The International Summer Night Market in Richmond offers culturally diverse food stalls. Each summer more than 1.2 millions visitors come to the market. In 2015, staff at the market picked twelve of their must-eat new creative dishes and iconic street-food staples. The staff chose the top five for the most innovative foods and the top five for the most iconic street-food category foods. International Summer Night Market is located behind Home Depot in Richmond. It has free admissions and free shuttle service from Bridgeport Skytrain station. There is plenty of street parking near the market and a paid parking lot that is opened during the market’s business hours. The market is open every Friday to Saturday from 6pm to 11pm and Sunday 6pm to 10pm.

In the innovative category, five dishes made it to the list of staff picks:

1/ Banana Spring Rolls by New Style Green Onion Cake from Alberta

The New Style Green Onion Cake from Alberta owners make a delicious deep-fried banana spring roll that is crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. The banana and coconut filling makes the dessert luscious and velvety.

2/ Deep Fried Avocado and Crabmeat by Duang Duang Deep Fry

The owner of Duang Duang Deep Fry has made a signature dish, also known as Monkey Brain in Chinese. It is deep fried avocado and crabmeat. Her special house sauce adds spice to the sweetness of the imitated crabmeat and the perfectly deep-fried avocado.

3/ Deep Fried Oreo with Ice Cream by Cocoro, a Heart from Japan

Using a tempura batter, the Japanese owner of Cocoro reinterprets the classic American treat of deep-fried Oreo cookies which melts in your mouth. The dessert comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

4/ Flower Cotton Candy by Sugar Twist Cotton Candy

The artist of this creation can sculpt a fluffy flower with as many as ten layers of floss sugar. The flower cotton candy is only available at the International Summer Night Market.

5/ Sweet Tofu Pudding with Homemade Honey Cubes, Sweet Purple Potato Balls and Tapioca Pearls by Soy Boy

Inspired by traditional Taiwanese tofu pudding, the owner of Soy Boy make this dessert from scratch. Some of the specialty toppings include honey cubes made with watermelon tea and sweet purple potato balls made with Hawaiian sweet potatoes.

In the iconic street-food category, the staff recommends seven dishes:

1/ BBQ Squid by Lao Er BBQ Squid

The barbecued squid stand is a classic street-food dish in many Asian cultures. At Lao Er BBQ Squid, patrons can order tentacles, rings, or whole squids that are marinated in the house spicy sauce.

2/ Beef Tantuni by Tantuni Authentic Turkish Cuisine

Local foodies can experience one of Turkey’s top ten street foods at Tantuni Authentic Turkish Cuisine. Order a classic tantuni with stir-fried beef, pepper, and tomato wrapped in a thin tortilla and topped with aromatic dry spices.

3/ Deep Fried Stinky Tofu by Taiwan Traditional Snacks (Lu Gang Lao Jie)

Stinky tofu is an acquired taste. Pieces of tofu are soaked in a brine of fermented milk, vegetables, and meat for a few months to develop the texture like blue cheese. It is a one-of-a-kind street food that is deep-fried and served with chili sauce and pickles.

4/ Hurricane Zucchini Fries and Yam Fries by J&J The Original Potato Fries

As one of the first food stalls that introduced hurricane fries to Metro Vancouver, J&J The Original Potato Fries has expanded its menu. Patrons can now choose spices and sauces to go with their order of crispy potato, zucchini, or yam fries.

5/ Lamb Skewer by Xinjing A Fan Ti Halal BBQ

The enticing barbecue smell coming from Xinjing A fan Ti Hala BBQ is mouth-watering. The lamb skewers are juicy, tender and flavourful. Other food items available include barbecue chicken skewers and chicken wings.

6/ Imitation Shark Fin Soup by Top Wok

Originally, the imitation shark fin soup was once made for the poor in Hong Kong, but is now alternative to the real shark fin soup. Vermicelli is used to mimic the texture of shark fins. It is cooked with wood ear mushroom, pork, egg, and dried shrimp to create the thick texture of this soup.

7/ Taiwanese Pork Sausages by Taiwan Traditional Snacks (Lu Gang Lao Jie)

The owner of Taiwan Traditional Snacks makes the classic Taiwanese salty sweet pork sausages from scratch. The meaty sausage is grilled to perfection and served with slices of pungent garlic.