Finally, those of us who live in The Hills district of Sydney have their own annual food festival with the launch of Hills Food Fest. This year’s edition was held at The Australian Brewery in Rouse Hill. The Coco and Vine team ventured on the last day of the festival to sample some of the food on offer. Held on the grounds behind The Australian Brewery, the layout was conducive to the movement of hundreds of hungry folks. Little tables, wooden pallets, and fire pits ensured that people could eat their food quickly without impacting those queuing up for food. A nice little stage with performers pumping out tunes provided a great ambiance and energy for the day. Most importantly, the food stalls, and food trucks were lined up on the perimeter serving their delicious offerings. As with most food festivals in Sydney, they are extremely popular, so you wouldn’t expect to turn up and instantly be able to get the food in your hands. We picked out the 3 most popular stands at the festival.
Asian Street food is always a crowd favourite, and Bao Stop Sydney proved it with long lines of hungry people waiting to sample their baos . Bao offerings has always been a mainstay of dim sum menus, but in recent years in Sydney has seen an explosion of bao pop ups, stores and trucks all over the city. What makes Bao Stop stand out is their cute little Gua Bao(割包) trifecta. Gua Bao is a Taiwanese snack food consisting of slices of meats and other condiments sandwiched between flat steamed bread. They are also known as Taiwanese hamburgers, with a wide variety of different types of fillings. What makes Gua Bao different from other baos is the mouth-like form of the bun, which allows you to see all the contents of the filling.
Bao Stop’s Gua Bao offerings were delicious. A fried chicken bao was too delicious to resist. Crispy chicken with a succulent fillet was a highlight, as was the spicy chilli jam which left a little sting on the lips. All three boas were encased with just the perfect bao. Soft, airy and light they held the ingredients together really well.
Pork belly is always a crowd favourite, and Bao Stop Sydney’s version was delicious. Who can go past melt in your mouth pork belly with a sweet Peking sauce, and the crunch from roasted peanuts. With coriander, pickled mustard greens, there was a heap of flavours in such a compact package.
Last but certainly not least was their Peking duck bao. Traditionally, Peking Duck is eaten with a thin Chinese pancake, smeared with hoisin sauce, green onion and fresh cucumbers, all encased like a wrap.
Bao Stop transmogrified all the standard peking duck fillings into their signature Gua Bao bun. One of the reasons why I like Bao Stop’s version better is because instead of being hidden inside a pancake wrap, I can now see and drool over the thick slab of juicy, tasty roast duck, combined with sticky Hoi Sin Sauce, and crunchy fresh green onion and cucumber.
After our initial tasty Asian sojourn, we held an impromptu queue test between two of the most popular stands at the Hills Food Fest. It was a queueout between Bella Shack and Knafeh. It’s no secret that Sydney-siders love their burgers, so it was no surprise that Bella Shack that took the unofficial title of longest queue at the Hills Food Fest. Dozens of foodies were lining up to taste the Bella cheese which comprised a house made beef patty, double American cheese, Westmont pickles, ketchup, secret sauce, lettuce, all on a toasted milk bun. My first bite alleviated the angst of lining up for 45 minutes for a burger. It was good, very good! Firstly, I was amazed at how well the burgers were put together. I could see the Bella Shack team were under the gun with line up of dozens of burgers being assembled yet they were identical in height, and weren’t a sloppy mess, which some burgers can quickly become. The patty was charred on the outside, yet delightfully pink on the inside, with the juices keeping the meat moist. Extravagant amounts of American cheese kept the patty glued to the bun and provided a slightly salty and sweet flavour. Pickles and the sauces are great accompaniments to any burger and were perfect in the Bella Cheese. The milk buns held it all together and absorbed the juices of the patty, sauce and cheese, and by itself was a real treat, for those people like fellow Coco and Viner Mavis who love deconstructing their food, especially burgers!
Losing out in the queueout was Knafeh, and that’s the only time they do come second, because in all other departments they are winners. Knafeh has quickly established itself as somewhat of a food stall legend with their bearded bakers providing a theatrical element that cannot be surpassed. They can be seen jumping, dancing and walking the assembly line as they put together their delicious knafeh dessert. Knafeh is a popular dessert from the streets of Jerusalem. The hirsute bakers from Knafeh present their version which is a lighter take on the original. Melted sweet cheese is poured into semolina based pastry, topped with a sugar topping and baked. After it comes out of the oven, the pie is topped with a sugar syrup and pistachios and served. Knafeh is a little naughty but is cheesy, sweet, rich and crunchy. How could you resist!
It was a wildly popular weekend at The Australian Brewery and Hills Food Fest. With great food, drinks and entertainment, here’s hoping that a 2017 edition is already in the planning stages and the people who live in this part of North Western Sydney are treated to a gastronomic feast like this year’s inaugural edition.
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