When: Thursday, November 9 to Sunday, November 26
Mon-Fri: 5pm til late. Weekends: 4pm til late
Where: Birrarung Marr – Batman Ave, Melbourne VIC 3000
The inner-city park of Birrarung Marr will come alive once again with the highly-anticipated Night Noodle Markets this November, setting Melbourne alight with the smells, sights, and sounds of more than thirty sizzling stalls.
Over eighteen flavour-packed nights, this Asian market feast will shine a light on Melbourne’s multi-cultural flavours – from Hochi Mama to Gelato Messina – fusing cuisines from across Asia in one vibrant, open-air experience. This year’s Night Noodle Markets will debut as a standalone culinary event, with The Age Good Food Month moving to June 2018.
“Each year, Night Noodle Markets captures the appetite and imagination of Melbourne, bringing people together with the heady scents and sizzling sounds on the banks of the Yarra,” Venessa Cowell, Director of Food Events at Fairfax Media said.
“We’re excited to see it now stand proudly as its own event in the city’s world-class culinary calendar, as we get set to introduce Melbourne to a brand-new Good Food Month programme in June”.
Night Noodle Markets. Image: Linsey Rendell
Old favourites Hoy Pinoy will be serving their sizzling Inihaw na manok (chicken skewers in traditional soy glaze), while St Kilda’s Mahjong showcases their regional signatures from across China, including their Dan Dan Noodle (Szechuan hawker-style spicy chicken noodles).
Wonderbao is cooking up heavenly steamed buns with tasty flavours and fillings, as well as their famous Gua bao boxes with three to choose from: roast pork belly, sweet & spicy Korean fried chicken or panko crumbed eggplant. In another section will be Vietnamese food truck Nem N’ Nem, bringing their signature bahn mi sliders on Vietnamese baguettes.
Gelato Messina game show-themed stall at Night Noodle Markets. Image: Supplied
And for those with an aching sweet tooth, Gelato Messina will offer four exclusive desserts, served from their Japanese Game Show-themed stand. Their counter will see specialty desserts such as Kamikaze Katsu (a deep fried ice cream sandwich) to the O-NO-Giri (a pistachio and green tea gelato version of the popular onigiri rice found in Japan, which includes real seaweed.
The full Night Noodle Markets menu will be announced very soon.
The spice and smoke will be matched with entertainment, celebrity guest appearances, live music, and interactive spaces. Brands Laira will bring the Coonawarra region to the city with a pop-up Cellar Door. Guests will be able to sip and savour a selection of Brand’s Laira wines including the multi-award winning Brand’s Laira 2014 Blockers Cabernet Sauvignon, whilst soaking up the festival atmosphere.
Beer The Beautiful Truth night terrace will show guests how to perfectly match the flavours of each dish to beer, while Spring’s favourite drink Pimms will be available on tap at the Garden Bar. To make things quick and easy, the markets are also cash-free so guests can spend less time queuing and more time enjoying the night.
And just like last year, Citi customers will be treated to the best seats at Night Noodle Markets, with the return of Citi VIP. And in a first for this year, Citi customers 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.
