Exploring Singapore Noodle Options 3 (March 3 & 6)

This is the third post for the day for me on what is a rare day at home. After all, one doesn't get to go to football tournaments that often and it's an added bonus to spend some time with friends and wander around some different streets.

Parramatta CBD has gone through some changes in recent years. It now has a light rail option, the Metro is currently being extended through the city and the football stadium has been thoroughly overhauled in the last five years as well. Some of the more familiar landmarks are still there though, like Peter Wynn's Score, the St John's Memorial Gate (pictured), Town Hall, Centenary Square, the Woolpack Hotel (which I mentioned in a previous post), the law courts, the Tudor Gatehouse and a rather languid Parramatta River.

Westfields Parramatta is still there as well and that's where I opted to go on both days I was in Parramatta. Of all the places on the T1 rail line I'm familiar with this area is second on the list after the Sydney CBD. When playing soccer in Sydney between 2011 and 2019 I often passed through there, or was dropped off from matches or picked up. I also had relatives living in the area as well and it was a good meeting spot to see them. Yes, I've also gamed there a few times as well, playing league matches and tournaments.

Anyway, the food court at the shopping centre hasn't really changed that much in twenty years and my meal preferences haven't either. It's also conveniently connected to the train station with additional food and drink options along the underground corridor as well as mini-supermarkets. Wok Delight is still there and seeing I'm examining Singapore Noodle options I'd thought I'd add a Sydney location to my list. For $15 I got my preferred half and half large plate of noodle and rice, forgoing a meat option, and getting a drink as well.

Unfortunately though on both occasions it felt a bit bland and the vegetable chunks appeared just a little on the large size. Still, it was filling but seeing that I have two more games to go to on separate days next week I should take an opportunity to vary the meals a bit.

Links correct at time of posting.

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2026.

Exploring Singapore Noodle Options 2 (March 4)

So, after the first excursion to Parramatta was successful, I stayed an extra day with my Ourimbah football mate in order to view an upcoming Mariners match that night (March 4). Of course, we weren't going to stay at home all day so we went for a drive to have a bite to eat and do a little shopping.
Westfields Tuggerah is a very convenient location not far from Tuggerah train station and well serviced by several bus routes. With me currently in Woy Woy it is a bit of a hike to get there. One can take a train to there then either walk to the shopping centre or hop on a passing bus, which would take most of hour from my end of the coast. For me, I could also take a #55 bus to Gosford then a #36 or #37 bus from Gosford station which will take me straight there. However, that's a 70-80 minute trip if your connections are good. From my mate's place in Ourimbah, it's a 15 minute drive or the #37 bus for a slightly longer trip.
Transport options aside, there are plenty of food options inside the two levels of the main building and outside as well. Me, well, I generally prefer the food court, unless we're going to make an occasion of it and eat somewhere a little more up-priced.

There are plenty of options in the court. Usually, my first option is Master Noodle, which has been there since I first started visiting the shopping centre two decades ago. I find the food usually lacks in quality consistency. However, on this particular day I found my meal rather nice, though the carrot cubes were a little harder than I expected. The rest of the vegies were fine and bite-sized. I don't mind the yellow noodle and added curry powder gave it a little kick which I appreciated. I generally go for a large plate, half noodle and half rice, with a can of drink. Total cost is about $16.

I've been a bit lazy with some of the more recent posts and not added a water shot. I plugged in a back-up drive and found some old ones I took around 2014 of a small lake in the suburb of Mardi, just off McPherson Road. I don't think it even has a name. There was plenty of feathery critters there on the day that I visited, with an interesting assortment of common and uncommon birds. On foot it's a fair hike from the shopping centre but you only need to go straight up Gavenlock Road then turn left into McPherson. It's behind a housing estate.

Links correct at time of posting.

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2026.

Sampling some of the fare at the AFC Women's Asian Cup (March 3)

It has been somewhat of a holiday over the last week. On Monday (March 2) I wandered off to a mate's place in Ourimbah so that we could travel together for our first pair of matches at the Asian Cup. When ticket packages became available last year I quickly opted for a pair of affordable seats (in the same spot) for all six matches at Parramatta Stadium which consisted of five Group B matches and one from Group C.
On the first day of attendance, our two games were Uzbekistan vs North Korea and China vs Bangladesh. Strangely enough, at the men's AFC back in 2015, one of just two games I attended was Uzbekistan vs North Korea. I felt it was a rather unique double to achieve. We were joined by a couple of English gents, one whom I met at a Mariners match played at Wollongong in August 2023 (during the Women's World Cup), and proceeded to watch a rather one sided contest, won comfortably by North Korea. In-between matches we met up for a few drinks at a local pub – the Woolpack Hotel. The hotel has a special significance for this pair of coasties. We had quite a few drinks there before and after the June 2023 A-League Grand Final which was won quite handsomely by the Mariners.
Second match, just as one-sided and won by China. Before the game, we decided to grab a bite to eat at the stadium. A helpful staff member informed us that there was a limit of the number of food and beverage options open seeing only a crowd of 8,000 was expected. (In end it was just over 6,000.) After a short exploratory walk, we settled on burgers.

It was quite simple. You walked in, you grabbed a burger at the back, with sides and a drink, then proceeded to the check-out. If your burger of choice wasn't there you really didn't have to wait that long. We both chose a Chicken Parmi, which wasn't that bad. A schnitzel, a slice of cheese, a spicy red paste to give it that Parmi taste and some green leaves on a bun. With a 600ml drink and a standard cup of hot chips I wound up paying $26. It was a lot better than some of the fare I've sampled at the Central Coast Stadium but roughly the same price for a burger meal.

It was a long day. We were on a 9.45am train from Ourimbah and returned to that station at 11.30pm. Yesterday (March 6) I made the journey down by myself seeing I was meeting up with a Sydney mate near the station, then stayed at his place in Kellyville that night. On both trips we had lunch in the food court at Westfields in Parramatta (covered in a separate post) before walking to the stadium. It's a pretty easy walk which leads across the Parramatta River and at a casual pace you can get there in 10-15 minutes. Even better that you can amend the stroll via a certain pub for a pre or post match beverage.

P.S: Almost had a little disaster on the second day when the battery was running out on the tablet. With only electronic tickets accepted, we almost didn't get in for the second game on March 6 seeing the power bar was in the red. Thankfully it lasted long enough for us to get through the gate. There was a solution. Not far from the Gate A entrance/exit were a rack of portable power-banks which you could rent by the hour. I also took the further precaution of buying one, charging it up at the first opportunity to make sure that this didn't happen again.

Links correct at time of posting.

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2026.