Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku (
&
03/3542-
1111;
www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/tukiji_e.htm).
(
Narita International (66km/40 miles).
in the U.S. and Canada, or 03/3581-4511;
www.capitoltokyu.com). $$
Park Hotel
Tokyo,
1-7-1 Higashi Shimbashi, Minato-
ku, Ginza (
&
03/6252-1111;
www.park
hoteltokyo.com).
L
$$$
Capitol Tokyu Hotel,
2-10-3
Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku (
&
800/888-4747
Open-Air Markets
12
Queen Victoria Market
Oz Classic
Melbourne, Australia
The name may sound all starchy and tea-
party prim, but although this Melbourne
institution was named after the British
monarch when it was built in 1878, the
place has been improvising and re-invent-
ing itself Aussie-style ever since. It now
sprawls over several blocks at the north-
ern edge of the city center, a 7-hectare
(17-acre) spread with hundreds of stalls.
Despite a neoclassical main entrance with
a bas-relief of farm animals over the door,
most of the market is a rough-and-ready
open-sided setup (shopping here can get
chilly in winter), with a completely eclectic
range of goods, from live rabbits to bar-
gain clothes.
Food lovers, however, will be happy to
note that more than 50% of the market is
still dedicated to food stalls, clustered in
the older market buildings east of Queen
Street. Vendors are assigned locations
according to food groups—the fish and
meat are in one “hall,” fruits and vegeta-
bles in another, dairy products in a third—
which encourages brisk competition
between neighboring stall holders. Within
each section, merchants have carved out
their own specialties—one meat seller
focusing on sausages and another on
pork, for example. The fish area is defi-
nitely Melbourne's Seafood Central, with a
wide assortment of absolutely fresh whole
fish, filets, and shellfish. Fruit dealers com-
pete to import the most unusual speci-
mens from Asia and around the Pacific; an
entire shed is devoted to organic and bio-
dynamic produce.
Perhaps the most impressive area is the
dairy hall, built in 1929 at the height of Art
Deco design. It's basically a massive deli-
catessen, where expanses of cool marble
counters (installed to keep food cold in
those prerefrigeration days) display a
beguiling selection of imported foods.
There's far more than just dairy products
here these days; some 17 merchants sell
everything from olive oil and handmade
pasta to crocodile and kangaroo meat.
Several inexpensive cafes are scattered
around the premises, and the large
enclosed food court offers an international
range of cuisine, but the best place in the
market to eat just may be the seating at
the side of the deli hall, where you can
assemble your own picnic-style lunch.
Note that the food stalls generally close
down midafternoon. The market in gen-
eral is closed Mondays, Wednesdays, and
public holidays.
In the full entrepreneurial spirit, the
Queen Victoria Market hosts a constant
stream of entertainment events to bring
locals into the market; there's a 2-hour
Foodies Tour
most mornings (
&
03/
9320 5835
), and well-known chefs give
cooking classes upstairs at the
Electrolux
Cooking School
(
&
03/9320 5830;
call
for reservations).
