Indulging at Taste of Night Market

Since its inauguration in 2012 the 626 Night Market has taken SoCal by storm. Starting in the San Gabriel Valley and expanding to Orange County and beyond it’s introduced a modern spin to the traditional Asian night market. A couple of years ago I checked out the one in OC and had a fun time exploring the numerous cuisines available. Today, I was lucky enough to be invited to cover their latest venture – Taste of Night Market.

This fun event was held in the Barker Hanger at Santa Monica Airport and featured some of the night market’s favorite vendors. Instead of purchasing items at each individual stand there was a single admission fee with all you can eat food and drink samples inside. From savory to sweet there was a wide selection of delicious bites available. I made my way around the event and tried to sample something from each booth but my stomach betrayed me. Still I managed to snag some delicious bites.

I’ve long been a Komodo fan and this poke sampling was as delicious as all their other items. Full of flavor it was a tasty bite of fresh tuna. Mm mm mm.

I’ve also long been a fan of Starry Kitchen and was especially looking forward to their contribution. Turns out they went the mollusk route and decided to service Spicy Coconut Snails. Hmm. I had never tried a snail before but I’m not one to back down from a culinary challenge. So I slurped the broth and grabbed a toothpick to pull the meat from the shell. Mmmmm. So good. Next stop, escargot.

The SoCal Grill Shack had only one person on duty. Not so great when there’s a line of hungry diners. I decided to be patient and wait for a sample of the Crispy Sriracha Pork Belly. As they say good things come to those who wait. It was fantastic. Crunchy pork belly topped with a spicy sweet sauce made for a delicious combo.

I’m not a huge curry fan but the friend I was with recommended I try the sample from Okamoto Kitchen. The affable owner explained to me this was a Japanese Curry which was actually introduced to the region by the British. He said it had a hearty beef flavor and by gosh he was right. It was the ultimate comfort food rich in flavor. Okamoto Kitchen is a food truck and I know I will be hunting it down.

With all the samples I definitely needed something to wash them down. Luckily there were multiple drink vendors and my two favorite were Bruce Tea and Milk + T. What can I say, I’m a tea nut. Bruce Tea was founded by Bruce Lee’s daughter and actually uses the famous action hero’s personal recipe. The teas were flavorful and refreshing and I’m super excited I can find them at Ralph’s. Milk + T makes a variety of milk and regular teas. They use handmade nectar and lactose free milk in their teas. That’s right up my alley since milk and my stomach don’t mix well. Not to mention they were quite tasty.

Of course there has to be dessert! I loved the mango fluff from Fluff Ice. Creamy yet light as air it was a refreshing treat.

And how could I resist the beautiful cotton candy from Cloud Food Creations? It was the perfect ending to the evening. If you want to try Taste of Night Market it does continue tomorrow from 6-11pm. Hopefully, it will be a big success so it returns in the future.