There's so much happening in Chinatown on a Friday night. Got there around 6pm. Bought 8 mandarins for $2.40 and 2 bunches of chinese broccoli for $2 from Paddy's markets. The seller threw in some extra Chinese vegies as she didn't want to pack them away.
Then bought 3 more Chinese brush paints from PO Hong stationers as I've just started a Chinese brush painting course. Then I bought a custard bun from a Chinese cake shop and a pack of 6 frozen steamed bbq pork buns $4.80 from the Emperor's Garden restaurant cake shop. They were also selling warmed steamed buns for $1 each - kind of like how you buy warmed up meat pies from convenience stores. Also walked by a fabric shop in one of those arcades and they were selling cool Japanese women print fabrics. Will have to have a closer look some other time.
Then walked through the arcade to Dixon St, and you see the Friday night market and food stalls lining the street. The street is really buzzing with life and activity. The Chinese restaurants have tables lining the footpath outside their restaurants with a hostess trying to show you the menu and show you to a table, and then in the middle of the street there are food stalls selling foods from beef and pork jerky to noodles, to cooked meats on skewers, and heaps of other Chinese foods. Then further up the street are stalls selling Chinese swords, bonsai trees, lego astronaut jewellery, wool crochet bags, cutesy Chinese character keyring soft-toys, cute stationery, incense sticks, and heaps of other things.
After walking through the street market, I made my way back to the Emperor's Garden restaurant to get some plain congee, bbq pork, and fresh rice noodles before heading back home. Really quite enjoy making this trip and just walking and looking around on a Friday night.
