Yesterday, Vancouver held it's annual 'Car Free Day'. Located at various main thoroughfares throughout the city, it helps to promote community within each neighbourhood and closes off the streets to traffic. Live music, street entertainers and clothing and jewellery stalls pop up everywhere to create a lively, colourful event. The absolute highlight for me, however, are the grilled Portuguese sardines for sale at the main street; Commercial Drive. Even the 10km trip on public transport doesn't faze me, I can see the smoke billowing into the air from blocks away.
Hosted by the PCOV (Portuguese Club of Vancouver) every year, the line up for their grilled sardines is usually very long, snaking down the street. They offer 4 sardines for $5, simply grilled after being packed in coarse sea salt which spits off like mini missiles when it hits the immense heat of the barbecue, one hitting me in the arm like an ember from a bonfire.
I assume the sardines are provided at a good price for these guys, as the awning bears an advertisement of where they are available, obviously imported from Portugal. (Don't even think about locality issues). I ordered four and waited in line, clutching my red ticket, enjoying the smell of grilled fish and less so the smoke making my eyes red.
They look so appetizing as they grill, the skin crisping up to a golden brown and the sweet, oily flesh being seasoned with just the coarse sea salt packed onto the outside. I was eagerly anticipating my order, but as soon as my fork broke the crisp skin and pierced the flesh I remembered why I said I wouldn't eat them again after last year......
....the sardines are grilled whole, that is to say, ungutted. They are simply taken from the sea and grilled in their entirety. The first thing my fork touched was blood, then a kidney or liver or some such internal nasty.
Trying hard not to let this spoil my appetite, I plunged on, freeing the sweet, white flesh and crisp skin from it's backbone, which was delicious; sweet, salty and with that strong flavour oily fish possesses. This is how they are eaten in Portugal, where even a child would have no qualms dealing with a little bit of blood or some intestines, probably also eating the head, liver and kidneys. I'm embarrassed as a self - proclaimed foodie to be burdened with this squeamishness, it has hindered my ability to enjoy certain things many times. Neil tries in vain to get me to eat a little of the black puddings he loves so much, but I simply can't do it.
In defense of the sardines, once I got over the occasional squirt of blood, (one which hit me in the face), they were everything a grilled sardine could promise. A little bit of lemon may have been a nice touch to squeeze over, but I imagine next year I will buy them again, forgetting the bad bits.
There was also some grilled chicken this year. Brushed with a marinade which turned them a glossy orange as they cooked, they rotated slowly on their spit, held over burning flames below. I wish I'd tried a piece of this also as the smell of char grilled meat is incredibly mouth watering, especially when there's some spice involved, as in these. I wanted to ask what the marinade was, maybe the classic Portuguese pepper sauce, Piri Piri, but the guys looked really busy, I left them to their glazing and flame tending.
The line up for the chicken was considerably shorter than for the sardines. I think this says a lot about the novelty value of eating something not so readily available and also considered more authentically 'Portuguese'.
Chinatown Night Market
After our day eating, shopping and drinking at Commercial drive, Neil and I jumped on a Skytrain and decided to visit the Chinatown Night Market, something we haven't done for many years. The market is small in comparison to many, only covering two blocks, but has grown in size, especially for the food stalls it now has. We found many interesting things for sale, such as this 'Hong Kong puffs' stall above. Strange waffle irons were being used to make the puffs, which were both savoury and sweet, with such variations as chocolate or green onion and cheddar.
The batter seemed to be the regular type and poured into the iron frequently to create these balls. I imagine they were soft and fluffy inside although, not having tried any, I could be completely wrong and they may have been the heaviest, densest puffs out there. (I must try everything).
Finished and ready to be garnished and sold.
Another stall featured these different puffs. They seemed similar, although the batter looked as though it contained a few extra ingredients, maybe nuts. The batter puffed up quickly and the jar of Nutella seen in the photo above played a part in their final serving.
In Vancouver, the one fair or market item that everyone goes crazy for is mini donuts. They are usually a simple cinnamon flavoured batter, deep fried and dusted with sugar. This being Chinatown's version, however, they came in a whole variety of flavours, see below. We ate eight, one of nearly each variety and found that they were the perfect appetizer for the Chinese meal we later ate at a nearby restaurant.
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