The countdown is on - The Canberra Times Night Noodle Markets are just over a week away.
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Over 10 nights, the festival will turn its new location of Parkes Place West Lawns into a vibrant Asian street food festival, where hawker-style stalls will serve up their most drool-worthy dishes and bites.
Marking the popular markets first return to the nation's capital since 2020, Canberrans will have the chance to feast on sizzling, sweet and spicy meals and morsels from an exciting mix of popular local, national and interstate eateries.
Here's just a snapshot of what to look forward to at this year's event.
Mr Miyagi
Melbourne's Japanese restaurant Mr Miyagi is jumping on the road and making its way to Canberra for the Night Noodle Markets, showcasing an exclusive menu that will make you want the restaurant to set up shop permanently in the capital.
Miyagi and his team have pulled out all the stops for the locals, dishing up some tasty savoury snacks, which will leave you coming back for seconds or even thirds.
This year's menu features his new Mr Miyagi's Mighty Pucks which come in serves of two and three filling options, all served in a bun with saucy goodness. The hoisin duck pucks see hoisin Peking duck grilled bao, topped with Japanese mayo, roasted sesame seeds, pickles, ginger.
The satay wagyu beef puck features satay wagyu beef grilled bao, kaffir lime, topped with roasted peanut infused Japanese mayo, coconut crunch and spring onions.
And as a vegetarian option, there are the miso eggplant pucks with chargrilled eggplant and quinoa grilled bao, topped with sticky miso glaze, pink Japanese mayo and coriander.
If you're looking for your salt fix, Mr Miyagi has also put his Miyagi Gravy Fries on this year's market menu. Golden shoestring fries, drizzled with rich Japanese gravy, shaved spring onion and toasted sesame seeds.
Demochi Donuts
Regular market-goers may remember Demochi Donuts from the last time the event was in town. For those who weren't lucky enough to have this sweet treat last time, let us introduce you to a dessert that is a mix of fairy floss, chewing gum and a doughnut.
Effectively it mochi in doughnut form.
Made out of glutenous rice flour, which makes the dough stretchy but also pillowy soft, mochi is a traditional Japanese dessert mainly eaten during the new year celebration.
The culinary geniuses at Sydney's Demochi Donuts, have then switched out this traditional recipe to add in some traditional flour to give these treats a crispy outside as well.
This year's flavours include the classic cinnamon, the original honey, chocolate-dipped doughnut and the butterscotch dipped doughnut.
Flying Noodle
The Night Noodle Markets are filled with dishes perfect for a fun Instagram photo. But none are quite as memorable as the Flying Noodle.
The seemingly gravity-defying dish returns for 2022, with three options to choose from.
The first is the glazed honey soy chicken, served with seasonal vegetables with the signature flying noodles. There are also braised, slow-cooked pork belly with vegetables and Australian prawn and tom yum sauce options.
Korbq
Canberra favourites Korbq are returning to the markets this year, with a menu filled with favourite dishes.
The first of which is the dish that cannot be missed when having a Korbq feast - Korean fried chicken, available with original, soy and chilli flavours and served with salad.
There are also tempura eggplant and tempura vegetable pancakes, both of which are topped with mayo and sweet chilli sauce and served with salad.
Hoy Pinoy
Hoy Pinoy is no stranger to the Night Noodle Markets and the 2022 event wouldn't be the same without it.
The Hoy Pinot stall and the Hoy Pinoy Cart are both offering inihaw na manok - chicken skewers with a traditional soy glaze - and inihaw na baboy - pork belly skewers in banana ketchup glaze.
For more options, the main stall is also offering lechon - boneless Hoy Pinoy style pork middle roasted over charcoal, served on steamed rice and sawsawan.
Also on offer is mais - smoked corn kernels with a coconut chilli crumb - ensaladang pipino - pickled cucumber salad - and kanin steamed rice with atchara (green papaya pickle).
The Sunday Baker
A brownie quite literally self-described as Better Than Sex - it's right there in the name - is hard to go by on The Sunday Baker's offerings. With a combination of dark, milk, caramel and white chocolate, the Better Than Sex brownie is the definition of decadence.
The Sunday Baker's selection of sweet treats with an Asian twist continues with the Hipster Brownie. Who says vegans can't have fun? This dark choc and almond brownie is gluten-free and vegan (and so good you wouldn't even know).
And then there's The Sunday Baker's take on a traditional Asian condensed milk dessert, the Pash 'n' Dash. It sees a crispy coconut biscuit base covered in a heavenly passionfruit condensed milk topping baked to perfection.
All of their offerings can be served with your choice of mango pancake cream, yuzu cream or coconut lychee yoghurt.
Wonderbao
There is something about bao that is a must-have when it comes to a Night Noodle Markets experience. Luckily, Wonderbao is on hand to complete your menu with six different bao.
The okonomiyaki tofu gua bao has crispy tofu with red pickles, okonomiyaki sauce garnished with nori and shichimi. The veggie bao sees the soft pillowy bao filled with a saucy medley of mushrooms, cabbage, carrots and tofu.
The roast pork belly gua bao sees tender roast pork with hoisin sauce, pickled cucumber and spring onions. Meanwhile, the barbecue pork bao sees pork in a slightly sweet and savoury sauce.
Korean fried chicken gua bao has crispy fried chicken with sweet and spicy Korean sauce topped with fresh pickled daikon and toasted sesame seeds.
And who said bao can't be sweet? Wonderbao's custard bao is filled with a sweet butter custard with a hint of coconut.
ZERO% by Dan Murphy's
The demand for non-alcoholic options has skyrocketed since the last time the Night Noodle Markets came to town, so it's only fitting that this year's event features some booze-free drinks.
And that's where ZERO% by Dan Murphy's comes in.
The ZERO% by Dan Murphy will offer customers a contemporary bar setting where they can enjoy a range of non-alcohol cocktails, including salted caramel espresso martini and blood orange spritz.
"Many Australians still have a misconception that non-alcoholic drinks are overly sweet or not as satisfying as their alcoholic counterparts, and we want to help drinks lovers understand what a great option non-alcoholic drinks are with our Dan Murphy's ZERO% pop-up bars," Dan Murphy's managing director Alex Freudmann says.
"Choosing a cocktail minus the alcohol is not a compromise anymore; you are getting a full-flavoured, hand-crafted drink thanks to some great Aussie innovation in this space."
The ZERO% by Dan Murphy's bar is in collaboration with Lyre's, an Australian drinks producer that has created the most awarded non-alcoholic spirits in the world.
- The Canberra Times Night Noodle Markets is on from February 25 to March 6. Monday to Thursday, from 5pm to 9pm. Friday, from 5pm to 10.30pm. Saturday, from 4pm to 10.30pm. Sunday, from 4pm to 9pm. To register for a free ticket go to nightnoodlemarkets.com.au.
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