band performance from none other than Boy and Bear! Good food and good music, perfect way to spend Thursday night.
While Jen lined up for Bao Stop, I scouted for some drinks to bring back to Candace and Oscar whom were minding our table. I returned with none but Jen returned with some amazing baos and peking duck fries.
Bao Trio with fried chicken, peking duck and braised pork belly from Bao Stop - $18
One of the more simpler things turned interesting by just changing up the filling. Baos are generally filled with pork mince and closed all the way, steamed and served as a pocket of goodness. This however is more of an open bao and displays the different ingredients making it even more irresistible. I was really hoping to try the crispy pork belly one from Mr Bao but by the end of it, I don't think I could have eaten another bao - they're extremely filling. The fried chicken bao would have to be my favourite, it was very crispy yet retained its juiciness and it also had a bite to it from the chilli sauce which I am going to guess was Sriracha.
Peking Duck Fries from Bao Stop - $14
There's not much to say about this other than it was ON POINT. The chips were crunchy and the peking duck and hoisin sauce was such a perfect match with the crunch from the chips. One of the many things I would probably not get sick of getting.
After all this, Oscar and Candace decided to be next on the search for food. He came back with some dumplings from Din Tai Fung because he could not find Taste of Shanghai (we think it was only there for one night :( ) and Candace came back with drinks.
The Pear and Melon mineral water was just as you'd expect it to be, refreshing and subtle. After replenishment, we finally decided to get moving... onto dessert!!! Candace and I lined up for Messina while Jenny and Oscar lined up for Black Star Pastry/N2 Gelato.
Bao Chicka Bao Bao from Gelato Messina - $12
That fried bao with ice cream, chocolate sauce and crushed peanuts... oh man. Crispy, bao-y, ice-cream-y, peanut-y, chocolate-y goodness! Most certainly lived up to its name.
Great Balls of Fryer from Gelato Messina - $10
The fried ice cream ball from was on a bed of fruit and covered in crumbs that really reminded me of panko crumbs. Mostly because when I had a bite, it made me think back to having some kind of katsu. Regardless, it was still amazing.
Sharing plate with Watermelon Cake, Teaffogato, Broke Back Mountain Gelato - $25
Now, for the stars of the show (from desserts), the infamous Watermelon Cake, Teaffogato and Broke Back Mountain Gelato. I've heard a lot of people say that the watermelon cake is overrated and I'd agree with them... IF MY PALATE HAD BEEN DESENSITISED. Kidding. But honestly, the cake has such subtle flavours and it's not something you can mess around with. Every single flavour was distinct if you really took the time to enjoy it. Next up, the Teaffogato. Surrounded by hibiscus tea centred with watermelon cake infused N2 gelato and sprinkled with freeze dry cherries! I think with any flower-flavoured dessert, the flavours would be subtle but that doesn't make it any less amazing. Black Star Pastry and N2 did an amazing collab on this. Finally, the Broke Back Mountain gelato! Honey comb flavoured gelato with a chocolate top and chocolate-caramel shot. This was it for me, the cherry on top of a good night out filled with eating. At first, I was taken a-back by the intense sweetness from the honeycomb and I could imagine it being sickening for anyone who isn't a big fan of sweets, like myself. But I kept going back for more and if that doesn't say something then I don't know what does.
By the end of all this, we had half the watermelon cake left (which I brought back home for my SO), big smiles and stuffed tummies. The Sydney Night Noodle Markets is on from the 8th of October till the 25th of October, so if you wanna try some extremely delicious food with your friends or family, check it out!
Jen and I have been anticipating this event for awhile now. So when we finally found a time slot where we were both free we took the opportunity at hand, especially since many others started posting pictures on the social interweb - making us both even more keen for the delicious food.
We were also accompanied by our two friends, Oscar and Candace, both equally fun personalities. They're both avid food appreciators and are always open to trying new cuisines.
When we finally found some seating, we straight away started trying the Ramen Tacos, BBQ Chicken Skewers (Inihaw Na Manok) and The Whisky Maple Cookie.
Ramen Tacos Trio, with beef, chicken and pork from Everybody Loves Ramen - $18
Forgive us for the non-aesthetically-pleasing photo but trust us when we say that these were pretty good. I'd say that all the flavours from each taco were incorporated pretty well together but the only criticism I have was the texture. While I do know that tacos aren't always served hot/warm, the cold ramen noodles unfortunately let down the 'crunch' when biting into the taco. To be really honest, I'm still confused as to how to feel about that taco. Because yes, it'd be nice to have warm crunchy ramen encasing the filling but at the same time the freshness and crunch of the salad was not retained. The chicken and pork tacos were my favourite because the meat was so tender but the beef unfortunately was dry and just had a bed of soggy lettuce on the bottom... :( Needless to say, pretty good but also pretty strange (to me).
BBQ Chicken Skewers (Inihaw Na Manok) from Hoy Pinoy - $12 for 2 skewers
These skewers were just as good as they looked. While walking to Hyde Park, we could see the smoke coming from these stores and of course, that could only mean that it was going to be freshly grilled. Biting into the chicken, it was tender and so so so soooooooo juicy. The chicken had charred bits, adding depth to the flavour as well as having a marinade that was so tantalising I am salivating as I am writing this haha! Definitely worth a try, but make sure you get napkins because you can bet the sauce will be on your face by the end of it.
Jen and I had doubts with this as we're not big fans of the taste of brown liquor and worried that it'd be overwhelming in this delectable treat known as a cookie. To our surprise, the cookie had an amazing sweetness from the maple and only a hint of the whisky. It was quite sticky and ultimately, the cookie had a fudge-like texture - not that we're complaining. But it may not be a hit amongst the crunchy-cookie fans. So good that Jen wanted to buy some more to bring home but by then, the line was too long and we were still hungry.
Side note: When we sat down, we had no idea how close we were going to be to a band performance from none other than Boy and Bear! Good food and good music, perfect way to spend Thursday night.
While Jen lined up for Bao Stop, I scouted for some drinks to bring back to Candace and Oscar whom were minding our table. I returned with none but Jen returned with some amazing baos and peking duck fries.
One of the more simpler things turned interesting by just changing up the filling. Baos are generally filled with pork mince and closed all the way, steamed and served as a pocket of goodness. This however is more of an open bao and displays the different ingredients making it even more irresistible. I was really hoping to try the crispy pork belly one from Mr Bao but by the end of it, I don't think I could have eaten another bao - they're extremely filling. The fried chicken bao would have to be my favourite, it was very crispy yet retained its juiciness and it also had a bite to it from the chilli sauce which I am going to guess was Sriracha.
There's not much to say about this other than it was ON POINT. The chips were crunchy and the peking duck and hoisin sauce was such a perfect match with the crunch from the chips. One of the many things I would probably not get sick of getting.
After all this, Oscar and Candace decided to be next on the search for food. He came back with some dumplings from Din Tai Fung because he could not find Taste of Shanghai (we think it was only there for one night :( ) and Candace came back with drinks.
Xiao Long Bao (pork soup dumplings) from Din Tai Fung - $6 for a plate of 4
Xiao Long Baos from Din Tai Fung never disappoints so we were happy to have these since Taste of Shanghai was no where to be seen. Bursting with flavour on the inside and covered in savoury, tangy, spiciness AND gingery-ness from the sauce! The dumpling skin is never too thin or too thick, and the pork inside is always tender. It was however, cold, but that doesn't mean it lacked anything that it would have when it would be served hot! If you haven't tried it, I recommend trying it at one of it's many chains in Sydney.
Pear and Melon Mineral Water from Schweppes' Floating Market - $4 a cup
The Pear and Melon mineral water was just as you'd expect it to be, refreshing and subtle. After replenishment, we finally decided to get moving... onto dessert!!! Candace and I lined up for Messina while Jenny and Oscar lined up for Black Star Pastry/N2 Gelato.
That fried bao with ice cream, chocolate sauce and crushed peanuts... oh man. Crispy, bao-y, ice-cream-y, peanut-y, chocolate-y goodness! Most certainly lived up to its name.
The fried ice cream ball from was on a bed of fruit and covered in crumbs that really reminded me of panko crumbs. Mostly because when I had a bite, it made me think back to having some kind of katsu. Regardless, it was still amazing.
Now, for the stars of the show (from desserts), the infamous Watermelon Cake, Teaffogato and Broke Back Mountain Gelato. I've heard a lot of people say that the watermelon cake is overrated and I'd agree with them... IF MY PALATE HAD BEEN DESENSITISED. Kidding. But honestly, the cake has such subtle flavours and it's not something you can mess around with. Every single flavour was distinct if you really took the time to enjoy it. Next up, the Teaffogato. Surrounded by hibiscus tea centred with watermelon cake infused N2 gelato and sprinkled with freeze dry cherries! I think with any flower-flavoured dessert, the flavours would be subtle but that doesn't make it any less amazing. Black Star Pastry and N2 did an amazing collab on this. Finally, the Broke Back Mountain gelato! Honey comb flavoured gelato with a chocolate top and chocolate-caramel shot. This was it for me, the cherry on top of a good night out filled with eating. At first, I was taken a-back by the intense sweetness from the honeycomb and I could imagine it being sickening for anyone who isn't a big fan of sweets, like myself. But I kept going back for more and if that doesn't say something then I don't know what does.
By the end of all this, we had half the watermelon cake left (which I brought back home for my SO), big smiles and stuffed tummies. The Sydney Night Noodle Markets is on from the 8th of October till the 25th of October, so if you wanna try some extremely delicious food with your friends or family, check it out!
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