A floral tribute

There is an amazing blogger who goes by the name of My Darling Darlinghurst and we LOVE her blogs, and along the way we have discovered she is absolutely in love not only with the King of the Plants (Ron) but also all things floral and discovered at our Saturday market.

So we figured why not just have a lovely little pictorial tribute to our Darling Darlinghurst'er and thank her for not just loving Darlinghurst, but blogging about our markets and being a firm fan of our Plant King and Flower Queen!

5 Questions with Bowen's the BEST Bacon & Egg Roll to be had on a Saturday

Bowen's Bacon & Egg rolls have developed quite a reputation around Kings Cross Market and beyond. What's the secret (or would you have to silence us permanently before telling!)

The special ingredient is probably attention to detail. Yes we use very high quality ingredients, but that alone doesn't guarantee success.  It's the way the egg & bacon are cooked, the amount of bacon we put on each roll, even the way the bread roll is cut.  

But most importantly, it's the people in the stall - that's the most critical part of almost any business; getting the right people.  If you don't have the right people you can't do any of these things well.

Why markets?

My wife started to have children and now we have 6. This meant she couldn't work anymore during the week which was the perfect opportunity to do what I had always wanted to do: set up a market stall.

Always there with a smile, always happy to chat with customers, the Bowen's mob are a part of what (we feel at least) "makes" Kings Cross Markets THE place to hang on a Saturday morning

What is it about market life that sets it apart from shopfront retail

Well about the "Bowen mob" first - you can't train someone to be friendly like that. Giving someone a great roll and having a tiny chat can literally make their morning.

On the question of retail: I suppose the difference is that market allows people to connect with the old world.  Markets have existed for literally thousands of years.  It's a much less formal environment.

Rain, hail or shine you are there weekend in weekend out.  How is that for you

When it's pouring with the rain the die-hards still come out.  On days like that you make just enough to buy a coffee, but we're there for them regardless - every week without fail.

The perfect day for us is a brisk but sunny day in winter.

For anyone who has yet to discover the delights of the Bowen's Bacon & Egg Roll Saturday Routine, what 5 words would you use to get them to get in there and give it a go

We have vegetarian customers - REALLY!

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Now want to see what all the fuss is about and why it is IMPERATIVE you join the throngs of die-hard fans who have been known to travel quite a distance simply to grab a bacon & egg roll?

And yes, they do have vegetarian customers!

5 Questions with Gourmandise de Paris

In what seems almost a "minute" you have gained an incredibly large and loyal fan base.  How satisfying has this been for you

We are incredibly happy about it.  Obviously it wasn't easy when we first started because it took time for customers to "find" us but through hard work and being there every week it's now incredibly satisfying.

You do quite a bit of cooking on-site.  How long does it take to set up stall each market

Usually about an hour to have it all set up and ready to go

What has been an "outstanding" moment or reaction to your gourmet yummies

Everyone who tastes our products really enjoy them. We've had people tell us that they love it and want to know more about how we make them and even more surprised when they learn that I am the chef!

So far no complaints!

Creating a Parisian-style cafe seems to draw people in and encourage them just to sit back and relax.  Did this concept come from your observations while being at market or did it seem like the natural thing to do

It just seemed like the right thing to do.  We offer high quality products with plates and cutlery so having chairs and tables allows them time to really relax and enjoy our products without feeling the need to eat and run (so to speak)

What has been your biggest seller to date at market

Most definitely our French crepes.  They are really scrummy and everyone loves to watch us cooking them!

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Want to try some?  EASY!  Get yourselves to market every Saturday and we promise you that once tried, you will be returning week after week after week after......

The Joy of Oi

How did you originally discover and then become a much loved stallie at Kings Cross Markets?

We wanted to get our brand out to most parts of Sydney.  We started at Kings Cross Markets but after roaming around the market circuit we have come to love Kings Cross and plan to stay for looong time.

The people here are great and we've started to build a little following with familiar faces coming to see us every week, which is great!

Your food is probably the ultimate "fusion" cuisine.  Are you able to give us a teeny insight in to its history from "conception" through to "delivery", and where did you come up with the brand name?!  (which by the way we LOOOOVE)

There are two things we love above all else: food and travelling.  After a recent trip to the US and chasing down food trucks on the streets of LA & NYC we came home to discover an increasing popularity for good casual food.

After some experimenting in our kitchen, Joy Oi was born.  Joi Oi means OMG in Vietnamese and it is the culmination of our past travels through the USA mixed with our backpacking adventures through Asia during our younger years.

In a relatively short amount of time, the love of Joy Oi has reached phenomenal heights within the Kings Cross Market community.  Obviously this is not only encouraging but kind of reinforces that the right decisions were made at the right times.

All we do is try to share the food we love to eat with people & we are over the moon that people are constantly doubling back and letting us know how much they enjoy it!

How difficult was it when you first started to venture in to "market" life?

Market life isn't always rainbows and lollipops.  It can be testing at times. The early starts on a Saturday means sacrificing your Friday nights and there are days when the heavens open and you wished you packed your ark!

That being said it's the people that make it all worth while.  Not only the happy customers but the other stallholders that like us, share the products they love.

I'll trade some of our tacos for some freshly baked chocolate fondant any day!

What has been one of the more unusual requests you have received by a punter?

We've had people having trouble deciding which taco to choose (which is quite normal) but we had one person who asked us to mix all the ingredients together!

Sounds like something I would do after a big night out if you ask me!  He's still a customer which means he kind of enjoyed it (the mixture I mean!)

If you could sum up why people should not just visit, but should sit a spell, share a taco and enjoy the world of Kings Cross Markets in 5 words, what would they be?

Gourmet, Honest, Friendly, Addictive, Sydney's best kept secret.....oops I went over!

a MASSIVE shout out to mags_k for allowing us to include her photo where she shares the love of Joy Oi

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Well we have NO issue with the more than 5 words and we absolutely, positively, unequivocally recommend you get yourselves up to Kings Cross Markets to see what all the Joy Oi fuss is really all about (ps: personal taste-ometer rating: none high enough we're afraid!)