On our first Friday in Sydney, we decided to check out the Chinatown Night Market.
This pop-up market springs into action on Dixon Street (between Goulburn and Hay Streets) every Friday night between 4pm and 11pm.
Stalls selling food, drinks, clothing and nick-knacks line the street, attracting shoppers, tourists and people looking for a feed. Weaving between the crowds reminded me of the bustling streets in Hong Kong.
It was dinner time for most people – but I had one thing in mind.
Emperor’s Puffs.
J kindly offered to join the queue so that TFP and I could get some photos. (See, he’s a keeper!)
On my last trip to Sydney in 2008, Emperor’s Puffs became a bit of an obsession of mine. I tried the puffs after spotting a huge line for a nondescript a hole in the wall – I joined the line, tried the puffs and was hooked. Naturally I had to have them again!
The puffs are walnut-shaped golden, eggy, fluffy dough pillows filled with a sweet egg custard.
They’re made by a crazy puff-robot machine, assisted by a staff member who is deft with their plastic tongs.
At $1.00 for four, the puffs make a cheap snack, and regular customers line up to buy them by the dozen.
We bought eight puffs hot from the window to share, and enjoyed them while walking through the market.
Hello, dear puff, I missed you!
Emperor’s Garden Cake and Bakery is located right next door to the puff window, and is stacked with delicious looking cream cakes, Asian buns and other baked treats.
Here’s some of the ads in the LED window display.First I spotted the funny typo (varaity!).
Then, I wondered what a ‘Cossack Foal’ could possibly be.
But if you’re only there for the puffs, you can also enjoy the funny LED sign in the bakery window display. I certainly did!
These neons are much less funny. But still pretty.
In case you were wondering, they were just as good as I remembered.
Emperor’s Puffs will forever be in my list of favourite Sydney food spots!
Read about our other food adventures in Sydney
No trip to Chinatown is complete without some Emperor’s Puffs!
I’m usually too impatient to wait in the queue for the über fresh ones. I’ll quite happily order from inside the shop where you can get the refrigerated but still slightly warm ones from the cashier. I suppose next time we’re there we should get the piping hot ones straight from the machine and see how much better they are.
We normally get them on the way out of Chinatown as we head back to Central station or catch either the tram or the monorail somewhere else. More often than not, all the puffs are gone by the time we board our transport!
Emperor’s Garden bakery has some other lovely savoury and sweet goodies inside too.
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Our pet name for these are Emperor’s Balls and all our friends now refer to them thus. As Craig said, no trip to Haymarket is complete without them… no matter how far on the outskirts of Haymarket we are.
Our usual scenario is buy way too many of them, eat them all as quickly as possible, and then drive home a little sick from over consumption!
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