SYDNEY - Despite the mud and the unseasonably cool weather, thousands of people flocked to a park in the centre of Sydney in the past week to try to secure a bowl of piping hot, freshly made noodles.

The occasion was the Sydney Night Noodle Markets, an annual event that includes a series of hawker-style stalls offering a mix of dishes such as Singapore noodles and nasi goreng, and less familiar ones such as a toasted sandwich with scrambled eggs and prawn or a doughnut made from Indomie Mi Goreng noodles.