Originally from Sydney, I am often upset when awesome events pass Canberra by. What’s wrong with Canberra? We have an awesome, active population who just jumps at the idea of trying something new. We love our Multicultural Festival and we are big foodies too. Hence, the success of the opening of the Night Noodle Markets, last night in Reconciliation Place, held by Good Food Month and coinciding with Enlighten.
The Night Noodle Markets will be held every night from February 27 to March 8 to coincide with Enlighten Festival. There will be 15 stalls serving Asian hawker food- that’s a whole lot of noodles, gyozas, skewers and spices {which are all extremely toddler friendly and approved}.
There will also be some pretty impressive desserts on offer {think amazing N2 ice-cream treats and waffles on a stick} as well as wine, beer, cider and awesome iced tea {a must for pregnant and breast feeding Mamas is the Ginger, Lemon and Mint iced tea from SpanThai} to wash it all down with.
 |
| This is the awesome iced tea from SpanThai that is an absolute must! |
Tonight I was invited on a tour and taste of the Enlighten Night Noodle Markets with Canberra Times Food and Wine editor Natasha Rudra, followed by a launch party where a group of us Canberra bloggers unashamedly went on to eat a LOT of food {it’s our job, right?}.
So you’re a Mama and you’ve got your gaggle of kiddies in toe, here is my plan for you to hit up the Night Noodle Markets {and head home with happy kids/parents and a full belly}.
1. Take the pram and a picnic rug: the event production team have done an awesome job setting up the space. It’s way larger then its Sydney contingent – but we all know that the good seats {and tables} get taken early. Never mind, there is plenty of green space for you to arrive and snag a spot with your pram and your picnic rug.
2. Divide and concur: this is where the pram is awesome if you have more then one child {like we do}. Head there with your partner {and some friends too if that works for you}… strap your littles in and then send the majority of the adults out to hit up a variety of stores all at once {because the cues were rather long on Friday night – but you may have more luck on a Monday or Tuesday night if you want to avoid said cues}.
 |
| Mr Moo tucking into the amazing Noodles from local vendor Thirst |
 |
| Local vendor and Thirst owner {pictured above} stated that he had been busy preparing 1000 covers for the first night of the Night Noodle Markets. |
3. Support local and interstate vendors: Mr Moo loved the noodles from local vendors Thirst Thai and Morks. Support local so that more Canberra vendors take part in the Night Noodle Markets next year. And then support interstate vendors {because we really want them to come back next year too} as they’re going to be cooking up things that we don’t normally get here in Canberra. My top picks are; boat noodles from Morks, dumplings from Zagyoza and skewers from Hoy Pinoy {the BBQ’ed pork belly with banana ketchup was my dish of the day and the meat was so tender that Mr Moo even devoured an entire skewer himself}.
 |
| Mork’s family recipe for their Boat Noodles {a dish that isn’t on their menu – so get down to the Night Noodle Markets and enjoy them putting an awesome family favourite on the market for us to try}. |
 |
| Here is an awesome interstate vendor to support – Daniel San from Manly Beach. |
 |
| Does this girl look familiar? She is the ‘Chick, chick, boom’ girl from Kings Cross! |
4. Don’t worry about the mess: let the kids be kids and let them eat with their hands {because that’s what they are meant to do with the majority of these street foods}. Give them an opportunity to try out the chopsticks. Allow them to take in all that is Asian and it doesn’t matter if they are taking it in via osmosis {yes, Mr Moo did end up with noodles in his hair – but he was extremely happy and ate well}.
 |
| Interstate vendor Hoy Pinoy and my dish of the Night Noodle Markets – BBQ’ed pork belly with banana ketchup. |
5. Bring lots of wet wipes: At the end of the day, nothing can’t be fixed with a lot of baby wipes and a bath when you get home. We bumped into a friend who was carrying their toddler back to the car so that they could grab the baby wipes after he’d smashed a skewer and had Asian goodness all over his face. So remember to bring them in with you.
Most importantly enjoy it and enjoy making memories with your little family. Because it is the adventours that our little ones have {like this} that will stay with them for a lifetime. If you head on down to the Night Noodle Markets, grab some images and don’t forget to use the hashtag #NightNoodleMarkets.
