Latest news with #ChinatownNightMarket

The Chinatown Night Market bows out with its last-ever fest this Friday

Time Out

2 days ago

Entertainment
Time Out

The Chinatown Night Market bows out with its last-ever fest this Friday

New York's beloved Chinatown Night Market is dimming its lanterns for good. This Friday, August 15, from 8pm to 11:30pm, Think!Chinatown will host the final edition of its summer celebration at Forsyth Plaza—one last hurrah of art, music and sizzling street eats under the Manhattan Bridge's iconic archway. Since 2021, the market has been a beacon (literally—they've had to bring their own lights) for community connection and pandemic recovery. What began as 'Chinatown Nights,' a small program of cultural performances and artisan vendors, blossomed into a full-fledged night market drawing more than 6,000 visitors per event. Food stalls, folk artists and local businesses turned the plaza into a bustling showcase for Chinatown's culinary and creative spirit. But after four seasons, the conditions on Forsyth Plaza have become too tough to work around. Broken lights, lack of bathrooms or running water and safety concerns have made it impossible to host large-scale gatherings. 'To light up the Night Market stage, we are literally strapping on our own lights to plaza lampposts that have not been working for years,' said Yin Kong, director of Think!Chinatown. The group has long advocated for infrastructure upgrades, but without them, the team is pivoting its energy toward other public art and cultural programming. Still, they're going out in style. Friday's send-off features performances by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist treya lam (at 8:40pm, 9:40pm and 10:40pm) and a soundtrack of Canto and Mandopop records spun by resident DJ YiuYiu. Vendors will sling everything from stinky tofu and Filipino skewers to paper-cut portraits and dragon-phoenix calligraphy. Regulars like Grand Tea & Imports, Yu and Me Books and Malaysia Beef Jerky will join cult favorites such as Xiang Mini Cake, Saucy Bao and Senbei NYC. The market's closure is the end of a chapter in Chinatown's revitalization story. Over the past four years, Think!Chinatown's work has helped spark a wave of Asian food festivals citywide and given countless AAPI-owned businesses a platform to grow. With local merchants now on steadier footing, the nonprofit is ready to focus on its core mission: intergenerational cultural projects and art activations that keep Chinatown's traditions thriving.

Giant boba, bunny jelly drinks delight at new Ottawa bubble tea shop

Vancouver Sun

3 days ago

Business
Vancouver Sun

Giant boba, bunny jelly drinks delight at new Ottawa bubble tea shop

175 Main St Unit 2, Hours: Monday to Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday to Friday: 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Saturday: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Sunday: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Prices: $7 for regular, $8 for large Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance (no steps) Glossy orbs bob in a brown sugar bubble tea at Xing Fu Tang, each larger than a ping pong ball. One bite distinguishes the jelly spheres from the tapioca pearls at the bottom of the cup, though at first glance they look like oversized versions of the same thing. The effect is playful excess, with the giddy appeal of a childhood dessert and enough novelty to keep adults curious. Discover the best of B.C.'s recipes, restaurants and wine. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'We can add the giant boba to anything,' said Rose Nguyen, co-owner of the bubble tea shop in Old Ottawa East, whose colourful, creative drinks draw customers from as far as Kanata, and sometimes even further. Nguyen introduced the jumbo toppers this summer at the Chinatown Night Market as an exclusive item, 'something special' to promote the shop's signature milk tea. 'We actually did big tapioca, but it was hard to chew,' she said of early attempts to use the same starch as regular pearls. 'I came up with other ingredients that kept their shape but were easier to eat, and lighter.' Switching to herbal jelly, a plant-based dessert popular in Asian sweets that contains no gelatin, made the 'boba' pliable enough to slurp through a straw. The earthy flavour and Jell-O-like texture also proved irresistible to customers. 'People came back the next week asking if we still had 'the big ones,'' said Nguyen, so she made them a permanent menu item. The classics stay on the menu too, with the (albeit smaller) pearls that have long defined bubble tea. Xing Fu Tang opened in Ottawa last July as a franchise, after Nguyen tried what she calls 'pure, authentic tapioca' from the chain during a visit to Taiwan and decided to bring the brand home. Her husband, Jack Vu, describes her as a foodie with a dream of running her own shop. In the early days, he saw bubble tea as more of a passion project, until opening day drew hundreds to a line that wrapped around the building. The reception made clear they had tapped into something bigger than a hobby. The chain preserves many hallmarks from the 1980s birthplace of bubble tea , like pearls made by hand and layered drinks. Nguyen has also adapted the menu for Ottawa with more fresh fruit slushes and caffeine-free choices for what she calls the city's 'health-conscious' palate. 'We don't add any extra sugar. The sweetness in all our drinks is just from the tapioca,' said Nguyen. Each morning, the team kneads Taiwanese brown sugar and tapioca starch into dough , cuts it into pearls and glazes them in more brown sugar until the caramel-like coating clings to their surface. In a wok by the counter, the pearls bubble in syrup before being scooped into cups. We don't add any extra sugar. The sweetness in all our drinks is just from the tapioca. Customers tend to notice the difference: pre-packaged pearls tend to be 'dark, black' and lose their chewiness if refrigerated, said Nguyen, whereas those from Xing Fu Tang stay supple even the next day. I noticed it, too — I'm the kind of person who usually asks for fewer pearls because they can feel leaden halfway through a drink, but these are light enough to finish without effort. On a normal week, the shop's output reaches 70 to 80 kilograms of housemade boba, climbing toward 200 kilograms during festivals and night markets, when the team sometimes works until 3 or 4 a.m. to meet demand. Texture is the through line in every drink that comes across the counter. The coconut jelly bunny — an adorable wobbly mould that sits atop some smoothies — is mild, less chewy than tapioca and as much a visual treat as an edible one. The watermelon slush, threaded with strips of candied lychee, is bright and refreshing, without the syrupy weight that drags down many fruit teas. On my first visit, a staff member slid over a not-yet-released ' cloud drink ' — matcha foam stacked over coconut water — and asked whether the green tea flavour should be stronger or the coconut water more noticeable. I found it balanced from the start, turning creamier and more harmonious as the layers intermixed. The openness to testing ideas in full view of customers, along with a running chalkboard of suggestions across from the counter, creates a sense of co-creation at Xing Fu Tang that entices people to keep coming back. Some regulars even know to ask for the 'secret menu' chè — a Vietnamese dessert drink layered with toppings, coconut milk and crushed ice — which Nguyen makes on request. By the shop's first anniversary on July 28, Nguyen could pick out faces from the opening-day line — customers who had stood in the heat the previous summer and kept bubble tea from Xing Fu Tang in their weekly routines since. Weekend crowds continue to press into the space, spilling toward the sidewalk in warm weather. When the pace dipped in colder months, Nguyen has turned the shop over to local organizers 'to create a place where people want to come' for board game nights, mahjong tournaments and newcomer socials. For Nguyen, the name Xing Fu Tang — translated as 'House of Happiness' — means the drink meets the quality she first experienced in Taiwan, and the customer leaves with a reason to return. I'd say the giant boba and other textural surprises give them more than one. For more smart picks and offbeat stories from around the city, subscribe to Out of Office , our weekly newsletter on local arts, food and things to do. Join us! The Ottawa Citizen is hosting an exclusive food and beverage tasting event where you can try bites from some of the city's best restaurants and sample beverages from breweries and wineries. Meet the chefs and try their signature dishes with members of the Citizen news team. Learn more about Ottawa Citizen Best Restaurants and buy a ticket here .

Ottawa Citizen

3 days ago

Business
Ottawa Citizen

Giant boba, bunny jelly drinks delight at new Ottawa bubble tea shop

Article content Glossy orbs bob in a brown sugar bubble tea at Xing Fu Tang, each larger than a ping pong ball. Article content One bite distinguishes the jelly spheres from the tapioca pearls at the bottom of the cup, though at first glance they look like oversized versions of the same thing. The effect is playful excess, with the giddy appeal of a childhood dessert and enough novelty to keep adults curious. Article content 'We can add the giant boba to anything,' said Rose Nguyen, co-owner of the bubble tea shop in Old Ottawa East, whose colourful, creative drinks draw customers from as far as Kanata, and sometimes even further. Article content Article content Nguyen introduced the jumbo toppers this summer at the Chinatown Night Market as an exclusive item, 'something special' to promote the shop's signature milk tea. Article content 'We actually did big tapioca, but it was hard to chew,' she said of early attempts to use the same starch as regular pearls. 'I came up with other ingredients that kept their shape but were easier to eat, and lighter.' Article content Article content Switching to herbal jelly, a plant-based dessert popular in Asian sweets that contains no gelatin, made the 'boba' pliable enough to slurp through a straw. Article content The earthy flavour and Jell-O-like texture also proved irresistible to customers. 'People came back the next week asking if we still had 'the big ones,'' said Nguyen, so she made them a permanent menu item. Article content Article content The classics stay on the menu too, with the (albeit smaller) pearls that have long defined bubble tea. Article content Xing Fu Tang opened in Ottawa last July as a franchise, after Nguyen tried what she calls 'pure, authentic tapioca' from the chain during a visit to Taiwan and decided to bring the brand home. Article content Her husband, Jack Vu, describes her as a foodie with a dream of running her own shop. In the early days, he saw bubble tea as more of a passion project, until opening day drew hundreds to a line that wrapped around the building. The reception made clear they had tapped into something bigger than a hobby.