November 30, 2011

Suzuki Night Market

Date visited: 20th January 2010
Queen Victoria Market
Melbourne, VIC
(Enter via Queen, Therry or Peel Streets)
Food: Hawker style food stalls - European, Mediterranean, Caribbean, African, Asian and Australian
Website: http://www.qvm.com.au/snm/snm_home.aspx


It's that time of year again. As summer approaches, the days become longer and warmer - perfect for immersing oneself in all the glory of food markets and festivals. One of these being the annual Suzuki Night Market, held at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne. It runs every Wednesday night, 5:30pm-10pm, from late November through to the end of February.

Upon entering, expect to be greeted by the sound of live music and a great sea of people - sampling food from hawker stalls, browsing through locally designed and hand-made goods and even relaxing down at the end where massage therapists are.

A plethora of food and drinks are offered, from barbecued meat, wood-fired pizzas, steamed dumplings and hearty stews; to crepes, slushies, fresh juice and sweet desserts. A great inspiration of flavours can be experienced from countries like Mauritius, Africa, Acadia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Nepal and Malaysia.

This place is for you if you love the excitement and hubbub that comes with night markets and am not fussed with quality of food or value for money. The only time you won't be waiting for what seems like an eternity in line to order your dish will be if you arrive at 5:30pm - when the market opens its doors to the public. After that, hungry patrons swarm in by the hundreds (slight exaggeration) and it will be difficult to score a table, or any horizontal surface for that matter, to devour your food on.
Here is a snapshot of my previous visit:




BBQ skewered Persian style chicken with rice




Banjo's BBQ : Kangaroo patty (sweet, but was grilled to the point where it became tough and chewy), Emu sausage (a great idea to turn emu meat, naturally quite lean, into a sausage, resulting in a very juicy snag!) and Crocodile tail (similar texture and taste to pork)


Gozleme - savoury filled Turkish pastries


Salami Pizza


Spanish Seafood Cazuela


Northern Indian Aloo Mutter (potatoes and peas) and Butter Chicken


Spanish Sangria


Traditional Lemonade




The infamous Dutch pancakes - with lemon, butter and icing sugar


Churros - Spanish donuts


Honey dumplings - sickly sweet crisp doughnut-like pastries with a moist, chewy centre

No comments: