Get a wiggle on to last nights of Noodle Markets

I can't believe that it's that time already - the last few days of the Crave Sydney International Food Festival Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park. From here on, it's the Sydney Food and Wine Fair (celebrating its 21st this year), Melbourne Cup celebrations and then a blur to Santa, wrapping paper and New Years.

Crave Sydney International Food Festival Night Noodle Markets at Hyde Park, Sydney

The Noodle Markets have been blessed with with clear skies for the most part this year; a pleasant change from some years prior when consecutive days have been a rainy and then muddy.

It was still a little on the chilly side the night I visited, and as ever, the smells were fabulous; the queues were long (though not too slow moving on the whole); and you had to be eagle-eyed to find a seat or indeed a spare patch of grass.

Prawn betel leaf from Nu's

There seemed to be an improved variety of stalls this year and not the over-concentration of Thai outlets like last year. Saying that, we started with a Thai appetiser from Nu's which is a restaurant in the north shore and hence a little unfamiliar to me.

I find Thai betel leaf starters just irresistable, and these featuring prawns, peanuts and lots of shredded coconut were a party of spiced, caramelly flavours. I loved how the flavours come out slowly as I chewed more and more, and only at the end did I notice the surprise chilli kick.

Stretching roti at Mamak

We had the betel leaves as we waited for our order at Mamak, and there was quite a wait. With almost everyone ordering roti and only two roti makers, Mamak boasted one of the earliest long queues, along with Din Tai Fung's dumplings.

Roti telur from Mamak

After a decent wait, we departed the Mamak stall with our order to then zoom about looking for seats. The Coopers sustainable beer garden is seriously appealing, in a more open layout than last year and with pots of herbs all round.

In addition to being relatively comfortable, there was easy access to drinks at one of the bars (decked out with banners declaring Morrisons - whoever or whatever that is); thankfully, as the Coopers Pale Ale was just the thing to tame the fiery burn of the accompanying curry sauce to the roti telur, which was little more filling with egg inside the fluffly roti layers.

Mamak usually serves their roti with two curry sauces and sambal, and this was definitely the hotter of the two usual curries while the sambal exploded with the pungent shrimpiness of belacan.

Satay chicken from Mamak

The long skewered chicken satay are a favourite of many, certainly mine, although I don't remember Mamak's satay sauce being so sweet. Nonetheless, all six sticks are polished off in minutes while raw cucumber and Spanish onion on the side are used to clean out the sauce container.

Peking duck from The Eight

Seeing someone walk by with a plate full of Peking duck sent me straight towards The Eight and Zilver stalls, which sit side by side and share the same menu (and owners). However, at a steep $5 per duck pancake, I reluctantly had to downsize my order.

But in a way, it was worth the dosh as it was near perfect, although there was more duck meat than burnished brown skin and missing shallot. The crepe was warmed soft and hoi sin sauce dripped out, just as it should, with a stick of cucumber for freshness in every bite.

Sweets from St Honore Cake Shop

It's always nice to see the newbies at Hyde Park (especially for a good cause at the Sydney Food and Wine Fair later in the month), which this year include Mamak, Longrain, St Honore Cake Shop and Pappa Roti.

They power along right next to the returnees like East Ocean, JapanCake, Din Tai Fung, Chat Thai, Jackie M Malaysian, Mizuya, New Shanghai, SpanThai and Iron Chef Chinese Restaurant.
 

Night Noodle Market crowds

And it baffles me every year that the Night Noodle Markets can sustain such crowds, even in its expanded form. It makes Sydney seem starved of reasonably priced events and festivals that everyone can take part in. Apparently there's nothing like noodles to bring people together, especially the CBD rat racers.

Longrain stall at Night Noodle Markets

Making a welcome addition to the Noodle Markets is two-hatted Longrain. Making them even more appealing is that their dishes are priced similarly to most other stalls; which makes Longrain excellent value or everyone else overpriced.

With four offerings for the evening, we're a little disappointed that there's a 'Sold Out' sign slapped over the wagyu beef noodle soup. That's until we reach the front where owner Sam Christie, seemingly camera-happy, pushes towards us a complimentary bowl of the soup noodle (thanks!).

Wagyu beef rice noodle soup from Longrain

A tangle of bean sprouts, chilli and coriander obscures the view initially, but beneath are thick, white rice noodles in a sweet, meaty broth that tastes like it had been going for days. Although the noodles could have been cooked a little longer, the chunks of beef were buttery soft and rivalling the soup for flavour.

Yellow curry of lamb with jasmine rice

Meanwhile, the yellow curry was pretty spectacular, bursting with the flavour of a thousand spices. Perhaps that's a slight exaggeration but we made sure every bit of that curry sauce was mopped up with the rice, while I think the tender chunks of lamb may have just edged over the beef as the winning protein.

Citibank VIP area

Citibank customers were treated to a night under the stars, or twinkling lights, with seating away from all the bustle as well as fortune cookies and the area's dedicated bar; not that the other bars were all too busy early in the week.

Noodle Markets entrance near St James Station

It's fantastic to see a lot of major Asian restaurants now participating in the event, which can't be easy for some of the smaller setups, so well done all round. The Night Noodle Markets are only on for another two nights and the weather forecast is looking promising for a bit of al fresco dining, so get a wiggle on to Hyde Park.

Mmm-Fest

This wondrously warm weekend just passed saw the 20th Malaysia Festival (or MFest) in Darling Harbour, organised by Malaysian university student from all over NSW. The promise of scrummy food and colourful entertainment was not broken, while the heat and traditional music set quite the realistic atmosphere.

Dancers perform at Malaysia Festival, Darling Harbour, Sydney

I was thoroughly impressed with the number of stalls, all well spaced and most with a proper kitchen set-up behind the stall too. The crowds came out to take advantage of the superb weather on the lush green grass of Tumbalong Park and it was enticing aromas every which way you turned in the busy round park.

The crowds fill Tumbalong Park at Darling Harbour

The queues varied in length and time of wait throughout the day, although the wait was almost never too long. A quick walk-by the stalls showed the prevalence of traditional Malaysian fare: nasi lemak, satay skewers, roti, mee goreng as well as a number of regional delicacies, sweets and drinks.

Satay chicken from Jimmy's Recipe

We start on the nearest and shortest queue we could find at the time, Jimmy’s Recipe. Now I’m not sure how people were managing to eat laksa at an outdoor festival, but we opted for an easier route with satay chicken skewers to start – requested to be drenched in satay sauce.

The sauce is more red and much less lumpy with peanuts than I’ve come across before, but with rich and nutty creaminess offsetting the gentle heat. The chicken was rather lukewarm and our skewers varied wildly in sizes, but it was a satisfactory start.

Otak otak from Jimmy's Recipe

Inside otak otak

I’m not entirely sure what texture or flavour otak-otak is really meant to be, but I’m assured that this variation is not quite on target. Nonetheless, I’m a fan of this light fish paste; almost mousse-like yet firmly so. Wrapped in banana leaf and grilled, the otak-otak is redolent with lemongrass and quite subtle where I was expecting a bigger chilli hit.

Roti making at the Mamak stall

We should be accustomed to queues for Mamak by now, although I wonder what it really is that people are willing to wait 20+ minutes in hot sun. The roti show; the brand; a new level of value-eating? In any case, there were constant long queues here and I suspect there will be at their new soon-to-open Chatswood store too.

Roti canai from Mamak

I line up for the roti. My perennial favourite is the plain old roti canai, and it’s a beauty just like it would be in the store. Perfectly puffed into a ball and served with two curry sauces and a sambal, it’s flakey on the outside and just a little softer than I expected on the inside. As ever, one of the curry sauces is like a little kick in the throat while the other is significantly more subdued; the sambal heavy with belacan (shrimp paste), chilli and oil and perfect for the alternate dip.

Roti telur from Mamak

We also have the roti telur with the same dipping sauces and sambal. Served flat with egg cooked within, it’s a slightly more substantial serve equally soft inside and blistered brown on the outer surface – all best eaten with fingers.

Cans of 100Plus

The summery day meant the $1 cans of 100Plus were very popular. An isotonic drink which, I’m told, is like the national drink of Malaysia and bought by the pallet load. With the heat and consequent perspiration in that hotter climate, it’s no surprise. It helps that it’s not too sweet in its citrussy flavour.

Rojak from Aseana Food Village

Before this, I had only ever tried rojak at Mamak, and looking at the dish presented by purveyors of the curiously named ‘Milo Dinosaur’, Aseana Food Village, it’s apparent that there are many varieties of the mixed fruit and vegetable dish. This mostly fruit offering was doused in a dark, thick, sweet sauce that had unexpected (for me) hits of chilli and belacan, and was topped with a wealth crushed peanuts.

I liked the sauce combination with cucumber, fresh pineapple, pineapple, bean shoots and green apple but not so much with the very sweet pear and the hardened yau ja gwai or yu tiao bits – the Chinese fried long dough sticks commonly eaten with congee.

Muar chee from Aseana Food Village

On sample and frontline production here was muar chee, a glutinous rice cake that starts in a long strip and is quickly chopped and coated in crushed peanuts and sugar – almost like an easier, inside-out version of a Chinese sweet called cha gwo.

The 'tank' of Malacca cendol from Sydney Kopitiam Restaurant

Malacca cendol from Sydney Kopitiam Restaurant

After the semi dessert of the rojak, dessert proper followed with an all-round favourite of cendol – pandan flavoured noodle worms swimming in a gigantic tank of coconut milk, ice and liberal additions of palm sugar syrup. The latter rendered the drink/dessert extremely sweet, but not quite to the point of toothaches; more to the point of wanting another serve.

Cassava cake from Sydney Kopitiam Restaurant

We also picked up a couple of pieces of cassava cake – a not entirely attractive, slightly gelatinous cake made with cassava starch, palm sugar and desiccated coconut. After these slices, there was no more heading back into the fray for more food despite after-lunch specials – the sugar had finished the job.

Other stalls at the Malaysia Festival were Abang Sam (a great, casual place in Kensington) and Café Katsuri – both with halal offerings; Chinta Ria; Hometown Recipe, Jackie M Malaysian Cuisine, Kaki Lima, Penang Hawker, Sydney Kopitiam Restaurant and Wan’s Ayam Percik. Shame my stomach wasn't big enough to fit in something from every stall.

Satay at Abang Sam

Nasi lemak at Jimmy's Recipe

Traditional karipap (curry puffs)

Gorgeous, perfect buns from Papparoti

As the afternoon sun continued to beat down, the afternoon's entertainment was a good way to wind down the festival. The colourful traditional dresses and smiling dancers were a sight to see - and they all looked like they were enjoying themselves - especially the guys.

Dancers performing in the afternoon

Such vibrant outfits

Congrats to the organisers on such a great event - I think we'll all be looking forward to next year's with eager stomachs. Click here for the festival website.

Remembrance, races and roti

It's good to have the odd weekend of significance; the odd event here or there for a point of difference in an otherwise same-same environment. It's also a little unusual to not have a separate public holiday for this year's Anzac Day but that's not really the point anyway.

Anzac Day commemorations conincided with a day at the races for me, where there were plenty a current, uniformed serviceman at rest and play. And finally some blue, albeit windy, skies for the last day of the autumn carnival at Royal Randwick. Picture floaty dresses aflutter, hands on hats and headpieces, and losing tickets floating about.

General admission lawn on Sydney Cup Day, Royal Randwick

Favourite activities on race days include: people watching and fashion spotting; running into random people I know; tottering to and from the lawn/betting ring/grandstand/TAB/bar all day long; rubbing shoulders with the older, majority male punters putting money on with the bookmakers; and winning (a rare occurrence for me).

It's a fantastic day out and made all that much more fun by the seemingly superfluous need to dress up. I mean, really, I can drink and gamble in jeans and thongs, can't I? Nevertherless, the uncommon and personally novel need to match my dress, shoes, stockings, headwear, bag and all is part of the fun and frivolity. The outfit construction could be likened to the construction of a dinner menu, ensuring harmony, comfort, and of course, a wow-factor.

A day out at the 'sport of kings' is mostly incomplete without a few beverages (beer or sparkling, depending on mood and finances) and food of the punters.

Pie with sauce at Royal Randwick

Unlike some previous experiences, this 'dog's eye' is actually quite passable and even good. Its filling is not scathingly hot nor filled with odd bits and ends. It's tasty with a crispy, flaky pastry and easily wolfed down between race five and six.

Inevitably, after the last race the jolly pilgrimmage to Central station is peppered with one of two moods: happy, excitement-filled and eager for more socialising/drinks/food or downcast, regretful with a weight-challenged wallet. Extraordinarily luckily on this occasion, I'm of the former and as someone keeps emphasising, it's Anzac Day.

And it's not Anzac Day without a spot of legal-twice-a-year gambling on coin tosses in a highly questionable drinking hole.

Two-up crowd

Gamble. Heads or tails. Cheer/boo. Repeat.

It's a lively crowd, to put it politely, wagering side bets ranging from $5 to $100 on the chance of heads or tails. But it's a little too much for me to bear after a long day out subsisting on only a pie and so we seek food in nearby Chinatown. At early evening, there's just a small queue of waiting diners at Malaysian eatery, Mamak, watching the deft, masterful creation various roti at the front open kitchen.

Roti in the making at Mamak, Goulburn Street, Haymarket

The patron turnover is relatively quick, only requiring a short wait for our twosome although larger groups seemed to have an unfairly longer wait. We've also used our waiting time to decide on our order - first up, drinks.

Limau ais

I've tried a few of the Malaysian drinks here and still find it a little odd to have milk tea as an accompaniment to dinner. However I do adore the almost sickly sweet limau ais - a sugar syrupy concoction, cordial-like in taste, in a glass mug with ice and a chunk of fresh lime. It's also the perfect extinguisher for later when things get a little hot and heavy.

The curries usually come out of the kitchen in lightning speed shortly after ordering so I'm surprised when the first dish to hit the table is our Malaysian-style salad.

Rojak

This curious array of ingredients was a complete surprise the first time I tried it but I'm now a converted fan of the rojak salad. Juilienned pieces of cucumber and yambean on the bottom are thickly doused with a mildly spiced, sweet peanut sauce. The cucumber is the perfect juicy partner to the yambean, which I was not familiar with before the rojak; a slightly starchy but sweet and crispy root vegetable. And then there's the less healthy ingredients: half a hard boiled egg, fried cubes of tofu, golden fried rectangular prawn crackers, and a mysterious pudding-like, sweet coconut fritter - all matching extremely well with the peanut sauce and playing interestingly with each other.

Roti canai

When our roti arrives it's a pretty sure sign that our curry isn't planning to join us anytime soon, as the roti tends to be the last of arrivals on all previous visits. Not sure if that's due to the time required to make it or normal procession of eating, though I would prefer to eat it as a starter or appetiser.

The basic roti canai is my absolute favourite - who needs extra butter, egg or onions when the pastry dough is perfectly chewy and soft and crunchy all at the same time? We ditch the rojak momentarily and rip into the roti, dipping and stuffing away. I like the thicker curry sauce seen on the left; the other is of a thinner consistency and has a fruitier, tart flavour. The sambal blob goes largely untouched except for a few game dips at the end - it's not too hot at first but I remember the overpowering heat of subsequent tastes on other occasions.

Kari ayam (half eaten...)

And lastly our lost, requested, then found (well, brought out) chicken curry arrives looking hot and fiery topped with fresh red chillis. Sizeable chunks of skin-on, bone-in chicken thigh sit submerged in a red curry sauce and promise tingling of the tongue. Eaten with lots of steamed rice, the chicken is tender, moist and quite moreish. My tongue burns but I still continue to eat more, with the occasional potato chunk. The sauce is hot but not to the extent that I can't taste flavours of the fragrant curry.

So it's with full bellies and alert tongues that we exit Mamak, stunned by the 10 metre-plus queue outside. I know it's a nice and cheap feed but I thought there were way too many eating places in the Chinatown area to warrant that sort of queue at any one establishment. Anyway I'm full, happy, even on the day overall and ever thankful for the lifestyle we're privilaged to have. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.