The eagerly awaited Night Noodle Markets presented by Citi has revealed the sizzling menus of this year’s event, with a feast of signature dishes and innovative tastes from Melbourne and Australia-wide favourites. The bustling Asian street food festival will return to Birrarung Marr from 8-25 November, filling the riverside air with spicy, salty and sweet aromas as over twenty sizzling hawker-style stalls take Melburnians on a vibrant flavour journey through Asia.
The Night Noodle Markets will once again bring together the best parts of Melbourne’s multicultural flavours, celebrating and fusing cuisines from across Asia in one atmospheric, open-air affair. Crowd-favourites Hoy Pinoy, Gelato Messina, Puffle, POKLOL, Mr. Miyagi, N2 Extreme Gelato, Wonderbao and Black Star Pastry will be joined by exciting newcomers Bao Brothers, Son in Law, Red Spice Road, Oriental Teahouse X David’s, Miso Fresh Food Truck and ZOMG SANDO.
Melburnians can explore the markets, ticking destinations off their culinary bucket list and indulging in unique, not-to-be missed dishes including (but certainly not limited to):
- Bangkok Street Food – Signature grill pork ball and ‘Long Potato’, deep fried long potato
- Bao Brothers – ‘THE EASY 3’, three fluffy steamed buns filled with pork belly, fried chicken and tofu, and ‘loaded sweet potato fries’ with plum ketchup, kewpie mayo, sesame seeds, and spring onions
- Chinese Dim Sum King – ‘Chinese Dim Sum King Dumplings’ with prawn, chives with prawn, mushroom, and vegetarian
- Donburi Station – ‘Tokyo Taco’, Fusion beef taco served with salsa and toppings on rice
- Flying Noodles – ‘Way of Dragon’, Pork belly slow charcoal grilled with honey soy sauce, Black pepper, garlic, onion, tamarind paste, served with selected veggies
- Hoy Pinoy – ‘Cebu-style Lechon’, chopped and served on rice with atchara and spiced vinegar
- Hoy Pinot Cart – ‘Inihaw Na Manok’, BBQ chicken skewers with traditional glaze and ‘Inihaw Na Baboy’ BBQ pork belly skewers with banana ketchup glaze
- Miso Fresh – ‘Soba Noodles’ with mixed salad and edamame, pickled cabbage, seaweed salad drizzled with soy sesame sauce
- Mr. Miyagi – ‘Truffle Wagyu Beef Japa-dawg’ Panko crumbed Wagyu beef-cheek 5+ score, Burgundy onion jam, black truffle potato puree, truffled Japanese mayo in a soft bao roll
- Nem N’ Nem – ‘Bun Thit Nuong – Vermicelli Rice Noodle Salads’, with char-grilled chicken chilli lemongrass or tofu satay served with fresh Vermicelli rice noodle, lettuce, fresh herbs and nuoc cham dressing
- Oriental Teahouse X David’s – ‘Shanghainese Sticky Pork Belly and Chat Potatoes’, David’s famous braised Shanghainese sticky pork belly served with soy bean and bok choy salad on rice
- POKLOL x Puffle – ‘Mac N Goreng’, Mac N Cheese with a Mi Goreng twist, ‘KFC Cheese Puffle’, Korean fried chicken stuffed inside a cone-shaped egg-filled cheese waffle, topped with Japanese mayo and shallots
- Raijin – Ramen noodles in a unique no soup style, topped with either ginger chicken, karaage chicken or miso tofu and original soy tahini Ramen sauce
- Red Spice Road – ‘Korean Chilli Corn Dogs’, served with ssamjang mayo and apple kimchi
- Sambal Kampung – Roti Canai flat bread with Rendang beef or curry chicken
- Sash Japanese – ‘Sake Buttermilk Chicken Nuggets’, fried chicken tenders, smoked chipotle wasabi salt, maple syrup and mayonnaise
- Shallot Thai – ‘Crackling Pork Noodle’, roasted pork belly in caramelised sauce with boiled egg noodles
- Son in Law – ‘Spicy Deep-Fried Chicken Ribs’, topped with house made seasoning dried mix (spicy, zesty), spring onion, red chillies, served with Thai classic sauce
- Teppanyaki Noodles – Authentic Yakisoba with sizzling chicken, beef or vegetables
- The Wagyu – Japanese Wagyu curry
- Twistto – ‘Original Korean Twist Potato’, fresh potato, hand cut into a tornado shape, twisted on a stick, deep fried and finished with various seasonings
- Wonderbao – ‘Gua bao’, Korean fried chicken, roast pork belly, or teriyaki tofu
- Yan Can BBQ – ‘Jai Pie’, fried individual chicken breast with special Chinese pepper seasoning
- ZOMG Sando – Japanese deep-fried beef Wagyu sirloin or pork tenderloin done ZOMG sando style.
With savoury tastes fully satisfied, Night Noodle Markets is also taking care of sweet-toothed Melburnians:
- Black Star Pastry – ‘Strawberry Watermelon Cake’, two layers of almond dacquoise, rose-scented cream, watermelon, strawberries and garnished with pistachios and dried rose petals
- N2 Extreme Gelato – ‘Matcha Mugcake’, warm matcha mug cake, with matcha gelato, matcha and red bean jelly
- Waffleland – ‘Cheeky Monkey’, fresh baked waffle stick served with peanut butter and ice cream topped with fresh bananas, pretzels and drizzled with caramel syrup and wafer sticks
- Gelato Messina – The Gelato Gods adventure by Jeepney through the Philippines with their ‘The Jolli P’ – Mango salsa, mango jellies, peach jellies, and condensed milk Chantilly cream topped with Graham Cracker crumb; ‘Brazo De Messina’ – layers of Pandan gelato, baked meringue and condensed milk custard sandwiched between a Graham Cracker crust; ‘Thrila from Manila’ – brown sugar banana gelato & banana bread wrapped in filo pastry, deep fried then topped with custard and chocolate peanut butter crumb; ‘Allo Allo’ – Caramel leche flan, caramel syrup, caramel sauce, toasted milk crumb, caramel shaved ice, evaporated milk and dulche de leche gelato.
The spice and smoke will be matched by entertainment, music and a host of interactive spaces to complete the experience. Citi is once again treating their customers to the best seats in Birrarung Marr during Night Noodle Markets, with the return of Citi VIP. Citi customers will have the opportunity to pre-book a table in the Citi VIP space via an online booking system. Table bookings will be available for Citi customers 72 hours in advance of each night of the Night Noodle Markets, with walk-ups available on the night. The popular Citi concierge service is also back this year enabling Citi customers to avoid the queues and enjoy food delivered right to their table.
South Australian winery Brand’s Laira will bring the best of Coonawarra to Melbourne with a pop-up Cellar Door, allowing guests to navigate their way through the markets cuisine while enjoying a glass of delicious Brand’s Laira wine. For an experience with a more creative twist, Brand’s Laira will host a series of exclusive Paint & Sip sessions, where market-goers will have the opportunity to create their very own masterpiece, inspired by the vineyards of Coonawarra. Paint & Sip seats are strictly limited and must be booked in advance. Visit www.corkandchroma.com.au/product-category/melbourne to reserve a spot.
The James Squire Night Terrace will showcase the character-full range of one of the best craft beers in the country on tap, while Spring’s favourite drink Pimm’s can be enjoyed in the beautiful Pimm’s Garden bar and at general bars for just $10, or in a jug with a Pimm’s picnic rug for $34.
We spoke with three of our favourite food trucks about what dishes you absolutely cannot miss at the Night Noodle Markets this year…
Donburi Station
If someone could only grab one dish from your truck, what should it be?
I’d say our Osaka Fried Noodles are the crowd favourite.
What are you offering that’s new this year?
We are offering something unique this year; the first time I’ve ever seen done in Australia, and all my Japanese friends too. We are doing Taco Rice/Taco Ricu which we call Tokyo Taco. This is a fusion Japanese Mexican dish developed in the Japanese southern island of Okinawa around the American bases. It has as an Asian/Japanese twist and flavour. Served on Japanese plump rice with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, salsa, tortilla chips and a few extra Japanese spices; it makes for a warm but refreshing meal that crunches in your mouth.
Not too hot, mild on the spice level it does also provide a little kick you might expect from Mexican. It really took off in Sydney once the weather improved.
Son in Law
If someone could only grab one dish from your truck, what should it be?
We would say our crispy soft shell crab and prawn with dry green curry on rice is a must to try. The soft shell crab is always famous with every dish but our unique flavour of green curry sauce is the best to go with.
What are you offering that’s new this year?
Actually, it’s our first year to join the Night Noodle Market. We will be offering two of our signature dishes which are the top sellers at our main store in Collingwood. One is the crispy soft shell crab and prawn with dry green curry on rice, and the second one is our crispy fried chicken ribs that are crunchy on the outside and juicy and flavourful on the inside; infused with spices and our secret seasonings (spicy, zesty, salty).
Red Spice Road
If someone could only grab one dish from your truck, what should it be?
You can’t go past our signature pork belly. We’ve even been awarded the Good Food Guide’s People’s Choice Award because of the stuff! Over the 18 days of NNM we’ll also sell around 2.5 tonnes of it – so I guess that says it all! The recipe hasn’t changed in nearly 12 years when Exec Chef, John McLeay first put it on the menu at Red Spice Road, and we wouldn’t dare try to take it off. Well, once we did actually try to take it off the menu and there was quite the public outcry. Guests literally walked out of the restaurants when they saw they couldn’t have their pork belly – ’twas a lesson well-learned!
What are you offering that’s new this year?
One of our new creative dishes in the Korean pork corndog. We’re taking our love of the divine swine one step further, and adding an Asian twist on this American classic. Definitely something a little bit different, and also bloody delicious!
