I would consider myself an Asian market aficionado, if not slightly obsessed. I've always loved Chinese and Asian food since I was a kid, and in adulthood I make a lot of Asian dishes at home for their economic-friendly nature and health - chicken and broccoli with chili sauces and curries is a favorite of mine that also gets me my daily veggie requirement and is low in calories (I mean compared to fried chicken cutlets, meatballs and pasta or some of the other carb-heavy dishes I could make) and quick to make.
I never expected to find a good Southeast Asian market in Fordham, like right pretty much in the heart of Fordham, a couple blocks up Kingsbridge. It's the only one of its kind besides the halal meat market next door. I found this place through google maps and almost thought google maps was making a mistake. Although there's not much info about their hours (I just know they're open 7 days a week, forgot to ask their hours when I was there and they're not posted) I took a chance and stopped by.
I was expecting, like most "misplaced" ethnic markets, to not have a wide variety, have expired products, and whatever they do have, to be overpriced.
None of this was the case here at Battambang. They had pretty much everything I need to make my coconut curry dishes - all the kinds of curry paste, from massaman to green to red. Jarred sauces galore that I normally have to go to Flushing or Chinatown in Manhattan for, and not dusty or looking like they've been sitting on the shelf forever. Chinese sauces as well. Noodles of all kinds - Udon to vercimilli. Coconut water and coconut milk.
And best of all, the prices were the same, or in some cases even a little lower than what I normally pay at Hong Kong Supermarket or J Mart, even being a small, almost bodega style market. The employees were very friendly and talkative with me. They're from Cambodia, but the store has products from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and China. I'm so happy to have found a store with Asian sauces and products nearby, that I don't have to go downtown or pay tolls to go to Queens for. read more