Night Noodle Markets - 2019

It's that time of year again, the Night Noodle Markets are back in Sydney.

Simon and I drove into the city on Tuesday night to have dinner and a browse around the food stalls in Hyde Park. One of our favourite dishes of the night were the levitating noodles from Flying Noodles. Such a cool optical illusion and delicious too! We also tried the chip on a stick and some bao buns.  Later on we grabbed dessert from Messina and as usual their flavour combinations were unique and sooo good. I've popped some pics from the night......

We arrived early at 5ish as the markets opened so lines were short and the tables plentiful but as the night wore on the crowds got bigger and the lines for each stall were longer so get there early if you can! It was lovely to pop in again for a mid week date night. 

It's always a cool vibe and there are also a couple of bar areas if you just want to sit and have a drink and catch up with friends. Also a few ping pong tables if you're up for a game!

Have you been? What was your favourite stall?

Date Night - March into Merivale - Food and Wine Festival

Simon and I had a date night last night and decided to jump onto a ferry and head into the city for the launch party of "March into Merivale"

"March into Merivale" is a food and wine festival showcasing the delicious food and cocktails from over 50 of Merivale's venues.

The champagne and Absolut Seabreezes were flowing (vodka, cranberry + grapefruit juice - delish!) and we sampled lots of amazing dishes from various pop up stalls in the laneway and on the various levels of Ivy. The paella was definitely a stand out for us! 

It was fun to wander around and come across different menus, watch the chefs cooking, pick and choose from the pop up stalls and find a spot to chill and listen to the music. The whole atmosphere and attention to detail in the styling of the event was fantastic and really added to the whole fun vibe.

Here are some photos from our night - 

It was such a balmy night it was lovely to finish up the evening sitting in a cabana by the pool.

"March into Merivale" runs from the 14th February - 20th March.

You can download a program here 

We had such a great time we're thinking of going back for the European Laneway night

It really is great value and an awesome way to catch up with friends or perfect for a date night.

Have you been to "March into Merivale" before?

I'm a huge fan of the Merivale restaurants. 

You can read my posts on some of their other venues below -

http://honeynfizz.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/date-night-papi-chulo-manly.html

http://honeynfizz.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/coogee-pavilion-delicious-food-gorgeous.html

http://honeynfizz.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/an-impromptu-night-out-1888-hotel-mr.html

An impromptu night out - 1888 hotel + Mr Wong + Palmer & Co

Simon and I had an impromptu night out in the city on Tuesday. These school holidays have been busy so it was nice to have the break with just us two. 
I'd also been offered a free night at the 1888 hotel due to having over 10k Instagram followers so we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and make it a little mini break.
We headed into the city to check into the hotel, have a wander around and decide on where we wanted to go for dinner.

 We checked in to the 1888, it had a very cool New York hotel vibe going on. It is also in a great location in Pyrmont, so close to Darling Harbour and a 5 min cab ride into the city.
We wandered over to Darling Harbour for a walk around the shops and a bite to eat. Also a couple of cocktails on a Tuesday afternoon felt very decadent!

We headed back to the hotel to hang out for a while before dinner. The bliss of having time to do nothing at all.   We decided to go to Mr Wong for dinner but stopped to have a drink in the bar downstairs before heading out.

Excuse the quality of my pics please! I only had my phone with me and the mood lighting everywhere played havoc with my pics ;)
We jumped in a cab and arrived in the lane way leading to Mr Wong. Terrific atmosphere and the place was jam packed.  Who would have thought on a Tuesday night?

There was a bit of a wait for a table so we decided to wait in the bar downstairs, Palmer and Co.

 It was very cool,  we entered via the lift and walked out to a jazz band and a dark, moody Speakeasy.

The bar staff wore bow ties and suspenders and the waitresses were dressed as flappers. I love that attention to detail!

Exposed brick seemed to be the theme of the night!

Simon had a rum and ginger beer, and I had the Deusenberg cocktail a mix of citrus, vodka and popping rocks!

Once our table was ready we went back upstairs to Mr Wong and salivated over the menu. It all looked so delicious. We shared some dumplings to start and shared the Salt & Pepper Calamari, Char Siu pork, Rice and delicious Asian greens. We are still talking about the food!

 

After dinner we walked down to the Rocks to walk off dinner and to grab a cab. We popped into the Guylian cafe to pick up some chocolates to take home to the boys the next day.
We had the best sleep, the blackout curtains at the hotel worked a treat and it was 9am before we knew it.

Breakfast in bed was the finishing touch and we went home feeling rested. It's amazing how less than 24 hours away can make a huge difference.

How have your school holidays been? Did you get the chance for a break?

Date Night - Papi Chulo, Manly

Last night Simon and I went out and we decided to try Papi Chulo at Manly Wharf.

Papi Chulo has a smokehouse/grill South American vibe, specialising in barbeque.
The decor was gorgeous and so fresh. I love seeing new restaurants fit outs and their ideas.  Lots of home inspiration there!
 I started with a delicious cocktail, the Palomita and Simon had a cider. We shared some tasty croquettes (mushroom & gruyere) and empanadas (wild greens & raclette) to start. They were perfect.
 Simon had the ribs, I had the bbq octopus and we shared the vietnamese coleslaw and curly fries. The curly fries deserve their own photo. They were the best!
We were so full when we walked out, everything was so good. We'd love to come back for lunch and to try some of their burgers. They sound divine!
Have you been? What did you think?

all pics are my own