Driving down Hanson Road this afternoon saw my Spidey Sense tingling. There was an Asian…read moreSupermarket around somewhere and I was on a mission to find it. Well, as it happens, the search wasn't exactly long and arduous...strangely enough I think Hanson Road has perhaps the highest per capita quotient of Asian Markets to residents in THE WORLD! One that stands out, mainly for its facade, is the Chuan Phat Grocery, which has lovely big red foam letters above the entry. I had noticed this place before and today I chose to use my dwindling instant noodle supply as an excuse to drop in. Stocks have been filled adequately I might add! For those like myself, who go to a lot of Asian Supermarkets, know that everyone is different. This one has a butcher and also an impressive stock of various fish and seafood in the freezer. I also found the variety of kitchen supplies and utensils was very impressive and will require another visit or two to suss out all of the bargains. I also found it mildy entertaining that one of the owners children was asleep on top of some crates toward the back of the shop. Needless to say a number of jokes sprang to mind, but I was impressed by my level of self control, VERY impressed!

Before I start I am going to clarify that I have no intention of writing out the store name…read morethroughout this article.....so hence forth this Asian Super Market/Butcher will be known as 'Hung' (cool hey?)! I wept, salty noodle shaped tears, when I entered Hung. I know, at most Asian Supermarkets you find the odd noodle brand or flavour that you haven't tried before. Sooooo many new noodle types to throw onto the 'wheel of noodle fortune'. Surely Ian 'Turps' Turpie would be over the moon! Other than my noodle ecstasy, Hung is a solid store (hehe). There is plenty of sauce and spice mix options to try on your randomly dodgy cuts of, what I would assume is Beef, Lamb, Pork or Chicken...hmmm. Then, if you head toward the rear of the store, all of your dead animal dreams can come true with a small but useful Butcher. For the size of the store there is a lot to take in, so take the time!

If you're a fan of the king of fruits-that's durian for all you anti-durian eaters, come here! A…read moredear friend of mine bought me one when I was recovering from a surgery and shared about this supermarket. So I had to check it out myself when I was in this neighbourhood. I dropped in here last Sunday and was pleased to see them open. They stock a good variety of Vietnamese food, canned food, vegetables that mirrored a cone shaped mini spaceship, usual Asian veges and Vietnamese sweets. I was absolutely happy to find my favourite packet of fish balls and dried tofu in the freezer, that I use to shop for in Malaysia, so I happily took some and grabbed a couple of Asian sweets for the kids to sample. Didn't buy the durian though, which was a shame as I didn't feel like having a 'Durian Day'...oh well, perhaps next time. A durian cost $5.50 per fruit, which I thought was reasonably cheap! Tip: If you love soya bean milk, they sell them in a box of 8. The shopkeeper sold it to me for a discount as I had happily thrown a couple of coconut drink cans in the basket too. I'll post a picture of my yummy-licious fish ball noodle soup soon.

A secret place - good parking out back, and that's how you get in - the door on West Thebarton Road…read morewill be shut and locked, so don't bother. Very friendly, humble nice proprietors; Kamran Solzar runs the show, you may meet Ali in the store or another family member. If you like to do some cooking with Persian spices, use rose water, hava, orange water, Turkish delight, there's all the specialty ingredients here. I'm always finding new things to try. There's jugs and cups and glass ware as well. The website is not much more than a calling card and doesn't even have the times of business, so aren't you glad you tried Yelping it! What do they have? Well, basmati or long-grain rice, parsley, mint, coriander, spring-onion ends, split peas, pomegranate paste, marjoram, salt, black pepper, saffron, cherry... beans, pickle, tea, coffee... but it's from the Middle East, Persia, Iran; and obviously there's more. I don't know all the items so well in the store, but enough to know that they have what I need for a few different soups and main course meals.

Woolworths always delivers fresh produce, great deals, and friendly service every time I visit!read more