Sydney Eat Street: 2024 Sydney Royal Easter Show
With the Sydney Royal Easter Show coming to an end, hurry in to try some of the DELICIOUS new and true-blue show food sweets and treats.
Eat Street
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As showgoers of all ages roam around the showgrounds, eyeing up sweet and savoury delights, the excitement fades when dietary or cultural needs limit their options.
OMG! DONUTS
Decadent Donuts is making sure you don’t miss out. The donuts are made on-site and then swirled through bowls of flavoured sugars – each handcrafted using Australian fruits and spices. Nothing artificial here. Traditionalists will love the OMG! Cinnamon but another fan favourite flavour is strawberry patch.
Exclusive to the Easter Show, they’ve created a limited-edition Jaffa Donut blending orange “sugars” with cacao for the familiar orange and chocolate flavour but elevated it a bit with a hint of cinnamon and a touch of sea salt. There are over 12 flavours to choose from, and unless you read the fine print, you’d never know these light and airy donuts are gluten-free, vegan, Halal and Kosher.
Sweet Sensations at The Stables; omgdecadentdonuts.com
FLUFFY CRUNCH
It started as a novelty, but the fluro-pink “Flurrito” has moved from kitsch to show staple. It’s a cross between “fluffy” and “burrito” – two scoops of ice, sweet and crunchy Froot Loops and a sprinkle of rainbow dust wrapped up in layers of fairy floss.
The colourful creation came to fruition when Paola Karamallis and her husband, Michael, left the corporate world with the intention of opening a cafe but found the outdoors more appealing, so they hit the market scene spinning fairy floss cones, eventually finding a niche by sprinkling popping candy, disguised as unicorn tears on top, thus their name Fluffy Crunch. Next up were little tubs of their award-winning gourmet line of flavoured fairy floss, including Salted Caramel, Apple Pie, and Crushed Cookies. The combination of airy fairy floss with crunchy bits hit a sweet spot with customers, so they took it to the extreme, and ultimately the Flurrito was born.
Home and Lifestyle Pavilion; fluffycrunch.com.au
NEON ALLEY
The Evans family knows their way around show food like nobody else. With six generations of travelling showfolk under their belt, they’ve seen it all. From Dagwood Dogs in the 40s to Cheese on a Stick in the 70s, they’ve mastered the art of carnival eats. Now, they’re taking things up a notch with over-the-top treats like loaded fried with gummy bears and neon savoury sauce, milkshakes adorned with fairy floss and lollies, towering glow-in-the-dark fairy floss sticks, family-sized churros, and the legendary Elvis Burger – fried chicken sandwiched between a glazed doughnut. Follow the neon lights, they’ll lead you to showfood heaven on Neon Alley.
KUREPU
When Catherine Zhang and her three co-founders launched Kurepu – delicate Japanese crepes filled with fruits, cream, and other treats – they had one distinct advantage. As content creators, they were already making entertaining videos for social media and knew that cute, colourful, and quirky food stood a chance at trending on TikTok.
Catherine says, “It kind of made sense to build a viral TikTok-based business, where we use social media to boost it.
“We built up a following quite quickly in the beginning”.
While the playful presentation may have lured customers to their dessert trucks, Catherine says their product’s quality keeps people coming back for more.
The most popular is the Pinkstar. It’s strawberry, watermelon, rose, and pistachio. It’s an elevated take on the typical strawberries and chocolate flavour crepe. The Biscoff option is also a favourite.
For something more adventurous, try the show special of mango and coconut.
CHEEKY CRUMBLE
What’s old is new at The Show. The classic apple crumble is making its move into the elevated sweets space with a cup of housemade fruit compote, freshly baked pie crust crumble, custard, and should you choose a scoop of ice cream. But there’s more to the dessert than meets the palette.
Veteran baker and co-founder of THICC Cookies and Banksia Bakehouse, Chris Sheldrick, says, “We were touched by the videos showing farmers having to dump excess fruit. They work hard but struggle along with other farmers when there is a bumper crop. I know there are a few businesses that are trying to make use of surplus fruit, and that was inspiring. Because we’re processing the fruit, it doesn’t have to be the prettiest fruit, just fresh, like the Granny Smith apples from Eastwood”. Chris adds, “The second part of it is just to try to slip fruit desserts into this sort of carnival atmosphere where everyone’s selling ice cream and hotdogs. And selfishly, since I’m allergic to apples, I can only eat them when they’re cooked, and my favourite dessert is an apple pie or apple crumble”.
Sweets Sensations at The Stables; Instagram: @cheeky.crumbles
BURGERS, STICKS, 2-FOOT HOT DOGS
It’s showtime!
So gather the crew and get set to eat your way through all the weird, wacky and wonderful foods the 2024 Sydney Royal Easter Show has to offer.
Sydney Eat Street hit the show to find the best food experiences 2024 has to offer.
Burger Head
Channelling their fine dining experience and affinity for local suppliers, the trio behind Burger Head have moved to the top of Sydney’s burger scene. With training at hatted and Michelin-starred restaurants, these gents have the skills and knowledge to take burgers from basic to brilliant by focusing on flavour rather than filler. Co-owner Tim Rosenstrauss says, “We make our own sauces, our own pickles, and we mince our patties with meat from a range of farmers in Northern NSW”.
This year, though, they’re on a mission to provide added value. “One of the big things we noticed last year is how much the cost of living took a grip on the show and punters,” he said. “It’s the biggest thing people are dealing with (the cost of living crisis). We love doing the show, so we started thinking about something that might help people save a buck at the Show”.
There’s the Couple’s Combo – two classic cheeseburgers and large fries ($39) — while the Family Meal combo includes four burgers (two classic cheeseburgers and two St Louis burgers) and two serves of large chips, a great deal at $75.
-Burgerhead.com.au
Two-foot-long dog
Foot-long sangas step aside as there’s a new big dog in town, and it’s two feet long! This year, Wally’s Gourmet Hot Dogs & Fries has introduced a 60cm hot dog served on a fresh baguette. The dog itself is sourced from AC Butchery in Leichhardt, and toppings are prepared daily.
There are 11 versions ranging from the Express with a choice of classic sauce to the Atomic Wally with chilli and cheese, but the most popular option by far is the two-foot-long OMG Dog with crushed Flaming Hot Cheetos and Doritos. Considering the average hotdog is 15cm, this arm-length creation can easily feed three to four people, and at $33 plus $5 for a side of chips, you can feed the family for under $40. Located out the Main Arena.
On a stick
Sweet or savoury – if it can fit on a stick, you’ll find it on a stick at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. There are the classics like fairy floss, corn dogs, corn cobs, and Chips on a Stick; the inventive entries like lasagne, waffles, and lamingtons, as well as some that take a twist on traditional treats such as Wacky Apple’s caramel apples. Sprinkles are a kid’s favourite; adults tend to favour crushed Snickers or pretzels for a salted caramel experience. ($10-$11.50).
Firepop
A highlight of your show food journey is savouring skewers of Blackmore wagyu (MBS9+) from Firepop. For those new to wagyu, The Butter with Olsson’s salt and garlic is a good place to start, then move onto the “flight”, which includes two additional flavours. Co-owner Alina Van suggests eating The Butter first, followed by Butter 2.0, a slightly spicier version, and then Butter 3.0, made with a Kashmiri chilli.
Sweet sensations
It’s horses for courses at Sweet Sensations, this year’s takeover of The Stables. This relaxed space will serve Archie Rose cocktails and a selection of sweets that’ll suit every taste. Show veteran THICC Cookies will be there with mini cookies and while OMG Donuts has gluten-free, vegan, and coeliac donuts.
Kurepu Crepes have their Insta-famous Japanese crepes. For some fruity flavours, James and the Chocolate Berry has chocolate-covered strawberries, while Thirsty Monkey has acai bowls with toppings like peanut butter, Biscoff, granola, and seasonal fruits. For classic coffee and cannoli, San Valentino has you sorted. Sweet Sensations is a brand-new pavilion offering showgoers an elevated dessert including an exclusive Show gelato from beloved Messina.
Winter warmers to celebrate the season
Everyone is happy to see the sun peeking through the clouds, but winter’s not all bad. Bid farewell to the colder days with one last hurrah of warming fare.
Sniffing out Sydney’s best truffle desserts
Save the best for last. As truffle season comes to a close, be sure to indulge in some sweet treats featuring the annual earthy gem.