Sherman's Food Adventures: Shipyards Night Market (Lower Lonsdale)

Shipyards Night Market (Lower Lonsdale)

Somehow I knew the Shipyards Night Market existed, but for whatever reason, I never actually visited the place all Summer.  In my head, I envisioned it to be smaller and not very busy.  Boy did I get that wrong after being invited to check the place out.  In addition to being located next to Lonsdale Quay, which is reason enough to trek out to North Van, it is part of the bigger area now know as the Shipyards District located in Lower Lonsdale.  The development in the area has exploded with new hotels, apartment complexes, restaurants and other services.  So yes, the market was hopping and boasted a diverse selection of food trucks and stands.

We started off the tour at Lonsdale Quay where we made our way over past beautiful The Polygon Galley over to the Shipyards.  Our first order of business was to get corny.  Sorry for the pun, but we did get some fresh Roasted Corn on the Cob at JJ's Hot Cobs.  These were fantastic being large, plump and cooked to perfection.  Each niblet burst with sweetness accented by whatever we chose as our seasoning (10 options in all).  For me, I did a combo of pepper & garlic, lemon pepper and seasoning salt.  From there, we sauntered over to Disco Cheetah Korean Grill where all of us ordered a variety of things including Rice Bowls, Fries and Tacos.  All of them offered a choice of protein including fried chicken, pulled pork or tofu.  Surprisingly, my favourite of the bunch was the fried tofu as it was buttery soft while doused in a sweet and slightly spicy glaze.

By now, it was 6:00pm and the market was getting busy as we made it over to The Reef.  As much as I was tempted to get some classics from their menu including Johnny cakes and plantain chips, I went for the more photogenic Tobago Wrap with curry lime chicken, fresh salsa, greens and avocado lime yogurt.  Colourful and generally a healthier option at the market, the wrap was pretty filling.  Lots of chicken inside with a hint of acidity and plenty of fresh ingredients.  Personally, we could've used a bit more saltiness though.  Now eating all this food made it necessary for some beverages, so we made a pit stop at Kic's Lemonade. Viv and I went for some of their specialty flavours including the Blood Orange and Blackberry Lime.  At first I was concerned that it would be too sweet, but my fears were unwarranted as there was a nice tang to go with the advertised flavours.

At this point, we were looking for something sweet beyond the lemonade.  There were plenty of options available from the many food trucks (40+) and stalls within the market (100+ vendors offering food and products). We ended up going for the Salted Caramel Apple Crepe from Chou Chou Crepes.  However, I think one person got a savoury crepe, but they have an even amount of savoury and sweet options.  Okay, back to the salted caramel apple...  Oh boy, this was fantastic featuring a thin crepe which was crispy on the edges and soft everywhere else.  It still retained a certain elasticity so it didn't fall apart nor get overly soggy.  Inside, I got bit hits of butter, salted smoky caramel and apple.  Since this was served hot, all of the flavours were pronounced and aromatic.

We ended off the night at the Beer Garden where one could sit at a table, enjoy their food and bevvies while listening to live music.  Among the drink options were red & white wine, vodka & soda, gin & tonic, Deep Cove Lager, Black Kettle IPA, Cariboo Cider and Hey Y'all ice tea.  Prices were very reasonable with beer and cider costing only $5.00.  Viv and I settled on the cider in granny smith and sour cherry.  It was a great way to sit down and enjoy the great weather and the atmosphere around us.  The Shipyards Night Market runs until September 28th and there is no entry fee.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Scenic location
- No entry fee
- Reasonable pricing on alcohol

The Bad:
- Parking can be tricky if the lot is full

1 comments:

geet said...

You missed the pakoras at Varinicey. They are a favorite of mine.

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