Melbourne Night Noodle Markets 2015

Melbourne Night Noodle Markets 2015
Birrarung Marr (near Federation Square)
12-29 November.
Hours:
– Mon to Wed 5pm–9pm
– Thu & Fri 5pm–11pm
–  Sat 2pm–10pm
– Sun 2pm –9pm

I got there in the nick of time.

From the 12th to the 29th of November, the Night Noodle Markets take over Birrarung Marr with dishes and experiences unique to Asian fusion restaurants and food trucks all over the city. A record 56 stalls launched last week, offering both the weird – insects (a som yam with fried mealworm by LadyBoy), nutella banana gyoza (see Harajuku Gyoza), ramen burgers (Everybody Loves Ramen), and deep-fried icecream bao (Gelato Messina x Wonderbao) and the well-loved – Red Spice Road, Chin Chin, Kong, Hoy Pinoy, Longrain, Mr Miyagi and Charlie Dumpling are some of the many Melbourne stalwarts head-lining the event. Last year 560,000 people went through the gates, but I suspect with this lineup it will be an even greater number this year.

With exams finishing up the day the markets opened, and flying out to Auckland two days later, I made the most of my one opportunity to visit. Sprawled out in full view of the city lights and Yarra river and lit up by lanterns and fairy lights, the scene gradually changes with the darkening, rapidly cooling night air – it is a view that encapsulates the Melbourne dining scene: modern, lively, passionate, and ever-competitive.

Along with photos to convince you that the noodle markets are something you need to visit, here are a few tips on what to eat:

• Hawker Hall: the newest venture from the Lucas Group and sibling of Chin Chin and Kong is offering up a rich, tender beef rendang, full of the flavours of lemongrass and coconut. One of the best curries around in Melbourne. The chicken and siracca bun was much less memorable.
• ChinChin: caramelized pork with fresh pickled vegetables and coriander are stuffed inside a fluffy slider bun – though the few bites worth seemed a little pricy at $9.50.
• Mr Miyagi: their tempura-nori tacos are the stuff of legend in Melbourne, and four versions are offered up at the markets. Would highly recommend the grilled salmon with sushi rice, kim chi, Japanese mayo & chilli oil, as well as the soft-shell crab with sushi rice, curried mayo, avocado guacamole & crispy garlic.
• Red Spice Road: the crispy five-spice pork belly chunks, bathed in chilli caramel sauce and served with a side of herby Asian slaw (with lots of Vietnamese mint involved) was my favourite dish of the night. A must try.
• Wonderbao: though some of the biggest lines were here, only the fried chicken gua bao was worth the wait. The pork version was dry and light on filling – would go for the Red Spice Road pork belly instead.
• Gelato Messina x Wonderbao: the David Bao-wy  – deep fried gua bao sandwiching salted coconut sorbet with white chocolate-mango ganache & crushed cashews – is worth a try if you are a bao fan, though we felt that the bao-to-ice cream ratio was a bit off (more ice cream to bread please!). Friends also loved the gold wrapped Bullion Bar – layers of gulamalaka gelato & condensed milk gelato, passion fruit jelly, nut crunch & banana bread.

Other things we didn’t try but wanted to:

• Hoy Pinoy: skewers of barbecued chicken and pork belly rotate over coals all evening and are served to the masses in the hundreds – just the smell had us salivating.
• Din Tai Fung: the legendary Michelan star awarded dumpling which opened in Melbourne this year is offering up a few dumpling varieties.
• N2 Extreme Gelato & Blackstar Pastry: Sydney’s Blackstar Pastry is serving up their famous strawberry-watermelon-almond cakes, as well as a cake smash collaboration with N2 gelato.

Find the rest of the menu here.