Parramatta Laneways Festival

So. Word on the streets is that Parramatta is hosting a food festival of its own. And I figured I'd better hurry up and post about it before the festival actually ends (tonight!). 

Josh and I paid a visit on the opening night of festival, the day after we went to the Night Noodle Markets. Clearly we like to eat. I was pretty keen because I had taken a look at the list of vendors beforehand and there seemed to be an interesting and yummy mix of food choices available, and best of all, it was local! 

We started off in section 1 which was hidden in Connection Arcade (we had walked right past!) and said hi to my friend Julie who was selling her handmade 'The Jolly Cottage' goods as part of The Vintage Market.

Then, hungry and expectant, we moved onto section 2 to find a band (The Brassholes) playing on top of a Parisian crepe cart, and were disappointed to find out that the American diner food truck had not shown up.

Section 3 featured a variety of Circa's teas and baked sweets and some Turkish gozleme, all of which we passed on. 

We continued to roam the streets of Parramatta, admiring the obvious effort in decorations, whilst waiting for something to appeal to our tastebuds. 

Finally we reached the 'Laksa Lounge' featuring locally famous Malaysian restaurant, Temasek, a Korean food stall, and a Thai food stall. There weren't as many stalls as I was expecting, but nonetheless I was headed straight for Temasek anyway. 

I ordered my favourite, Temasek's hainanese chicken with rice ($10) and a fresh iced lemon tea ($3.50), whilst Josh ordered beef bulgogi with rice and salad ($10) from the Korean stall. As expected, the hainanese chicken was tender and the sauces perfect, and Josh's beef bulgogi was also tender and tasty. We had a lively band playing whilst we ate our delicious dinner and the atmosphere was great.

We mixed our next sections up as we wandered through the streets and carparks of Parramatta, and ended up at section 6 next. We headed straight for the Mexican food truck and ordered a soft chicken taco ($5) and a beef burrito ($10), and whilst waiting for our food we ordered a cider ($7) and beer ($7) from the courtyard bar.

The atmosphere was buzzing with everyone clearly enjoying themselves, and a bubble blower wearing a pink balloon costume even made an appearance. 

The soft chicken taco filling and sauce was delicious but I wasn't a fan of the huge (!) beef burrito because I don't particularly like pulled beef. The cider and beer were sweet and refreshing, which I liked but which didn't really work for Josh.   

We were also keen to try out the smoked BBQ but by then we were too full. 

Instead we went on walkabouts to section 7 where we had some yummy hazelnut and brownie gelato.

We finished our night at my favourite decoration setup. So pretty.

Parramatta Laneways Festival was a little dead in terms of people turn-out and the stalls and food choices were a little limited, but nonetheless it was a nice night out. Whilst it can't compare to the Night Noodle Markets in terms of food, it was a good effort and it is nice to see a local event such as this come along. If you wish to drop by, tonight is your last chance!

Element 6

Saturday was girls day and we kicked it off with a hearty brekky at a locally famous cafe in West Ryde, Element 6. I must say that I have not and do not frequent the area, so I felt a little like I was in a foreign land. West Ryde is approximately half an hour's drive from Baulkham Hills but is also right next to West Ryde train station, so it's nice and easy to get to if you're catching the train. 

Just before 11am, we arrived at the cute little, hipster-esque cafe with a moose head on the wall, cute decor and crates for seats outside. The place was buzzing but luckily there was a spare table for us inside.

We thought breakfast was only served until noon, but that's only the case for weekdays; on Saturdays breakfast is served until the closing time of 2:30pm. 

We started off our meal with drinks. I had heard about the Sultan's Sunrise ($5.50), which is a refreshing drink containing orange juice with a splash of pomegranate, and recommended it to Cherry and Marina. I felt as if there would be an opportunity cost if we ordered 3 Sultan's Sunrises so I went with a Milo Explosion Shake ($5.50), which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like - a Milo chocolate shake with Milo sprinkled over the top. 

Marina and I couldn't decide what to order from the regular menu, and then we realised there were awesome specials. 

Eventually Marina and I decided to share. One of the dishes we ordered was the chorizo baked eggs with roast potato, herbed passatta and gremolata ($16). The dish was tasty, the chorizos were well cooked, and I liked the addition of the potato which I haven't seen in other baked eggs variations. (Excuse our lack of makeup in the below photos; we were preparing for a facial/makeup day that afternoon.)

The other dish Marina and I shared was the rosemary garlic mushroom with poached eggs, haloumi, roast tomato and baby spinach ($15). I love mushrooms and these mushrooms were seriously tasty. The poached eggs were a tad overcooked because the yolk didn't spill out, but the veggies were cooked well and the haloumi was a tasty addition to the dish. As expected, this typical breakfast combination was a winner. 

Cherry had the French toast with ricotta, poached fruit and pistachios ($13) with ice cream ($2) and oh my goodness! I only had a bite but it is seriously the best French toast I have ever tasted. I would come back just to have their French toast. The toast was just so crispy and light but fluffy at the same time, and the sides would have complemented it perfectly. 

Element 6 was a great find and I really enjoyed my meal and the atmosphere. The food, drinks and service were great, and except for the fact that it is so far from home, I can't wait to go back for the french toast and to try the rest of their menu!

Night Noodle Markets

Every year, since 1998, Hyde Park becomes home to the Night Noodle Markets as part of Good Food Month. For a few weeks Sydney-siders can experience an Asian hawker atmosphere and sample dishes from some of Sydney's best Asian joints, as well as some lesser known ones too. This year's markets featured much-loved restaurants such as Ippudo, Din Tai Fung, Chat Thai, Mamak, and Longrain, as well as my favourite discovery, Poklol, a modern Vietnamese food-truck.

Having experienced the lines of the markets in previous years, I ensured that I was well prepared this year. I looked through the list of vendors, created a must-visit list, downloaded a map of the markets, and devised a plan of attack. 

On Wednesday evening, Josh and I arrived nice and early, just after 5pm which is when the markets open for business. I was glad to see that there weren't many people yet. 

I had heard all the hype about David Yip's (On Ramen) ramen burger, the first of its kind in Australia (it debuted in New York in August), and knew that we had to go there first. We chose to try the beef burger ($12.50) and instead of bread, the burger was sandwiched between hardened, but still soft, ramen noodles. Fillings included tomato, mayo, and a mild but noticeable spicy sauce, and it was served with a side salad and some watermelon. I thought that the flavour would have been compromised by the novelty of the dish, but the burger was actually surprisingly good! It wasn't (too) messy, the beef was juicy and the sauces were flavoursome. I liked the subtle kick of chilli sauce in it. Definitely take the time to try this if you're at the markets - apparently it takes 14 hours to make!

Even though we just ate at Mamak a few weeks ago, we could not resist ordering some egg roti ($7.50). Served with the usual curry and spicy sauce, it tasted just as good as the plain roti but with a nice fluffy egg filling. That said, I think I personally prefer the plain roti. Just because.

Zilver's famous duck pancake ($5) was on my list and though I don't have many duck pancakes to compare it to, it was tasty and the duck was tender. We may have put a little too much soy sauce and that may have been why I found it to be a tad on the salty side. If you're wondering why we used soy sauce, I tried to ask the stall assistant what sauce we should use but he couldn't understand me...

Poklol was on my list for their dessert. However, we passed their stall before dessert time and saw their cool menu filled with puns and decided to give their 'poklol' (pork roll)($10) a go. Not your standard pork roll, this was filled with tender pork belly chunks, crispy fried shallots, coriander, pickled carrots and daikon, spring onion, cucumber, mayo, fish sauce and the best spicy, creamy, chilli sauce! This was a surprise standout dish from the night and Josh described it as the best pork roll he's ever had, even better than Mr Crackles, and I agree.

At this stage we had to withdraw some cash, and conveniently, Citibank had some ATMs set up in the centre of the markets. After withdrawing we even got a little souvenir.

The next stop was Longrain. They were only offering 3 dishes and we decided on a pork salad ($14) which was sour and spicy but nice and refreshing at the same time. My only gripe is that the vermicelli noodles were a little on the hard side.  

Next door was Din Tai Fung, famous for their dumplings. We decided to try fried pork wont ($6) and prawn and pork dumplings ($6). The fried pork wonton were delicious, crispy on the outside, with a yummy mayo dip. The prawn and pork dumplings were like xiao long bao in that they had soup in them, but I am pretty sure that they aren't xiao long bao. Regardless, they were also good, maybe a little on the average side.

After that, Josh and I took a much needed eating break. 

Then we joined the craziest line of the night at Chat Thai. We waited approximately 20-30 minutes for our food, whilst being squished and shoved by passersby and other customers. A lady had a megaphone to call out the order numbers and it was excessively loud, especially when you got too close. It was crazy!

We ordered chicken pad thai ($13), 2 x pork skewers ($3 each), and a fresh coconut juice ($6). We ate on the grass near the beautiful lanterns and our setup reminded Josh and I of our trip to Thailand. 

The chicken pad thai was good but there wasn't enough sauce and chicken. I could tell from the minimal amounts of sauce though that in normal trading conditions, their pad thai would be very good and tasty. The skewers weren't bad but I think pork isn't my thing. (Chicken all the way!)

Our double date with Len and Ella began here. They hadn't eaten yet, Josh wanted another pork roll, and I wanted my Gay Ol Time, so we went back to Poklol. However by this time they had run out of pork rolls and Gay Ol Times - devastated! Instead Josh tried the chicken roll which he said was good too - sorry guys, I was way too full to even try it. 

For dessert we had yummy, fluffy, mini pancakes ($12) with chocolate and maple syrup. Yum!

Of course we couldn't leave without heading back to the lanterns for some photos. The lanterns were so beautiful and they did a really good job with the decorations, setup, music and overall atmosphere this year. 

And guess what! I went back for a Gay Ol Time ($8)! It was a delicious ball of vanilla and caramel ice cream covered in Gaytime, Tim Tam and cookie crumbs. So good.

The Night Noodle Markets were fantastic this year and are definitely worth checking out. I had a really great time and experienced some really good Asian food all in one place. The Night Noodle Markets is a great event to sample some of Sydney's best Asian food and I'll definitely continue to visit every year. 

Batch

Yesterday whilst I was at work I found out that my sister, Angelica, and her boyfriend, Damien, were at Luna Park for an early 18th birthday celebration for her. I work at Kirribilli so I asked if they wanted to have lunch with me. Of course they did, so I took them to an American-style joint that opened a few months ago - Batch. 

There aren't many restaurants/food choices for lunch in Kirribilli compared to the city. A small stretch of restaurants is dominated by three Thai restaurants and an upscale cafe. So Batch is definitely a very welcome but very different addition to the Kirribilli food scene. 

Occupying a small shop which was previously a Thai restaurant, Batch is fit out as a diner. But it is not as spacious as your typical American diner - it is a little tight and can accommodate approximately only 20-25 patrons at a time, both inside and outside. There is usually a rush at lunchtime when the rich private school kids and the office workers have lunch, so I told Angelica and Damien to meet me there before 1pm.

Having eaten here previously, I already knew what burger I wanted - the 'Spicy Mexican' ($13.50) with chilli mince, smoked cheddar, tomato, jalapeños, spanish onion, sour cream, and hot taco sauce on a brioche bun. It's a thick burger and it can get a bit messy, but it tastes great and is nice and spicy (not too spicy), just how I like my food (sometimes). I also ordered a side of fries ($2.50).

Damien had the chilli dog ($12.50) which was a beef hotdog with chilli mince, cheese and chilli sauce. It was "nice" and "spicy, but not too spicy". 

Angelica and Damien had chocolate milkshakes ($6) and Angelica had Maltesers ($1.50) mixed in with hers. I've had the chocolate Malteaser milkshake myself on a previous occasion and it's a good shake - big serving and the Malteasers are a yummy touch and crunch. 

We also shared the Fried Chicken Drumsticks ($8). It was my first time trying this and boy,  was it good! Nice, big drumsticks with a delicious skin, reminiscent of Chinese crispy skin chicken, but lighter and flakier. Sprinkled with just the right amount of salt, this is definitely a winner and a bargain at $8.

Angelica and Damien shared chilli fries ($7) which were topped with chilli mince, cheese, jalapeños and hot taco sauce. I've had this on a previous occasion and what can I say? It's what you'd expect - fries that are meaty, spicy, cheesy, yummy and oily. 

The service at Batch is great and the food comes out quickly. The owner is very nice and friendly and he actually remembers me. We always have a little chat when I visit.  

Batch is definitely worth crossing the bridge for if you like your American food. The menu offers a great range and I know I'm keen to try out their other menu items, including their brekky!

P.S. Shoutout to my sister, Angelica! Happy 18th birthday! I love you! x