Dragons wandering the streets, steamy delights waft into the air and red envelopes are everywhere you look. Chinese New Year celebrating the new year, the year of the Rooster is an experience beyond Chinese culture. You can get a little taste of the fervour for yourself at the Lunar Markets. Taking ove rPyrmont Bay Park from Jan 27th – Feb 5th, there’ll be lanterns hanging from every rafter, perfect for that prime insta shot. Head down for dinner armed with this guide, and you’ll suffer indecisive mealtime no more. Gong Xi Fa Cai !
#1 Assorted Mix at Let’s Do Yum Cha
Our most traditional pick, this assortment is a perfect taste tester for the beginner or a smorgasbord for those handy with chopsticks. Soft pillows filled with BBQ pork, glassy clear prawn dumplings, piping hot chicken dim sims, a vegetarian dumpling and a spring roll in all it’s flaky goodness. The smart way to navigate a food festival is tasty little morsels and this one delivers on all accounts.
#2 Phat Me at Etsy’s Cantina
A firey fusion taking the Vietnamese banh mi and filling it with South American flavours. Pork and beef chorizo meets kewpie mayo, pickled carrots, sriracha and coriander. Oh an for added crunch, a dusting of cucumber flavoured potato chips. Seriously, they exist. A perfect encounter of flavours.
#3 The Lunar “Chick” at Chur Burger
It’s not just the punny name that won us over, Chur Burger are masters of the buns. Salt and pepper crusted chicken is sandwiched between pickled cucumber, lettuce and the god of all condiments sriracha mayo. Can this be our new usual please?
#4 Singapore Chilli Soft Shell Crab at Yang & Co
A seafood staple at their permanent location, Yang & Co are bringing their crowd favourite to the markets. Delicate crab is fried ever so lightly and served with fried Chinese bread. For seafood aficionados and Asian cuisine lovers alike. It’s modern Asian, bringing together all the flavours of growing up in Australia and tasting the world with each crispy bite.
#5 Cookie Shots at One Tea Lounge
Priding themselves on green tea creations beyond your wildest dreams, their offering at the markets is nothing less than spectacular. But if you’re ready to hit the sweets, look no further than their cookie shots. Matcha and red velvet cookies fashioned into the perfect shot size, ready to swig the matcha white chocolate sauce back immediately. A Japanese delight that’s weird and wonderful in equal measure, a matcha made in heaven.
Image source: Lunar Markets, One Tea Lounge, Yang&Co, Chur Burger, Let’s Do Yum Cha, Etsy’s Cantina.
