A Visual Guide to the Smorgasbord of Food You Can Eat at Parramatta Lanes
Chow down on Butter's fried chicken, Macedonian burek and lotsa stroopwafels.
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Taking over Parramatta from October 11-14, Parramatta Lanes turns the suburb's many hidden spaces into festival sites, filled with live performances, music (you can get a taste of what's to come with this Spotify playlist, curated by The Plot), art shows, talks and — most importantly — a selection of Sydney's best gourmet eats. In between getting your cultural fixes, you'll be getting your mouth around deliciousness from all over the world, be it bowls of steaming laksa, flatbread sandwiches, traditional sweets from the Middle East or something called ice cream nachos.
Over the four nights, there'll be ten food 'lanes', 30 vendors and countless dishes on offer. In short, there's a lot going on. Whether you live in the area or are planning on making the trip out there (Parramatta Station is only half an hour from Central, just FYI), here's your guide to some of the noms you can (and will) chow down on at the festival. Start planning now.
EFENDY
The Efendy crew, headed up by chef and owner Somer Sivrioglu, will be leaving their much-adored Balmain home to bring you a Turkish feast. Prepare for hummus with pomegranate and sujuk (spicy sausage), cha begendy (charcoal lamb cooked on a spit and served with eggplant puree) and keşkül, which is a Turkish pistachio and almond milk pudding.
Where? Batman Walk — The Hidden Bazaar.
SUNDWEESH
Also bringing you delights from the Middle East will be Sundweesh. Founded by obsessive foodie Manar Barakat (who's been knocking about in the kitchen since she was a kid), this truck specialises in epic 'sundweeshes'. Named after the way Manar's dad pronounces 'sandwich', her version sees flatbread packed with mouthwatering combos, like kofta, tabouli and hummus, and peri peri chicken and slaw. There are veggie and vegan options, too.
Where? Batman Walk — The Hidden Bazaar.
KNAFEH
Follow up your Middle Eastern main course with a traditional dessert from Jerusalem's streets, courtesy of the bearded bakers at Knafeh. You'll be sinking your teeth into hot, sweet cheese pastry, soaked in sugary syrup, baked and topped with pistachios.
Where? Erby Place — The Oasis.
ALEXANDER'S BAKERY
Moving from Israel to Macedonia, Alexander's Bakery bakes traditional pastries from the Balkan country — and you'll definitely want to make a trip for these bad boys. Their burek are pretty famous (people have been known to travel from far and wide to their Rockdale bakery) and — lucky for us — they'll be setting up shop at Parramatta Lanes. Try a slice of their traditional ricotta cheese burek and slide into pastry heaven.
Where? At St John's Cathedral — The Piazza.
TEMASEK
If it's hot, Asian spiciness you're craving, then swing by Temasek for a bowl of perfect, steaming laksa. You'll also see nasi goreng and beef rendang on the menu. You won't be disappointed with either of the three.
Where? Willow Grove — The Spice Garden.
THE EMPORIUM
Parramatta's Tuscan-inspired wine bar and restaurant The Emporium will be showcasing its excellent regional Italian fare. Go for slow-cooked beef short rib with chimichurri and pickled zucchini roll or the perfect on-the-go snacking food: arancini. They serves theirs with tomato, basil, mozzarella, rocket and pesto.
Where? Erby Place — The Oasis.
BUTTER
Butter will be skipping out of Surry Hills for the weekend, armed with a stack of fried chicken in shoeboxes. Line up for their epic chicken sandwich, a 3 Pac with slaw or, if you're a vego, the Biggie Shroom burger. For a side, grab a serve of laces (that is, shoestring fries with 'shitaki' spice).
Where? Roxy Car Park — Slow Food, Fast Tunes.
KOI
If you can get through an evening at Parramatta Lanes without trying more than one dessert, then you have way too much willpower. Chippendale's Koi Dessert Bar will be hitting the festival with a selection of their impeccably good looking cakes, including mousses, slices and mini panna cotta jars.
Where? Leigh Memorial Uniting Church — Sweets 'n' Beats.
STROOP BROS
Your next sweet stop is Stroop Bros. Run by cousins Alex and Troy, this hand-built cart delivers stroopwafel, a Dutch treat made up of two spicy waffle discs with chewy caramel sandwiches between them. It's baked on-the-spot, to order — and there are ice cream sandwiches too.
Where? At Centenary Square — the Food Truck Food Court.
PAPER STREET ICE CREAM
At their Bateau Bay headquarters on the Central Coast, Paper Street Ice Cream pushes the boundaries of ice cream as we know it. On top of small-batch, home-made scoops with exotic flavours, like mango, lime and chilli jam, they'll be offering you ice cream cannoli and ice cream nachos.
Where? Willow Grove — The Spice Garden.
Parramatta Lanes will take place over four nights on October 11-14 from 5-10pm. For more information, visit parramattalanes.com.au.
