went on the 4th day, and 3rd last day. massive difference in crowd level. on the friday, people were already queuing at the popular stores even before it officially starts at 5pm.
first time i went, just wanted to see what there was. i knew wonderbao from melbourne would be there so it was on my "to-eat' store, but when i saw the prices, my heart dropped.
i was willing to pay $15 for 3, but not $20 for 3. they weren't that big either, and apparently it's almost double the price of their actual store in melb. also the buns etc, i'm pretty sure you can almost buy a whole back of 6 buns for the price of the normal buns they have here.
twice cooked pork belly w/ pickled carrots, damon, cucumber and hoisin sauce-$7
in the end, i decided to get one. i made sure that a few people got it before me, so it wasn't like the first few are more dodgy since they just opened for the night, if that makes sense. this was over hyped. bread wasn't soft, and rolled out unevenly. also was on the thin side. the pork was soft, but wasn't on the steaming hot side. only one piece of cucumber and the carrots that i had wasn't really pickled...i have to say, ippudo pork buns are probs 10x better. i guess this is ok, just didn't feel that it was worth $7. then again, everything at the markets are a lot more pricy.
ramen burger lines were so long at 5pm...tried it last yr, and decided to not try the rice burger, to save that $13.50. i guess with the rice burger, it's probs just fried rice a bit overcooked so it's hard and you can compact it...
wanted the pad thai hot dog, but decided to save that $9...
got to sample the korean chips on a stick. it's actually run by curries...anyway, it was so nice and crunchy, but too unhealthy to buy...also tried the mini pancakes, which are alright, but not exciting...
after seeing numerous photos of messina at the noodle markets, i decided to go again.
Happy Taste Bud Time- lychee sponge, mango purée, rambutan and coconut gelato, whipped salted coconut cream topped with a macaroon-$9
this and the "phuc king tasty" flavour which is a cinnamon, coffee something else flavour were probably the post popular. this one isn't as pretty as the other ones, and wasn't piled as high, but i guess it depends on who made it...once we saw the menu, my friend and i knew we had to try this one. i guess the price is ok, since messina is about $6 for 2 scoops, and here at the night markets things are more expensive, so i can justify spending $9 (well $4.50 halving it). the macaroon gave it a nice chewy texture, and the lychee sponge wasn't too sweet, and helped you scoop up the gelato near the bottom, couldn't really taste the rambutan since the coconut dominated the gelato. the whipped salted coconut cream was very interesting, wish we got more to help balance the very sweet mango puree. actually, i think other people just accidentally took a massive scoop of the cream in one go, so maybe that's why i felt we didn't have enough...now i can study without thinking about gelato all day!
so many parents taking their kids out for food. it isn't cheap here, and i don't think my parents would splurge on this for me as a kid. maybe elsewhere/holidays, but not something like this where you can have it at a restaurant with bigger portions...i guess it's the atmosphere and novelty of it which makes it an enjoyable experience (:
Can't believe the ramen burger line was so long! I lined up for like 40 minutes and then waiting at the front for another 15 but then decided to refund my ticket thing because it was getting too late :(
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