The annual Night Noodle Markets in Sydney’s Hyde Park has proven to be a huge success as millions of Sydney-siders and international guests from Parramatta crowd Hyde Park to taste the latest instant-noodle-based creations.

“I’m not even sure what I’m lining up for,” one eager noodle lover said. “That’s part of the excitement. In an hour or two I’ll be close enough to read the menu and discover if I’m having Maggi chicken or beef, or even something exotic like Mi Goreng. All for just $22! Or $40 if I get a drink.”

“They just don’t seem as special when you make them yourself,” one gourmet food blogger said between snapping shots of his untouched dinner with a high-end Nikon camera. “I think it’s because they only take two minutes to cook at home. Spending a few hours waiting for a meal makes me feel like I’ve really earned it.”

The most popular stall this year, which saw people queue for more than eight hours, is serving “deconstructed noodles”, which is described as “a trio of cold-pressed boiled water, pulled noodle cake, and smashed flavour sachet” artfully arranged on a plastic tray.