2021 - BAKWAN VAN
For 22 years Rini has been doing the night shift in Broome. She settles her little van on the tarmac near Wings Chinese Restaurant in Napier Terrace and waits for the night owls to appear. Year round, from Thursday to Saturday, she will be there – the only time she stays home is if it’s raining or if there’s a cyclone brewing.
In the early days, it was crazy with Tokyo Joes night club on one side, the Roebuck Bay Hotel – Oasis Bar down the road and beyond that the Nippon Inn club. The night clubs used to stay open till 6am, so she worked a full eight hours when most of us (including me) were in bed. Now her nights are shorter as the clubs close around 4am.
She feels her success began because she would listen to what people wanted. It was hard at first as no one came, but word of mouth grew and she would quietly slip someone a Bakwan, they would tell their friends about the tasty fritters, and they would all come back for more.
She prepares and cooks fresh hamburgers, satays and spring rolls each day, though the main attraction is always her addictive Bakwan fritter snack. Rini says people think it is a hangover cure. It definitely lines the stomach. The Bakwans crunch with crispness, made with corn, carrots, spring onions and a yummy batter. They are so tasty that one is never enough and if you top it off with sweet chilli sauce, the Bakwan is complete. They are not a health snack, but they make you feel good, and the taste stays in your mouth for ages.
Between 10 pm and midnight she gets her regular local visitors, but later all the young ones and backpackers appear from the pub or night club.
So, when you are passing at night and wonder what that little van with the fairy lights is doing – drop in for some food, say hi to Rini and don’t forget the Bakwan.
Check out her facebook page. Bakwan Van
