Parramatta Lanes - Parramatta, NSW

October is generally like Christmas for foodies, mainly because October is Good Food Month. During this month long event, various food related festivities are held all across the country and during this time, we get to discover and savour the many delectable offerings each wonderful city has to offer. For Sydney-siders, that would normally involve attending a few lunches and visiting the ever popular Night Noodle Markets. Now while I do enjoy a visit to the night noodle markets, I also find it incredibly congested and as such, I much prefer sticking to low-key events closer to home...such as Parramatta lanes.This once-a-year event gives the wider Sydney audience a chance to see the more creative and vibrant side of Western Sydney with art installations and food stalls. I fondly remember how the event started so humbly with only a few locations in Parramatta CBD and much less grandeur. The event has now become a runaway success and this year, it's come back with a quite a lot more on offer.

The Mrs and I started off our night by meeting up with a friend outside the stalls set up at the Cathedral. It was there that I ate the most delicious pizza that I'd possibly ever had. The mixed mushroom pizza from Happy as Larry Sydney was amazing beyond description...a wood fired pizza crust topped with a variety of mushrooms and drizzled with truffle oil. The crust was perfectly doughy and smokey and with each bite filled your tastebuds with the sensation of mushrooms all finished with a rich, velvet-like sensation of the truffle...this pizza is well worth every dollar. In fact, it was so good I almost doubled it at the end of the night (if not for the slightly longer than desired wait times).

Aside from the pizza, we also had a small snack in the form of a cup of Fritto Misto I purchased. This one came as a surprise because I had just bought it on a whim...neither the Mrs nor I expected it to be so delicious. The prawns were so crispy you could pop them straight into your mouth and have them like chips and the calamari was cooked perfectly so that it was still soft and tender. All of this was made even more delicious with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of the abundant creamy aioli.

We then quickly made our way over to Batman Walk where the famous bearded bakers had set up shop. The Mrs and I were both incredibly excited for this food stall because neither one of us had tried the famous Knafeh before (we had previously eaten the dish but never the one made by the famous bearded bakers). Part of the allure is the bakers themselves...they are incredibly entertaining to watch. Each baker is super efficient at their station and the amount of pride and joy they have for their craft is evident in their every movement. They sing and dance and interact with their guests in a way that brings a smile to each and every person's face. I was so entertained that I didn't even feel the time whilst I was waiting.

We received our order shortly after ordering and huddled off to the side of the crate to enjoy our piping hot knafeh and honestly, the dish is well worth the hype. It's usually the simplest things that turn out the best and this is a prime example: that rich and creamy cheese is complimented so well by the crunchy crumbs and it's sweet, but not sickly sweet.

After enjoying our knafeh, we decided to continue on our tour of the laneways and we headed through the adjacent carpark which lead us through to our next location. In the middle of the carpark, we saw various entries for the "Shoot the Chef" competition where I spotted one of my favorite chef, Chase Kojima's entry.

As you exit the carpark, you then reach "Seoul Town" which is the festival's Asian/Oriental themed section. There, the Mrs decided she wanted Asian food and so she bought a chicken roll from Jimmy Liks which was surprisingly refreshing and delicious. The fresh ingredients and juicy grilled chicken really made the sandwich a delightful meal. I also grabbed a "Daniel San" from the guys at Grasshopper bar which was amazing. The guys at Grasshopper are no strangers to Parramatta Lanes and they do their cocktails in disposable jam jars which is another highlight.

Whilst walking along the street, we also got to experience a walking jazz band which made the night all the more special as the music livened up the whole street. This led us through to the garden of love through to Erby place and then back around to the UNE future campus location where Piccolo Me had set up stall. Their fried maltella balls had been blowing up on instagram the day Parramatta Lanes started and so I made it my mission to try one. It was good however, in my opinion..the batter caked around the nutella ice cream might have been a bit too thick leading to more cake and less ice cream. The Mrs tried the Nutella Iced Coffee which was also pretty good but probably a bit lacking in the coffee hit she was seeking at the time.

I absolutely love it when October comes around, the city of Parramatta livens up as the whole of Sydney gets to see what a vibrant and wonderful place this suburb truly is. All the amazing food and beautiful artworks just makes these few short days the highlight of the year. I'm gonna be so glad when we move to Parramatta as it'll make it so much easier to enjoy this event each and every year.