Ever since the Kirk Polland Memorial Bad Prose Competition stopped being a thing at Readercon, I’ve been slipping off with friends on Saturday nights to satisfy my inner foodie. (Actually, I don’t think I keep that I’m a foodie inside at all. Anyone who visits here often knows all about it.) That meant visiting Journeyman in 2013 and 2014, but this year called for a different destination, thanks to social media.

For the past nine months or so, Cecilia Tan, David Shaw, and Diane Martin (seen with me below) have been tantalizing me with Twitter and Instagram pics from Night Market, a new restaurant which specializes in Asian street food. When Readercon was just around the corner, I demanded (nicely, of course) that they take me there.

And so last Saturday night, I ducked as I entered the restaurant’s basement location in Harvard square, and joined additional friends in an eight-person booth in the back … where we ordered the entire printed menu. Plus every special. Oh, and multiples of several dishes.

And it was all wonderful.

Some of the photos that follow are blurrier than I would have liked, as the more time went on, the greasier my fingers became (because sometimes I had to put down my chopsticks and dig right in), and some dishes didn’t get captured at all, since my iPhone would have squirted from my hands like a watermelon seed. But I hope they give you at least a small taste of what we tasted that night.

Marinated tofu
silken tofu, dashi, chilis

Tea eggs
soy, Pu-er tea

These tasted like candy!

Som Tum Salad
green & ripe papaya, Chinese long bean, tamarind

The spiciest of the dishes. (Not that I’m complaining.)

Snap peas
garlic, chili flake, lemon zest

Tasty! I could have snacked on them all night.

Bok Choy
garlic, chili flakes, fish sauce

Numb numb Sichuan spice fried chicken wings

You’ll just have to imagine the less spicy sweet garlic glaze variety.

Daikon fries
with radish, garlic/black bean aioli and smoked tomato/ginger ketchup

Two plates of skewers

Chicken hearts (scallion brown butter), shisito peppers (soy and vinegar), marinated mushrooms (red wine vinegar, chili, garlic)

Sukiyaki Western (skirt steak, caramelized onion soubise), chicken yakitori (tare sauce), chicken skins (ponzu sauce)

Somewhat blurry Dan Dan noodles
spicy pork ragout, Sichuan broth, egg noodles

Curry carnitas tacos

Plus many more dishes you’re not getting to see for the reasons explained above.

My only regret about my visit to Night Market? There were no cricket pancakes on the menu that night. Which isn’t really that great a regret, as it gives me an excuse for future visit the next time I’m in the area. You should definitely give the place a try.