Which is how I came to make plans to head down to George Street for A Moveable Feast, the final night of Art & About Sydney. It’s so much fun being in Sydney right now with all the art and food festivals that the city has organised for this time of the year. The city council seems to have hit the right mix of free and paid events which have managed to draw large and diverse crowds who have managed to have fun, drink responsibly and combine food with art in all its permuations.
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| Jacket – Zara, T – Isabella Oliver Maternity, necklace – Red Phoenix Emporium. |
I was dressed for a day of adventure in my trusty denim jacket, worn over a white T and some statement jewellery as a nod to the more artistic elements of the day.
Fortunately, the early grey skies and coolish temperatures gave way to a day of brilliant sunshine and arm baring warmth. Which all pointed to perfect evening conditions for a night of open air entertainment.
A Moveable Feast was a street party on a closed off section of George Street (from Woolworths down past Town Hall). The main attraction was that all 8 of the City of Sydney’s new food trucks would all be in the one place for the first time since they started operating earlier this year. The trucks were parked along both sides of the street and there was entertainment at either end of the area. A DJ / live music area near Woolworths and deck chairs infront of a large screen down the other end.
The night was scheduled to kick off at 7.30pm.
And this was the crowd at five minutes before opening. It was food truck to food truck people. Lines of 10m snaked across the road and around the dining area for each of the trucks before any had even opened.
I could barely move from one truck to the next and it was almost impossible to see where one line started and another ended. Luckily, the usual Sydneysider food queue etiquette prevailed and people were really helpful and there were no queue jumpers.
Because of the crowd, it was impossible to get too many exciting ‘front on’ photos of the food trucks so these will have to do. There is an official food truck iPhone app that keeps tabs on where they will be on any given day as well as a website which will give you more details about the menus and pricings at each cart.
Pre orders were being taken down the line at the Jaffles truck.
This is as close as I got to Cantina Mobil.
Gelati was being served next door.
It turned out that for once, standing on the side walk was a less crowded option than being on the street.
The crowd in front of Urban Pasta (before it had even opened its shutters for business) was at least 10 people deep.
The healthier options were also extremely popular.
Agape Organic, which is the mobile version of the restaurant. I was hoping to try their spelt pizza but lacked the resolve to join the queue.
One of the prettiest trucks on the block is the Vegie Patch.
It has little flower boxes on its walls.
Turnover at LetsDoYumCha was rapid. Patrons were given plates in advance of their reaching the head of the queue and the servers were on the ball the whole night.
The counters were replenished with massive bamboo steamers of yumcha as rapidly as their predecessors were being cleaned out by hungry punters.
I only had it in me to line up for food at one truck and that was Tsuru. My stomach wanted only one thing for dinner and that was one of their pork belly buns.
With my eye on the clock and the rest of me swaying to a DJ mix that covered everything from Lionel Richie to current club hits I cannot actually name, the party was definitely in full swing. Perhaps the lines were so slow to move on account of everyone in them dancing to the music.
It took close to 45 minutes to get within line of sight of the the Tsuru trick.
I finally got to order and though my ticket was blue (to match my jacket), it felt like the golden ticket.
The menu is short and sweet. The most expensive item was the Bento Box ($15).
5 staff members danced around each other inside the cramped confines of the van as they cheerfully filled orders as fast as they could.
The chicken satay skewers had their own holding bay on the front counter, just behind a large squeeze bottle of their accompanying sauce.
It was too much effort to find my way back to the deckchairs with dinner.
So I ate it street style. Standing on the sidewalk under the lights of a rather empty Woolworths. The bento box contained a pork belly bun, 2 skewers of satay chicken, some pork crackling and a pandan pancake for dessert. And a bonus red paper crane.
It was the perfect street side meal. The chicken skewers were bathed in a rich peanut sauce and then a brown one with depth and spice. The pork belly bun was soft and the pork itself was very tender. The coriander was pleasant contrast to the fattiness of the pork. To my surprise, the pandan pancake worked. It had a chocolate hazelnut filling and reminded me of the Japanese pancakes that are often made in front of your eyes in the basement food halls of department stores in Singapore. If you ever find these in Singapore – go for the cheese or peanut varieties.
I did clap my eyes on some art…
This mural on the back of the aptly named Eat, Art, Truck.
And the Meals on Wheels circus performers who were warming up on the side walk before starting their show.
Al Carbon is one the newest trucks to start business and their set up had be intrigued. The truck is where you place your orders, under the ‘immigracion’ sign.
Under the canopied area to the side of this is where all the action is. The meat is flame grilled and the flavours inspired by Northern Mexico.
There was even a little bar area as well. It looked like one huge party and I think this will be the next food truck I have to try. I will stalk them using the iPhone app to see where they will be next.
After my brief post prandial stroll, it was time to head home.
I left as the music was still pulsing, the strobe lights flashing and as the yum cha baskets that fed the performers started to pile up behind the stage. I hope A Moveable Feast returns next year and I’ll remember to get in line much earlier too.