Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market has launched its new Hawker 88 Night Market, held every Wednesday night until 24 October, and will feature street food from all over Asia. Think boat noodles, Cambodian lamb skewers, bao, nasi lemak, Korean pork belly, halo-halo, tandoori chicken, kothu roti, fresh coconuts and even a beer using a Japanese hop cultivar brewed specially for the event.
Make sure to stop by the Duria Australia stall, where experts will open the fruit for you. “For customers who know durian, they will get to pick and choose the one they want. For those who don’t, we’ll help them choose,” says Duria Australia’s owner Adam Ng.
Nicknamed the “King of the Fruits”, durian is known for its terrible smell and interesting flavour. Ng says the best way to enjoy it is simply to eat the flesh raw: “It has a very unique taste, it can be quite strong. It’s sweet, it’s creamy and sometimes there’s a bit of bitterness. It has a very custardy feel.”
You’ll be able to buy a whole durian, a small portion or durian-flavoured desserts. For those who are still scared to try the divisive fruit, Ng recommends trying his durian mochi, mooncake or ice-cream, which have a milder taste.
The fruit hails from Malaysia where durian is beloved – Ng wants to give locals an opportunity to try it.
“Every time the durian comes in season, everybody is so happy and excited. We want to bring that to Australia,” he says.
Thai restaurant Son in Law will also have a stall at Hawker 88, serving its popular spicy deep-fried chicken ribs with nam jim jaew, and photogenic sweets.
Inspired by trendy desserts served in Japan, South Korea and Thailand, Son in Law’s fairy floss and chocolate characters have been attracting many customers to its Collingwood restaurant.
“They have made so many people come here, that's why we're bringing them into the city,” says co-owner Tony Rungpradit. “It’s bright, colourful and it looks good for photos.”
Only one or two types of fairy floss characters will be sold each week, while the whole range of chocolate ball characters will be available. Made from white chocolate, they contain a coconut pandan crêpe cake. To reveal it, you have to pour a coconut pandan sauce on the ball to slowly melt it. Get your phone out, it has Instagram hit written all over it.
The six nights of the market will explore six different themes: Mooncake, Durian, Asian, Filipino, Bollywood and Thai. There will be special entertainment highlighting the different regions on each of those nights, including a mooncake eating competition, a noodle-making demonstration, karaoke, K-Pop performers, Filipino singers, Malaysian bands, as well as lion and Bollywood dancers.
To top it all off, 88 lanterns – a reference to the luckiest number in Chinese culture, eight – will be lighting up the night.
Lead image from Instagram @soninlaw_melb.
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Sheds K – L (Queen St to Peel St), Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne, VIC
Every Wednesday from 19 September to 24 October, 5 – 10 pm
