Sydney Food Festival: Night Noodle Markets

Friday nights in October the hubs and I have joined hundreds of Sydneysiders for the best selection of noodles this side of Chinatown.  As part of the annual Sydney Food Festival, some of the city's best-loved southeast Asian restauranteurs set up stalls around the perimeter of Hyde Park and invited the city to dinner.  Tables and rattan chairs, Chinese lanterns, live music, and a dancing dragon enhance the mood.

Night Noodle Markets, Sydney Food Festival

After scoping the stalls on the first night, we picked up shrimp skewers, Japanese seafood noodle stirfry, and a steaming plate of Thai massaman curry.  The spices were incredible-- I found a whole star anise pod in the curry-- an impressive feat considering the dishes were cooked for the masses in 5-foot diameter metal pans over open flames.  We then indulged in local, organic ice cream: black sesame, chocolate explosion, and a mouthwatering salted palm sugar. The salted palm sugar knocked our socks off with its beautiful toffee flavor.

fresh Thai chicken panang curry

The following Friday the hubs stuck with his trusted Japanese seafood noodles (plus an octopus pancake on a stick!), while I tried a Thai chicken panang curry.  This was the freshest curry I've ever had in my life!  Crisp and bright veg, aromatic sauce with whole Thai basil sprigs, and just a few strips of poached chicken over fluffy basamati rice. Again, the flavors were pretty miraculous considering the enormous pans used to prepare food for a crowd. We couldn't stay away from the ice cream stall, and this time tried honey and burnt fig with our salted palm sugar scoop: amazing.

salted palm sugar ice cream (the hubs photobombing)

For the final night noodle markets we met up with some friends to share the love.  The hubs kept it Aussie-style with crispy battered and fried calamari, shrimp, and crab, served with slices of lime and red chilis.  I had to have the panang curry one last time, it was even tastier.  Our friends helped themselves to a variety of dim sum and were pleased with their choices.  We all stayed late to watch the neon strobes light up the palms and flowering jacarandas and see the flying foxes wing their way over the park towards the North Shore. Can't wait for next year's Food Festival!  Keep an eye out for public food festivals in your city, especially those with a regional focus, and take along your adventurous tastebuds : )

Night Noodle Markets, Sydney Food Festival