World Food Markets - New Farm

Last weekend, the World Food Festival was held just outside the Brisbane Powerhouse, at New Farm. It had actually spanned for two weeks, but I didn't know that it was on, until a colleague asked me whether I went yet. So on Saturday, I called up a friend, and off we went.

It was a cool day for summer, and we travelled to New Farm via City Cat, the breezes were very refreshing.

 

The Brisbane Powerhouse is a decommissioned power station, which has been renovated and is now used as an entertainment hub of sorts.

While the crowds were substantial, they were definitely less than the usual level you would find at the Eat Street Markets.

Whilst Eat Street Markets are generally populated by food stalls run from shipping containers, the World Food Markets have gathered a number of rather popular food trucks from Brisbane and brought them together for the two weeks that it runs for.

Our first stop was Char Baby, and whilst I was set on getting some beef, my associate decided that we ought to try something unique, which is why we ended up getting the duck special.

I have very mixed feelings about this dish. The pastry was really light and flaky, which I enjoyed very much, however the duck tasted a bit course and overcooked. My associate also commented that there may have been too much herbs and spices mixed into the duck, to the extent that it was very overbearing and overpowered the flavours of the duck. Aside from this, we found the sauce tangy and refreshing, and the peaches were quite sweet.

The next thing we ordered was actually the poutine from Little Back, however since there was a 30 minute wait for the chips, we moved onto other trucks.

When asked what I most wanted to try from the World Food Market, it wouldn't surprise anyone that I said 'Sushi Neko'. I had heard about this food truck from a number of people, but working in the CBD, I have been unable to catch them during normal working hours. 

Between the two of us, we ordered the Takoyaki, and the Salmon Bento.

I found the Takoyaki to be hot and fresh, with ample amounts of filling. I would have liked it more if it was more crispy and had more bonito flakes though.

The Salmon Bento contained two temari balls, and two hand rolls. Temari are 'thread balls', so in this instance it means ball shaped sushi, which is a variation on the usual nigiri sushi. In both the Termari Sushi, and the Hand Rolls, I found the Salmon to be fresh and yummy. The rice however, could do with a bit more seasoning. Using soy wraps instead of seaweed for the handrolls was an interesting little change, but for the two of us, it felt more like we were eating Vietnamese rice paper rolls than sushi. Other than that, the avocados were very fresh, and I particularly enjoyed the tobiko on top.

After we were done with the Japanese food, we got back in time for a fresh batch of poutine to come out!

There is no denying, I adore shoestring fries. I love them much more than the average thick cut chips. So whilst my friend was saying that she would rather thick cut chips, I ate away merrily. The pulled pork on top was very soft and juicy. It was particularly nice with the extra mayonnaise on top. Needless to say, this was the highlight of my night.

Another vendor which I was very keen on trying was the Bun Mobile as I've heard so many good things about it.

Between the two of us, we shared one Pork Bun (by that time, we were really quite full). Now to be honest, I was quite skeptical about the buns, because it appeared to me to be a sandwich made with 'Man Tau' (Chinese Steamed Buns), which I am very not used to. Being a firm traditionalist, it isnt usually the type of thing that I'd usually try, but after all my friends descriptions, I had to try.

The bun itself was exceptionally well done, it was soft and moist with the delicate sweet flavour that Chinese Buns have. The pork chop was nice, and the whole thing went really well with the hoi sin sauce and shallots.

We finished off the night with a refreshing lime berry cordial from Heet's n Shaved Ice. It could have been more icy, but nevertheless we liked it.