Chatswood Melody Market

The Chatswood markets, like most markets, took a break over the Christmas and New Year period but did not reappear even by early February. I started to get worried when barriers sprung up sectioning off parts of Victoria Avenue Mall, as there have been notices up for a while regarding the mall’s revamp which involves the laying of grass amongst other things. Although it is nice for the local council to be redoing this high paedestrian traffic area which has uneven surfaces in some parts, my first concern was of course the future of the markets and the ability of my stomach to still access their foods! The weekly markets are not exclusively comprised of food stalls alone, but they do make up the bulk of the stall holders.

But as of a few weeks ago, the familiar market stands have reappeared but are now cramped down the eastern end of the mall instead of being spread across the length of it as in the past. I’ve previously mentioned my love of the Mojo Picon stall which seems to constantly have a sea of people around it but then there’s also the gozleme stand…

Oh, how I do love a good, fresh gozleme! The filling to crèpe-like crust ratio mustn’t be too high or low and the crust cannot be soggy nor rubbery. This stand at the markets always seems to get it right in my opinion but, alas, I do not know their name! Be prepared to wait though, as everything is made fresh and it is popular with the masses.

The other stall which keeps drawing me back is Jackie M with its Malaysian cuisine. Perhaps it is the lack of access to Malaysian food in Chatswood, or perhaps it is the rich aromas of garlic and soy which emanate from their little gas burner woks. However the most important thing is that the food is decent and affordable.

On an afternoon walking past before Christmas and in desperate need of a snack, I had the following interesting combination: roti with kaya (squishy, flaky, coconutty and buttery goodness for $5), chicken satay skewer (sweet and very nutty) and vegetable curry puff.

More recently for dinner, Monsieur Poisson and I bought a couple of things before seating ourselves in the Lemon Grove food court to enjoy them. We had one of ‘The Works’ as I was captured by the variety of curry dahl, cucumber, chicken satay skewers, coconut rice, roti and choice of curry (beef rendang for us). I had several gripes about this box unfortunately which included everything being at roughly room temperature and nothing being piping hot. The other gripes were about the chicken satay skewers being noticeably shorter in the meat department than previous and why was the sauce such a creamier, paler shade now?

However all was redeemed with the char kway teo with chicken. It was steaming hot, fragrant of garlic, fried shallots and chilli and had nicely separated flat rice noodles as well as Hokkien egg noodles.

I have a big weakness for markets, be it for stalls of food or little knick-knacks. I may not necessarily buy anything but I am always curious to have a look. My husband is a sucker for stalls that sell corn on a stick. Are you a fan of markets? And is there a type of stand you can never walk past without taking a peek?

Chatswood (Willoughby Council) Melody Market

Eastern end of Victoria Ave Mall, Chatswood NSW

Opening Hours:  every Thurs  10am-9pm

happy eating!

Five days in Brisbane: Jan Power’s Farmers Markets, 21 Oct 2009

Ahhh, glorious sunny Brisbane weather! The perfect kind of day to amble through farmers markets that happen to be right in the middle of the city. Every Wednesday, Jan Power’s Farmers Markets descend on the space at the top of Queen Street Mall next to Conrad Treasury Casino. As the seasons were definitely taking a turn for the warmer weather, the produce was vibrant and there was colour everywhere.

There were cherry truss tomatoes, massive punnets of plump strawberries, huge mushrooms, bags of unshelled macadamias and a stand that sold many varieties of potted herbs and leafy vegetables. There were samples of chocolate fudge and mango. There were stands selling macarons and large cannoli for only $3.50 (which I forgot to go back and get!), and a stand selling mini lemon meringue pies and fruit tartlets that wouldn’t let me take photos… But there was too much food to be had to dwell on that sour note, although it did mean I didn’t go back to buy a sample box of their products before we left.

Monsieur Poisson and I did the rounds before deciding what goodies we’d be picking up for lunch. We started with a traditional Cornish pastie as the line was not too long there. For $6, we were rewarded with neatly-pleated crumbly pastry holding a hot filling of meat, potato and carrot bound together by a light sauce.

Next stop was for a knackwurst roll. This was by far the most popular stand with a queue weaving down one side the whole time we were there which coincided with the office lunch hour. We chose a spicy knackwurst for $5 which included grilled onions and your choice of sauces to add at the end. Mmmm, smoky spiciness enclosed in a frankfurt casing.

We smelt the aromas of buttery pastry before we even saw the stand shrouded in a black tent, which turned out to sell baked French bread and pastries. We came away with a chocolate croissant and apple Danish for $9.70 thinking we would have them at the end of lunch, but ended up being so full that we had to take them back to the hotel room for eating much later. The wonderful part was that the pastry was still lovely and flaky even after many, many hours.

By this stage we were in need of some refreshment and I had something perfect in mind. We had seen a fresh lemonade stand and I have an extreme soft spot for the lightly fizzed tanginess of fresh lemonade. What’s more, they were promoting a new frozen lemonade product called ‘kwiish’. A large cup cost only $4.50, was frangrantly lemony and so thirst quenching after eating that knackwurst roll under the direct heat of the sun.

Our last stop was a Turkish bakery stand that smelt wonderfully garlicky. Several goods are baked onsite, including pide, so we got to try a meat and cheese one that was extremely fresh. The pide was warm and slightly crusty with a light and doughy centre. The best part was that we found some seats looking at the back of the stall where we got to witness all the action of the cutting up and rolling out of dough. Several large buckets of dough sat nearby, silently rising and pushing off their lids.

I love markets. And if I lived in Brisbane, I’m sure I would have bought things to take home for cooking. But, with this not being the case, I had to be happy with trying the prepared goods from several stands – and we were more than happy do so.

Jan Power’s Famers Markets

Bridge end of Queen Street Mall, next to Conrad Treasury Casino, Brisbane QLD

Opening Hours:  every Wed  10am-6pm (please check website for other locations and times)

happy eating!

Mojo Picon, 20 Aug 2009

I met Ms Sourdough for lunch one day and when the option of garlic prawns and chorizo came up, she did not hesitate in taking my suggestion. Mojo Picon’s stall at the Chatswood markets is not difficult to find – just follow the fragrant aromas with your nose in amongst the other food and non-food vendors. You will definitely smell it before you see it and the Mojo Picon salsas are a great accompaniment to the food.

The little stand has bar-style seating which can be hard to come by at peak times, so you may find yourself circling the outlet like a vulture. Once ordered, it doesn’t take long for the food to be served. Ms Sourdough and I share a large serve of garlic prawns and a chorizo roll.

The garlic prawns are served in a small plastic replica paella pan, topped with plenty of parsley and with a wedge of lemon. The prawns are beautiful with a squirt of Mojo Picon’s salsa verde. A crusty bread roll comes complimentary for mopping up the juices and the only downfall is that the prawns used come frozen. The chorizo roll has a chorizo split in half down the middle served on the same sort of crusty roll, with which Ms Sourdough and I sample both the red salsa and the salsa verde. The verde is herby and fresh while the red is mildly spicy but both are fairly timid and would be suitable for any manner of barbequed or grilled meats.

Apart from other retailers, the market also features various music acts from week to week as well as this super-sized boardgame. Chess, anyone?

Mojo Picon

Willoughby Council Melody Market, Victoria Ave, Chatswood NSW

Opening Hours:  Thurs  10am-9pm

(Also at EQ Village Markets, Entertainment Quarter, 122 Lang Rd, Moore Park NSW

Opening Hours:  Wed & Sat  10am-3:30pm

                        Sun  10am-4pm)

happy eating!

A week in Melbourne: Queen Victoria Market, 9 July 2009

I love markets in general, be it ones that sell cooked food, clothing or fresh food. I fell in love with Queen Victoria Market over ten years ago when I first visited, and a middle-aged Italian man sold me my first pair of mules – “These are-a made-a from the best-a Italian-a leather. Very good-a value!” I remember feeling dwarfed by the sheer size of the place and being impressed by the cleanliness. I went back again about seven years later with a much greater appreciation for food, and loved how there was a designated Meat Hall and Deli Hall which had been divided into different little outlets.

Suffice to say, there was no way I would be missing these markets on this trip. As they are closed a couple of days of the week, I made sure I allocated time for an extensive wander. I start off with the non-food stalls and am disappointed that they have become much more generic since my last visit. The merchandise seems to repeat itself every few stalls at every aisle, but I perk up when I hit the fruit, vegetable and nuts aisles. There are strawberries from Queensland that are plump, red and fragrant in the middle of winter that don’t cost an arm and a leg! I buy myself a punnet and continue on.

Along the Victoria Street perimeter of the markets is a row of stores where I discover Xocolatl, yet another Melbourne chocolatier, and I am torn as whether to buy some so as to sample their products. By this stage, I have already purchased chocolates from Cacao and Koko Black and there is always the issue of transport back to Sydney to consider. It is surprising that I even need to contemplate the issue – the answer should always be, “Yes, of course, buy more chocolate!”

Next I walk through the Meat Hall, although I have no need to buy meat and no cooking to do whilst away, and am amazed at how cheap lamb cutlets can be. The Deli Hall is in the adjacent block and is where I plan to have lunch but, oh, the choices! I do a lap of the place to check out what’s on offer and to see which outlets are the most popular. The display windows of Deli Hall outlets are high up often with more items placed on top of the windows. For a small person like me, this means that I am easily hidden by mounds of bread or that I have to repeat what I want as my voice fails to project over sticks of salami. I am met with several amused looks from retailers as I purchase tiny amounts of food. The warm, friendly Greek lady at the deli cannot help herself but comment, “Only two slices of-a the prosciutto? Oooh, they are very thin, u know!” Nevertheless, she ungrudgingly wraps up all the little components of my request and I move on the get some bread.

My picnic lunch ends up consisting of dolmades, marinated Kalamata olives, a sourdough ciabatta roll, a borek (filled with spinach, cheese and parsley), Spanish serrano prosciutto and hot Sopressa salami. I can only finish half of what I have purchased, partly because I discovered the borek outlet after I had bought the ciabatta roll. I sadly have to give the bratwurst stall a miss as well. Monsieur Poisson and I make our way through some of the remainders whilst watching television and I dump the remaining olives on Anna when I visit her.

My last stop before leaving the markets is the American Doughnut Kitchen in its instantly recognisable van. There is a long but quickly-moving queue extending from the window and I line up under Weirdo’s recommendation for some fluffy, doughy goodness. I buy two – one is better-formed than the other so I eat the uglier one whilst walking across the Queen Victoria Market carpark and save the prettier one for Monsieur Poisson. My coat receives a light dusting of sugar runoff with each bite of doughnut and I have to be careful not to scald my tongue with the runny, raspberry jam filling.

And the Queensland strawberries that I bought earlier? Well I saved some of them for Monsieur Poisson to savour after a long day at his training course along with the doughnut.

Queen Victoria Market

Cnr Queen St & Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC

Tel: (03) 9320 5822

Opening Hours:  Mon  CLOSED

Tues  6am-2pm

Wed  CLOSED

Thurs 6am-2pm

Fri  6am-5pm

Sat  6am-3pm

Sun  9am-4pm

Xocolatl

115-121 Victoria St, Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne VIC

Tel: (03) 9329 4411

American Doughnut Kitchen

The parking lot of Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne VIC

happy eating!