Sydney Eat Street: Colourful Mardi Gras foodie treats around Sydney
While Sydney’s Mardi Gras parade may be world-famous, it’s all the quirky and colourful food and drinks that really steal the show. Eat Street explores the wild and wonderful Mardi Gras treats on offer around Sydney.
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THE IMPERIAL ERSKINEVILLE
It’s loud, it’s proud and it’s a frockin’ good time. Through to Sunday, March 1, the “Impy”, an inner-west hotel made infamous in comedy-drama, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, is the go-to for Mardi Gras festivities.
Spread over three levels, this revamped venue is a known hotspot for music, performances, and dancing but it also excels in the kitchen.
You can kick up your heels at the Main Bar where there is a top-notch menu that includes such bites as lamb tacos, salmon poke bowls and the requisite chicken schnitzel but it’s Priscilla’s, their award-winning restaurant, that is a true standout.
Wednesday through to Sunday evening, their Drag & Dine dinners take centre stage with divine drag queens working the room as guests enjoy one of three Mexicali-inspired feast menus.
True to the venue, executive chef Dale Tolcidas cheekily describes the dishes as having “a balance of zing with earthy and savoury flavours” with an emphasis on indigenous ingredients such as karkalla, an Australian beach banana.
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For Mardi Gras, there are also the limited-run “Drag Me To Lunch” weekend sessions offering a light plant-based banquet ($59pp) including Cali guacamole, cashew and mushroom pate, half roasted cauliflower and puffed tofu laksa along with Whitley Neil gin pairings of colourful Ginseccos, two-hour prosecco and for an additional $12, a rose-infused buttermilk ice-cream with berries and raspberry gin jelly.
”And, of course it’s all washed down with the world-renowned drag show led by resident queen, Peach Fuzz,” Impy’s marketing manager, Matt Folino says.
— 35 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville; imperialerskineville.com.au
OREGANO BAKERY BROADWAY
Whether you go straight for the centre or savour the moment and unravel from the outside in, there’s one thing that every fan of Oregano Bakery’s cinnamon scroll can agree on — you can’t stop at just one.
That’s probably why Sonia and Tony Jabbour were able to grow from a simple shop with a couple dozen sales a week to supplying these more-ish spiral creations with cinnamon and sugar rolled between soft and buttery dough to more than 500 venues.
They’re delicious any day of the week but through to March 1, the Oregano Bakery’s semi-permanent pop-up shop at Broadway Shopping Centre is channelling the love with pink frosting and coloured sprinkles atop their classic cinnamon scroll.
“Our regulars come in and wonder if it’s a new line but it’s just something fun and special for the season,” Sam Papafilopoulos, who oversees the pop-up, says.
For an extra element, Sam pulls the spirals apart to make a bowl shape and fills it with your choice of gelato. Cinnamon bliss.
— Broadway Shopping Centre, Ground Floor, 1 Bay St, Glebe; oreganobakery.com.au
DONUT PAPI
While other kids were sticking to standard crayons and staying within the lines, one look at the vibrant colours and unique shapes of these large fluffy doughnuts and you know that Kenneth Rodrigueza definitely didn’t play by rules.
Fast forward to 2015 where he and his sister Karen Rodrigueza-Labuni continued their outside-the-box approach with a new type of doughnut, switching out the common cinnamon and chocolate flavours for more Asian-influenced variants that reflect their Filipino background.
Starting first at markets and festivals before opening their Redfern shop in 2017, Kenneth says that one of their most popular flavours is Ube (pronounced as ooh-beh), which is a purple yam.
“Most people are intimidated how purple it is but the taste is nothing wild – it has a note of sweet potato, butter and vanilla,” he says.
Equally popular and probably a bit more recognisable is the neon-green pandaan.
“It’s dubbed ‘Asian Vanilla’ as it’s commonly used in desserts in Southeast Asia,” Kenneth says.
Both flavours are part of their regular menu but throughout Mardi Gras, Kenneth has created a special menu with drag queen-inspired concoctions: Mother Ru (RuPaul), the mother of all drag queens and in this case doughnuts, this one is made with decadent chocolate and Biscotti; Violet Chachki is a purple glaze with silver sprinkles; Trixie Mattel with brightly coloured Fruity Pebble cereal and a pink drizzle; and Miz Cracker’s white chocolate with Saltine crackers and strawberry pink drizzle. Divine. (Open Wednesday-Sunday).
— 34A Redfern St, Redfern; donutpapi.com
MISFITS
No better time to bring out your inner-rebel than Mardi Gras and this Redfern bar and lounge has you sorted with its second annual Miss Misfits party, held on Friday, gearing you up for Saturday’s parade.
The drinks and food menu will shine bright with neon-coloured glitter, dusted atop burger buns and throughout cocktails.
If you’re lucky, you might even come across one of the pink Misfit dollar bills and win bar and restaurant vouchers and the grand prize, dinner for 10 valued at $500.
Back it up on Saturday with their popular Lunch Club featuring a set menu and three hours of bottomless glitter prosecco. ($65pp)
— 106 George St, Redfern; misfitsredfern.com.au
DIN TAI FUNG
Fin Tai Fung’s signature wontons in spicy sauce and their noodle soup go glam with the addition of Pride Noods, rainbow-coloured noodles.
A variety of the dishes will be offered through to March 12 in all Sydney and Melbourne outlets and range from $13.60 to $19.90
THE WINERY
Events abound at this Surry Hills laneway bar in the lead up to Mardi Gras weekend including drag diva lip-synching battles, a relaxed and exclusive parade viewing party (on the big screen) with dinner and themed drinks followed with a post-parade recovery party with non-alcoholic G&Ts alongside their regular drinks list.
— 285A Crown St, Surry Hills; thewinerysurryhills.com.au
THE PUSH
The six colours of the rainbow are on full display with Don Juilo tequila Mardi-ritas. Go green with the Smoky Juanito or conquer the blues with Joys Mardi-rita. There’re still four additional colours to try so plenty of reasons to come back for more.
— 143 George St, The Rocks; pushbar.com.au
BIRGITTA’S KITCHEN
A veteran to the Kings Cross Market scene, Birgitta Koomen has been selling her sweet treats here for more than 14 years.
One of her most famous creations though has to be the timely rainbow cakes.
They’re on regular rotation at her stall but come, Mardi Gras, this vanilla cake tinted with natural food colouring and layers of h cream cheese icing tend to go early so get in early to avoid disappointment.
— Fitzroy Gardens, MacLeay St, Potts Point; kingscrossmarket.org
BELLY BAO
The soft fluffy Taiwanese dough used in their signature bao-gers shows its sweet side with the RainBao Nut – a deep-fried doughnut made with a rainbow version of their popular dough is dipped into rainbow icing, topped with sprinkles and the always-entertaining, popping candy.
Add a scoop of ice-cream for an extra treat.
— 184 King St, Newtown; bellybao.com
HYDE HACIENDA SYDNEY BAR & LOUNGE
Once the Mardi Gras Parade has run its course, keep the good times going and head down to Circular Quay for a fantastic view and a free after-party with DJs, dancers and of course, drag queens.
Definitely try the #OTT Hyde Pride cocktail, a teal blue concoction of Belvedere vodka, Blue Curacao, Paraiso, lime and pineapple juice topped with pink Persian fairy floss.
For those that can’t make up for the parade, you can still enjoy the colourful drink as it will be available from February 17-29. ($24)
— Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour, 61 Macquarie St, Sydney; hydehaciendasydney.com