i love t&t, and the metrotown location is one of those places where every visit feels a little bit…read morelike exploring. i can walk in looking for one or two things and somehow end up discovering something completely new. there's always another snack, drink, ingredient, dessert, or seasonal item that catches my eye.
t&t is so much more than a grocery store. the selection covers just about everything from fresh produce, breads and pastries to sauces, noodles, frozen foods, prepared meals, seafood, meat, beauty products, and all those random little things you didn't know you needed until you saw them. the chain carries more than 10,000 items across its stores and online, which goes a long way toward explaining why there's always something new to discover.
stepping into t&t, it's easy to feel like you've been instantly transported somewhere else. i especially love visiting around chinese new year, when the stores are decked out in festive decorations and i can stock up on hello kitty red envelopes. then comes mid autumn festival, when the mooncake selection becomes completely mind boggling, from traditional flavours to frozen versions and mochi mooncakes.
this visit had a definite mid autumn feel too, with festive decorations throughout the store. fans, orchids, flowers, red accents and other seasonal touches made the shopping experience feel more festive than your average grocery run.
and then there are the discoveries.
this time, i spotted a pack of four durian daifuku. they were pale yellow, perfectly round and smooth, and looked almost too pretty to eat. inside was a combination of cream and durian, wrapped in soft, chewy mochi. the texture was ridiculously soft, and the rich durian flavour came through beautifully. definitely one of those "well, i wasn't planning to buy this, but here we are" t&t moments.
i also spotted a clear bag of pastel coloured flavoured prawn crackers that looked exactly like the ones you get at a restaurant. the ones we all grab when the plate of chicken is served. the kind of thing that immediately makes you stop and think, "ohhh, i need to try those." that's the danger of shopping here.
the fresh produce section is another reason i keep coming back. there's always something interesting to investigate, whether it's familiar favourites or fruit i haven't tried before. on this trip, there were non fuzzy, yellow kiwis from new zealand, which went straight into the basket.
the seafood section is another destination in itself, with live seafood including crab, lobster, fish and shellfish, depending on availability. t&t's seafood selection includes live dungeness crab, lobster, clams and other seafood, while seasonal offerings like spot prawns are always something i look forward to.
then there's the bakery, deli, butcher and prepared food sections. the bakery alone is worth wandering through, with everything from milk bread and bolo buns to egg tarts, pastries and other asian favourites. the prepared food section is equally tempting, with things like peking duck, deep fried crispy whole chicken, bbq pork, sushi trays, dumplings and other ready to eat options.
and don't skip the snack aisle. seriously. this is where a quick grocery trip can go completely off the rails. spicy peanuts, chips, crackers, cookies, instant noodles, candy, drinks and all kinds of asian snacks fill the shelves, with plenty of korean, japanese, chinese and other east asian favourites mixed in.
there's even a kbeauty section, because apparently t&t decided groceries, snacks, bakery, seafood and skincare all belong under one roof. honestly, i'm not complaining.
i also appreciate the little things that show the staff are paying attention. during this visit, an employee noticed there was liquid on the floor and immediately called out to a janitor to have it cleaned up. it was a small moment, but exactly the kind of thing i notice in a busy grocery store. spills happen; responding quickly is what matters.
the metrotown location is clean, bright and neatly displayed, and there's enough variety that i can easily spend far longer here than i originally intended.
that's really the fun of t&t for me. it's not just "i need groceries, let's go to the supermarket." it's more like, "let's see what they have today."
one visit might mean yellow kiwis from new zealand. another might be seasonal mooncakes, a new snack, live seafood, a bakery find, a mystery drink, or four durian daifuku that somehow end up coming home with me.
every visit feels a little like an edible treasure hunt.
and that's exactly why i love t&t.
