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Queen Victoria Market (QVM) has been a weekend tradition for Victorians since 1878. COVID shutdowns hit the market and its vendors hard. However, for the first time since 2019, the Winter Night Markets are back, serving Melburnians gourmet delights from across the globe.
Lunara Turkish Delights, a family-owned business, is set to impress by serving dozens of traditional and bespoke Turkish delight flavours.
Vendor Bilal Baydar says, "there are many different cultures representing who they are".
Zuya African BBQ's aromatic food is unmissable. Leo Chofor, who has run the stall for almost seven years, says the QVM Night Markets are his favourite place to be.
Hayley Hoopla, also known as The Hoop Dog, spends her Wednesday nights roving the QVM Market. Hayley says her favourite part of the night is seeing joy in the onlooking faces. "Even though it's exhausting, it's also very fulfilling for my soul and my spirit," she says.
Meaning "little pig" in Italian, Porchetta serves up only the best of Italian meats, or more specifically, a sizzling and soft pork roast over your choice of thick-cut chips or fresh garden salads.
Cooked in honest Italian tradition, the mouth-watering pork rotates on a spit for hours, leaving visitors with gorgeous crispy crackling.
Like any good night market, food-on-a-stick is imperative. Enter Bobo Cup, a Chinese-fusion vendor offering hot pot style finger food to satisfy your more traditional flavour cravings.
Squid-on-a-stick is one of the many foods Bobo Cup serves in a real night market fashion.
Sarah, owner of Cupcakes and Tiaras, a children's clothing stall, says this year's Winter Night Markets are the busiest she's ever seen. "It's been an amazing event and everybody has had a ball, topping off a fantastic season," she says.
If the delicious smells coming from the BBQ vendors don't suit your fancy, then duck into Green Candle Co to calm to senses and nostrils!
One of the most popular vendors on wintery nights is Dave's Diner - serving hearty soups and sticky date pudding to keep you happy and warm throughout the night.
Lead singer Jack Adams says performing at the Queen Vic Night Markets was a much-needed boost post-COVID lockdowns. "We all sort of did our corporate jobs and died a little inside, and now we're playing gigs more progressively and slowly becoming alive and feeling again," he says.
