Sustainable Food Center Farmers' Market Republic Square Park and Bola Pizza

I've been in Austin for around seven years, and I finally made my way to the Sustainable Food Center Farmers' Market in downtown two weeks ago.  I can't believe I've been denying myself this weekend pleasure for so long!  

Just look at the gorgeous veggies!

The reason why the idea of finally visiting SFC Farmers' Market in downtown dawned on me was because I wanted to get a taste of Bola Pizza, which I read about on Austin Chronicle's 2011 Restaurant Poll.

Bola Pizza

Bola Pizza offers freshly made pizza hot from their mobile wood-fired oven 9 AM - 1 PM Saturdays at SFC Farmers' Market downtown and Wednesdays at the Triangle 4 PM - 8 PM.

I chose The Godfather from the vegetarian-friendly menu because I can't seem to ween myself away from meat ingredients on my pizza.  I behaved like an annoying fly, fluttering about my pizza, capturing each step of the pizza-making process.  

Making our Godfather Pizza

The Sauce

The Mozzarella

The Hot Fennel Sausage

The Caramelized Onions

In the Mobile Wood-fired Oven

In the box with the smell wafting out and drinking it all in with a peach ginger lemonade from another vendor

The Godfather

The result?  Beautiful!  The pizza dough is the best I've tasted in Austin!  It's slightly chewy, with a tint of sourdough-like tartness.  Each bite of caramelized onions and hot fennel sausage was a balanced explosion of sweet and spicy juices.  I'm glad I got to try Bola before leaving Austin!

Han Yang Korean Market Prepared Foods

Han Yang has been my go-to store for Korean ingredients (usually frozen salted mackerel, kimchee, and sweet potato starch noodles for Japchae).  Every time I go, I can never resist buying a package of prepared food as a way to explore more home-style Korean food.

The colorful Korean mochi always looked appetizing, especially the ones covered in peanut powder.  However, this package of mochi is flavorless.  Mochi is usually super sweet, but these were barely sweet!  And although it looks like there's an assortment of mochi in the package, they all taste the same.  If I remember correctly, the multi-colored cake-like variety in the middle had a different, more cornmeal-like texture, it still tasted similarly bland.  I really can't recommend these sweets.

Korean Mochi

On the other hand, I loved and highly recommend the giant package of cooked pig feet with tiny dried shrimp preserved in brine!  I love the combination of savory, briny, and sweet flavors.  I would've never thought to use the pungent preserved dried shrimp as a condiment to pig feet, but it really makes this humble dish even more delicious and memorable.

Pig Trotters with Fermented Dried Shrimp Condiment

Another prepared food you can find at Han Yang is Gimbap, which is Korean sushi rolls.  It seems to have more of a rice to filling ratio than Japanese sushi rolls, and it usually has cooked ingredients.  It is also never served with soy sauce and wasabi.  Gimbap here is a quick, filling,and inexpensive solution to satisfying sushi roll cravings.

Gimbap