Cookie from Lindsey Bakes.
The sun was beating down on hot pavement and the air was thick and steamy. But even that didn’t deter the hungry horde at yesterday’s Night Market fundraiser for The Stop. Lanterns and flags were strung high across the area and the addition of artful and innovative booths (done by talented designers) really gave things a festive air.
Click image for a larger view.
With the $50 ticket being all-inclusive of food and drink, it was nice not to have to juggle money alongside plates of food (and in my case, a camera). This was a great event – both food-wise and visually – check out what you missed (warning: really image-heavy post)!
The Alleyway
You run the gauntlet past four booths before hitting the main area of Night Market, but they’re a delicious quadruplet. Because I was in the first wave of people in, a few of the booths were still setting up and others already had lines that I didn’t want to wait for as things began to bottleneck.
The Grove, County General, Supi Cucu, Neptuno. Click for larger view.
The Grove – Smoked Fish on Rye Toast. A nice little bite to start with.
SupiCucu – Panamanian Tamales with that awesome hot sauce! I came back for this at a later point in the evening.
Neptuno – Oysters. What a great booth! They had a custom tray to display for their oysters too. Did not eat (long line) but appreciated the workmanship of the booth.
The West Side
Having cleared the alleyway, I started the tour counter-clockwise. Some of my favourite dishes were the first ones, so it was a good way to begin.
Jack & Lil’s, Reunion Island Coffee, Bushwick, unknown (NOT the Korean Fried Chicken stand!), The Tempered Chef, Paulette’s, Delica Kitchen, Lake of Bays Beer, The Stockyards, Cowbell, Samuel J. Moore, Hawker Bar, The Stop, Yours Truly, Brockton General. Click image for larger view.
Brockton General – Mini Fried Chicken Sliders. Chicken was prepared well and loved the slaw underneath.
Yours Truly – Pork Burger in Xi’an spice and fried bread. This was super good – really enjoyed the bread and the spice combo. One of my favourites.
Okay, I failed to properly shoot this one. However, The Stop’s offering of Korean fried chicken was awesome. Great pickled veg and well-sauced boneless chicken. Wanted it to be Korean-level spicy, but understood that the audience wouldn’t have appreciated that as much. Really good and another one of my favourites from the night.
Hawker Bar – Son In Law Eggs. Same as the restaurant serves.
Samuel J. Moore – BBQ S’mores. More fire needed (for that smoky taste) on this but oozy and sweet.
Cowbell – Sno Cones. This booth was made of ice! Had the Ontario strawberry. Wished I had put more syrup in there… I ate it so fast.
The Stockyards – BBQ’d Pig Tails. Tasty. Loved the toasty bits.
Paulette’s – Maple Sugar & Cinnamon and Garam Masala donut dots. Thought these quite good. Look forward to their new store opening on Queen East.
Bushwick – Shrimp Cocktail. Refreshing.
Reunion Island Coffee – Coffee Gelato. Really great strong coffee taste.
Jack & Lil’s – Bunny Chow. Very cute. No bunnies inside.
Jack & Lil’s – Caramels and Coconut Marshmallows (not pictured: delicious passionfruit marshmallows).
The East Side
Swinging around to the other wall, I skipped Sullivan & Bleeker (why!?) for Nick Liu’s booth instead. I should have just snagged a cupcake for later! At the end of this row was Lindsey Bakes with a ridiculous sweets table. Loved the look and the variety of the items – which included a chewy pretzel with smoked salt for those less sugar-inclined.
Lindsey Bakes, Babi & Co, The Beet Organic, FeasT.O., Woodlot, Gwailo, Sullivan & Bleeker. Click on image for larger view.
Gwailo – Wild Leek Sambal Sturgeon with Cucumber Salad
Woodlot – Beef Crudo with Duck Yolk, Balconville Vinegar. Loved the dispensing method of the yolk. Hadn’t thought of that!
Babi & Co – Babi Bun: Braised pork belly on a fried Chinese bun; Asinan: summer salad with pineapple peanut dressing.
Lindsey Bakes – Candied Apple with cornflakes (I think). This was good.
Lindsey Bakes – Sugar Cookie. Loved the colours and work on the cookies.
Lindsey Bakes – Various baked goods including cookies, bacon caramel popcorn, and candied apples. The popcorn was tasty, but soggy in the heat. Still, I took my leftover candy home in the hopes I can revive it.
Centre Aisle
Okay, by the time I hit the centre aisle, I was pretty done. I managed to eat one thing from the booths along the middle and special mention to the super-refreshing coconut water from Grace Foods. That hit the spot.
The Bellevue, The Stop CFC #1, Torito, Hey Meatball, Grace Foods. Click image for a larger view.
The Bellvue – Ox Tail Tacos
With all that food in me, it was time to wrap things up. As I was heading out, the light was fading and the booths started lighting up. I wish I’d had more stamina and less of what Bonita calls a “food baby” – I imagine many of the booths looked awesome aglow. I managed to snag one booth – The Stop’s pad thai station:
Really can’t say how great I thought this event ran and I hope they make this a yearly event!
June 21, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Great photos! The event looked like so much fun… hopefully I can make it out to the next one :)
June 21, 2012 at 7:29 pm
WAAAAAH! That looks like so much fun. I’m so very, very sad I had to give up my ticket. *sniff*
June 21, 2012 at 8:11 pm
Amazing – beautiful photos. Love that you got the booths and the food!
This WILL be a yearly event.
June 21, 2012 at 10:50 pm
Thanks for documenting what we ate. It was all a tasty blur :)
June 23, 2012 at 9:49 am
really great photos! and write up! left my memory card at home – amateur, so it’s nice to be able to see other people’s photos…
June 23, 2012 at 10:41 am
Thanks everyone! XD JoAnne, we’ll go next year!
Yvonne, I totally hate when I do that. Or when I leave the battery, because I forgot that it was in the charger…