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!