NEWS
Tuesday and Friday night markets are coming to Chinatown in the Valley, featuring outdoor Asian cooking demonstrations and Asian-style cuisine and craft.
Local Councillor David Hinchliffe (Central Ward) said the night markets would help activate Chinatown which has had only moderate patronage since the re-vamped mall was opened six months behind time in February this year.
“While there’s no doubt we have the best Asian restaurants in Brisbane, the pick-up after the nine months construction period has been slower than we hoped.
“The night markets and especially outdoor kitchens and demonstrations should attract a new crowd. The best times for restaurants in Chinatown are Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday mornings, but the rest of the time can be a bit flat.
“We need also to use the City Glider [bus service] to attract city workers from the CBD down to the Valley for a quick lunch.
“The Valley ought to be the kitchen of the city.”
Cr Hinchliffe was critical of too many “overseas trinkets and the same old mass-produced stuff” being sold at the Brunswick Street weekend markets.
“We need more art and craft in the markets and less mass-produced overseas ‘trinkets’,” he said.
The markets have been a feature of weekends in the Valley for 15 years. Council took over operation of the markets from the Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2008.
