Sydney Night Noodle Markets 2008

Day one of the week-long annual night noodle markets organized by The Sydney Morning Herald. Showcasing some of Sydney's most interesting eateries, all condensed in a bustling festival on Hyde Park packed with diners who seek good food and relaxing alfresco environment. Ah, how delightful!

They've got lots of entertainment as well. Lion dance is one of them (I'm terribly sick of lion dances - which is IMHO the most exploited, overused, and ubiquitous of Chinese cultural performance. It seems that lion dance is the answer for everything. Lunar new year? Lion dance. Mid-autumn festival? Lion dance. Opening of a Wing Chun training hall? Lion dance. Some Chinese guy won the lottery? Lion dance. I'm sick of lion dances). Anyhoo, the atmosphere is perfect. The twinkly-twonkly Asian new-age-slash-chillout-slash-ethnic music from the sound system really sets an exotic mood. They even screen episodes of 1970's Japanese series "Monkey" (Saiyuuki) on a large screen. It's like every Asian pop culture and not-so-pop culture stereotypes packed into one. It's wonderfully kitschy.

What to eat, what to eat, That's always the question. Although this festival is called 'noodle markets', they've got much more than noodles - from Japanese okonomiyaki to Dutch poffertjes. There are familiar stalls such as Wagamama, East Ocean, and Zilver, but also some that I haven't heard of like the Singapore Guo Tiao King, which boasted a massive queue longer than the great wall of China.

Eventually, my choice went to Yai Surry Hills - because they've got coconut drink! Couldn't bother to wait for the Singapore Guo Tiao King - I'll try it some other time.

Pad Thai (from Yai Surry Hills)

-> Just so-so. Kind of dissapointed, because they pre-cooked the pad thai (instead of making 'em to order). It's light and simple though, which is kind of nice.

Rating: 6/10

Coconut Drink

-> As refreshing as a gentle breeze in the beaches of Phuket. Naturally sweet and mouthwatering.


Rating: 10/10 (can't argue with mother nature)

Black Canyon Coffee - Cipete, Jakarta

Sawadee Khrap! Welcome to Jakarta's first Black Canyon Coffee, Cipete's current hottest hangout! Celebrities, high-and-hung-over partyboys, Harley chopper gangs, chain-smoking screenwriters, or even noisy schoolgirls still in uniform at 10pm hang out here.

Until roughly 6 months ago, most Jakartans have never even heard of black canyon coffee. The coffee shop chain is actually very popular in Thailand, where it comes from. In fact, some people are surprised to hear waiters greeted them with a "sawasdee" as they show them to their tables. They're even more surprised that this particular Black Canyon outlet is not the first outlet in Indonesia. They opened several outlets in Bandung, Makassar, Surabaya, and Bali years ago. As a Jakartan, this hurt my pride just a smidge, because everyone knows that everything that enters Indonesia MUST go through Jakarta first. That was the cardinal rule.

I first encountered Black Canyon Coffee in Bangkok a couple of years ago. In Thailand, their outlets are mostly smaller ones - unlike this particular outlet in Cipete street. Dubbed their Indonesian flagship outlet, the reasonably-priced cafe is truly a comfy place to hang out. They've got wi-fi, too (which recently became a must-have facility to attract customers. No wi-fi, no customer. That's how it goes these days in Jakarta). Black Canyon coffee also opened its doors in Singapore's Katong area a few years ago (something I wasn't aware of).


This is indeed a huge place for a cafe that mainly serve snack and drinks. The interior is dominated with comfy leather seats, homey rattan couches, and the restaurant has generous outdoor spaces. They've got this balcony which I just adore. The location is also perfect - Cipete street has so many good eateries nowadays, it's like little Kemang. Sooner or later, expats would fill this place considering that the Cipete area has a considerable French community. Kudos to Thailand for creating such a good concept!

Iced Lemon Tea Frost

Black Canyon Iced Coffee

-> Their must-try signature drink.

Pad Thai Kung

-> One of the better ones I've tasted in Jakarta. It's also the most expensive ala carte menu (surprisingly).

American Fried Rice

-> Quite delightful. This is very much a quintessential Thai hawker / small restaurant fare. This is what those Sukhumvit office workers in Bangkok would have for their lunch break.

Deep-fried Chicken

-> Served with Mae Ploy / Mae Pranom sauce, of course.

Mango Tree - Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok

1-hour transit in Bangkok? If I don't grab a bite (even though I wasn't so hungry, and to think that I'll have a meal in my next flight anyway), I'll surely regret it.

It's what Singaporeans call "boh kam guan".

Pad thai kung sod

-> It's good, although the price was astronomical. Everything in Suvarnabhumi airport is overpriced. More so than London Heathrow. And also, notice the sprig of shallots? The main difference between pad thai sold in Thailand and outside Thailand is, well, the overseas version usually has the shallots chopped and fried with the noodle, but the Thai version has little to no shallots in the pad thai, but rather, whole sprigs of fresh shallots are served on the side. And yes, you're supposed to take bites of them while you eat your pad thai. The very thought nauseates me.

David Jones Noodle Bar

tuesday lunch.

Pad Thai

Hokkien Noodle with Vegetable

The Galleries Victoria, Sydney

Bibimbap
-> Actually, this one is from Woo Ree at Sussex Centre, not The Galleries Victoria.



Pad Thai Gai
-> (Chicken Pad Thai) from Chat Thai @TGV



Pad Krapao Goong
-> (Stir-fried prawns with basil) from Chat Thai. Always a favorite.