Wok On Inn, The Rocks ($)

Address: 17/31 Playfair Street, The Rocks, Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9247 8554

Website: http://www.wokoninn.com.au/

* * *

I visited Wok On Inn one evening after work to have dinner with the owner and “Chief Executive Noodle” Mr Ankur Sehgal.

Wok On Inn is a noodle bar specialising in Asian Street Food.

There are currently four stores: Balmain, Darlinghurst, The Rocks and Norwest, with four more to open soon in Sydney and Canberra.

Atmosphere

I got to the place around 6.20, a little early for our 6.30 start but Mr Sehgal was stuck in traffic anyway so I had a bit of time to look around and get a feel for the place before he arrived.

Wok On Inn is located close to Circular Quay, about a 5-10 minute walk from the station.

The Rocks restaurant is quite small, more of a takeaway/fast food restaurant.  However, it still has plenty of seating including long wooden benches with colourful stools, and metal tables and chairs in the middle of the area.

I visited on a Wednesday night and it wasn’t very busy, but there was a steady stream of people; either those who happened to smell the food as they walked past or those who walked over with confidence and familiarity.

Service

I seated myself at one of the large wooden benches.

It was a nice cool day so it was quite pleasant to sit outside, apart from the annoying seagull which patrolled the area walking up and down between the tables and staring diners down with its beady eyes (image below).

The seagull eventually even gained enough courage to jump onto the table and try to steal our food, despite my efforts to chase it away!

Ankur later informed me that this was a problem they faced in The Rocks store in particular, but that the other stores didn’t have this same issue.

While I waited I enjoyed reading the interesting information on the chopstick cups:

A friendly waitress asked if I wanted a drink while I waited (yes, as it was a very hot day!).

I was pleased to receive a chilled glass and cold can of solo, a nice touch which made my short wait more relaxing!

Overall, service throughout the meal was quite good.

It took less than 5-10 minutes for food to come out, staff were friendly and pleasant and as soon as diners left they cleared the plates (very efficient!), leaving nothing for the pesky seagulls!

Food

When Ankur arrived, I was pleased to find that he was very friendly and easy to talk to.

I liked the fact that he was passionate about good food and good service in all his restaurants, and that he was ambitious and committed to making Wok On Inn work in Australia.

Ankur informed me that he wanted to bring the authenticity of the Asian food in Asia, to Australia, without sacrificing on value.

He told me that the sauces they use are made in Asia because the ingredients are more authentic and you can get better onions, better chillis and more stronger flavours of spices in Asia than you could ever find in Australia.  The sauces he said, are snap frozen and sent to them for use in their dishes.

These pre-made sauces make the dishes much more authentic and the fact that they are already made means noodles can be prepared quickly and can be made to order within 10  – 12 minutes.  It also keeps costs down, allowing them to deliver any dish on the menu for under $14.00.

Ankur ordered a number of dishes for us to try.

I enjoyed a lovely round steamed Spicy Chicken Dumpling ($3.95 for 3) which was quite soft, tasty and juicy.  It was not as good as Din Tai Fung (not even close), but considering this is a noodle restaurant, it was quite good!

Chicken and Prawn Pad Thai, $13.95

First I tried the Pad Thai, a classic dish.

The dish was nicely presented, topped with beansprouts, crushed peanuts, a wedge of lemon and some parsley.

The noodles were delicious with a slightly sweet sauce and plenty of chicken and prawn.  A very tasty and satisfying dish and a great portion!

Bangkok Noodles, $12.95

Next up were Ankur’s favourite: Bangkok Noodles with chicken: basically hokkien noodles with a sweet pad prik khing sauce (see my review of Spice I Am for another Pad Prik Khing dish).

The sauce was delicious and you could really taste some strong lemongrass flavours and smell the kaffir lime.

Ankur told me that the dish was originally served with rice instead of noodles but they found that it was not selling so they decided to change it up a little and reinvent it by using noodles instead.

The idea obviously worked as the dish is now one of their top sellers!

Uncle’s Drunken Noodles, $13.95

Finally, we tried one of the other popular choices, Uncle’s Drunken Noodles.  Ankur told me that this was one of the famous dishes in Thailand, where it is made for drunk locals after a night out, with plenty of chilli and spice to awaken the senses.

The dish contains thai basil, homemade chilli paste, flat rice noodles, bamboo shoots (which I love), egg and (in our case), seafood.  It has quite a dry sauce, and is very very hot, a good one for those fiery spicelovers!

There was a lot of seafood in the dish and I thought the prawns were very nicely cooked, the calamari was not chewy or rubbery, and the vegetables were crunchy and tasted fresh.  Overall, a tasty dish, and yes, perfect for those late nights out!

Rating

Overall I would rate my dining experience (out of 10):

• Service- 6
• Food- 8.75
• Ambience- 5
• Value – 8

Here’s a photo of Ankur with one of the lovely staff!

TCFB dined as a guest of Mr Seghur and Wok On Inn.

GIVEAWAY & Product Review: Moo Poo Tarts!

Moo Poo have given us a box of 6 tarts for one of our lucky readers.

To win, all  you need to do is comment below in 25 words or less: “what is the strangest food name you have ever come across?”

Please also click the following link for your chance to enter multiple times- a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions:

1. This competition is only open to New South Wales residents aged 16 years or over.
2. To enter, simply comment below, in 25 words or less, “what is the strangest food name you have ever come across?”
3. Please include your name and email address so we can contact you if you win.
4. The competition opens on 6/11/13 at 12.00am AEST and ends 13/11/13 at 12:00am.
5. Winners will be notified by email by 16/11/13. If we are unable to contact you or do not hear back from you within 5 days from the date of the email we will choose another winner.
6. The prize consists of 1 box of 6 Moo Poo Tarts.
7. Prize must be picked up from Bamboo Lounge, 336 Sussex Street Sydney NSW.
8. Winner must contact http://www.facebook.com.moopootart 48 hours before they intend to pick up the tarts to order.
9. Voucher is valid to 31 January 2014.
10. Voucher is not redeemable for cash.
11. This competition is hosted by The Casual Food Blogger at http://www.thecasualfoodblogger.wordpress.com.

Good luck!

Night Noodle Markets 2013, Hyde Park Sydney

Address: Hyde Park North, Sydney NSW

Website: http://sydney.goodfoodmonth.com/nightnoodlemarkets

Opening Hours:

October 9-12, 14-19, 21-26

Mon-Tue 5-9pm; Wed 5-10pm; Thur-Fri 5-11pm; Sat 4-10pm

* * *

Currently in its 15th year, the Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park attracts about 200,000 people each year.

With over 40 delicious food stalls, which are mostly Asian, the Night Markets is a great way to enjoy the beautiful Spring weather with a drink and a quick and cheap meal with friends in beautiful Hyde Park.

Rekorderlig Cider invited me down to the markets to enjoy a drink at their beer garden.

A short stroll from Darlinghurst, Chinatown, Circular Quay and the city centre, it didn’t take me long to walk up after work, and when I got there (around 5.45pm), the place was already starting to fill up.

I was impressed by Rekorderlig’s chilled out set up with a “May pole” covered in green vines and flowers, beautiful fairy lights, quirky white trees on the tables and funky tunes coming from the (very young looking) DJ. 

Rekorderlig stall by day

Rekorderlig stall at night

The signature red and white chairs, seen at previous Rekorderlig stalls, looked comfortable and inviting and provided a great spot from which to sit back and people watch.

We ordered some drinks from the bar in the tent near the beer garden.

The staff were friendly despite the fact that they were probably dying from the heat that day as it was about 30 degrees in Sydney!

I ordered the Mango Raspberry cider, one of my favourites!

As always, it was ice cold, perfect for the hot summer day. This flavour is one of my favourites so I really enjoyed the fresh, crisp taste.

In some interesting news, I learnt that one of the favourites, Strawberry Lime Cider is now on tap and will be heading out to bars across town soon!

I also got the scoop on some exciting new developments next week- stay tuned for more information!

After checking out the Rekorderlig beer garden I met up with my lovely mum and we walked around the rest of the markets, looking at our options for dinner.

The place was packed out and the background music, Chinese dragon shows and buzz of happy people chatting in the park made for an exciting and fun environment.

The Night Noodle Markets are definitely a good place to take friends from overseas to, to showcase Sydney’s multiculturalism, or to enjoy a good meal after work from some of Sydney’s most popular Asian restaurants.

Some of the restaurants with stalls included East Ocean, Din Tai Fung, Jackie M Malaysian, Longrain and Zilver.

The Jackie M stall even has Ms M herself cooking at the front of the stall!

After a bit of walking around, I decided on a delicious box of fried goodness from East Ocean ($12.00). It included pork ribs, salt and pepper octopus and delicious prawns.

The ribs were soft and delicious, easy to eat and tender with a tomato and BBQ styled sauce.

While I am not a big fan of octopus (I don’t like the tentacles). I didn’t mind this as the thicker parts at the top were easy to eat and the fact that it was fried meant I didn’t notice the suckers on the tentacles as much!  🙂

The prawns were well cooked through and were great with the hot chilli sauce.

Mum decided to get a chicken curry with yellow rice from Chinta Ria, which she said reminded her of Sri Lankan biriyani.

The chicken pieces were well-cooked and had absorbed the delicious spices from the curry. They were good pieces of chicken with plenty of meat on them.  The yellow rice was gently flavoured and had a slight sweetness from the sultanas.

We both enjoyed our meals and had a great time out.

I will definitely be returning to try out some of the other foods available, perhaps even the Ramen Burger!

At Bangkok Thai, Haymarket ($$)

Address: Passionflower 730-742 George Street, Haymarket NSW

Tel: (02) 9211 5232

Website: http://www.atbangkok.com.au/

* * *

Atmosphere

This nicely decorated little restaurant is located in Capitol Square, right next door to the Capitol Theatre in bustling chinatown.

The restaurant was pretty crowded and was quite full, probably because of the musical running next door. 

MDS, Nicole and I decided to check it out before we went to watch The Addams Family musical. We hadn’t made a booking but were quickly seated on some cushioned orange stools on one side of the restaurant. 

Service

Service was not that great. The wait staff were friendly and helpful when we asked them for anything but the food was very slow out of the kitchen. We arrived there at about 6.30 and hoped to leave by 7.30 as the show was to start at 8.00pm. Unfortunately we only received our meals at around 7.15pm so we had to delay leaving for 7.45pm.

Drinks

For drinks, MDS, Nicole and I shared two Rekorderlig Mango & Raspberry ciders. At $11 each, they were quite pricey compared to the other drinks on offer, but were plenty for the three of us as each bottle is 500mL.

Food

We decided to go with the cigar wontons with crab meat, pork, mushroom and carrot. The wontons were served with a wasabi mayonnaise.

The wontons were crispy and golden, perfectly cooked and delicious to eat. The crab meat and pork was quite a strong flavour and ensured that the dish was not bland.

The star of the dish was the wasabi mayonnaise which took the dish to the next level. It wasn’t too hot or tangy. It was the perfect amount of wasabi to complement the strong pork and crab meat flavours.

A fantastic entree and something different from the usual thai samosas, spring rolls and chicken skewers.

We also ordered some steamed rice, which was presented in a cute star shape- awesome! I am definitely going to look for this rice mould! The serving of rice was generous and plenty for me. In fact MDS and I probably could have shared one serving as we both left about half of our rice.

For mains we ordered Prawn & Pineapple Curry which we thought would be sweet and soothing. Boy were we wrong! This curry is a firey devil disguised as a red curry. The gravy was so hot we could barely eat it and MDS and I ended up eating only the prawns and pineapple. Waaaayyy too hot for my liking! Some sort of spice guide on the menu would have been helpful. If there was one, we didn’t notice it!

The pork belly with steamed asian greens was delicious. The pork was soft and quite plentiful for the two of us who shared the dish. The crackling was perfectly crunchy and well seasoned. The steamed veggies were fresh and light, a perfect balance against the heavy, fatty pork. A great dish!

 

Other dishes I have tried on subsequent visits included:

 

Ice Tea

Crab Fried Rice

 

 

Cashew Chicken

 

Massaman Beef

Summary

Overall, I enjoyed the food at this restaurant. Next time I will go for less spicy foods though as that prawn and pineapple curry was a killer.

Service was pretty slow but waiters were friendly and polite, and the atmosphere was great for a Thursday night, although probably partly due to the Capitol Theatre next door.

Cost

MDS and I paid $30 each for meals and drinks.

Rating:

Overall I would rate my experience (out of 10):

• Service- 5
• Food- 7
• Ambience- 7
• Value – 6.75

Wagamama, TGV Sydney ($$)

Address: The Galeries Victoria/500 George St, Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9261 0292

Website: http://www.wagamama.com.au/

* * *

Wagamama first opened in London’s Bloomsbury in the early ’90s and has since grown to over 90 stores across the world.

The name “wagamama” means “naughty child”, or one who is willful and determined., and the word “determined” is certainly one way to describe founder, Mr Alan Yau, who founded the chain along with restaurants Hakkasan and Yauatcha, which both have been awarded 1 Michelin star.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere at Wagamama is that of a Japanese -styled noodle bar and in fact, this is what Wagamama is modelled on.

The kitchen is open and the sleek wood and large glass windows give the space that modern yet traditional feel that is very Japanese.

The paper place mats serve as seating markers, place mats and a place for waiters to write orders so staff know where to deliver them. It is a cool idea which disposes of the need for tablecloths and table numbers.

Service

Service was nothing to rave about. While MDS and I were promptly seated and our orders were taken quickly, there was no friendliness about the service. It was pure efficiency that brought our food out and took our plates away.

At the end of our meal we weren’t sure whether to call a waitress or go to the counter.

We ended up going to the counter and asking a waitress which table we were (41).

Drinks

MDS and I decided to order some juices to start.

I went with a pineapple, watermelon and apple juice and MDS ordered a kiwi, and apple juice.

Pineapple, watermelon and apple juice

Kiwi and apple juice

Food

For food, I ordered the Cha Han, a chicken and prawn fried rice with peas, spring onions, corn\, egg and mushrooms. The dish was slightly oily, contained a generous serve of prawns and chicken, was well seasoned and tasty. I really enjoyed the dish and have craved it a few times since. A great replacement for the typical Chinese fried rice!

The dish came with a side of various pickles which added some colour and made the rice a little more interesting.  I’m not exactly sure what all the pickles were but if someone can tell me please comment below! ( I think one was cucumber?).

Cha Han

Pickles

MDS was tossing up between Yaki Soba and Teriyaki Raisu. After I explained that Yaki Soba was noodles and Teriyaki Raisu was rice and suggested Teriyaki Soba as a way to combine the best of both, she went with that option.

The dish was well presented and although difficult for MDS to eat with chopsticks, had a generous portion size. However, MDS did mention that she thought there should have been some more beef on the plate.

Overall, both dishes looked tempting, were made quickly and delivered hot to the table and were full of flavour.

We enjoyed our dining experience and the interesting menu which was different from our usual Thai or Chinese foods.

I’d definitely return here again and would recommend it to friends!

Cost

All up our meals were about $25 pp including drinks.

Rating:

Overall I would rate my experience (out of 10):

• Service- 5.5
• Food-  8
• Ambience- 7
• Value – 8

Mamak, Chatswood ($)

Address: P9/1-5 Railway St  Chatswood NSW

Tel: (02) 9411 4411

Website: http://www.mamak.com.au/

* * *

Atmosphere

Mamak is usually busy and as we visited on a Thursday night I was surprised that we were able to get a seat within about 5 minutes. The restaurant was buzzing with happy customers, chatting away and enjoying their meals. There was a sound of sizzling pans and grills coming from the kitchen and through the windows at the front of the restaurant you could see the chefs preparing, flipping and meticulously cooking the flaky rotis.

Service

As we were seated we were handed the menus and given some plates and cutlery (they were just put in the middle of the table).

Mamak is not a place you go to to get fancy tables and high -end service. It is the street stall type of restaurant where you go for delicious, quick and hot food.

Service was quite fast, our meals only took a couple of minutes to come out. The staff were friendly and nice and we enjoyed the night.

Food

We decided to order the Nasi Goreng (one of my favourites), a Roti Canai and a Roti Telur to share.

The Nasi Goreng came out served piled high on a plate, with delicious egg and prawn mixed through the dish. The flavours were delicious. Spicy yet sweet, with well-cooked seafood and soft rice. Definitely one of my favourite dishes. I would have liked the egg to be fried and served on top of the rice, but nonetheless this was a tasty dish.

Nasi Goreng, $11.50

The Roti Canai is the traditional roti, served in a meal dish with a spicy fishy sauce and a dhal curry. The spicy fish curry was just that, spicy! It was a little too hot but hey, that’s what Malaysian food is all about- the spice! This roti was deliciously flaky, fresh from the kitchen and divine! Mamak’s rotis are always consistent and delicious.

Roti Canai, $5.50

The Roti Telur is an egg roti which was also served with the two curries. The egg roti was flatter and less flaky compared to the plain roti. It was also thicker and had a lot of egg in it. It could have done with a little pepper and salt though. All in all, not a bad roti.

Roti Telur, $6.50

Cost

Overall the meal cost $23.50 which is fantastic value considering how full we were!

Rating:

Overall I would rate my experience (out of 10):

• Service- 6.5
• Food- 8
• Ambience- 7.5
• Value – 8

Spicemarket, Double Bay ($)

Address: 340 New South Head Road, Double Bay NSW 2028

Tel: 9328 7499

Website: http://www.spicemarket.com.au

* * *

Usually when I walk past this little hole-in-the-wall Asian eatery it is packed out with business people and locals chatting away and enjoying their tempting looking foods.

This time I was lucky enough to get there just before the rush of business people, and get a table to try out their $10.50 lunch special menu.

I decided to order the Chicken with Peanut Sauce and rice. I ordered at the counter and took a seat. The waitress brought me a glass and a jug of chilled water which was just what I needed on this particularly warm day. She wasn’t very friendly though and I noticed that she barely smiled at anyone the whole time I was there.

The food only took about 5 minutes to come out. When it did it was was hot and well-presented. The portion size was perfect for me and the vegetables were colourful and cooked to the bite- perfect! The chicken was all cooked through and the peanut sauce was crunchy and delicious.

I definitely enjoyed this meal and will be returning to try out some of their other menu options!

 

Rating:

Overall I would rate my dining experience (out of 10):

• Service- 3
• Food- 8
• Ambience- 6
• Value – 7.5

Fat Noodle @ The Star, Pyrmont ($)

Address: Level 1, Casino, The Star, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW

Website: http://www.star.com.au/sydney-restaurants/casual-dining/Pages/fat-noodle.aspx

Opening Hours:

Sun – Thurs 11:30am – 2:00am, Fri & Sat 11:30am – 6:00am

* * *
Last night one of my best friends (who shall now be known as MDS) and I decided to have some dinner out in the city. We finally decided on checking out The Star, which I hadn’t been to before, and set off towards Pyrmont.

When we got there I was surprised at the casino’s transformation. It had changed from old and staid to new and exciting. The old façade was replaced by glass and coloured lights, and new restaurants and clubs made it busier and more interesting. The revamp had definitely improved it.

After wondering about for a bit we asked a staff member about the dining options available at the casino. We were told that with such late notice Momofuku and Black by Ezard were booked out but the other restaurants would be available. We eventually decided on some Asian and headed towards a small, informal eatery called ‘The Fat Noodle.’

The Fat Noodle

Luke Nguyen is the master Chef behind this Chinese/Indonesian/Vietnamese/Thai/Malaysian eatery.

We were quickly seated on one of the high benches. Although we would have preferred a lower table we didn’t want to wait the 10 minutes as we were starving.

Service was pretty good and the staff came over a few times to ask us what we wanted to eat, until we eventually made up our minds and placed an order.

I ordered a Sweet Longan Tea to drink, which was an extremely sweet lychee-like fruit tea which came in a tall glass with longans at the bottom. The longans were a purple-y colour (maybe stained from the tea?) and looked very unusual. It had a bit of a “brown sugar” flavour but was refreshing and a good way to balance out the spice in the food.

To start off we ordered some Honey Soy Prawn skewers which were delicious and fragrant. Although it would have been better if there were 4 skewers instead of 3, we really enjoyed this entree and the honey flavour reminded me of another of my favourite Asian dishes, honey chicken.

I decided on a Singapore Laksa which had a combination of scallops, prawns, chicken, tofu and egg. It came out in a HUGE bowl and I was impressed by the appearance of the dish in general. The taste was great too and I really enjoyed the creamy laksa. I overheard someone else who ordered the dish comment that they were sweating cos it was too spicy but I thought it had just the right amount of flavour and spice. I could have done with a few more prawns and a bit more chicken, however.

My friend, MDS, ordered the Wok tossed Angus Beef with Noodles. It also came out in a large bowl. I tried some of the beef and crunchy nuts on top and found it was well-cooked and tasty. My friend seemed to enjoy the dish too and ate most of it.

Overall a delicious meal with good service. The food was tasty and filling and the atmosphere was great as the restaurant is in the middle of the Casino floor. A good experience.

Rating:

Overall I would rate my dining experience (out of 10):

• Service- 6
• Food- 7
• Ambience- 7
• Value – 8.5

Temasek, Parramatta ($$)

Address: 71 George St, Parramatta, NSW

Tel: (02) 9633 9926

* * *

I have decided to take a leaf out of NQN’s book and name some of my more regular dining companions to make my job easier when writing posts. My boyfriend has decided on the name MC.

Last night MC and I decided on a bit of an impromptu movie night and some dinner in Parramatta.

On the way to our chosen restaurant, Temasek, we saw this:

Wondering what was going on we decided to move in a little closer and asked the workers what was happening. We were told that filming for Wolverine was taking place! We noticed that some of the signs had been changed to look like an Asian town and we saw a few cars being filmed driving by, but other than that there wasn’t anything overly exciting happening!

It is pretty cool though that a a blockbuster featuring Hugh Jackman will be filmed (partially) in Parramatta! It’ll be interesting to watch the movie when it comes out and see if we can recognise the set!

So we got to Temasek and despite our lack of a reservation and the fact that the restaurant was pretty busy we were able to get a table for two. We were however asked to finish our meal within an hour. We thought this was easily manageable as we were planning to watch a movie afterwards anyway.

Atmosphere

I have been to Temasek once before, but it was a while ago. The restaurant is often busy, being one of the more popular Malaysian restaurants in the West, if not in Sydney. Although it has a plain interior, the chatter of customers and the clinking of cutlery on plates gives it an authentic feel, as though it has been approved by the Malaysian and non-Malaysian customers eating there.

We were seated next to a table of three middle aged men and one of them was talking SO loudly that he was practically yelling. I overheard some racist comments about the people he deals with regarding a property of his, and some matter-of-fact observations about the wait staff at the restaurant. He yelled “OI” loudly at the waiters to get their attention and told them in a rude manner that they were bringing his food out in the wrong order. When the staff left with the rejected food he told his friends “that’s how you have to treat them to get them to give you good service.” I was absolutely disgusted at his behaviour and wouldn’t at all have been surprised if they had spat in his food or something (although I don’t condone such behaviour). Although I anticipated that this might ruin our meal, he seemed to quieten down a bit when the food came out.

Food

We decided on three dishes to share between the two of us.

First out was the Haianese Chicken Rice which I have wanted to try for a while. This is a Singaporean dish of poached ginger chicken with stock infused rice served with various sauces. The chicken was deliciously moist and soft, and generally well-cooked except for a tiny part in one of my pieces of chicken which was a little too pink for my liking (you have to be careful with chicken!). The ginger flavour was quite noticeable, especially in the rice which was fragrant and moreish, and the sauces added a little extra kick to a dish which compared to other Asian dishes, is quite bland. Overall a great dish.

Next out was the Singapore Chilli King Prawns which we ordered medium. There were plenty of prawns and the sauce was thick and eggy. The prawns were cooked well, and were quite large- as King Prawns should be. The portions were quite big although I would have liked to see more cucumber or vegetables to garnish the plates and make them more presentable.

There was so much of our next dish, the Satay Beef, that we were unable to finish it. The sauce was nutty and had a delicious crunch to it and there was plenty of beef in the dish as well. Again, would have liked to see more vegetables to add some colour to the dish.

The Roti Canai that we ate the satay beef with was crispy and flaky. It would also have gone well with a spicier dish or curry or a beef rendang.

Cost:

Overall a good meal with very reasonable prices and good portion sizes. Cost us about $65.00 all up.

Rating:

Overall I would rate my dining experience (out of 10):

• Service- 6.5
• Food- 7.5
• Ambience- 7
• Value – 8

Sydney Night Noodle Markets, Hyde Park

So yesterday I went to the night noodle markets with a few friends from my exchange in Canada.

We were a bit worried about the storm that was threatening to ruin our evening but it proved to be an empty threat and we didn’t encounter any rain during our visit to the markets.

The night noodle markets have been running for a few years now as part of the Crave Sydney Food Festival and I try to make it at least once a year as it is something different.

There are big white tents set up with red lanterns outside them, which are filled with stalls from all sorts of Asian restaurants. There is Malaysian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and other types of food available to purchase. There is also live music and a bar.

As it was quite busy, we settled on the grass, using the Sydney morning herald newspapers bags we were given, as makeshift seats.

One friend and I ordered some noodles, beef and black bean, a spring roll and san choy bao. The two others ordered various dumplings and pork buns.

The atmosphere was great and there were even waiters coming around to the people seated on the grass! Now that’s good service!

If you’ve been to the noodle markets we’d love to hear what you thought of it!! Post your comments below!