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The essential guide to the Melbourne Night Noodle Markets 2019

Eloise Basuki

Raijin's karaage.
Raijin's karaage.Griffin Simm

If you do only one thing in November, work up an appetite then meander along to Birrarung Marr for Melbourne's annual open-air Night Noodle Markets, firing up nightly until November 24.

Along with established market heroes like Gelato Messina, the markets welcome some new faces this year, including Drumplings (whose unexpected dumpling flavours such as cheeseburger need to be tasted to be believed), vegan Vietnamese by the Pham Sisters, and Kumokumo's Japanese souffle pancakes. So rug up and don't let a bit of rain dampen your spirits.

Here's how to get the best out of this year's Melbourne Night Noodle Markets.

Tokosan's ramen bolognese.
Tokosan's ramen bolognese.Griffin Simm
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Five dishes you do not want to miss

This year, there's a huge line-up of our favourite Asian eats on offer. Here are our top five not-to-be-missed dishes to help you start planning your own market menu.

Tokosan's Ramen Spag Bol

In this saucy, satisfying bowl, springy ramen noodles are topped with eggplant beef miso and just a pinch of chilli. While it looks like your regular spaghetti bolognese at first glance, this is the traditional Italian's sultry, spicy Asian cousin.

Wasabi prawn roll from Pinchy's.
Wasabi prawn roll from Pinchy's. Supplied
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Pinchy's Wasabi Prawn Roll & Truffle Fries

A crispy toasted bread roll comes layered with wasabi mayo, miso butter, iceberg lettuce, delicately poached prawns and finished with a sprinkle of bonito flakes. A must-order sidekick is Pinchy's umami-loaded fries, covered in parmesan cheese, truffle butter, truffle salt and truffle aioli.

Raijin's Tofu Karaage Noodles

Of course, you can't visit the Night Noodle Markets without digging into some noodles – and this crunchy, plant-based noodle dish is sure to enamour even the most fervent meat-eaters. Think noodles topped with crispy tofu karaage, corn, seaweed, sesame, shallots and pickled ginger, all doused in a soy-tahini ramen sauce.

Drumplings' Cheeseburger Dumplings

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A newcomer to this year's fest, Drumplings' menu of unexpected dumpling fillings is bound to be a crowd-pleaser. Case in point is the cheeseburger dumpling: a silky parcel filled with grass-fed beef mince, cheese, pickles, mustard and topped with sesame seeds, just like the fast-food favourite.

Gelato Messina's Bangkok Banana

Night Noodle Markets veterans Gelato Messina have dreamt up the Thai-inspired Bangkok Banana for this year's crowds. It sees creamy banana gelato topped with deep-fried banana fritters, caramelised palm sugar, coconut and lime chantilly and a crunchy peanut crumble. It's a fruity flavour explosion that might just be the best of the market's bunch.

Gelato Messina's Bangkok Banana dessert.
Gelato Messina's Bangkok Banana dessert.John Puah

For sweet tooths

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The noodles will be there. The dumplings will be ordered. The bao, present and accounted for. But this year, we're making room for dessert. The market is bringing in the big guns of Australian confection, some whipping up exclusive treats for the event. Here are some of our sweetest picks.

Gelato Messina

The always-inventive gelato makers were inspired by the sights of Siam for this year's menu. Aside from the Bangkok Banana, Instagram-fiends will want to snap a Phuket Bucket (friendly reminder that the "Ph" is pronounced as a "P"), a rainbow stack of condensed milk pudding, crumble, lychee and sala shaved-ice, lychee gelato and jellies. But we have our sights on the Eye of the Thai-ger, an ice-cream sandwich that wraps Thai milk tea cheesecake in tea sponge, dips it in Italian meringue and tops it off with a sprinkling of coconut.

Fry'D Ice Cream

Forget nostalgic visions of old-school Asian-restaurant fried ice-cream – this Perth-based stall transforms the classic crumbed dessert into more modern mouthfuls. Fried balls of matcha, salted caramel or vanilla bean ice-cream come decadently topped with popcorn, white chocolate and sweet glazes. A hot-and-cold dessert perfect for our hot-and-cold Melbourne spring weather.

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Scoopy Milk Bar

Scale the mountainous heights of these epic Korean shaved-ice bowls. Scoopy's bingsu are a treasure chest of jellies, pearls, fruit and more hidden under a towering heap of flavoured, soft-as-snow shaved ice. Flavours include Midnight Delight (a wicked black sesame version), Mango Sunrise, Royal Taro and Mochi Doughnut.

Kumokumo's souffle pancake with black sugar boba.
Kumokumo's souffle pancake with black sugar boba.Supplied

Kumokumo Souffle Pancakes

If you haven't joined the throngs of wobble-addicts across the globe, now's the time to jump on board. Japanese souffle pancakes are puffy, cloud-like pancakes with whipped egg-white meringue folded into the batter to create the thick, jiggly hotcakes. Japanese brand Kumokumo is offering event-goers flavours such as tiramisu and creme brulee. Also in attendance will be the signature "soft cream" soft-serves. It's a chance to taste the goods before Kumokumo opens a permanent bricks-and-mortar store in Melbourne soon.

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Waffleland

We love food on a stick as much as the next festival-goer, but there's a reason these supercharged, strawberry-topped, chocolate-drizzled, umbrella-on-top waffles are also served in a box. Structural integrity aside, expect all sorts of creative deliciousness with flavours such as the Nutella-loaded Bangkok Night; chocolate-covered Dancing Dragon; lychee and caramel Lucky Fortune; black-sesame flavoured Black Panda and the show-stopping Cheeky Monkey – a tangle of peanut butter, ice-cream, bananas, salty pretzels, caramel syrup and wafers.

Inihaw Na Mais (grilled corn, cheese glaze and kornik) from Hoy Pinoy.
Inihaw Na Mais (grilled corn, cheese glaze and kornik) from Hoy Pinoy.Supplied

For vegetarians and vegans

Even if you're a committed carnivore, in plant-based-food-obsessed 2019, the probability that someone in your crew is vegetarian or vegan is high. The good news is that some of the best dishes at this year's Melbourne Night Noodle Markets contain not a skerrick of meat or seafood. Here are some of the stand-outs.

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3ZY Duz It at Bao Brothers

The clue's in the name – street food eatery Bao Brothers specialises in gua bao, which literally means steamed bun in Taiwanese. This year, the brothers are doing a triple vegan bao, starring creative spins on tofu. If this was a diving comp, that would score big points. For vegans, it'll score even higher.

Osaka noodles at Donburi Station

It starts with garlic sizzling in butter, continues with noodles tossed through it, a swoosh of teriyaki sauce, given plenty of heat and a vigorous shake before being scattered with shallots, pickles, vegies and a squiggle of mayo. Who needs meat, huh?

Grilled corn Filipino style at Hoy Pinoy

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It's corn on the cob, but not as you may know it. Sink your front teeth into the Inihaw Na Mais by the Filipino barbecue masters at Hoy Pinoy. Their version is grilled corn with a cheese glaze (keso), and kornik (a Filipino snack of crunchy corn pieces, similar to chicharron) and it's simultaneously sweet, smoky, and savoury.

The original Korean Twist Potato

Twist again like you did last summer, and the summer before, and the one before that. OK the Korean Twist Potato isn't new, but it's still a crowd-puller. Spirals of spud, twisted around a stick, deep-fried and topped with various seasonings – what's not to love?

The Night Noodle Markets run until November 24 at Birrarung Marr, Melbourne. Open Mon-Tue 5pm-9pm; Wed-Thu 5pm-10pm; Fri 5pm-11pm; Sat 4pm-10pm; Sun 4pm-9pm. Entry is free, dogs are welcome and payment is card only (no cash). Details: goodfoodmonth.com/melbourne/night-noodle-markets

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