My Saturday At The Eclectic South Melbourne Market

“I am at South Melbourne Market, where is that dim sim place again?” I messaged my friend who lived nearby. “What, man, you are there and didn’t tell me, I am not telling you!”, his reply came a minute later.

Ha! I deserved this. He has invited me for the dim sim in South Melbourne Market for years now and I didn’t even tell him earlier that I would be there that day. He must be pissed.

Alas, it was a sunny Saturday morning. I planned to enjoy the market and tick off two things from the list: to find the dim sim place; with or without my friend’s help (I have sent him an apology text and now waiting for his reply), and drink the best cappuccino from Stove Monkey.

South Melbourne Market

Even though, as a tourist attraction, it’s out-shined by the world famous Queen Victoria Market, South Melbourne Market by far is the local favorite. Established in 1867, the market is pretty eclectic in the sense that the products sold in the market vary widely and come from different sources. Also, many of the shops in the market itself is a potluck of cultures.

Unique Findings at South Melbourne Market

Georgie’s Harvest

Repeatedly voted as Melbourne’s best Fruit and Vegetables shop, Georgie’s Harvest also specialized in many kinds of potatoes and Australian grown garlic.

Mabu Mabu

It’s hard to miss the bright blue store that oozes island life vibes. With the tagline: “It takes a village to feed a village“, the less than a year old store definitely catches the attention of the passerby. And it should.

Mabu Mabu sells native freshly made dips, sauces, chutneys, all using indigenous ingredients. They also stock seasonal spices such as Rice Spice and Salt Bush). It’s owned by a Torres Islander and run together with her partner. I recently reached out to the chef/owner, Noire, for an interview.

Dyad Artisans

The store is a cross-cultural home of Iranian, Australian and worldwide designers. This was the one store I kept coming back to on that day. There were many things there that caught my attention, from the throw to the pottery. What I really liked, though, was the Iranian bag. Now, do I need yet another bag? NO.

Ask The Local

The week leading to my market visit, I asked my local friends “What’s one thing I should check out at South Melbourne Market?“

Most of them suggested eating fresh oysters.

Other local favorites are: Babe’s eggs (for the free-range chicken eggs, bigger in size, happier in taste), I ended up buying elephant patterned beeswax wrap from here; Padre‘s coffee; Nutteshoppe where they roasted some of the nuts themselves; and The Little Wine shop which was run by an energetic lady named Anna Scalzo.

Some of my favorite stops in the market: Tea Drop the specialty tea shop, Eggs Butter Flour Sugar Milk (for all those things, but also banana flour, the best-tasting milk, and rooftop honey) and a super cute Homewares store by the award-winning Australian designer Suki McMaster.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuE3-L0g1Yr/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Do you have an eclectic market in your town?

Foodie Paradise

Even though it is not a fish market (and their options seemed a little bleak compared to their close competitor, Prahran Market), South Melbourne Market has plenty of cooked seafood options, which reminds me Kuromon Ichiba Market in Osaka, Japan. I spent some time roaming around this section. From battered Dory fish to barbequed squid, all looked very tempting.

So, Instead of the original plan of dim sim and cappuccino, I indulged in a dozen of Smokey Bay Oysters. I ate it on the standing table where they put different types of condiments to be added to enhance the flavour. Honestly, though those oysters were delicious just by themselves.

For dessert, I had my first ever Cannoli which came with a Ferrero Rocher filling. Cannoli is a type of Italian pastry that originated on the island of Sicily. It’s a tube of fried dough stuffed with a sweet creamy filling. It was so good, I bought four more for later.

Based on a friend’s recommendation, I also had the chai latte from La Lapa Cafe. Unfortunately, it was too sweet for my liking.

I stepped out of the marker right before lunchtime with a stuffed bag. The bag, which you can get for free if you shop in some stores here managed to hold: a bamboo plant (any suggestion for its name?), dinnerware (3 plates for $10), Chimmichuri dip from Mabu Mabu and another dip called Taramosalata from Vangeli’s Deli, Chai concentrate from Tea Drop, garlic herb lobster, a Koala onesies and a gorgeous pair of earrings.

Visiting South Melbourne Market

I am actually surprised not many have been written about the South Melbourne Market. It’s a must-visit in Melbourne as both a local and tourist. I am going back there soon for dim sim and Agatha’s croissant.

There are trams (No. 1, 12, 96 and 109) to the South Melbourne Market from Melbourne CBD. The market is closed on Monday and Tuesday. The best time to visit is early morning or late afternoon to avoid fresh seafood and oysters-eating tourists during lunchtime. The market also holds Mussel Festival annually, maybe time your next visit with it?

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