One of my greatest pleasures in life is getting lost amongst the foreign delights found in Asian…read moreConvenience Stores, and Man Nam's is one of my favourites. I always visit if I'm in Burwood and have to use the Internet Café next door (I like to snack while I type). Something weird happens to me when I enter Man Nam's. I go a little nuts, and buy way too many sugary biscuits and drinks- Aloe Vera juice is incredible! It's hard not to be a little glutinous when the prices are so cheap. I always buy a few of my favourites, as well as something I've never tried before. My aim is to eventually sample everything in the store, and after a few years of trying I'm nowhere near reaching that feat. Maybe one day, though I'm not quite sure I'll ever be brave enough to eat the dehydrated seafood selection. For an extensive variety of Asian delights, visit Man Nam's and enjoy the culinary overload. Located close to Burwood Westfield and the Coronation Club.

I love Asian supermarkets. They have all the products you need for Asian cooking, as well as a…read morewhole bunch of products you've never heard of, at ridiculously cheap prices. OK Supermarket is a great example of this. For instance, they sell big tins of quality imported teas for $5 (less than half the price you would pay at T2). They sell frozen dumplings in packs of 30 for $3.80 - again, half the price you pay for a packet of 12 from Coles, and those ones don't taste half as good. Nor can the mainstream supermarkets even dream of having as much variety as these guys - I swear they'd have at least 10 different brands of frozen dumplings and a bunch of different styles and fillings within each brand too. There are 50 different kinds of soy sauce (possible but not definite exaggeration) and a bunch of things that you never knew existed, let alone would have considered putting in your mouth. They also sell Japanese Mocha rice cakes for $1.80 per pack of six. Ridiculous.

I often come to Strathfield with Korea on the mind. While food is top of the list (checkout my…read morereview of Stra http://frid.co/nc4owb ) sometimes my focus is more about shopping. In these instances Hanaro is often on my list of places to visit. This has become a little less frequent of late as a massive Korean store has opened in Hornsby. In any case, Hanaro is great for two special reasons. The first is Cuckoo rice cookers. My family eat rice about 5 times a week. While most rice cookers do an awesome job, the one I bought from here is a pressure rice cooker which takes rice to another level (take my word for it). The 2nd reason is that they stock one of my drugs of choice. Chocolate covered sunflower seeds. So morish that it is all I can do from *cough* "magically" making an entire packet disappear in seconds ... Anyways. Check this place out. It has all your Korean mart needs.

Another massive modern Coles store located on the level below Ikea…read more They have an open style vegetable and fruit section. Also have self serve machines and they also stock their mix clothing range. Opening hours are up until 6am till midnight Monday to Saturday and Sundays from 7am till 11pm. This comes in pretty handy when you need something at 9pm at night or just want to go get your weekly groceries without people everywhere.

Lamonica's IGA in Haberfield is where you would flock when you need anything Italian related. Think…read morebuffalo mozzarella, fresh prosciutto, hot salami, fragrant parmigiano and marinated olives. It is the closest thing you will find to a real Italian Deli this side of the equator. With the never-ending number of nonnas and nonnos waiting to get their hands on slices of Italian heaven, it is no wonder that this IGA has the highest turnover of produce in Sydney. And for us, this equates to ultimate freshness. Due to incredible popularity, it is inevitable for one to take a ticket and wait in line. My advice is to use this time wisely to look and ponder at what purchases you are going to make from the extensive array of food on offer. Trust me, you will need it. Despite the length of the line, the deli assistants always insist on spending time with you, helping you out, giving you fresh samples to taste and ultimately making sure you go home satisfied. Also on offer is a range of other food that you could find in other supermarkets (fresh fruit, pasta, sauces, bread etc), but with the attentive service and guarantee on fresh produce, why would you dare shop anywhere else? And who knows, in between the time it takes you to pick your bananas and grab a jar down from a shelf, you might even receive a marriage proposal. Albeit from an old Italian man, but a marriage proposal nonetheless. So for an experience with a little more heart and a bit more bang for your buck, try Lamonica's in Haberfield.

This supermarket doesn't have the variety the the larger supermarkets offer. Mostly Italian goods…read more Deli and checkouts are mostly busy and service can be slow. They do stock some Italian goods I don't see elsewhere.

Anna the manager and Nilam helped me out in a very professional way…read more I highly recommend COLES on Norton Street

It's not much what you can say about this Coles other than it's of average size with a good variety…read moreof products. The opening hours and the free parking spots are great.

Ah, Supabarn! At last a reasonable independent contender against the types that are Coles and…read moreWoolies. This store feels new and fresh (unlike some of those IGAs, Friendly's and Franklins - you know who you are...). It is fairly big and has a good range of stock, including some good organic/fairtrade products. I've found that my basket is about the same price as what I have previously spent at Leichhardt/Broadway Coles - some things are cheaper, others slightly more expensive. However! If you hold a Seniors card, they offer 5% off every Wednesday ***If you're not a Senior, I recommend avoiding Wednesday**** PLUS they offer 10% off your groceries (over $100) on the first Thursday of the month. Still can't quite get everything I want from here, but almost :) AND you don't have to listen to that awful new "prices are down" jingle that Coles uses to lure you into thinking that shopping with them is cheap!

Are you sick of screaming kids, crowded aisles, and long queues at the supermarket? If you don't…read moremind paying a little more, come here instead! It's supermarket heaven! Imagine slowly browsing wide aisles, while (mostly 90's) music is playing at a comfortable volume. Sometimes I find myself bopping up and down the aisles :) There are very few kids in here, and the ones you see are very well behaved! I have not seen a single tantrum in this supermarket! The range is very extensive - I think as good as a Coles or Woolworths. But even though they have some great specials, you will pay more overall. Fruit and veg seem to be the main offenders on price, except for the specials. If you can, go on the first Thursday of the month for the 10% off special. It's well worth it!

You remember that hot chick you used to love seeing at school? ..and then you saw her a couple of…read moreyears later to find she let herself go so much you were all like, "What the hell happened to you...?" Well this is one of those. This Woollies has the distinction of going from one of the best Woollies in 2013 to (in my experience) the worst. Badly maintained produce, rarely stocked shelves, stock in the wrong place... it's a bit of a shambles. The staff are generally okay with a couple of really exceptional register and shelving staff that are the saving grace of the experience here. The major exception to this is a large island lady with short red hair that habitually snatches your card off you when you pay and thinks it's funny to mock customers that have trouble at the self service checkout. If there were a Coles here I would drop this place like a led balloon but it's the only action in town.

One of the bigger Woolworths supermarkets in Sydney; newly built and opened. While it is a larger…read morebuilding, luckily everything inside is nicely laid out, with plenty of room to move and lots of checkouts, including self serve. There are also iPads at the end of some of the aisles, if you want to quickly type in what product you're looking for and exactly where to find it. Fresh sushi is also made instore in front of you; with some sushi already prepared for purchase, but you can also ask if you want something custom put together. Fresh pizzas are also available and made in store; either pick up a premade pizza or custom order your own.