Wednesday nights, at the Queen Victoria Night Market is a winter wonderland as the sheds are illuminated in blue and white snowflake lights for Christmas in July. I was surprised by the mass of people crammed inside the market with little space to move, while bonfires took the edge off Melbourne’s chilly cold night.
The air filled with plumes of steam and smoke from open grill flames as diverse cultures cooked food. I was immediately seduced by the aroma of rich, herbed, and spiced seasonings of marinated fresh meats, so I pushed through the bustling crowds and long lines to find the Greek vendors and get myself a souvlaki.
The Cypriot Kitchen, a stall that has been catering to various markets across Melbourne since 2015, shares the delights of Cypriot food with all. They are famous for their koupes, chicken souvla, and halloumi chips. Amidst the overwhelming crowd and my own hunger, and having already relished their goodies at the Greek Antipodes Festival, I decided to try The Black Sheep instead.
The Black Sheep owner George Vagianakis talked about his “- ‘Greek modern cooking’-” of souvlaki and yiros and showed his hand carving techniques from his ‘double décor spit rotisseries.’ I was astonished as to how big and heavy the spits looked as I watched the pork, chicken, and lamb turn.
Behind the scenes family members and employees had their own dedicated role serving their customers with their food through a fine-tuned process.
Benches alongside the stall allow customers to stand near the charcoal fire and enjoy the warmth and the Greek food, said Vagianakis.
I ate a lamb souvlaki which was to die for, as the soft tendered lamb was mouth-watering which I highly recommend.
From Black Sheep to Trojan Horses
Next was The Greek Trojan Yiros, a family business with a food truck delivering ‘traditional Greek food.’
The owner Rose Houndalas’ son opened the blue and white food truck and invited me inside. I was immediately hit by the heat inside the truck and the aroma of grilled meat. They all worked rapidly preparing food and serving an army of customers lined up outside.
Houndalas’ son carved the horizontal four row singular spit whilst other family members put in the onion, lettuce, tomato, and meat in the pita wraps.
They also offer vegetarian options including grilled halloumi and grilled zucchini.
I wandered around what seemed like endless lines of people waiting for their food. Why would someone wait that long for a souvlaki? I asked and the answers were simple. Dom said, “It’s bloody good food” and Rosann said, “just felt like some lamb.”
As far for the Black Sheep the large spits were a beacon. Another customer “saw the large spits and had to try.”
Across from The Greek Trojan is St Gerry’s – Greek Donuts and Desserts, who specialise in an array of loukoumades ranging from the classic honey, cinnamon, and walnuts to new offerings of hazelnut chocolate wafer, the snickers, white chocolate and Oreo, Milky Way and Cinnamon Sugar.
Amongst all the revelry and bustling crowd sits ‘its engravable’, a stand that’s been a fixture of the Market for the last 40 years. Irene Georgiou’s father began the business in 1982 and she took over the reins in 2013. “We engrave on the spot; all our stuff comes with engraving. I grew up at the market, met my husband here and we took over together,” says the historic market dweller.
A harvest that keeps giving
Other Hellenic stalls include Random Harvest, a selection of second-hand books, Good Yarn with its collection of handmade wool scarves, beanies, and accessories, the Sweet Shop filled with straps of sugary liquorice and La Castanea Chestnut producers.
Old String Bean Alley, a quieter section of the market, I stopped at Market Espresso a café that sells coffees, a dozen hot chocolate flavours, desserts and pastries and has tables and chairs for those needing to sit down and take a break from the festivities of the market.
Owner Terry Koufidis said the variety of hot chocolates are sold exclusively for the night market and include mint, jaffa and caramel and can be served with whipped cream or marshmallow.
“We have different flavoured donuts, like a cinnamon donut, a custard donut, a jam donut, a Nutella donut and then all the French pastries.”
Market Espresso sells French croque monsieur’s, ham, and cheese toasties amongst other hot foods.
Photographic journey
Further down, is Tony Pierrakos In Tone Photography is a business devoted to the photographic recording of Melbourne.
The storefront contains photographs of Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station and graffitied laneways.
“There are laneway shots, the Yarra River, iconic images of Melbourne like Flinders Street Station, trams, skyline shots… but the most popular ones are some of these street- art photos of laneways in Melbourne, coffee and arcades,” said Pierrakos.
His stall, a little stand where customers can buy his book that documents the city’s two-year lockdown is a past narrative now where the night market’s energy and buzz make it difficult to remember that time that Pierrakos visually documented.
The Queen Victoria Winter Night Market is open every Wednesday night from 5pm-6pm until 30th August. It is the intangible and a cultural heart of Melbourne where the Greeks seem to still thrive in this historical wholesale and retail establishment.
