Sydney Fish Market and Paddys market.

Went to Sydney Fish Market today. It's located in Pyrmont, a short drive away from Darling Harbour where we're staying at the moment. I was looking forward to this visit since even before we arrived. One thing I really missed in England was fish. Salmon, trout, mackerel, sprats, sea bass and sea bream - that was my repertoire for the last 10 years. Unless I went  to the Indian shop for the frozen variety. Fish and seafood availability was the other reason I envied those living in the Middle East.

Anyway back to my to much awaited visit -- the fish market lies somewhere beneath the approach to the Anzac Bridge and offers spectacular views of the bridge. Ample car parking when we arrived. 3 dollars for an hour. There are a few fish stalls outside the main building and a few more inside. Once inside there are many sea food restaurants offering to cook fresh to order. We made a quick round of the stalls outside and inside, photographing prices for ease of comparison. Finally went into Claudio's for squid and fish--you ask the staff to pick them for you and they finally get them cleaned and sliced if needed. I went to Musumeci's for the crab and prawns. Eventually ended up buying something called the Bonito also - simply because it looked similar to the 'choora'.

Bought a thermocool box for our piscean friends and made a quick exit as it was getting quite hot. Came home and  stuffed the freezer before heading out to Chinatown and Haymarket. Paddys market is at Haymarket and renowned world over.

Chinatown

It's wares are wide and varied and has a bustling fruit and vegetable market. Maybe due to the strong Far eastern influence the veg stalls are inundated with all varieties of leafy vegetables most of which I hadn't  the faintest clue as to what they are called. Anyway after hearing that spinach is very high in Oxalates I've wilfully dampened my enthusiasm for the fine vegetable as it does no good for fibromyalgia.

Mangoes are our weakness - a huge weakness I should say. I remember my Uncle Sunno, my aunts husband, making it a point to bring home nice juicy mangoes for me whilst we stayed  with them many moons ago in Cochin.

Our introduction to Aussie mangoes were from a roadside vendor who was selling Mangoes from the Northern Territory. Needless to say I ate myself sick that day.





Today mangoes were being sold at 3 for 5 dollars for the smaller ones and a box of nine for twenty dollars for the bigger ones. When I say small they are actually the size of the huge ones you get in Britain. OH says that mangoes are one fruit that they never used to get in Dubai. So anyway we couldn't scrounge with mangoes - bought as many as we could load Sammys pushchair with!
Japanese lunch with incomprehensible names later we head back to the apartment hot and exhausted with a creaking heaving pushchair.