Richmond Summer Night Market (Vancouver, Canada)

Anyone who has travelled East will appreciate a good summer night's market. The Richmond Night Market (renamed as Summer Night Market) offers you just that. A large area filled with food stands and other goodies from Asia. It's a great way to spend the evening feasting on cheap eats while buying 'Made in China' goods ranging from sunglasses, massage chairs, lingerie, electronics, stationary, hello kitty, etc. It reminds me of night markets of Bangkok where I also feasted on cheap Thai food and coconut juice and spent a lot of unnecessary money on unnecessary items (which I would do all over again in a heart beat). Unfortunately, as the name makes clear the night market is only on in the summer time so folks get there while you can or you will just have to wait until next year to get your hands on some hot dim-sum. 

Richmond Summer Night Market- a summer must-do!

The night market has come a long way. I remember the early years back where it was located in a very small parking lot in downtown Richmond. I still made trips back then when it was little heard of amongst local Vancouverites. Thankfully back then I had a Richmond born and raised friend who knew the ins and outs of Richmond including the summer night market. Back then there were only a few food stands with cheaper prices.

Years later after returning from living in Europe I returned to the Night Market only to find that its location had been changed and the venue had expanded to cover a huge area with flocks of Vancouverites and tourists visiting each summer. The food stands are fantastic and if not for the products then definitely make a trip for the food. It's well worth it. Here is a visual list of my favorite food stands. 

Japanese Octopus balls

Fish waffles filled with nutella, peanut butter and cream

Heaven on a stick sprinkled with ketchup

Chinese Cotton Candy

Curry Fish Balls

Curry Fish Balls

Pork Dumplings

Korean Glass Noodles

Bacon wrapped sausage

This is how it looks as soon as the gates open...we were one of the first ones there.

And this is what it looked an hour later

Dim Sum- Yum!

Delicious waffles with a choice of nutella, peanut butter or red beans.

Corn with different flavors to sprinkle on top.

Richmond's amazing night market tradition continues with the renamed Summer Night Market, with 300 vendors, tons of food, and thousands of visitors.

Capogiro Gelateria- Italian Market (Philadelphia, USA)

After our meal at Birra, we went for a stroll on Passyunk street. I am already drawn to this area of town given the colorful shops, restaurants and young/hip atmosphere. We spotted a Gelato shop and decided we had enough room for dessert. 

At the time, I was not aware that Capogiro Gelateria has various locations and is a local and international Gelato celebrity. 

I loved the decor and presentation. Everything was clean, sharp and beautifully presented. The shop was very homey and cozy. 

The gelato is not set out like other gelato shops but is hidden by lids. There are also not a large variety of flavours to choose from but what they did offer was enough. 

The shop also offers a wide range of coffees and sweets. 

And biscotti! I love biscotti. But didn't get a chance to try on this trip. 

The flavors are written on a chalkboard. I ordered the Nocciola and Pistachio while the Count ordered the Dark Chocolate and Grapefruit. 

Capogiro uses local hand picked produce and milk from grass fed, hormone free cows. You can really taste the difference and quality in each spoonful. 

I was not expecting such an explosion of flavours in my mouth. I've had a lot of gelato in my time. And a good amount of that in Italy from Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples and Amalfi coast and I can confidently say that this was one of the best I have ever had. Definitely the best I have had in America. 

The flavours were so strong and the gelato was so creamy. I have never taste gelato this good. No wonder it was picked as the best gelato 'in the world'. 

This is definitely a new favorite. I have yet to try the other locations but I definitely love the space, decor and flavors offered at this location. 

Birra- Italian Market (Philadelphia, USA)

Our first weekend in Philadelphia and we were already in search of pizza. We headed to the Italian Market to yelp our way to a pizza shop. At that point, I had not done any research on popular/best restaurants in Philadelphia so I really knew nothing about where to go and what to eat. But when you crave pizza, you find pizza, and you eat pizza. 

We parked on Passyunk street and found Birra through yelp. Birra is a modern Italian restaurant serving mostly pizza and anti pastis. (See menu)

We started with the Salumi dish with three different types of cured meats served with pickles, red peppers and a special sweet sauce. 

The portions were very generous. It was the first time ever that we did not finish our Salumi dish. 

The Salumi was served with a bowl of different fresh breads. The focaccia style bread was very oily but nevertheless tasty. 

For our main dish we created our own pizza. You can choose between red or white sauce and choose the number of toppings. We chose red sauce with mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes and arugula. 

It was a very flavorful pizza. Generous amounts of cheese and all other toppings. It is not a brick oven pizza and made like your average pizza: in an oven. But the end result is good enough. 

If you like beer, you will also enjoy their variety of craft beers on tap and in bottles. We went very early on a Saturday but the place was almost full. A range of different characters and an overall loud ambiance. We also noted that all the servers and bartenders were tattooed up. Perhaps its a criteria before getting hired? 

We both enjoyed our meal at Birra. The food was satisfactory and served in generous portions. It was not the best pizza I've ever had but it certainly did satisfy our craving.

Pat's King of Steaks- Italian Market (Philadelphia, USA)

Two days on the road and we finally arrived in Philadelphia in the late evening. Hungry with nowhere to go we made the pilgrimage to Pat's King of Steaks. Rumor has it that Pat's and Genos are the two best cheese steak spots in Philadelphia. Then there are others that argue that they are the two most popular but by far not the best in town. I wouldn't know the difference. We parked the car and were instantly drawn like flies to the bright neon lights of Genos. It was 'bright'. Too bright for my eyes with a long line up. Pat's was across the street and seemed a little less crazy. So we headed to Pat's. 

We lined up. Ordered our cheese steak at the counter and moved on. You have the option of three different cheeses: American, cheez whiz or provolone cheese. I'm pretty sure I ordered mine with the American cheese...although I'm not so sure now. 

The counter is made of glass which allows you to see exactly what goes on in their kitchen. A whole lot of stir fried beef, veggies and globs and globs of orange liquid cheese. 

The staff is very friendly. Once we told them we had made the pilgrimage all the way from New Orleans they became extra attentive and told us what to order and how. Its a high paced environment and the photos reveal just that. 

Once you pick up your sandwich you can order a drink and fries in another counter. There is a topping station with mustard, ketchup and hot peppers to stack your sandwich with. 

The cheese steak was perfect. I have only had one cheese steak in my life and that was in Vancouver at the American Cheesesteak Co. The sandwich was packed with meat and topped off with American cheese. Then I personally added mustard, ketchup and hot peppers, stuffed it with some fries and took a big bite. Mmm so mouthwatering good. It is not the healthiest dining experience I have had and surely it is only a treat to be had once in a while given that each sandwich is packed with calories. 

I washed it down with some liquid sugar and took another bite. Four bites in and I was full. The Count was full. Our friend was full. Maybe they can offer half portions to Canadians like me? 

There are people from all walks of life at Pats and in the surrounding area. As I hate a homeless boy dug through the trash making each bite a bit painful and a surge of guilt. Then as I took a guilty bite a boy beside me belched out so loudly I almost felt sick to my stomach. I guess that is the charm of the place? 

I had the same sentiments for the cheese steak as I had for the po-boy in New Orleans. I'm not a big fan. Of course I can appreciate a good sandwich and did think the cheese steak lived up to it's name; however, on a personal note I cannot say I was won over. However, fear not as I will continue my cheese steak review in the Philly region so I can personally decide which is the best. So far Pat's did not let us down. Perhaps Geno's is next?!