Under the sprawling corrugated tin roof of the Queen Victoria market, the Hawkers’ market returned for three nights  – from Monday 15^th-Wednesday 17^th of March as part of the 2010 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. MoM went along to the late session on Monday night (8.30pm-10.30pm) to undertake the difficult task of eating our way through the wares of a dozen of Melbourne’s best Asian restaurants.

With the smell of food wafting over the lantern lit venue, our first dish was a generous plate of mixed entrée from Box Hill’s Dumpling King (572 Station St, Box Hill). The stall coped well under the busy conditions with the long line moving quickly and we were soon enjoying a slightly greasy yet extremely fresh tasting bowl of Gyoza, spring rolls and mixed dumplings.

Refreshing Maedeya Sake cocktail in hand, it was time to see what all the fuss was about at the stall for the Dainty Sichuan restaurant (176 Toorak Rd, South Yarra) where the line snaked back past the market entrance. Yes, we all expect the Sichuan dishes to be hot, but man! The plate of skewered prawns, ribs and chicken wings was steam from the ears spicy. The cold noodles presented on the side were a welcome relief for the palette.

Highlight of the night was the Okonomiyaki from Maedaya Japanese Restaurant (400 Bridge Rd, Richmond). The ingredients in this savoury pancake dish (served with honeyed potatoes on the side) should have made for a stodgy plate but Maedaya had prepared and cooked their dish to perfection.

Sticky Black rice porridge from Warung Agus Balinese Restaurant (305 Victoria St, West Melbourne) drew the evening to a definite close. The thick, almost treacly brown sugar hit combined with coconut milk was a rich show-stopper of a dessert that in hindsight is probably best shared when being offered such a generous portion.

The dishes on offer were not as well chosen by all the restaurant stalls – sorry Cookie (Level 1/252 Swanston St, CBD) I did not hear good things from other market patrons and Kenzan’s Sushi offering, though it looked delicious, is not really what most people are looking for at an event like this. But on the whole, the atmosphere was buzzy without being over crowded. Typically service was fast, there was always room to squeeze onto one of the communal tables and the entertainment lent a feeling of levity to the occasion without assaulting your senses.  At the end of the night, nobody should have gone home hungry or dissatisfied.

Story and Photos by Kirsty Umback