A guide to Sydney's Night Noodle Markets 2014
The annual noodle markets in Hyde Park are a great opportunity to sample delectable eats in a relaxed setting with friends, family or workmates.
The air will be thick with the aromas of soy sauce, sesame oil, roasted spices, grilled meats and coriander when the 53 stalls that make up the Good Food Month's Night Noodle Markets crank up the heat from October 10. Soups, stir fries, dumplings, pork buns, roti canai, rice paper rolls and ramen are just a few of the dishes that will draw the chopstick-wielding crowds, who gather in Hyde Park to sample some of the best Asian food Sydney has to offer.
Good Food Month festival director Joanna Savill says the noodle market, now in its 16th year, is an annual highlight. "It's almost like the first sign of spring – that it's safe to come out in the evening, head to Hyde Park and eat your way across Asia," says Savill. "As well as the yummy, easy, appealing and affordable food on offer, it's a great opportunity to spend time with your friends, your workmates, your family or all three. Lots of people come every night - and why not? There's enough variety never to get bored, built-in entertainment and a real party atmosphere."
Herem, then, is Good Food's user-friendly guide to the Night Noodle Markets.
What's new
At Harajuku Gyoza, the playful pop-up from the Potts Point izakaya, staff with candy-pink-streaked hair will dole out unfathomably tender grilled pork and duck gyoza as well as crisp karaage (marinated fried chicken) and salted caramel gyoza with ice-cream. Another notable newcomer is China Republic where you can watch choreographed chefs prepare pancakes with Peking duck or lamb brisket or a nourishing dish of white-cut chicken with spicy lemon sauce. Expect Good Food Under $30 wok star May's Laksa House to be mobbed for its Hainanese chicken rice and char kwai teow. This year's sprawling playground will also include an outdoor cinema screening snippets of food markets around the world as well as a wine bar showcasing top drops from Australia's oldest family-owned winery, Yalumba. Also new to "Noodles", as it's affectionately known, are Sunday Sessions (4-9pm), noodle-making demonstrations in the Chef's Gallery at the Citi VIP area, and a chance to watch live street art as part of the city's Art & About Festival.
Navigate the night with kids in tow
Night Noodle Markets' event manager of operations, Alexandra Burgess, says families should bring a picnic blanket. She also urges noodlers to catch public transport, with Sydney's buses, ferries and trains the easiest way to get to Hyde Park. Burgess says there will be many kid-friendly food options, including Woofy's Asian hot dogs and Korean twist potatoes, a crisp carb bomb coiled on a stick. The whole family will also appreciate Hoy Pinoy's fiendishly addictive inihaw na baboy – sticky skewers of Filipino-style barbecued pork belly. Save that sugar rush for the train ride home with a mattress-thick pile of Asian-style Mini Pancakes with red bean sauce and lychees.
Make the most of the night if you are couple
The gorgeous Hyde Park will be strung with lights, but there will be plenty of romantic nooks for an alfresco Asian picnic. Card-carrying Citibank customers can impress their date by whipping out their credit card to gain access to the Citi VIP area, which has its own concierge. If you want a sweet finish to the night, Gelato Messina's Lucky Fortune Bar will be selling Pot Luck Pie: a sponge base, three small scoops of gelato, a gooey topping and a crunchy Asian cookie cap. "The idea is you eat it using the cookie and a spoon to scoop the gelato and soft base," says Gelato Messina co-owner Declan Lee.
For dumpling devotees
Throw a dart into the world map and decide where in the world you want to take your tastebuds. While savvy Chinese friends might steer you to New Shanghai for plum-sized pork dumplings, Din Tai Fung devotees know they will get bang for their buck with perfectly steamed Taiwanese dumplings stuffed with crisp duck and pork. "We will be selling our signature xiao long bao (pork dumplings), which have a little explosion of soup inside. We make the dumplings fresh-to-order – even in Hyde Park – and they are popular because they taste so good," says general manager Vera Handoko. Dumpling aficionados will also flock to Let's Do Yum Cha for handmade barbecue prawn and chive dumplings, har gow (prawn dumplings), pork dim sum and vego dumplings with carrot, bamboo shoots and mushrooms.
After-work strategy
The Night Noodle Markets are busy for a reason: they're awesome. Good Food Month's Alexandra Burgess says those who are keen to beat the rush should arrive as the gates open at 5pm. It's not BYO, but booze is available at the Yalumba Wine Bar, Tanqueray Gin Garden, Cooper's Beer Garden and Thatcher's Cider Orchard.
New cult hits
Bao is bang-on trend. Get on board the Wonderbao bus to enjoy gua bao, a tasty little steamed bun pillow stuffed with meltingly tender pork belly or silken tofu. The Bao Stop also specialises in the Taiwanese treat. One Tea and Grill's Ramen burger – a beef patty sandwiched between cooked ramen noodles – is back and yes, it has its own hashtag.
Old faves
For those not in the mood to take a bao, Longrain will be serving a green curry of Murray Valley pork with ginger and Thai basil, and turmeric chicken with yellow rice, coriander and mint relish. Head chef Victor Cheung says he is excited to be participating in the night noodle markets for the sixth year. "I love the hawker-style atmosphere and the camaraderie between all the restaurants." Mamak is another hit. Grab a table under a tree and share a feast of roti canai, roti telur served with fish curry and sambal, satay chicken skewers and mee goreng. Co-owner Julian Lee loves the energy and vibrant atmosphere at the markets. "It's a real nice change of environment for our team. We are always super busy, but it's also a lot of fun. We look forward to it every year," he says. So many noodles, so little time. Get nourishing Vietnamese rice paper rolls from Viet Yum, pad Thai from Chat Thai and pho from Eat Fuh. You can also feel better about yourself by buying a fortune cookie from OzHarvest, which helps feed those in need.
The Night Noodle Markets run from October 10-26 at Hyde Park North, part of Good Food Month. Details: goodfoodmonth.com.