After a roaring success last year, Enlighten’s Night Noodle Markets are back in Canberra and they’re even bigger and better than before.

For those of you who might not know, Enlighten is a totally cool initiative that takes place in our nation’s capital. For one week, some seriously awesome architectural projections are going to be popping up all over the city, transforming buildings like Parliament House, Questacon and the National Gallery into veritable works of art. It’s not just lights though. There are going to be exhibitions, giant inflatable white rabbits, immersive performances, films, and loads more.

Most importantly however, there are going to be some delicious delights happening as Canberra celebrates Asian eats and takes them to the next level. With more than 25 stalls lining the grass at Reconciliation Place, you can expect treats from such names as Black Star Pastry, Chairman & Yip, Thirst Wine Bar, and more!

We spoke with some of the stallholders to find out what we can expect.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Miss Van’s is about the food that I grew up with, the recipes that I cook at the shop today are ones that my mother and grandmother cooked throughout their lives whilst in Vietnam, Thailand and Lao. – Miss Vans 

Chef Moon Park is of Korean descent but he grew up in New Zealand. Late last year he came down to Canberra to open up Soi Noodle Bar – and is really excited to explore new dishes using different ingredients. – Soi Noodle Bar

We offer a modern take on both traditional as well as customisable dishes to our customers. We are very much food and customer-focussed, using only the freshest and highest quality ingredients in every dish with absolutely no added MSG. – Thainabox

We launched Bao Stop 2 years ago at the Sydney Night Noodle Markets; we’ve participated in the Sydney Night Noodle Markets and the Lunar Markets twice since then. We thought we would bring our popular menu down for the punters of Canberra to enjoy at the Enlighten Night Noodle Markets for the first time this year. – Bao Stop

We are privileged to be able to be part of Canberra’s growing, vibrant dining scene. Chef Jon has taken classic, homely dishes from his childhood and introduced them to Canberrans with flair and artistry. – Kusina

What will you be serving at the Night Noodle Markets?

The Miss Van’s will be short, delicious and to the point. We’ll be serving our Vietnamese coconut chicken curry noodle soup as the core of the menu. We’ve also teamed up with a close friend who operates Dream Cuisine in Fyshwick, and will be offering freshly baked panda custard tarts (Portuguese custard tart style) on a daily basis. On top of this, we’ll be selling our signature Miss Van’s chilli oil. – Miss Vans

We are going to have some mixed entrees like Salt and Pepper Calamari, Takoyaki Balls and Spring Rolls. We also will have Lamb Bun, which is a variation of one of our most popular dishes in the restaurant, the Soft Shell Crab Bun. Pad See Ew Vegetarian will be our noodle dish, as well as a dessert item: Green Tea Mochi with Yogurt and Black Sesame. – Soi Noodle Bar

We will be serving a variety of rice, noodle, and stir-fry dishes with some vegetarian options as well. These dishes will include a Pad Thai, which is our most popular dish, a curry, some stir-fry dishes, as well as some spring rolls, chicken satay skewers with our secret malay sauce, and a NNM special: barbecued corn with a sweet Thai sauce. – Thainabox

We will be serving our very popular fluffy bao which comes in four options – the signature Braised Pork Belly Bao; Fried Chicken Bao; Peking Duck Bao & Fried Tofu Bao. We are also going to be serving our XO Fried Chicken Bowl, the new Braised Pork Belly Burger and our Peking Duck Fries – which are a crowd favourite! – Bao Stop

We will be serving 3 different Boodle Boats: Sisig (thrice cooked pork with lime, chilli, mayo and egg), Beef Adobo (slow cooked pulled beef which has been marinating in vinegar, soy and garlic), and KPP (sticky chicken wings, banana ketchup and chilli).

There will also be a combo Boodle with all three – This is closer to the real thing and is designed to share. We highly encourage people to eat with their hands. It’s different, fun and there’s a childhood playfulness to the experience. – Kusina

What are you looking forward to the most about Enlighten?

What we’re looking forward to the most at Enlighten is really just to serve people some delicious food that we’re really proud of. If people come along, try our food and tell us that they loved it, that’s all we want at the end of the day. – Miss Vans

As a relatively new restaurant in Canberra, we are really excited to come down and showcase our food to everyone that’s coming to the Noodle Markets. This is Soi’s first time doing the Noodle Markets and we’re super excited to see how people are going to respond to us! – Soi Noodle Bar

To us, it’s all about sharing a wonderful experience with our customers and doing our best to serve the best of what we have and having customers feel satisfied both tummy-wise and experience-wise. – Thainabox

Bringing Bao Stop to Canberra, meeting other stall holders and trying their food and enjoying the entertainment and also exploring the wonderful city while we are here. – Bao Stop

We see food as an integral part of any gathering of family and friends. What better way to showcase our food then to share it with our Canberra family? – Kusina

Enlighten’s Night Noodle Markets will take place at Reconciliation Place from 5pm every night from 4-13 March.