FRESH, FAST & FUN!
LUNAR MARKETS SYDNEY
FEBRUARY 2015
This is a great time of year in Sydney when it's time to sample great foods in the open air under the stars. I visited the Lunar Markets last week. The markets are over now so you will have to wait until next year to experience it! New South Wales Food and Wine Festival is currently on with other fantastic events to get involved in.
With 20 pop up food stalls all in the one place, nestled snugly by the Star Casino and the waters edge was the Lunar Markets, Celebrating Chinese New Year, the year of the Sheep (or Goat or Ram). You can still sample this food in the restaurants/markets located around Sydney.
The Markets showcased Sydney's wonderful chefs and cooks, it's diversity and culture and it's flavoursome fresh produce. We are the lucky country, we have access to all of this. This night epitomised Asian food, FRESH, FAST & FUN!
It just so happened that I attended the evening on Chinese New Years Eve... which I didn't realise until the latter half of the evening when the place began to fill up. However, we got in early enough to score a table by the water under the lanterns and held on to it for the night. The event was well spaced out, you never felt crowded. Thought had gone into the venues lay out.
As I first entered I was hit with a vaguely familiar smell. It was a smell of wood-smoke and grilling meats. It took me a moment to figure out what it reminded me of. I found myself wandering to the source.
Standing at the scene in front of me, I remembered where I knew the smell was from. Cambodia. If you have been to Cambodia you will never ever forget the smell of meats, open fires, smoke, wood and also (sadly enough) sewage that smacks you in the face as soon as you get of the plane. You can't escape it, you need a scarf over your mouth when you are on a tuk tuk. Your hair smells of it, your clothes smell of it... it comes with a twist of sweat and dirt.
Clearly I wasn't smelling any sewage or any of that at the Markets but that smell gets right up your nose and plants itself in the back of your mind so you can never forget it!
I wasn't standing in front of a Cambodian BBQ, it was actually a Filipino BBQ HOY PINOY. They had 6 large commercial BBQ's on the go with Charcoal and wood underneath so there was a constant supply of Chicken and Pork Skewers ready for customers. It was only early in the evening so I wasn't ready to eat right away so I didn't get to sample the Skewers in the end but plenty of people did. They looked quiet dangerous walking around with their weapons of choice. Some had a few on the go, plus a beer. They reminded me of Edward Scissor hands.
After meeting friends and finding the best table under the lanterns I decided it was dumpling time. I gravitated to the first stall with the words "dumpling" and when I saw a "Dim Sum Sample" from the Century stall.... I just couldn't resist!
On first glance of the dumplings they had on display looked... well... very pretty! A balance of bright colours and different textures. You could see there was fresh ingredients inside the rice flour dumplings (as they have a clear dough), especially the bottom dumpling in my picture above with corn, carrot and fresh vegetables. One dumpling contained real chicken, another prawn and another pork. I say "real" because too often you can bite into a dumpling and the meat inside is one conglomerate ball of mystery... you can't even recognise what it is. These were easily identifiable... I don't know about you but I like to know what I am eating (except for those random meals you try in exotic countries whilst travelling).
The restaurant (located in the Star Casino) claims to make the dumplings fresh to order and they are steamed (just how I like them, not fried). The Century's pop up market stall had giant steamers on site and an army of almost 10 people producing the dumplings so by the time I had ordered, exchanged money and stepped aside to wait my Sampler Dim Sum materialised.
Aside from looking "pretty", dim sum and yum cha conjures up fond memories of my childhood. My parents would take us to Chopsticks Yum Cha Restaurant in Crows Nest on Mothers day (It isn't there any more, it was a sad day when we discovered it was gone). You could never book a table and had to just turn up. We were always treated to a pink lemonade as we waited at the bar. The restaurant was always filled with people of Asian decent, especially on Mothers Day. Once seated, the ladies would bring around the food on big metal trolleys with gas heating inside and in next to no time the table and lazy susan was covered with little steamers filled with hot dumplings, pork buns, spring rolls, chickens feet, fried rice & Vegetables and your dining card was full of stamps. Not long after.. you were full and about to fall of your chair and as my father used to put it "You Red-lined" (Meaning a car speeding on full throttle).
So... my little mini Yum Cha in my hands at the Lunar Markets, looking all pretty, was just begging to be eaten. My wandering mind came back to the present after my fond daydream so I proceeded to pour a little chilli sauce on top of my dumplings... just enough so I could still savour the original flavours and made my way back to our table under the lanterns. The dumplings did not disappoint. I vaccumed those suckers up in seconds. I made a mental note to visit the Century for dinner sometime soon.
I next had Salt and Pepper squid from the same Stall. It was a disappointment. It was like something I could get at any Chinese take-away and was lacking in that spicy bite and saltiness on your tongue. I like fresh chillies sliced over the top and also a light soy sauce to accompany it but I didn't get any of that. It was also dry and chewy... not a fun mouth-feel! Such a shame as the dumplings were so ridiculously good! I decided I will still visit The Century one day anyway and forgive them for the boring squid. Second chance and all.
I had complete food envy when one of my fellow diners ordered and brought back THIS to our table under the lanterns.
WOW! This tender, succulent, not chewy, WAY AMAZING version of Grilled Calamari (even though it wasn't squid) from a stall I can only think sold only Calamari, was a real triumph and thank god my friend wanted to share! After a few pieces each a couple of my friends got over "eating tentacles" so I scored a couple more pieces. WINNING! Unfortunately I don't know how or where to get this dish again and to investigate it's ingredients. The Lunar Market menu only calls this stall "Grilled Calamari".....Stay tuned for more info on this one!
My Last stop close to closing time I decided to have some soup. I had drunk enough wine I needed to dilute it in my stomach plus I was a little sleepy so I visited the Pho Bar I noticed earlier on my arrival to the Markets.
http://www.barpho.com.au/
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Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup, consumed any time of the day) is a warming, healthy soup with the right amount of spices, herbs like coriander, basil & Vietnamese mint and usually contains meat (beef). The clear crisp broth traditionally is from cooking beef bones for a long time and although it sounds like a simple soup, it is more complex than you think to get it right. Sydney-Siders love a good Pho (pronounced Fe-h) with many hole-in-the-wall Bars popping up all over our great city. It's fast, it's fresh... it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You pull up a crate and nurse your bowl and slurp away. This Pho was no exception and was the perfect finish to my evening. The smell was zesty and enticing. As soon as the herbs are placed into the broth they break down and the smells waft up and fill the stall and surrounding area and cloak you. I instantly remember the markets in Thailand... I smell the sawtooth coriander I am currently growing in my backyard. I am in love with coriander and I could smell it right away. The beef was soft and melt in your mouth, the broth flavoursome bringing it all together... the crispy crunch of the bean sprouts. Simple flavours, you can pin point all the ingredients and enjoy every mouthful.
Feel good Pho.
Perfect Pho.
GREAT EVENING OF FOOD IN SYDNEY!
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