So many noodles, so little time.
It’s one of the most popular events of the year, and for good reason – no matter what city you’re in, the Night Noodle Markets combines great food, warm weather and an excellent excuse to catch up with friends before the year comes to an end.
That said, the sheer volume of food and drink options on offer is overwhelming, making it hard to work out which line is worth the wait. So, we’ve put together a guide to the Night Noodle Markets for both our Sydney and Melbourne friends below. (Canberra, you’ll have to wait for March 2020, while Perth will have to stick it out until April and Brissie ’til July to get your NNM fix.)
Sydney Night Noodle Markets (Friday October 11—Friday October 18)
Try a “levitating chicken” dish
If you’re a Harry Potter fan and just can’t get enough magic in your life, then this year you’d best make a beeline straight to Flying Noodle. They’ll be serving up a “levitating” dish of chicken, sesame, mushrooms and bok choy. What that means, we’re not quite sure yet – but we’re itching to see it in person!
Messina is back, better than ever
Taking inspiration from Thailand for this year’s Night Noodle Market creations, Messina are going tropical with a quartet of delicious desserts. Take your pick from the Eye of the Thai-ger, a trifle-like offering of milk tea gelato, cheesecake mousse, meringue and coconut; or go for the Bangkok Banana, which combines banana fritters, palm sugar, gelato and peanut crumble.
Continuing the banana theme is the Phuket Bucket, lychee and sala shaved ice, coconut and gelato, while the Coco Phangan delivers on delicious mango flavours with mango sorbet and coconut sticky rice. You can go wrong with whichever flavour you choose, though it can’t hurt to try all four…
Vegan and vego dishes will deliver the goods
Every year, there are more options for our meat-free friends, but we suggest making a beeline for Sydney’s spicy pakora purveyors, Flyover Fritterie. The menu is all vegan and packed with flavour. Of course, you’ll also be able to pick up a famous Korean potato spiral from Twistto and a heap of great noodle dishes.
Attend the Night Poodle Markets
Head to the Night Poodle Markets on Saturday October 12 for a pooch-friendly evening of doggy goodness. Take advantage of the Night Poodle Markets photographer and get a paw-fessional photo with your fur-baby, plus a special dog treat from local gourmet BARKery. Register your pup for a photo and a treat for only $5 online.
Dig into KFC-inspired “puffles”
What’s better than KFC? Probably a cone of cheese waffle stuffed with KFC chicken, right? Puffle are back again this year, with their KFC-inspired and Cheeseburger puffles. Get in early, we’re predicting a long line for these delicious beauties.
Melbourne Night Noodle Markets (Thursday November 7 – Sunday November 24)
Desserts ahoy!
Messina will also be visiting Melbourne with their full moon-inspired dessert menu detailed above – but that’s not where the dessert party ends, my friends. You’ll also be able to pick up Korean shaved-ice desserts from Scoopy Milk Bar, plus Kumokumo’s positively Instagram-worthy, pillow-soft Japanese souffle pancakes. Who needs noodles when you have this lineup?
Sip wine in a tipi
2019 marks the first year the Melbourne Night Noodle markets welcome Jacob’s Creek to the table. For those seeking an escape from the crowds, head to the Jacob’s Creek Wine Tipi for a glass of wine paired with your favourite dishes. Thankfully, the experts at Jacob’s Creek wines have been busy bees, matching their drops to Melbourne’s best dishes for the perfect Night Noodle Market wine moment… in a TIPI!
Cheeseburger, pizza, and mac ‘n’ cheese dumplings
With Melbourne’s famed dumpling hotspot Drumplings on the lineup this year, we can only assume we’re going to get a taste of their unusual creations. Our personal fave is their cheeseburger dumpling, but it’s always worth throwing in a mac ‘n’ cheese dumpling and pepperoni pizza dumpling set for a tasty trifecta. Hopefully all three will be on offer at this year’s event.
Slick themed bar options
Apart from the Jacob’s Creek wine tipi, there are some other pretty cool bar options on site this year. Beer lovers should head to The Malt Shovel Beer Garden, where they can try ten styles of beer including the ‘Malt Shovel Brewers’, their signature hop driven, tropical and fruity XPA. Meanwhile, Marriott Bonvoy is turning back time with a 1920s style diner serving a retro drinks menu including Root Beer Floats, Shirley Temples and Spiders.
Follow Bianca over at @bianca.oneill.
