Night Noodle Market 2015 | Hyde Park

Night Noodle Markets is on again as part of the Good Food Month! We highly recommend taking a stroll in Hyde Park (free entry) after work. But if you are heading there on the weekend, it is highly advised to get there early (around 4:30pm) before it gets super busy. While it might not be a problem walking around in congestion, lining up for food and trying to find a seat, let alone a table can be quite troublesome! But hey, it's all worth it! 

Recap on our second visit on 17th October 2015

Malted & Salted Maple Old Fashioned and Singleton Maple Whisky Cookie

We would call this a match made in heaven. Frankly though, it makes more sense to call this a devilish duo. The Singleton is trying to spread the love for single malt whisky, and by doing so have teamed up with the sister bakery of the Momofuku restaurant group, Milk Bar. When you purchase one of Masterchef contestant Sean Baxter's whisky selections, you receive a free Singleton whisky maple cookie which has been created for the sole purpose to match with it's whisky counterpart!

The drink had a very rustic flavour. Christie was not a fan, however Matt found a new love for whisky. It was definitely an acquired taste though. The cookie on the other hand... It reminded us of the maple McGriddle we tasted in Japan. The cookie alone is worth the cost of the drink. Highly recommended and a must try! 

Inihaw Na Manok and Inihaw Na Baboy (Chicken and Pork) from Hoy Pinoy

Earlier we posted about how great Daniel-San's chicken skewer was. That was before we tried the banana ketchup marinated (yes you heard right) BBQ chicken and pork skewers from Hoy Pinoy! While the line is longer and the skewer is shorter, the skewers were packing a punch! They were sweet and sticky, the two attributes that you could ask for from a barbecued chicken/pork skewer!

Make sure to go early and buy in bulk! Not for the fact that they sell out, but simply because they are so popular, you might be waiting a solid 40 minutes just to taste these suckers! 

Lechon Baboy from Hoy Pinoy

The quite literal meaning of Lechon Baboy is "Whole Pig" or atleast that is what the menu says. When seeing the roasted pigs rotate on the patisserie, Christie only had sad thoughts. Matt (the carnivore within him at least) was just salivating at the idea of some crispy pork crackling! 

Served up as a dish though, it is not as appealing, We were given some of that delectable pork and a generous serving of pork cracking. The dish was drizzled with Lechon sauce and a mountain of glutinous rice. The pork was AMAZING. It was soft, moist and most importantly packing with flavour. The pork crackling also had it's moments of greatness, although because the sauce wasn't separated from the pork, it caused most of our crackling to become soggy and tough. The sauce was also great, it must have had a hint of citrus as it was quite sour, which was almost refreshing!

Korean beef and chicken BBQ Taco from Poklol

The store might contain the phrase "lol" in it's name, but it sure is nothing to laugh about. Don't let the pretty colours fool you, they are really hiding a nasty little kick of chilli to blow your tastebuds away. The addition of the large cucumber definitely helps subside the impact. Now don't misunderstand us, we absolutely love this pop-up stall and seek it out at every event we attend! If we weren't foodies wanting to try "a bit of everything" we would be quite content with Poklol's tacos.

Soft Shell Crab Golden Dippers from Mr. Bao

The crab sambal sauce didn't have a kick but was enjoyable and I wanted more. Christie only ate on piece from the bao and chucked the rest. Reason? To demolish the super duper oily soft shell crab. It wasn't the best (I still prefer Japanese style soft shell crab) but it did the job.

Belacan Chicken Wings from Devon Cafe

Surely when you see a well established presence like "Devon", one would expect some quality food. They sure didn't disappoint with their Crispy Skin Belacan Chicken! We won't lie, when we saw how pale the skin was we were a little reluctant to purchase, but do not let appearances fool you! The skin was "crispy enough" and the chicken was tender and very moist. The seasoning was not cringe-worthy, but it was surely tasty enough to keep us coming back for more! 

Strawberry Watermelon Cake from Black Star Patry x N2 Gelato

The strawberry watermelon cake has been a great success for Black Star Pastry in recent years. Surely it would be just as successful at one of Sydney's largest food events! Almost everyone was walking around with one in their hands at some point, which explains why the line to purchase had extended the threshold of "is it worth it territory. That said, we had tried this cake before and can vouch that it most definitely is worth it!

With layers of almond dacquoise, watermelon, whipped cream and topped with strawberries and rose petals, you can see how this cake could be a healthier option for dessert. It definitely does not lack in taste either!  

Broke Back Mountain Black Star Pastry x N2 Gelato

What better on a warm spring day then to enjoy a tasty gelato. How about a vanilla gelato that has been made using liquid nitrogen, combined with hazelnut bits, topped with chocolate and has a shot of caramel to finish it off? I tip my hat off to you sir.

This was a very sweet dessert, so bring your biggest sweet tooth along with you!

Signature Stir Noodles with Minced Pork from Mrs' Mi

We have been telling people all week to taste Mrs. Mi's signature knife cut noodles. Not only is it a great dish to fill your stomach, but the excitement (and occasional splash) of watching the robotic assistant chop your noodles is entertaining to see. We had previously dined at Mrs. Mi's before and it were able to taste the noodles, so we knew what to expect. This meal consists of a generous serving of noodles, topped with braised mince pork, cucumber, spring onion and pickled vegetables. When all mixed thoroughly together, this dish was extremely satisfying. Speaking of which, have you read our Mrs Mi restaurant review? 

Recap on our first visit on 10th October 2015

Bao Chicka Bao Bao from Gelato Messina

Deep fried gua bao filled with peanut gelato, dipped in milk chocolate sauce and rolled in crushed peanuts. This was unfortunately a let down for Christie. The fried bao itself was tasteless without the gelato and sauce (and we think it needed more gelato to bun ratio). The only saviour was when the gelato melted and the caramel mixed with the gelato to create a thick soup, with which you could dip the bao in!

Pow Pow Pork and Chick Chick Boom skewers from Daniel San

We were lured in by the aroma and our decision to purchase was confirmed by the sound of the Yakiniku. The smoke got our attention even before we had even entered the park! From a distance (and great angling) you would have thought the Center Point was on fire! 

The result? Whoa, we absolutely loved the chicken skewer (right) and unfortunately the pork was pretty average. 

Drinks can be quite expensive. We needed to stay hydrated during the course of our walking degustation, so we opted for the Blood Orange Smirnoff, the sparkling pale ale and a mineral water. Perhaps having alcohol to stay "hydrated" wasn't such a great idea... #young&stupid

Pork Gyoza from Harajuku Gyoza

Before attending the event, we stupidly had a large meal where we were treated to some gyoza. So we thought that perhaps it would be a bad idea to purchase more....  BUT we couldn't resist ourselves. The cutest logo got Christie curious. To our surprise, this was actually quite tasty! It almost resembled the gyoza that we fell in love with in Japan, however the "pork mince" still had noticeable bristles throughout. DO NOT FORGET to drizzle some sauce over the Gyoza!

Crackling Pork Belly Bao from Mr Bao

When I think of Mr.Bao, I can't seem to get "Mr. Plow's" theme song out of my head. Damnit stupid sexy flanders! Alright back to the food.. This dish has got everyone talking and was definitely the clear winner on the day, and an overall stand out among the other bao competition. The pork crackling was perfect and the pork itself was elegantly breaking apart. What topped this dish off, was the generous amount of sauce in the bao.

Highly recommended!!! We had more exclamation marks, but it seemed unprofessional.

Free sample of signature stir fried noodle with minced pork sauce from Mrs Mi 

Did you get to see Mrs. Mi's robot assistant chef at work? We had previously dined at Mrs. Mi's before and it was a great night. If our stomachs were as empty as our wallets were at this point, then we would have most definitely bought some noodles. Luckily they were giving out samples and we got to try their signature stir fried noodles with minced pork sauce. It was a very refreshing dish that was infused with the slightest kick of chilli. For a serving size, it was also quite generous!

Snapshots of Waffles on a Stick 

Our stomach needed a break and it wasn't dessert time yet. I think I'm tempted to go back (yes, swimming through the crowd) to try these colourful sweets.

Snapshots of Burwood Teppanyaki

I couldn't resist and had to take a shot. I love it when there are food displays! 

Peking Duck Fries from Bao Stop

Crispy golden fries topped with shredded peking duck, smothered in Bao Stop's peking sauce and finished with spring onions. This was something we wanted to order but had a hard time deciding between the peking duck fries and the sweet potato fries below.

Sweet Potato Fries from Bao Stop

In the end, we decided to stick with getting the Taiwanese sweet potato fries with Bao Stop's signature chilli mayo sauce, chives and roasted peanuts. Wasn't as crunchy as we liked but a generous serving. We would have loved for more chilli mayo sauce though.. So if you're looking for something to fill you up fast, you know what to order!

Snapshots of Fried Tofu Gua Bao from Bao Stop

Fried tofu, coriander and pickled mustard greens with a peanut and miso sauce and crushed sesame peanuts to finish. Another shot I couldn't resist taking. It was just sitting there.

Roti Canai from Mamak

We have a secret to share. Christie has never been to Mamak before (pause for "gasps"). What a perfect time for her to try their Roti and compare it to others we have tried. It was hard deciding between Papparich and Mamak, but Mamak was closer. We made the right choice because she has been going on about the amazing Roti since Saturday! The sauce had a great kick and the spicy sambal was perfect! Safe to say, Matt and I did not leave sweating from the heat.

We loved how there are plenty of more seating areas this year. There's something to look forward to every October for us foodies. Don't forget to visit our first Night Noodle Market experience. 

The Night Noodle Market is on now and ends on the 25th October so there's still plenty of time to go!

The market starts 5pm on weekdays and 4pm on weekends!

We're heading back this Saturday to try out more 

See you there!