Umaimon, Sydney

EDIT: Umaimon has now closed.
UPDATE MAY 2010: Word is they have moved to 159 Oxford Street Darlinghurst under the name Yokozuna Japanese restaurant.


I love getting reader recommendations for restaurant.

Admittedly I can't always get to them. Factors like transport (I have no car), price (I pay for all my own meals) and friend appeal (I need to find someone who'll want to accompany me) are all considered. But one reader, Ian, put me onto a dining secret I couldn't resist.

Umaimon has been around for a number of years but I'd yet to discover it. No wonder. Tucked away at the base of an office block on Druitt Street, it's the kind of spot you'd never realise was there. Online research (I always google potential eating destinations) revealed it was family-run, small, hard-to-find and regarded as a reliable supplier of authentic Japanese cuisine. Add reasonable prices and a city location, and it was ticks in all boxes!

Ian was kind enough to give me detailed instructions on how to find Umaimon, but I found it easier to describe its location to my colleague as "diagonally opposite the new PricewaterhouseCoopers building on Sussex Street" (one of the three buildings with the waves on top). A sandwich board sign at the base of a ramp leads you up past a desserted Italian cafe and toward Umaimon.


Deep-fried tasty chicken karaage $8.90
served with rice, salad and miso soup

The cosy eatery has a laminated lunchtime menu stuck up on the counter, a drinks fridge in the corner and a few tables crammed inside. Assorted Japanese paraphernalia adorn the walls and ceiling, and there's a happy sense of clutter within this family business.

I'm tempted by the flame grilled tenderloin beef steak with very special sauce ($15.00) and the salmon chirashi sushi ($9.80) but not today, I decide. We take ages deciding on what to order, prepay for our meals at the counter and choose a table outside.

Whilst the views are mainly of traffic, it's a rare luxury to experience space and relative silence in the heart of the city. It's so nice not to have to jostle or shout during a weekday lunch.

A chicken karaage doesn't take long to arrive. Golden nuggets of chicken are piled on top of a bed of salad and mixed vegetables. I love its Japanese-y presentation - a lace pattern of mayonnaise on top and odd garnishes like pasta spirals which would ordinarily be out-of-place yet are oddly endearing here.

The chicken is juicy and tender on the inside, the batter crunchy and flavourful, as though it's been seasoned with soy or teriyaki.


Grilled fillet fish with crab meat, mushroom and tasty sauce $15.00
served with rice and miso soup

Our grilled fish fillet is nothing like we'd expected but it's deliciously good. A lightly battered fresh fillet of fish is adorned with tender cooked oyster mushrooms and bathed in a generous pool of gelatinous sauce, something akin to the puddle you receive with agedashi tofu.

We share the two dishes which is just enough to satiate us both. Free tea is available from a self-serve urn. The tea is dark and a little smoky, not the sencha or genmaicha I'm used to.


Spicy marinated tuna sashimi $18

So you know you're on a winner when not only do you visit a restaurant, but you return the next day for a follow-up visit.

This time I'm with Divemummy, looking for a light late-night post-movie dinner. At dinner time, more laminated A4 menus are visible on the counter. Handwritten in Japanese and English on plain sheets of white paper, it's hard to distinguish how many different sheets there are, but I'm happy enough to see the words "soft shell crab" - a dish I'd read online was one of their specialties. I also notice their takoyaki balls ($8.50 for 10) and grilled scallops with tartare sauce ($10.50 for 3).

We stick with sashimi and soft shell crab. The spicy marinated tuna sashimi is very elegant in presentation, a fan of richly coloured tuna slices doused with soy and garnished with perilla leaves, cucumber, shreds of toasted nori and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. The tuna is firm and fresh although I find the dressing is a little too strong with soy and chilli powder, overwhelming the simple and sweet flavours of the tuna.


Large deep-fried crispy soft shell crab salad $14.90

The crispy soft shell crab salad is a treasure trove of treats. Crunchy bits of crab legs and delicate shards of deep-fried lotus root match nicely with the health-giving properties of a lightly dressed salad.

We hoe in alongside Japanese couples, business workers and friends. Simple surrounds, reasonable prices and honest food. I'm happy. Ureshii yo!



Umaimon
Shop 5, 51 Druitt St
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9283 0606

Monday to Friday 11am-10pm
Saturdays and public holidays 12pm-10pm

UPDATE MAY 2010: Word is they have moved to 159 Oxford Street Darlinghurst under the name Yokozuna Japanese restaurant.

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Japanese--Ajisen Ramen, Haymarket
Japanese--Fujiya, Haymarket
Japanese--Ichi Ban Boshi, Sydney (Feb08) and (Aug05)
Japanese--Ju Ju, Kings Cross
Japanese--Kagaya, Hurstville
Japanese--Koh-Ya Yakiniku, Neutral Bay
Japanese--Kura, Haymarket
Japanese--Madono, Haymarket
Japanese--Menya Japan Noodle Bar, Haymarket
Japanese--Michitaro, Haymarket
Japanese--Musashi, Sydney (Mar07) and (Oct05)
Japanese--Nagoya Japanese BBQ, Sydney
Japanese--Ocean Room (NYE 07/08) and (Oct06)
Japanese--Ramen Kan, Haymarket (Aug 05) and (Nov 04)
Japanese--Rise, Darlinghurst (May 05), (Feb 05) and (Aug 04)
Japanese--Ryo's Noodles, Crows Nest (Mar08), (Aug07) and (Jul07)
Japanese--Suminoya, Sydney
Japanese--Taka Tea Garden, Sydney
Japanese--Tetsuya's, Sydney
Japanese--Tomodachi, Broadway (Sep06) and (Nov05)
Japanese--Yutaka, Sydney
Japanese--Wagamama, Sydney
Japanese--WAQU, Crows Nest

The Sugar Hit super challenge: How many could you do in one night?

How many Sugar Hits could you possibly consume in one night?

It's a question that's plagued me everytime Good Food Month rolled around. As I'd finish scraping the plate of another delectable Sugar Hit, the final mouthful of sugar slowly dissolving on my tongue, I'd ponder deep and meaningful musings like "should one start at the north end of town or south?" and "would it be faster to get a taxi or run between participating hotels?"

It's a question that's perplexed Billy from A Table for Two as well. Thank heavens, because not only does it prompt him to host a One Night Sugar Hit: Stickier and Sweeter Sydney Tour , but he asks both Christy from Fig & Cherry and I along for the ride. Woohoo!

As most of us sweet tooths know, Sugar Hits run from 9pm to 11pm at selected hotels throughout October's Good Food Month. Not only is a Sugar Hit marathon a test of digestive endurance, it's a balancing act of geographic logistics within a two-hour timeframe. Thank you Google Maps and your map-pinning capabilities!

The Big Night: 7pm. I accompany a dozen friends to BBQ King for dinner but resist the salt and pepper calamari, the char siu pork and the crispy skin chicken. Instead I have a small bowl of wonton soup. My friends are puzzled until I eventually reveal to one of them my plans for the evening. Before I know it, the entire table knows about my intended gluttony, a chain of Chinese whispers that sees each person's eyes widen with shock at our Sugar Hit target. I duck out into the night before they finish, torn between pride and shame at my evening mission.


Swissotel Sydney

Sugar Hit #1: 9.00pm Swissotel

We're one of the first sweet tooths to arrive and are rewarded with what seems to be the best seat in the house: a secluded alcove that comes with its own furnishings. It takes several minutes for our wines to arrive and then five more for our dessert plates to come. The constant glances at our watches will become an all-too-familiar pattern.


Three Treats with Chocolate: White chocolate with coconut sorbet;
milk chocolate velvet cheesecake; and dark chocolate with caramel & pear

Served with a Brown Brothers sparkling moscato

In a word: yum. The stylish plating and happy splash of yellow reminds me of the Spanish surrealist, Miro. We all love the smooth milk chocolate cheesecake, the refreshing coconut sorbet, and the rich sticky caramel nestled in dark chocolate and furnished with pear. I can't imagine many people faulting this offering. It's safe but not boring, and I come up with the word "accessible" to convey its likely broad-based appeal.


Round 1: Success

We eat it all and gladly so. With eyes on the clock we scrape back our chairs and make our longest trek of the evening - to the Intercontinental Hotel.



Sugar Hit #1: 9.45pm Intercontinental Hotel

It's about seven or eight blocks to the Intercontinental. Christy certainly knows it. She's wearing heels! I take the initiative to order our drinks before we've even sat down, politely conveying we're in a bit of a hurry. As if by magic, our dessert arrives within 60 seconds.


Tasting platter: V.S.O.P cognac cream and white chocolate-raspberry torte;
Grand Marnier-strawberry infused panna cotta; and chestnut timbale

Served with a Brown Brothers orange muscat flora

There's nothing but silence as we each attack our desserts. The white chocolate and raspberry torte is a little too firm with gelatine but we all seem to adore the chestnut timbale. Not only is it decorated with gorgeous polka dots on the outside, but the delicate flavour of chestnut is rich and sweet.



As other foodbloggers have reported, the square dish holding the panna cotta is either too small for the accompanying spoon, or we should have been issued with teaspoons. I make no hesitation in using the other end of my fork, but it's a rather unelegant way to finish an otherwise attractive platter.


Round 2: Success

Plates licked clean we make our way to the Sydney Harbour Marriott.



Sugar Hit #3: 10.15pm Marriott Hotel

The lounge here is extremely small and the host is worried she won't be able to fit us in until we reassure her we have a booking. We've made bookings for every Sugar Hit tonight except for the Intercontinental, which takes Sugar Addicts on a first-come basis.

It seems to take an eon for our desserts to arrive, especially when we see the waitress approach us with desserts, then veer toward the table on our right who we know were seated ages before us. It's torture. Instead we amuse ourselves with the consumption of our dessert wines. The cumulative effect of three dessert wines has probably kicked in by now because I find the arrival of our cutlery nestled inside the napkin pocket tine-side, not handle side, in ridiculously amusing. Will I get a spoon and a fork, or two deviant spoons? I think you had to be there.


Chef's selection: chocolate walnut brownie; mango creme brulee;
mango rice pudding; and strawberry and cream sponge

Served with a Brown Brothers orange muscat flora

Our plates arrive and we sigh with relief. Except our stomachs are feeling anything but. I love the strawberry and cream sponge (one of my favourite cakes with its clean simplicity) and delight in the mango creme brulee too. The rice pudding is good at first but then starts to become more like a meal, the chocolate brownie is incredibly dense and sweet and appears a little out of place on an already decadent platter.


Round 3: Success (mine is on the right)

We manage to finish most of our platters, although the chocolate brownie is too much of a hurdle for most of us.



It's at this point we're not only feeling green, but we're aware we're fifteen minutes late for our next booking. I volunteer to be the runner for our next booking, and as I'm pounding the pavement towards dessert number four, I'm not sure whether I should feel virtuous that I'm expending some calories, or mortified that I'm running towards to even more. It's a tough call.

Sugar Hit #4: 10.45pm Four Seasons Hotel

I collapse in a heap at our table at the Four Seasons Hotel. Here I reveal to our waitress our mission of the evening. Not only is she impressed, but she's outwardly envious. "I wish I could do that with my friends," she says.

When I tell her we have another Sugar Hit scheduled after this, she whips out our desserts as a matter of urgency.


Deconstructed Sachertorte, Austria's legendary bitter sweet chocolate tart

Served with a Brown Brothers orange muscat flora

Wow. This one's a big 'un.

I'm not sure that I agree with the nature of deconstructed desserts, but individually, these components are decandently delicious. The soft melting mound of bittersweet chocolate mousse is the clear winner here, although I'm not convinced on the apricot gel. We agree the presentation here is very impressive and had it not been our fourth dessert of the night, we would've considered this a very worthwhile investment.


Round 4: Success (mine is nearest to camera)

I'm not sure whether to be proud or horrified at this photo.



Sugar Hit #5: 11.10pm Shangri-La Hotel

The home stretch. We race into the lobby where the waitress says she was just about to let our table go. She's also let in on our evening's mission and as we collapse on the lounge we breathe a sigh of relief that finally, we can actually linger over dessert, enjoy each mouthful and not worry about running toward the next hotel!


Berry delights: pistachio shortbread with licorice-infused strawberry;
strawberry and rhubarb mascarpone dacquoise; and cream fraiche ice-cream

Served with Brown Brothers cienna dessert wine

Our final dessert platter is another triumph of aesthetics. The crackle plate gives an air of Japanese elegance. I find the licorice-infused strawberries (actually star-anise) a little too overpowering and confusing for my tastebuds and the strawberry and rhubarb mascarpone has an eggy flavour that isn't quite what I'm looking for after four plates of dessert. The creme fraiche ice cream is refreshing in a milky confection kind of way. We do appreciate the change of dessert wine though - the cienna has great berry flavours.


Brown Brothers cienna dessert wine


Strawberry and rhubarb mascarpone dacquoise


Cream fraiche ice-cream with licorice-infused strawberry


Round #5: Failed

They said it couldn't be done, but we did it. Five Sugar Hits in one night. Now pass me the insulin. I think I'm about to pass out.


Four Seasons Hotel - The Bar
199 George Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9238 0000

Intercontinental Hotel - The Cortile Lounge
(bookings not accepted)
Corner Bridge and Phillip Streets , Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9240 1396

Marriott Sydney Harbour - The Macquarie Lounge
30 Pitt Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9259 7378

Shangri-La - The Lobby Lounge
176 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9250 6123

Swissotel - Crossroads Bar
68 Market Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9238 7088

Sugar Hits are available: Every night in October from 9pm-11pm
To avoid disappointment, bookings for all Sugar Hits are strongly recommended.

Cost: $20
Includes a dessert plate and a glass of Hennessy Cognac or Brown Brother's Orange Muscat Flora or tea/coffee/soft drink

More Sugar Hits available here

Related GrabYourFork posts:
GFM 2008: Sugar Hit #1 at the Kings Cross Hotel
GFM 2008: Night Noodle Markets

GFM 2007: Sugar Hit #3 at the Westin Sydney
GFM 2007: Sugar Hit #2 at the Sofitel Wentworth
GFM 2007: Sugar Hit #1 at the InterContinental Sydney

GFM 2006: Good Living Growers' Markets
GFM 2006: Hats Off dinner at Becasse
GFM 2006: Night Noodle Markets Week 3
GFM 2006: Night Noodle Markets Week 2
GFM 2006: Night Noodle Markets Week 1
GFM 2006: Spring Picnic
GFM 2006: Sugar Hit #4 at the Sofitel Wentworth
GFM 2006: Sugar Hit #3 at the Intercontinental Sydney
GFM 2006: Sugar Hit #2 at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
GFM 2006: Sugar Hit #1 at the Park Hyatt Sydney
GFM 2006: Sydney Food & Wine Fair

GFM 2005: Good Living Growers' Markets
GFM 2005: Night Noodle Markets
GFM 2005: Spring Picnic
GFM 2005: Sydney Farmers' Market
GFM 2005: Sydney Food & Wine Fair

GFM 2004: Twilight Trail: Cocktails and Sugar Hits

The amazing impromptu dinner party

The dangerous thing about having friends as greedy as you is that food is never far from the topic of conversation.

So even before we had finished swallowing the last mouthfuls of our oyster picnic at Mooney Mooney, hands rubbing our distended and protesting bellies packed solid with oysters, sushi, cous cous, salad, meatballs, quiche, cheese and spinach triangles, grilled octopus, banana cupcakes, donuts AND chocolate cookies, the G-Man says "sooo..... ummm..... what are we doing for dinner tonight guys?"

There are groans, protests and shudders and complaints that plead "stop, no, I can't talk about food right now". It's all lies though. Within ten minutes we've bandied about the names of restaurants until Pig Flyin' pipes up "how about dinner at my place?"

It's a rhetorical question. We all nod with glee.


Oyster tempura

A few hours later, we're at their place, most of horizontal on the lounge and floor. Whilst I consider myself a fairly good cook, I'm always daunted by the prospect of hosting a dinner party for friends. I can turn leftovers in the fridge into a tasty slap-up meal, but the formality of a dinner causes me no end of hosting concern.

Pig Flyin' has no such worries, and it quickly becomes apparent why. He's a master. A quick trip to the shops and he's cooking up a storm. Our leftover oysters (kept in the esky on the way home) are cooked and then battered into the most delicious morsels of oyster tempura dusted with freshly ground Japanese pepper.


Italian spring vegetable soup

And then there's the soup. I'm not usually a fan of soup but I do enjoy a rustic bowl of homemade soup, filled with chunky vegetables. The Italian spring vegetable soup simmers quietly in the Le Creuset iron pot throughout our dinner preparations and when it's served, it's a sight to behold. Wilted spinach leaves, cubes of potato and florets of broccoli mingle in our bowls of steaming hot ham and vegetable broth. A little dig with the spoon reveals bright yellow gems of supersweet corn and my personal favourite, happy green pillows of broad bean, slippery smooth and very comforting.

It's served with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and a mound of freshly shaved parmesan. Pepper is optional. Smiles of satisfaction are guaranteed.


Roast chickens

The feast continues with two succulent roast chickens, skins golden and crispy, a platter of blanched asparagus spears, bowls of super smooth garlic-chip mashed potato (hand-pressed through a fine sieve in a tag-team effort that leaves three volunteers exhausted) and a cooling salad of raw zucchini, fetta and fresh mint leaves.


Mashed potato


Asparagus


Zucchini, fetta and mint salad

By the end of dinner, we're utterly replete. Could the night get any better?

It does. Pig Flyin' disappears into the kitchen and re-emerges with orange souffles.

We're not worthy. But we're eternally grateful and so very full.

Optional question: What's your fallback dish or menu when guests either loiter or suddenly arrive?


Orange souffles


Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Stomachs Eleven: Christmas 2010 (Pig Flyin)
Stomachs Eleven: Teochew feast (Pig Flyin)
Stomachs Eleven: Mole poblano and pulled pork tacos (Me)
Stomachs Eleven: Pizza and friends (Miss Rice)
Stomachs Eleven: Ten kilograms of mussels (Pig Flyin)
Stomachs Eleven: Shanghainese banquet (M&L)
Stomachs Eleven: Wagyu shabu shabu and dessert sushi (Silverlily)
Stomachs Eleven: Stuffed deboned pig's head + nose-to-tail eating (Pig Flyin)
Stomachs Eleven: French feast (Pig Flyin)
Stomachs Eleven: Whole suckling pig and Chinese banquet (Pig Flyin)
Stomachs Eleven: Hotpot night (M&L)
Stomachs Eleven: Crackling roast pork and black sesame cupcakes (me)
Stomachs Eleven: No ordinary steak dinner (Pig Flyin)
Stomachs Eleven: Polish feast (Miss Rice)
Stomachs Eleven: Christmas 2009 (Pig Flyin)
Stomachs Eleven: Char siu and Hainan chicken (me)
Stomachs Eleven: Amazing impromptu dinner party (Pig Flyin)
Stomachs Eleven: Dumplings and Shanghai soy duck (M&L)

Oyster Saturday at Mooney Mooney

Freshly shucked oysters

The G-man likes oysters. A year after our first trip to Mooney Mooney, the G-man was clamouring for a return visit.

We could think of no reason to refuse.


Les Wadham Oysters

Our bivalve-loving motorcade made its way towards the Hawkesbury, shack number ten, by Les Wadham, firmly in our sights. Imagine our horror when we discovered the shack was closed!
Disaster was averted when Les arrived at that very minute in his truck. Saturday is a busy day for restaurant deliveries we were told. We managed to order six dozen freshly shucked oysters but that's all he would give us. We still had three more car loads of people to come!

It takes some time to shuck oysters and Les was a busy man today. Lesson of the day: pre-order your oysters the day before so he can have them ready for you to pick up.


Fresh Broken Bay Pacific oysters


Rustic hammer on the table out the back


Les Wadham oysters $13/dozen

And my, what beauties! Our precious cargo were loaded into the boot, as we made our way to our lunchtime destination: McKell park in Brooklyn, back over the bridge and five minutes away.

JJ's Oyster Barn at Brooklyn

We supplemented our oyster shortage with another five dozen from JJ's Oyster Barn at Brooklyn. We had fourteen eager mouths to feed!


Oyster menu


JJ's oysters $14/dozen

The taste between the two was no comparison. Whilst JJ's assured us their oysters had been opened that morning, we all found them tired and bland. The plump shiny oysters from Les Wadham were nothing but joy - sweet, salty, creamy and briney bliss.


Spinach quiche (from the Kings Cross Organic Market)

There was more food of course. We had a veritable feast laden on our picnic table. I'd walked up 92 steps to the top part of the park carrying picnic blankets, bags and cupcakes. I was sure I deserved to have about 92 mouthfuls in return.


Sushi platter from Makoto Chatswood


Krispy Kreme donuts


My banana cupcakes (recipe here)

And on our way home, the best sighting of all...


A Batmobile!

Too cool!


Broken Bay Oysters from Les Wadham
10 Kowan Road, Mooney Mooney
Tel: +61 (02) 9985 9704
Mobile: 0410 410 551

Sydney rock oysters and Pacific oysters
Call in advance to place orders for opened oysters

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Oysters at Mooney Mooney 2007
Banana cupcakes

Banana cupcakes

I’d been hoarding mashed up rotten bananas in my freezer for weeks. When the bananas in the fruit bowl start to get all spotty and soft, I let them sit for a little while longer until they’re a mushy goo, transfer them to an airtight container, mash quickly with a fork, and freeze until required.

With a stock of banana mash on hand, and an upcoming picnic with friends, there was no thought but banana cake when deciding what to bake for dessert.

I adapted a few banana cake recipes and converted them into cupcakes – individual portions are always easier at picnics and the mini decorated servings are always a crowd pleaser.

This is a super moist cake that is heady with the flavour and aroma of banana. It can be baked as a loaf if preferred. You could also add a handful of walnuts to the batter for extra crunch. The frosting isn’t necessary for this moist cake but it does make your cupcake look prettier (and provide a glue for your garnish – banana lollies or perhaps some banana chips). I had extra batter which I baked as a mini loaf. It's sensational as a midnight snack, eaten cold straight from the fridge.


Banana cupcakes

125g butter softened
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
150g sour cream (or roughly 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons)
30ml (1 1/2 tablespoons) milk
1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180C (170C for fan-forced).

Cream butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs one at a time.

Add mashed banana, sour cream and milk and mix with a wooden spoon until incorporated.

Add sifted flour, bicarb, mixed spice and cinnamon and fold thorough quickly and lightly until all the flour has been mixed through.

Place a generous tablespoon of batter into muffin trays lined with patty pans. This is a super-moist cake that will not hold a peak, so take care not to overfill or the cake will simply overflow the edges.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Once cool, slather generously with cream cheese icing and garnish with a banana lolly or a few banana chips.

Store banana cake or cupcakes in a tightly covered container in the fridge.

Makes about 12-16 cupcakes.


Cream cheese frosting

30g butter, softened
80g cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cups (240g) icing sugar mixture

Beat butter, cream cheese and lemon juice together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Slowly add icing sugar, beating well between each addition.


Related GrabYourFork posts:
Banana bread
Banana sour cream cake
Cupcakes--chocolate
Cupcakes--mini
Cupcakes--vanilla by Nigella

Good Food Month: Night Noodle Markets, Hyde Park

If you go down to Hyde Park today, you'd better go in disguise...

We made it to the second and final week of the Night Noodle Markets, one of the more popular and accessible events during Good Food Month. It's been cold and blustery this week--almost a return to winter temperatures it seems-- but the allure of food stalls, alfresco dining and an opportunity to catch up with friends after work has been too good to resist for many Sydneysiders.

Roving lion dancers prowling on young children were a crowd highlight and the screens showing Monkey Magic were a cherished flashback down memory lane as well.




Hokkien noodles with vegetables $7.00/$9.00
from Wasinee Thai Cuisine


Prawn dumplings
from East Ocean


Spanish paella $10.00
from Spanthai Food


Steamed chocolate and coconut pudding $6.00
with vanilla bean sweet cream
from Banana Blossom


Crispy sticky rice balls with pork larp salad $10.00
from Banana Blossom


Coconut grilled chicken breast salad $10.00
with crispy egg noodles and sweet tamarind dressing
from Banana Blossom


Pad thai noodles $10.00
from Banana Blossom


Chicken satay $2.50
from Jackie M Malaysian Cuisine

The queue for Jackie M was crazy busy all night. Get there by 5.30pm unless you plan on queueing for at least 20 minutes.


Persian orange cakes $4.00
from Mayan Coffee


My dinner: Crispy sticky rice balls with pork larp salad
from Banana Blossom

I had my usual crispy sticky rice balls from Banana Blossom, a little heavy on the fish sauce but there was irresistible joy from the spiky balls of glutinous rice -- deliciously crunchy and golden on the outside, starchy and chewy on the inside.




R's dinner: Lamb rogan josh
from The Curry House

R's dinner was spicy but disappointingly tepid in temperature.


Sticky rice with mango and coconut $6.00
from Junior Thai

And dessert for me was a container of sticky rice with mango and coconut. Hurrah for the start of mango season.


Where's the lion





The SMH Good Food Month Night Noodle Markets finish this Friday, 24 October 2008.

Night Noodle Markets
Hyde Park North, Hyde Park Sydney (near the Archibald Fountain)
October 13-17 and 20-24, 2008
5pm - 9.30pm

Related GrabYourFork posts:
GFM 2008: Sugar Hit #1: Kings Cross Hotel

GFM 2007: Sugar Hit #3 at the Westin Sydney
GFM 2007: Sugar Hit #2 at the Sofitel Wentworth
GFM 2007: Sugar Hit #1 at the InterContinental Sydney

GFM 2006: Night Noodle Markets Week 3
GFM 2006: Night Noodle Markets Week 2
GFM 2006: Night Noodle Markets Week 1

GFM 2005: Night Noodle Markets