Richmond Night Market

I made my very first visit to the Richmond Night Market on Saturday evening and I was beyond excited to do so! As someone who fell in love with the night markets in Thailand, we are very fortunate to have a somewhat similar experience available to us here in Vancouver (more specifically; Richmond). Open from May 11th to October 8th, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from 7pm to 12am. Admission costs $4.25.

Actor Seth Rogen even once recommended it to Chrissy Teigen in a tweet! Founded in the year 2000, this is the largest night market in North America. Which makes sense, because Vancouver is like a glorious little slice of Asia that we get to enjoy right here at home!

The line can be very long to get inside. I'm not entirely sure how to work around this, other than to visit on days when the weather is less good, or arrive super early, or purchase a Zoom Pass ($25) which gets you six admissions (that anyone can use) and you get to enter through an express entry gate. Once inside, prepare for an overwhelming, crowded, sensory overload!! On the plus side, while it was extremely crowded, none of the food stands had lineups that were too ridiculous. Every single vendor produced our food items in only a few short minutes and nothing was disappointingly sold out either (worst!). The eating began. Matcha from Cookies N' Cream ($7.50)

We started with dessert because when you're an adult you can do whatever you want. This ice cream sandwich was the perfect treat for a hot day. Creamy matcha ice cream, soft and chewy chocolate cookies, and a great Rice Krispy crunch! Complete with an adorable koala biscuit on top! Black Truffle Pork Gyoza from Dumpling Master ($8.50)

These were excellent! Dressed with truffle mayo, cripsy onions, bonito and nori, each gyoza was bursting with big flavour! The truffle was not lost at all and each hot and savoury bite was a mouth party. Everyone was invited. Stuffed Crab Claw with Shrimp Paste from Mr. Crabzy ($5.98 each)

These are offered in three flavours; Original, New Orleans, and Garlic. I chose the Original flavour in the interest of trying the classic for the first time. These were great! Super meaty, not over-cooked, crunchy breading. The wasabi mayo and tobiko was a nice touch. Jasmine Rose + Coffee Jelly from Sippy ($6.50)

Anything rose flavoured and I'm in. It's tea in a bag!! This milky cold tea (also available warm) was super wonderful. There were rose petals floating around in there and the coffee jellies were nice little pops of chewy flavour. LOVED! Roti Mac & Cheese from Mamak La ($10.00)

Filled with macaroni and extra nacho cheese, drizzled with curry mayo sauce. This might just have been the best thing. It was everything. The roti itself was ultra delicious. But the best part was that the mac & cheese was basically just Kraft Dinner, which somehow made it even better. I added ketchup for dipping, because obviously. SO. GOOD. Rainbow Churro in Vanilla Ice Cream in Ultimate Rare Unicorn Float from Churros in Ice Cream ($16.00)

You've gotta go out with a bang, amirite?! This is how you do that. The completely unnecessary "ultimate rare unicorn float" (limited quantities, while supplies last!) was an extra $2. But I mean, I had to have the unicorn and not the mushroom, rainbow, palm tree, or flamingo. The churro itself was really good! The ice cream was nothing special, but let's face it, this was never about the ice cream. The entire market experience was super vibrant and fun. I would definitely return! It wasn't exactly cheap. Be aware that unlike the real night markets in Asia, this one charges more than $2 for things. There are many more items that I want to try; such as the Japanese poutine, the smoked quail eggs, the big pineapple or watermelon drinks, the massive chicken nugget... I'll be back for more.