Sydney – Carriageworks Market
As you probably know by now one of the first places I head to in a new city is the farmers market. Here in Sydney the question is which market to go to, as there are several. Coupled with Christmas markets now open everywhere, the list is rather long.
One of the first markets I went to, other than the local one at nearby Kings Cross is Carriageworks. This market, formerly known as Eveleigh Farmers Market, is headed by Australian chef Mike McEnearney who serves as the Creative Director behind this jewel of a market.
Kylie Kwong spanner crab dumplings with Sechuan chilli oil
The reason this market was first on my list is because I heard that Kylie Kwong has a stand there serving her amazing dumplings. If it’s good enough to bring Kylie there, it is most certainly good enough for me to travel half way across the city to visit it.
We headed to the train station only to find that the tracks were under repair and trains were not running that weekend. Going back upstairs we saw that we walked past three huge yellow signs announcing the closure, plus a couple of ladies in red redirecting passengers. When I am on a mission, I guess, I am on a mission, and I missed all that.
Traffic was directed to buses around the corner that were replacing the trains for the weekend. The bus took us to central station and from there we boarded a train to the Redfern station and walked ten minutes in rather oppressive heat to the market. I later found out that the market operates a free shuttle from the Redfern station. Oh well, a little walking is good anyway and believe me when I say that I was not disappointed.
The Carriageworks venue used to be Eveleigh Rail Yards and is situated within the emerging Redfern district recently under development through Arts NSW. The warehouse style structure is where former railway carriage and blacksmith workshops were located. Soaring ceiling, ironworks, glass and brick make it a stunning space to display amazing produce from top notch producers. There are more than 70 stalls featuring local, seasonal produce from across NSW.
Two thirds of the space is occupied by various produce vendors and the remaining space is dedicated to selling food. Vendors sell top quality organic produce, rustic artisan breads, small producers local wines, Australian olive oil, locally harvested honey and more. Food stalls included my favourite bakery Flour and Stone with gorgeous creations, from their famous apple tart to iconic Lamington and fantastic meringues. You can try a traditional Aussie meat pie, an iconic Australian dish, or desserts from the local legend Andy Bowdy at Cafe Saga. I have made a pilgrimage to south Sydney to his cafe, will report later. I am only mentioning the vendors whose products I have gotten to know while staying here but there are a lot more. If you are visiting Sydney don’t miss this market.
Flour and Stone apple tart
Fresh ricotta by Kristen Allan cheesemaker (image credit)
Kristen Allan is an artisan cheesemaker making small batch, fresh cheeses and yoghurt from her cheese-making facility in Alexandria, Sydney. I first found her cheese at a cheese shop in Potts Point where we live and searched her out at the market.
If the market is not enough, there is a contemporary multi-art center next door currently featuring an art installation by Chicago artist Nic Cave. The colourful giant hanging display and sound room presentation is called UNTIL. The work is a political statement relating to race and violence and was triggered in Cave, an African American, by the Rodney King incident some years ago.
Even though I am not cooking much here we came back worth a few things to try. Although it is a couple fo train rides away from Potts Point, i think the market deserves a second visit during our Sydney stay.
Fresh yogurt by artisan cheesemaker Kristen Allan
Australian olive oil. The vendor said: where wine grows olives grow.
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