For me summer in Melbourne heralds long bright evenings, Moonlight Cinema and the Suzuki Night Market at Queen Victoria Market. Evidently I’m not alone as the night market has become a bit of a summer institution for young and old alike and in peak time (between 6-8pm) the crowds swell to almost uncomfortable levels.
Nevertheless, it’s still an experience which is very enjoyable. The huge numbers of milling locals and tourists lend an excited vibrancy to the atmosphere and there’s live music on all night encompassing all sorts of genres and giving the kiddies a chance to bop. As an after work activity nothing beats strolling around having nothing on your mind other than what to eat from the plethora of fragrant food stalls.
After our food reconnaisance, I stalked a table until seats became free (a rarity) while A went to the vegan stall for a curry plate, and then I went to the stall selling food from Trinidad and Tobago, a cuisine with which I’m definitely not familiar. The options were a chickpea dish, Bake and Shark and some form of fried chicken with a spicy sauce (sorry hazy memory). A last minute decision had me choosing the Bake and Shark ($12) and the friendly lady behind the counter assured me that I would love it.
Yes, bake and shark does usually contain deep-fried shark, although I’m not certain how easy it is to source shark in Australia, so it might have been some other firm white fish in this case. The ‘bake’ refers to the sort of bun holding it all together, which is apparently made from roti flour that is fried in certain shapes to make the bread. My bake and shark was accompanied by a slice of pineapple, some salad and spoonfuls of various colourful sauces which I couldn’t distinguish. As far as mass-produced pre-cooked food goes, this was pretty good and I’d easily pick it again.
For dessert, so much choice! I decided to go for the honey puffs as I’m a real sucker for sweet deep fried dough and bought a plate of huge doughnuts drizzled with honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds. This is definitely a dessert to be shared and good value for $6.
After our meals we wandered around the other non-food stalls. The mix of sellers was truly bizarre, ranging from cheap tat like sunglasses and imported plastic toys to on-the-spot hair extensions, wall vinyls, vintage clothes and the ubiquitous fisherman pants.
I can’t say I’d recommend the Suzuki Night Market for the shopping or even necessarily the quality of the food – but you’ll still love it for the vibe and the chance to soak in the long summer hours with your friends and family.
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Suzuki Night Market, . Runs every Wednesday from Wednesday 25 November 2009 to Wednesday 24 February 2010, 5.30pm to 10.00pm.
haha! I’m going there tonight! I would’ve liked some warmer weather, but a cool change is also welcomed.
Yes, I’m also a sucker for sweet deep fried goodies. I’m going tonight for the Turkish food…YUM!
.-= Adrian @ Food Rehab´s last blog .. =-.
Hi Adrian
Better to be in the 20s than sweltering in the 40s in my view! What Turkish food is on offer at the markets? And what other food recommendations do you have – I think there’s lot of mass-produced festival-style food there so was quite happy to discover the Trinidad and Tobago stall.
Jetsetting Joyce
Another food court experience for you Joyce. I hope it wasn’t too displeasing. Food courts in this town can offer some real surprises now days. And great value too.
.-= Foo´s last blog ..Where to eat in Melbourne from under $30 per day =-.
This sounds like a lovely thing to do! Even if the food, shopping nor music is just A-OK, it’s just a nice enough excuse to go out and enjoy the summer nights!
Thanks for sharing this! Will check this out soon!
I used to love the Night Market, but in recent years I’ve found it too crowded — difficult to get a table, huuuuge lines and waits for food, and lots of drunk bogans. Plus food portions tend to be on the small and expensive side (which would be less of an issue if you didn’t have to wait so damn long to buy another plate) — though I must say that curry plate looks reasonably sized and pretty tasty.
Perhaps the trick is to eat at a good restaurant nearby then just go to the market for desserts, which tend to be far more generous, tastier and better value.
.-= Ruth´s last blog .. =-.
Hi Ruth
What you say is true – it is virtually impossible to get a seat and you do have to pick your food choices carefully to avoid queues and small servings. I was pretty impressed with my Bake and Shark though – short queue, interesting cuisine, reasonably priced compared to the other fare on offer. I’d never thought of going just for dessert but that’s a good idea – the relaxed ambience of the market without the negatives.
Jetsetting Joyce
no need to be doubtful about sourcing shark – the ubiquitous “flake” found in every melbourne fish & chip shop is exactly that! unfortunately it’s not actually a very sustainable fish
Hi Matt
Oh dear, I am naive! I never realised that flake = shark but apparently this is common knowledge…in other fish and chip facts, my friend who used to work in an abbatoir told me that ‘seafood extender’ or ‘crab sticks’ are actually made from tripe.
Jetsetting Joyce
the honey dumplings are indeed the most amazing dessert i’ve come across… the longer they sit in that honey syrup the better!
i also bought a chai latte cupcake from one of the stalls and it was also impressive! soft, moist and not overly sweet cake with a generous amount of lightly whipped buttercream. YUM!
but i must agree, it does get very very crowded and to find a table to fit a group of people is difficult.
Hi Brittany
Chai latte cupcake? Sounds intrigruing. Was it from the pretty pink cupcake stall (can’t remember name)? I’ve only had a cupcake from that stall once because it feels like a bit like a scrum to get in – everyone takes a long time oohing and aahing over its prettiness.
Jetsetting Joyce
Hi Joyce, here’s a report from the opening night of the 2010-2011 season, along with a few photos:
http://www.hipsideguides.com/melbourne_queen_vic_night_market.html
Thanks Owen! I like the photo with the dappled light on the steel beams of the shed.
Jetsetting Joyce