Friday, July 23, 2010

Penang Durian Season July Trip 2010

I am currently back in Penang, my hometown, after 2 years and 4 months..been ages, and guess what?? It's durian season!! hehe...I haven't been back during durian season for at least 4 years and thus i haven't had durian for that length of time:-) I've had HEAPS of DELICIOUS DURIAN during this time and eaten alot of good ole' penang hawker food during this vacation as well as had Japanese food, Thai food, as well as Korean bbq and also my beloved nyonya cuisine and nasi kandar as well as malay rice with so many other goodies such as teochew food..yummy..visited balik pulau, chinatown, pulau tikus market, and a couple of other places too:-)

I also managed to squeeze in a visit to my old primary school and went into the classrooms and sat in the tiny chairs (during school holidays so the place was empty)...been at least 15 yrs since i had entered those classrooms!! (I've visited before years back but even then i didn't get a chance to enter the classrooms as they were locked and this time, they happened to be cleaning the classrooms)...took photos with my brother and his friends whom also attended the same primary school as I...it was a trip down memory lane for us all despite our age gaps..also went to pulau tikus market as well as visited my former mandarin language tuition teacher at her home..she taught me and my bro mandarin on weekends throughout our primary and secondary days..
i also got to visit the 'Japanese Bon Odori Festival' this time which is held annually in Penang but which I haven't been before, my brother's friends had told him about it and he had friends visiting from Taiwan and Kuala Lumpur and so we went together with out parents...it was nice..

Everything is so delicious and affordable here, and oh...the delicious nyonya food and nasi kandar as well as freshly grounded 'sambal'!!! You simply can't get this type of freshly grounded sambal (malaysian chilli paste) back in Australia...and things are so cheap back here...movie tickets cost only RM7 or RM 10 and only a dirt cheap RM5 on Wednesdays...that's like AUD $2 for the cheapest tickets to the latest movies! Will be returning to Sydney, Oz on Sunday:(

Saturday, July 03, 2010

Markets of Sydney Review & Recommendations:-)..雪梨的跳蚤市场评估与精选....シドニーの週末マケット

Above: Bondi Markets...

I just realised I have been to many of the outdoor weekend markets in Sydney and have decided to do a short review and recommendation of each market, according to my personal preferences of course, so this review is not meant to be objective (obviously!):

Paddington Markets: I personally didn't find this market particularly interesting in terms of stuff sold which i liked, but then again, that was back in 2007 so I haven't been back, it may have changed...i nvr went bck since because I didn't find anything of interest to me there on my couple of visits bck then..so i wouldn't personally recommend this place although it does sell what is usually sold in other markets as well, such as vintage clothes, designer t shirts, interesting photos, home decors, art,etc..open every Sat from 10am-4ish..

Bondi Markets: I really like Bondi Market! It's like one of my favourite markets in Sydney and sells really neat photo art, designer shirts and clothing, as well as other cute designer decorations, old books,etc..i've bought designer shirts here before cos one of the plus points of markets in Sydney and why i visit them is that you often find very unique clothing,etc which are only found at these markets and at cheap prices! For instance, the clothing brand i've bought at the bondi markets is called 'monster threads' and they have a boutique which sells exactly the same stuff for $10-$20 more! So you save alot...in fact, i think in Sydney, the only place where you can buy good quality relatively cheap clothing is at these markets (of cos if you want non-designer type cheaper priced clothing, you can still get them at coles or something)..open every Sun from 10am-4ish..oh, and there's this really cute Asian guy who owns a stall there too, he sells graphic paintings for interior design and looks Vietnamese-Australian to me..so another bonus for my visits, man-candy while i pass by his store..hehe...

Balmain Markets: Very small market, really nothing much to see, not really recommended...open every Sat 9am-4ish...

Kirribilli Markets: Usual stuff sold, has some nice designer lamps, bags, clothing, food sold as well, nothing which caught my particular fancy but for some other people, may find something they like there, paintings and artwork sold there too...you can see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge from the markets so its a good view...open 2nd Sat of the month 9am-3ish...

EQ Fox Studios Markets: Its open on Wednesdays as well, has mainly food sold there, recommended as alot of gourmet personalised food such as takeaway frozen pastas, as well as an array of cakes, pattisterie and juices as well as other food such as russian pancakes or dutch hotcakes,etc...i've tried the chorizo roll there, not bad...open every Sat 10am-3ism...

Bondi Junction Markets: This is an extremely small market with food sold mainly, i loooooveee the Peruvian Chorizo Roll sold there by a Peruvian guy, its absolutely DELI...also sells some nice breads...every Fri and Sat 11am-3ish (i think!)....

Surry Hills Markets: This is a nice market selling alot of fashionable items and old books, decorations, art and craft,etc...given that it's held in the middle of hip central Surry Hills (Sydney's premier artist and funky suburb), there's alot of hip looking people wandering around there and the artist types...i found a stall i liked selling handmade unique personalised scarf with left-over materials..really cool,...highly recommended too...open every 1st Sat of the month 10am-4ish...
The Rocks Markets: I like the night market held here which focuses on gourmet food and clothing, arts and crafts, souvenirs,etc. The food stalls are pretty good as they are usually stalls set up by the restaurants situated within the rocks and so you can try $10 paellas and wagyu burgers for less than they would cost in the restaurants themselves! I particularly tried the seafood spanish paella several times there as well as believe the wagyu beef burger at one of the restaurant stalls is one of the best ever in Sydney for under $10. Highly recommended as the atmosphere is great and within walking distance of the Opera House where you can sit on the public seats provided and enjoy the free view:-) Open Fri nights as well as on weekends...

Do check out these markets if you are ever in Sydney during those times or live in Sydney and have a spare weekend someday...particularly the Bondi Markets, Surry Hills Markets, as well as Bondi Junction Markets are well worth a go..!:-)