For me, summer hasn’t sprung until I go to the opening weekend of the Little Saigon Night Market. From late June to early September, the front parking lot of the Asian Garden Mall is given over to this mini fair of Vietnamese food, goods, and music. The food ranges from deep Vietnamese to trendy/fun stuff, all from booths manned by local businesses. The goods seem…good. I don’t know. I have too much stuff as it is. The music, as in Vietnamese pop, is usually a bit melancholy early in the evening, but it picks up.
But now, the fun stuff.
Mực Nướng (grilled squid)
Photo by Valentine Bratoff
The first thing to do when you arrive at the Night Market is to dispatch someone to get in this line. The subtle marinade seems to tenderize more than flavor, so get some of the green sauce, which is quite reminiscent of a salsa verde. It’s great with the squid.
Grilled Lobster Tail
Photo by Valentine Bratoff
Showcases the lobster really well. More places should serve their lobster tails on sticks. It makes it so much easier and more fun to eat. At $8, it’s on the higher end of the price range at the Night Market, but it’s well worth it.
Crawfish
Photo by Valentine Bratoff
The influence of the Gulf Coast Vietnamese community is readily apparent in the Orange County Vietnamese community, where we have an abundance of Viet-owned Cajun-style crawfish joints. Choose your heat, don your bibs, and get cracking!
Đuôi Heo Chiên Dòn (deep fried pig tails)
Photo by Valentine Bratoff
If I had to choose, I think the belly would be my favorite part of the pig. The tail is a close second, though. These tails are excellent bites of pork-y rich goodness with a light, sweet glaze.
Banh Khọt (shrimp cake, left) and Bột Chiên (rice cakes and egg, right)
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Delicious self-contained bites of batter and shrimp. Be sure to use the greens and the nước chấm! And just in case you skipped breakfast: rice cakes, egg, green onion, bean sprouts, fish sauce.
Thịt Nướng (grilled pork)
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Juicy and lemongrass-y bites of meat on a skewer. This is the kind of thing where I could just park myself at the booth and eat these all night.
Ồc Len Xào Dừa (sea snails in coconut milk)
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Cute little snails in slightly spicy coconut milk. A wonderful mix of sweet, creamy, spicy, and briny.
Chuôi Nếp Nướng (grilled banana in sticky rice in tapioca)
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Almost like a transmogrified boba! The peanuts atop are surprisingly essential. My second favorite dessert here.
Insta Roll Ice Cream
Photo by Valentine Bratoff
Ah yes, my one step into the trendy world. Pretty good ice cream. Someone with an actual sweet tooth would probably have more to say about this.
Chuối Chien (fried banana)
Photo by Valentine Bratoff
I always start and end any Night Market outing with these. They’re prepared in waves, so there’s usually little to no wait. If I had to choose just one thing as my favorite, it would be this.
Other things of note at the Little Saigon Night Market include milk tea THAT ACTUALLY TASTES OF MILK AND TEA, hột vịt lộn (boiled duck eggs with the duck embryo inside), ramen burgers, escargots with peanuts and cilantro on taro cracker, coconut waffles, grilled pork balls, ribs, and at least as many foods (that I haven’t had the chance to try) as are already in this article. And yes, ribs as in regular ol’ ribs slathered in BBQ sauce. Just go with it.
The Little Saigon Night Market is open Friday thru Sunday, 7:00-11:00 p.m. until September 4th.
Oh, and if you have one of those Sriracha t-shirts, wear it to this. There’s always at least 2 other people with one.