It looked as though it might have been the soft opening night since several stands were still empty and I've heard down the grapevine that some food trucks may also be rolling in so I've decided to keep rolling updates of this place as we re-visit and keep trying different stands - there was no way these lil piggies were gonna be able to try everything in one night!
Taiwaness Chicken Nuggets
Ok, first of all, if you come here you need to throw grammar out the window because most of the signs are abound with grammatical errors and you have to take it as part of the experience. Second, if you're going to name a stand after one of my favorite foods, you're gonna have to step up to bat my friend. 
Taiwanese Chicken Nuggets - $5
Comes piping hot in a bag with some sticks... Verdict? Crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside, salty and peppery. The presence of basil makes my heart skip a beat - didn't think they'd serve it like this at a night market and I love fried basil with this chicken. If you love the Taiwanese Chicken Nuggets, these are a pretty good fix and I'd come back for seconds.
Kim Wai Dim Sum
There are plenty of dim sum places at the night market but we usually don't hit em up since dim sum should be a sit-down affair on a Sunday afternoon where tea is also served but as we walked by this stand, something caught Mr. Teddy's eyes and nose. Stinky tofu??? And it kind of smells like garbage around the stand so maybe this could be the real thing??!?! (My response: Or maybe it's just the garbage.... LOL.) We were under the impression stinky tofu couldn't be sold since it was labelled "unsanitary" by the Health Authority but maybe they changed the rules? Either way, we're giving it a try!
Stinky Tofu - $6
A nice formidable plate with lots of tofu and pickled veggies on the side. It smells a bit but nowhere even in the same universe as the force of stinky tofu in Hong Kong (you can smell it a block away). We dig in and find that it's just ok - it's more salty and a bit garlicky than the traditional stinky tofu savoriness. When you dip it in the chili sauce, then it's just spicy and any other flavors are drowned out. Stinky tofu? Not really. The pickled veggies are ok but a little bit too much on the vinegary side for me although it's a nice counterbalance to the non-stinky tofu. If you're looking for the real deal, this tofu will not cut it for you.
Roasted Corn
I guess the name is self explanatory... They give you a ear of roasted corn and you top it with whatever flavor shakes you want. It ranges from plain black pepper to cinnamon and all the way to spicy. The location right at the top of the aisle is super busy so if you don't want to stand in line, halfway down the aisle is another stand of the same name and offerings that didn't have any lineups at all.
Roasted Corn - $3
Kinda pricey for a corn on the cob but Mrs. Teddy is a fan and watching everyone else walking around munching on a giant ear of corn is too much to bear. It comes to hand warm and slathered in butter so that the flavoring sticks. Plain pepper here please! The corn is sweet and the kernels are crunchy super moist deliciousness. Ah, the taste of summer...
The Stand With No Name
I struggled with the idea of putting this stand on my blog since a Piglet family member is actually involved in it but I decided to add it anyways since I LOVE their squid, even if a Piglet worked there or not. They don't leave the squid to be sitting out so it retains it's moistness and they grill it right in front of you so if you want it a little more crisp or raw, it can be done to order. There's a reason why this is the only squid stand with a lineup tonight...
Squid Head - $6
You can get the portion where the calamari rings are made of or the tentacles but I'm a tentacle kind of gal and they call it squid head here so an order of squid head for me! A little crispy for me please! It comes piping hot off the grill with some sticks to share. Crispy on the outside, not too chewy and comes with a healthy dose of savory brown sauce and a thai-like sweet chili sauce. I find that other stands just douse their squid in all sorts of too spicy or too salty sauces so all you can taste is the sauce but the sauce here is subtle enough that you can actually still taste the squid. LOVE LOVE LOVE!SO. FULL. MUST. ROLL. SELF. HOME. There's more to come (dessert round is next!) so stay tuned to the Two Hungry Piglets to get the down low on the food at the Summer Night Market!
Pros:
- Free parking available
- Pay parking right at the market available for $5 a car
- Great place to hang out, try some odd and wonderful food and get your stationary at the same time!
- Makes for a great walking place after dinner to just walk or grab some dessert
- Closes at 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays and at 12 on Sundays
Cons:
- Cash only! Bring it or else face a treacherous line up at the ATM machine
- Free parking - get here early or super late because any time between that will mean a trek from the Himalayas
- Very busy and you will get bumped in the food aisles so be careful and protect your food!
The food seem to be more expensive than last year.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree but unfortunately rising foods costs affect everyone and to think it wouldn't impact small food stands would be unrealistic. That's why some menu items at some stands will sometimes change, even in the middle of the summer - ex. lamb all of a suddenly becomes too expensive to sell so it's taken off the menu completely or they change suppliers and it tastes different. I also know that the rising costs of rent has also affected many of these vendors - what used to cost $10K to rent now costs $20k or more for a small stand. Yeah, that's TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS for a single stand and sometimes more depending on the size and location. Pretty pricey for a location that's only open on the weekends and only at night. The profit margins for most of these food stands are not super high - they make money but it's not they're rolling cigarettes with money and smoking it. Everyone operating a business must maintain a profit and with the rising costs of EVERYTHING, we, the consumers, are getting slighted. So we consumers just have to be pickier at what we buy so we can still enjoy ourselves when we choose to eat out. :) Hope that helps explains some things.
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