A Malaysian woman living in Melbourne shared her experience attending a pasar malam (night market) in Noble Park—nearly an hour’s drive southeast of the city.
She also revealed how much she had spent buying several Malaysian local food, which came to a total amount of RM184.
1st M’sian night market experience
Speaking to WeirdKaya, Anna, who goes by the handle @aurevoirdarling on Instagram, revealed that this was her first time seeing a Malaysian-styled night market after living in Australia for eight years.
“It was honestly really cool to see a community of Malaysians come together to host this,” she said.
Anna added that the crowd size and long queues were likely the result of the event unexpectedly going viral.
I don’t blame the organisers or anyone involved. They probably didn’t expect it to go this viral, which explains why the lines were 1–2 hours long per vendor.”
She added that on the first night, she arrived at 6.30pm but only reached the front of the line at 7.30pm—by which time some vendors had already sold out.
“I had to go back the next day at 4pm right when they opened. I would recommend the same to anyone else going there,” she advised.
Paid RM184 on local street food
Despite the wait, she managed to try several Malaysian street food and shared the prices in both Australian and Malaysian currencies in her video:
- Mixed satay (6 sticks, chicken & beef) – 20 AUD (≈ RM54.85)
- Keropok lekor (15 pcs) – 10 AUD (≈ RM27.42)
- Martabak + vegetable curry (2 pcs, potato & chicken filling) – 15 AUD (≈ RM41.13)
- Sweet chewy pandan martabak (with peanuts & corn) – 12 AUD (≈ RM32.91)
- Sweet crispy martabak (with peanut sugar) – 10 AUD (≈ RM27.42)
In total, she spent 67 AUD, which is approximately RM183.73.
‘You’re paying for the vibes’
When asked whether the taste of the street food came close to those back in Malaysia, Anna said there was a difference due to ingredient availability and cost.
‘Taste-wise, of course cannot compare to Malaysia lah, let’s be real. But the satay was my favorite—super authentic with charcoal taste, onions, cucumbers, and lontong!’ she raved.
She also noted that aside from the food, one is also paying to experience how a pasar malam operates in countries outside of Malaysia.
“You’re definitely paying more for the experience. You can chill and lepak in the outdoor park space with all the smells, sounds, and energy.
“It was also a unique experience to wear thick jackets at a pasar malam as it is currently the middle of winter in Australia now,” she added.
As for the pricing, Anna said it was comparable to other food events in Melbourne.
“If you don’t convert, the prices are justifiable. The hourly minimum wage here is about 25 AUD (RM 67.50), so it’s very reasonable.
“However, commercialised food festivals often have bigger setups and more staff, which helps reduce the wait time to around 20 minutes.
“This pasar malam felt like a humble passion project that blew up overnight. The prices weren’t surprising, but the queue definitely was,” she said.
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