2019 Noodle Night Markets - Southbank

Without fail, the week after Regional Flavours is always the start of the annual Night Noodle Markets at Southbank. Compared to last year, there have been a number of changes in terms of stallholders and pricing, notably our favourite Black Star Pastry didn't participate this year. But for me, the biggest change was the privilege of being included in the VIP launch event.

Going on launch day, we arrived early to the Craft Garden. There were quite a few people there and we were very lucky to get a seat.

Open bars are always great, and I'm sure that Iron Fist was super jealous of the boundless alcohol on offer. Starting off with an apple cider, it was crisp and refreshing.

Kicking off with some dumplings from Steamed Dim Sim, this was the chicken and chive dumplings. These were appetising, the filling was mincey and the pastry was thin, but they were a little floppy and difficult to pick up and unfortunately not particularly warm.

Trying some BBQ pork buns from Wonderbao, the bun was soft and delicious with a light fluffy texture, but the filling was a little lacking. The pork pieces were small and the sauce was lacking in sweet bbq flavours.

Next up we had some Fusion Paella. This was served warm and packed with flavour. Definitely different from your standard fried rice, it was interesting to try, but not something I'd have a full sized portion of.

The star of the show this year was the skewers from Hoy Pinoy. We each enjoyed both the Inihaw na Baboy, Pork Belly with Banana ketchup glaze and the Inihaw na Manok, Chicken skewers with traditional soy glaze. Always consistently delicious year after year, we enjoyed the meat texture of pork belly but the flavours of traditional soy glaze the best. 

Round two drinks comprised two beers. Seeing American Amber Lager and Australian Pale Ale on the menu, we took it as a nice opportunity for some comparisons. Adam preferred the American Lager with its more crisp mouthfeel whereas I liked the lighter Australian Pale Ale.

Final dessert from the launch comprised of the Brazo De Messina. With Pandan Coconut Gelato and Condensed Milk Custard sandwiched between a shortbread crust and a baked meringue, it was very sweet and indulgent. 

Leaving the cordoned area, we took a look around the market to explore and try some more foods we had on our list. Although there was a considerable line up for entry, there were not too many lines to order food this year, perhaps due to the reduced amount of vendors, perhaps because prices were a little steep. It was also a shame that the decorative elements of the market from previous years were largely absent (e.g. waving cat and origami crane display).

We were keen to try the flying noodles, but for the $20 - $25 price point was a bit daunting.

Was really keen to try the Crab Net Spring Rolls from Bangkok Street Food,  having had quite a wonderful experience with them at Saigon Eats. At $12 for 4, it was undoubtedly expensive. Unfortunately, due to the relatively slow turnover, the spring rolls had also been cooked a fair while earlier and they were served only slightly warm, but very oily. The fillings didnt appear to have much by way of crab either.

Rounding off our dinner with a selection of Bao and Loaded Banh Mi Fries. The bao were fluffy, fillings were generous and flavoursome. Fries were a little undercooked and soft whilst the toppings were also abundant. 

Was a fairly good night, I hope that next years is better and will definitely be back!

2019 Regional Flavours - Southbank

As I say every year in July, it's the busiest time of the year for me. With Good Food Month well under way, it comes time for my annual recap of some local food festivals. So without further ado, here's my annual recap of my experiences at this year's Regional Flavours. 

 

Starting off this year's choices in food we had our first and only dishes from the eatSouthBank food stalls, being the Creme Brulee ft. eggs from Darling Downs and the  Potato & Bangalow pork croquettes with lime aioli from French Martini. Both were enjoyable, the croquettes were quite rich and creamy, especially with the generous portion of lime aioli. Having said that, I found them to be a bit small for the price.

The highlight of this year's visit was without a doubt the quail from Brisbane Valley Quail. Normally we don't focus too much on these types of stalls but we could smell the BBQ quails from miles away and started salivating almost immediately. Having both a serve of BBQ Quail as well as Deep Fried Buttermilk Quail, $6 gave two quarter portions of the most giant quails I had ever seen. Moist and extremely juicy, they tasted wonderful and I will definitely have to source some locally to cook at home.

A crowd favourite this year was KOI Dessert Bar which had finally made the trek up here from Sydney. We almost got sun stroke from the time standing in line, but it was all worth it.

 

Moving our group down to River Quay for our final food items, the crowds here were definitely less than last year, and we were really lucky to be able to score shaded seats. For drinks we had Passion Fruit Spritz and OJ from The Jetty, both refreshing and crisp.

Other dishes we got from The Jetty included the mushroom gnocchi and the moreton bay bug roll. We only realised after the fact that one serve consisted of two rolls when we were in fact only given one. This was very disappointing as we found it to be quite tasty but extremely exorbitant for the price. The bun though was fluffy and the bug was crisp and well battered. We also enjoyed the warm comforting truffle gnocchi which was a definite crowd pleaser.

I'm not entirely sure why, but every year we keep getting the Ragu alla Bolognese braised Wagyu Ragu despite being let down without fail. The meat texture was fairly powdery and long overcooked. The parmesan added to the powderyness whilst the bolognese sauce was watered down for minimal taste, didn't cling to the pasta and left a pool of water at the bottom of the plate.

Last of the savoury dishes, we had the Waygu Cheeseburger Toastie with Darling Downs Wagyu Beef Patty. The sandwich definitely replicated the traditional cheeseburger quite faithfully. I enjoyed the meaty crumbly beef, the melty cheese, pickles and cheeseburger sauce. For the price, it was also good value for money.

Rounding off our experience with KOI, we had the Yuzu, Black Sesame, Baileys and Nomtella. Having gone to their HQ in Chippendale quite a few times, I had fairly high expectations. The variety available on the day were quite expensive, our four pieces came to $45. The textures were rich and creamy for all varieties, even the yuzu which we had chosen to be a palate cleanser was very intense. I definitely prefer the wider varieties from their Sydney ventures.

Can't wait to see what the next year's event holds!