Thank God it’s Friday at the Vic Park’s Hawkers Market

Being a bit of a traveller around South East Asia, I have always loved hawkers markets as it is where the locals go to eat.

They are also great value and cheap and while the food isn’t usually 5 stars, it’s honest, authentic, satisfying and genuine. 

Since markets are usually crowd pullers, they are great places for a good place for a relaxed night out with friends as well as a perfect spot for people watching. 

So when the Town of Victoria Park started its own Hawker’s Market on a Friday night (in the laneway off Albany Highway but will be moving to near the Victoria Park Library) I was super excited. I had these visions that it would be similar to the markets that I had visited in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

It took me a few months before finally making it to this lane way sandwiched between a supermarket and a restaurant. Immediately, I got taken in by the relaxed vibe. Just like the markets that I had visited overseas, the place was full of people celebrating the end of the working week; there were families with kids, guys on their way home from work in Perth and a every other demographic that you could think of. People just eating food and enjoying each other’s company in their local community!

The first thing to do when you get there is to wonder down the lane and decide what to eat as the choices are varied but not as wide as the bigger markets elsewhere.

The stalls range from Persian, Moroccan, and Japanese to Filipino, Italian and French. You can enjoy something substantial or go just for desert. The good thing about its location is that you can go to many of Vic Park’s cool cafes and bars after for a post dinner coffee or glass of wine.

My first time visiting the markets I had the Persian Kebab which was nice and the following time I had the Spanish meatballs with creamy parmesan polenta and salsa verde which was really nice but for the portion size a little too expensive.      

Take away Turkish desserts make for lovely treats at home 

This made me think and made a little disappointed. As someone who is obsessed with travel, I so wanted to be back overseas and I was kinda hoping that these Hawker’s Market were reminiscent of markets overseas where the portions were big, the food wasn’t made for a foreign taste buds and the price doesn’t seem inflated. But then again, this Perth where everything is inflated and everything is expensive.

Vic Park’s TGIF Hawker’s Market is a great thing to do on a Friday night, even if it is not as gritty, edgy or as cheap as overseas. I am just glad that’s it’s on.