5 Venues to Take Your Food to the Streets

From the markets to the food trucks trundling around the city, street food plays an integral part in the Australian food map.

Whether it’s good old fish and chips, a meat pie or more exotic fare such as karaage chicken, Thai fish cakes or authentic Korean barbequed meat, we all have our go-to street food favourites. Here are five where you can take your food to the streets:

Located on Elizabeth Street near Central Station, Mr Wu Dumpling Bar delivers authentic Asian fare and the best dumplings in Sydney, all made with love. Combining an elegant, modern ambience with traditional Chinese cuisine, step into a rustic wooden interior design with concrete fixtures and metal aesthetics creating a feeling of vibrancy and enthusiasm echoed by happy diners.

 

Scallop and prawn dumplings entice to start or perhaps salt and pepper tofu, before mains such as Malaysian satay beef and pineapple fried rice, or a clay pot of fried King prawns and vermicelli noodles in XO sauce; vegetarians are catered for with plates like deep-fried noodles in oyster sauce, with choy sum, carrots, onions and mixed vegetables. 

Experience the rich culture and flavours of Thailand without leaving Dubbo at Ling Ling Thai on Cobra Street. With a name meaning ‘two monkeys’ in Thai, enjoy quality food and attentive service in fun and funky surroundings of monkey artwork, gold accents and moody lighting, ideal for family gatherings and celebrations.

 

A small family team of Chefs delivers street food starters like chicken money bags with corn and peanuts, or satay chicken skewers with peanut sauce; moving onto mains such as nam tok – grilled rump steak salad, with fresh roasted fragrant herbs, chilli, lime dressing and ground toasted rice – along with massaman beef curry in thick coconut milk with peanuts, potatoes and carrots.

Those looking for the best and freshest Chinese dumplings on the Gold Coast head down Station Street in Currumbin to find Cranky Joe’s Ugly Dumplings. This compact eatery is unassuming with an A-frame sign directing customers to the back window, venture down the driveway and discover a spacious deck lined with tables and a grassed area shaded by an enormous tree.

 

Everything is handmade onsite offering both ready-to-eat and frozen take-home dumplings; stop to indulge in pork buns, rice paper rolls, coffee and much more. Start with pork and cabbage dumplings, vegetarian spring rolls or wrap your hands around a chicken breast slider with Asian slaw, pickled cucumber and hot sauce, on a bao bun. Perhaps tuna, vermicelli, carrot and coriander rice paper rolls entice, finishing sweetly with a Portuguese tart.

Find traditional Vietnamese soups and stir-fries on the plate at Phood Vietnamese Restaurant on Archer Street in Chatswood. Settle in at blond wood table settings and admire the images of the homeland on the walls, while a full glass frontage lets in an abundance of natural light and potted greenery soothes the soul.

 

Street food starters like crab meat spring rolls or a crispy Vietnamese pancake set the scene for a memorable meal, followed by a steaming bowl of traditional beef noodle soup; for the main, think offerings like a grilled pork chop with chicken, egg and tomato rice, or clay pot dishes such as roasted duck curry and deep-fried snapper with ginger and lemon fish sauce.

Café by day, Chinese BBQ restaurant by night, head to Duck in Heaven on Princes Highway in Woonona for delicious Peking roast duck and char siu pork that melts in your mouth. Located behind the Wonoona Bulli School of Arts, this dining destination boasts a beautiful backyard full of homegrown herbs and spices, while indoors is warm and inviting as tantalising aromas waft from the kitchen to tempt tastebuds.

 

Along with street food like housemade bao buns and spring rolls, there are also weekly dumpling-making classes and Mahjong nights; meet friends for lunch over scallop and prawn dumplings and Peking duck pancake rolls, enjoyed with a glass of red or white wine. Evenings diners can delve into duck san choi bao, served on lettuce with mint and toasted rice and char siu pork with rice and Chinese broccoli.