NIGHT IT UP! 2015

I was invited again this year to join the Food Blogger tour at Night it Up!, a weekend street festival in Markham celebrating Asian culture. When I went in 2013, there was only 3 of us bloggers. This year’s tour drew a much bigger turnout including bloggers and popular Instagram names. The popularity and scale of Night it Up! has continued to grow and one important aspect has remained consistent, the amazing food vendors. our giant gaggle of bloggers sampled food from 9 generous vendors to get a small taste of what’s available.

Disclaimer: All drinks and food were provided free of charge by the event organizers. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Sweety Bird – Ice Cream Egg Waffle
Hong Kong egg waffle topped with green tea ice cream, fresh fruit and whipped cream
The waffle was toasted crispy on the outside, made fresh and moist on the inside

Chatime – Wintermelon Ice tea
A refreshing summer drink with a strong tea flavour and little wintermelon
I was impressed with that the quality of tea from the booth was on par with in-store orders
Lines at the Chatime booth can be long

Happy Twist – Taro Chips
A more recent addition to food festivals and very welcome
Fresh potato or chunk of taro is sliced using a special rotating machine on a skewer and then deep fried
The taro chips we tried at Happy Twist were the perfect thickness, super crunchy and surprisingly filling

Yakikuza – Okonomiyaki
Fried to order, the okonomiyaki at the Yakikuza booth was gooey and generously topped with mayo
This version was more batter than cabbage

Kakigori – Matcha Red Bean Shaved Ice
Green tea flavoured shaved ice topped with red bean and a mochi ball
The shaved ice had a strong, intense flavour but melted quickly
Other flavours included Chocolate Oreo, White Peach Calpico and Sakura Mochi Milk

ShareTea – Ice Lemon Tea
Plenty of lemon flavour, customizable sugar and ice level, chewy multi-sized tapioca

M.E.N.U. Food Truck – Peking Duck Poutine
Shredded Peking duck on a bed of onion rings, topped with fresh green onions, mayo and ketchup
A delicious fusion of Asian and Western foods
Also available, M.E.N.U.’s signature deep fried rice balls and fresh coconuts
Follow M.E.N.U. on Instagram and Twitter to find out where they’re located daily in Toronto

Ice Cream Sandwich – Matcha Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich
A collaboration between Christopher Siu from Masterchef Canada and Feedmyphone
Green tea ice cream, sandwiched between two soft matcha flavoured cookies, topped with a crunchy cookie crumble
The stall sold out every night!
Christopher can be found at Sweetery Toronto this weeked from Aug 15-16 serving up Chinese flavoured French macaron and Matcha Crepe Cake

1. General Tips
   – Night it Up! is a night market and most people visit once the sun sets, however this can mean incredibly long lines and very few parking spots
   – If you’re coming at night, try to carpool, walk or get dropped off
   – Be patient
   – To avoid a crowd, visit in the afternoon when the festival opens, lines are much shorter but there is no shade and the sun can be intense
   – If you’re coming in the afternoon, bring sunscreen, a hot and water
   – This year paper towel stations were set up around the festival, I like to bring a pack of wet naps and a bottle of antibacterial handwash
   – One of the most popular stalls are the Stinky Tofu ones that generate a cloud of aroma around all the food stalls, be prepared to get used to the smell or stay down wind