$60 party for two at Pearlridge’s Village Night Market

TThe night market in the Pearlridge parking lot across from TJ Maxx starts at 5 p.m., when the day starts to cool down. Live music acts interacting with the audience, Christmas lights on tents and the smell of delicious food create a lively atmosphere. One tip in advance: bring some friends. Why? The number of seats is limited, so one of you can keep a spot available at one of the tables while someone grabs food. So how did our $60 foodie date go?

Market: Village evening market
When: Saturday, 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Where: Moanalua Road 98-1005
Info: @village.events.hawaii

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My favorite dish of the evening is the one we start with. Pelmeshki is a supplier specialized in Russian dumplings, or pelmeni. At Pelmeshki, $16 gets you 16 bite-sized pierogies filled with a mixture of beef and pork, served steamed or fried, but for the order we’re splitting, my friend has the great idea of ​​choosing both. I get it with sour cream, the traditional seasoning, and it adds a slight contrast to the meaty dumplings. I also ask to try the shoyu chili, the most popular option.

Personally, my favorite meal is dumplings, like gyoza and rice. While I enjoy the crispy fried dumplings, my girlfriend prefers the softer, steamed dumplings. It’s interesting to see how the different textures provide different experiences, making it an excellent option for a side dish or main dish.

As the night grows colder, we warm up with a shared bowl of Miso Butter Corn Ramen from Ramen Spot Beach for $15.50. The savory, rich miso broth feels comforting. The ramen is topped with tender chashu, bright green onions and an expertly marinated egg. The sweet corn is a nice touch and balances the butteriness. We saved some of Pelmeski’s pierogies and we eat them alongside the ramen, almost like gyoza, making for a tasty and almost conventional combination!

Our food adventure continued with a Clam Chowder Bread Bowl from Moore 4Uespecially irresistible because I’ve never seen a bread bowl at a night market. For $16 you get a hearty clam chowder or pasta in a bread bowl. The clam chowder is thick, creamy and flavorful. Although my bowl did not contain mussels, a generous amount of potatoes and crispy bacon added texture and depth. The soft, fluffy sourdough bowl is perfect for dipping in and soaking up every last drop of chowder. I’m a big bread fan and would get this again in a heartbeat.

To end our evening on a sweet note, we drop by Da Mochi guys for their Cookie Butter Crunch, a four-pack of pink mochi, generously filled with cookie butter, for $10. The chewy mochi, with its sweet and slightly salty cookie butter filling, is the right dessert to round out our meal.

Our pre-tax total tonight is $57.50 for a shared four-course dinner for two. The fullness factor is a 10 out of 10 for both of us. All in all, this night market offers an excellent mix at good prices. The market says it will run every Saturday evening during the holidays, without breaks. So bring friends, find the vendors, and make a game plan for your own foodie date night at the market!

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