Late-night cravings satisfied here

I'm fond of my late-night snack. It's a die-hard habit I've cultivated since childhood. In the old country—Hong Kong, that is—the snacks used to come to us. Each night around 9, a succession of street venders would start to appear on the corner near our house, each hawking what they had to offer with a distinctive singsong holler that rang out into the night.

Landmark's late-night menu—99 dishes available after 9 p.m.—contains some excellent, savoury, and sometimes unusual dishes that will please and intrigue adventurous eaters. Consider the Dry Fresh Tender Clam (sea cucumber muscles) With Spicy Salt and the sliced ox tongue with spicy brown sauce. Not as exotic but no less tasty are the pan-fried eggplant, diced beef in black-pepper sauce, and pan-fried pomfret.

By the way, those of you who've been missing the late-night buzz at Congee Noodle House (141 East Broadway, 604-879-8221, open Sunday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday till 2 a.m.) will be pleased to know it's open again after a few months of kitchen renovations.

A few blocks south, Accord Seafood (4298 Main Street, 604-876-6110) is now open till 3 a.m., and most of its late-night plates are $5 apiece. It's also running a live Alaskan king crab special of $9.99 per pound while supplies last.

So get out there. The night is still young.