Richmond Night Market: 7 More Things You Should Know

Admittedly, this post is rather late. Richmond Night Market has been open for a couple months now and folks like Michael have already written extensively on the subject. I, on the other hand, have been in all honesty avoiding the place altogether since it’s been in decline for years and the cheap goods have gotten cheaper and cheaper. The food, on the other hand, is still relatively good cheap eats.

And cheap eats are pretty much the best reason to come here. I mean, do you really need cheap, faulty (and no returns!) electronics, pirated DVDs full of horrible karaoke or poor imitation clothing? Don’t fool yourself…everything here is fake.

Even the soup! One of my favorite things to get here is the imitation shark fin soup which is actually quite delicious if it’s from the right place. Sure, it’s just vermicelli but it’s a decent cup of soup. Too bad it’s so damned hot out since it would be fantastic on a cold winter night.

I also got some of this curry periwinkle. I’m not even sure what the hell periwinkle is but it sure is tasty! I assume they’re some kind of snail or sea creature but whatever. They’re a little crunchy and chewy, just like escargot but in curry rather than a herb butter.

This guy, of course, is Sam. He makes these little pastry eggs, which are called (when literally translated) “mini chicken eggs”. I’m not much for sweets so I passed but he’s quite entertaining and a trip to the Richmond Night Market wouldn’t be complete if you didn’t go check out his little “show”.

Oh, go try out the takoyaki (Japanese octopus balls) too. They’re delicious but a tad more expensive than everything else at Night Market ($4 for 6). Most stands will make it pretty good. Just look for the ones that make them fresh in cast iron molds rather than having a pan of pre-made ones.

As I said, Michael has given out ten things you should know about the Richmond Night Market already but I feel like he’s missed a couple things.

1. Don’t wear your best clothes to Night Market if you plan on going anywhere near the food. It is almost inevitable that some jackass will spill something on you or you’ll get bumped in the crowds and spill something on yourself. Your shoes will probably take a beating too and walking around in this crowd with any sort of sandals is just scary. Just about everything leaves dark, greasy stains if you get it on yourself so leave the $150 t-shirts at home.
2. The most crowded area is the middle aisle of the food area. You see that picture up top? Yeah, that was when it was clearing up already. Fortunately, almost all the best food can be found without having to brave this section. The best places to eat are the most established ones which have been mainstays at Night Market for years. If you’re looking for curry balls or dim sum, you’ll want to get it from the front-most stand right across from the mini-donut trailer. If you’re looking for imitation shark fin soup, the best place is on the other end of the middle aisle opposite the stage where horrible “bands” play “music”. It’ll say something like chicken and mushroom shark fin soup. Of course, Sam can be located on the left side of the curry ball and dim sum stand. You can’t miss him.
3. Be prepared to be pushed around. I’m a pretty big guy so it doesn’t affect me as much but if you’re comparably smaller, brace yourself. The crowd moves slow but you’ll find yourself constantly knocked around. Avoid eating near the food stands. Many places serve soups but keep a lid on it until you get away from the crowd or you’ll be burning your tongue and staining your clothes.
4. For the single fellas, there’s lots of eye candy. For those of you who are tied down, your woman is going to kill you.
5. Don’t pay for parking. Not only is it an insane $5 but with the nearby “free” parking, you won’t have to get through the giant traffic jam to go home. That and you probably need some exercise after eating here.
6. Don’t overdo it on the food. There isn’t a damn thing here that’s good for you or even in a reasonable proximity to good for you. I know it’s cheap and it tastes good but you’ll pay for it later…probably on the crapper.
7. I’m sure everyone has told you that near the end of the night, the food starts to get cheaper since the vendors don’t want it to go to waste but these days, unless you want to wait til the very last minute, prices will remain the same. The places with the good food have enough demand that they can maintain their prices and the places that lower their prices due to no demand…well, you probably don’t want to eat there.

So if you happen to be in Richmond on the weekend, check it out. If you happen to know the offensive line of a local football team, bring them along. It helps.

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