Sweet mango cheeks, fresh blueberries, lavender, coconut mousse and sago pudding on a bed of gingerbread sponge. This is the mango cake Black Star Pastry is debuting at the Sydney Night Noodle Markets in 2017 and, according to its creator Christopher Thé, the recipe has taken two years to perfect.

The hugely popular Night Noodle Markets returns to Sydney tonight as part of Good Food Month, presented by Citi. 40 food stalls will fill Hyde Park with the aromas, sounds, sights and tastes of modern Asian cooking until October 22.

Like Black Star Pastry's previous festival hit – a strawberry and watermelon cake layered with rose-scented cream – the mango cake is set to be the subject of an Instagram frenzy for its Night Noodle Market debut.

Another never-before-tasted dessert with social-media fame on the horizon is Gelato Messina's "Kamikaze Katsu" sandwich featuring deep-fried gelato coated in red velvet cake and licked with yuzu sauce (see video). The chilli-loaded "Angry Pasta" from Korean-fusion stall Bite Chew Drink also promises to be popular choice for hungry punters – its creators are claiming it to be the world's cheesiest spaghetti.

Other Night Noodle Market vendors for 2017 include the ramen-burger flipping One Tea Lounge, Din Tai Fung, Harajuku Gyoza, Mamak, Indu, House of Crabs, Hoy Pinoy, Taiwan Noodle House and Mr Bao. (Bao was the most popular item at last year's Night Noodle Markets with attendees scoffing more than 55,000 Taiwanese steamed buns.)

Cooking demonstrations, live bands, DJs and LED-lit Chinese dragons will be part of the 18-night festival. It's a much larger affair than the first Night Noodle Markets when a collective slurp emanated from Circular Quay's First Fleet Park in 1998. Food was provided by Golden Century and BBQ King in those early days and wine cost $2 a glass.

"The fact that the Night Noodle Markets continue to attract hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders is testament to our insatiable food culture and impressive culinary talent," says Citi dining ambassador and MasterChef Australia judge Gary Mehigan. "The combination of food and festivities is a temptation most find very hard to resist, myself included."

Night Noodle Markets, Hyde Park, October 5-22. Open Mon-Tue 5pm-9pm; Wed-Thu 5pm-10pm; Fri 5pm-11pm; Sat 4pm-10pm; Sun 4pm-9pm. Free entry; goodfoodmonth.com

Good Food Month is a Fairfax Media event