Hong Phat is a necessity for vegans on a low-carb diet. They have an impressive selection of vegan proteins for such a small store. Several of them are supplied fresh (as in wrapped in saran wrap fresh) and they are among the best I've ever had. I love the fresh tofu, which is delicious cold and plain or pan-fried with seasoning. The fresh fried tofu is heavenly served cold with sesame oil, red chili, and soy sauce.
They always have plenty of frozen, unflavored soy sheet, another product I can't live without.
I love the frozen puffed tofu. It makes great "French toast" when sauteed in soy milk, olive oil, agave syrup, and cinnamon.
They have two varieties of "dried" tofu (not really *dry*--it's what Trader Joe would call "high protein tofu").
They just put in new freezers a couple of months ago, and with the expansion came a few more vegan proteins that I like more than I expected. There's an imitation fish (shaped like a fish) made of soy sheet wrapped in seaweed that does a good job of approximating the aroma, taste, and textures of fin fish; when fried in a pan, the seaweed browns and crisps to a pretty convincing facsimile of fried fish skin. (Sorry if that grosses out the vegans; I was raised a carnivore.)
The "Imitation Ham Turkey Flavor" is nothing like either turkey or ham straight out of the package--too moist and tender, not the right flavorings. However, sliced very thin, sprinkled with applewood smoked salt and amchur powder or citric acid, and fried to a crisp, it's an excellent substitute for ham.
I love the "Vegan Sausage", which, again, is nothing like any sausage that I ever ate: it is smooth and homogenenous, and very white. But it has a delicate flavor enhanced by the leaves in which it is wrapped, and a satisfyingly meaty texture, so it is one of my all-time imitation meat favorites. All of the products named in this paragraph are onion- and garlic-free, rare finds indeed.
The frozen teriyaki vegan chicken is the best chicken-simulator I've ever gotten in a store, although I've had products on par with it in big-city restaurants.
Hong Phat even has a couple of canned glutens--not my favorite brand, but they will do in a pinch.
They have frozen edamame too, good quality.
In addition to strictly vegan products, they also have vegetarian products that contain milk or eggs. I can't comment on those, but I thought I'd mention that they are there.
Either I haven't found them yet, or there just aren't very many Asian grocery stores in the Lacey/Olympia area (I have found a total of 3 in Lacey so far). When I recently moved here, I thought I'd have to go all the way to Renton's DK Market and 99 Ranch for my staples. But, among the other items Hong Phat keeps me supplied with are:
vegan proteins, several forms
vegan fish sauce
king oyster mushrooms
oyster mushrooms
enoki mushrooms
bunapi mushrooms
banana bud
green cabbage
chinese cabbages/broccolis of several varieties
young coconuts
perilla leaf (fresh)
holy basil (fresh)
powdered mushroom bouillon
vegan tom yum paste (YUM! no garlic or onions)
Sunflower brand Jasmine Green Tea
ginger (fresh)
galangal (fresh)
nori
soy sauce (an endless selection)
frozen chopped lemongrass
noodles (toooo many: dried, fresh, frozen, fried, unfried, "ramen" with flavor packets)
The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful and they will stop what they are doing to assist you, often before you ask.
They take credit cards and ATM cards.
My $$ moderate price rating is sort of an informal "average" between the cheap prices of the more ordinary items vs the high prices of the imported vegan proteins. The vegan fish, for example, is $6.00, and I eat that in one meal. The puffed frozen tofu is outrageously expensive when you consider the weight of the package. The fresh tofus, however, are local and quite cheap.
I only give them 4 stars because the 5-star rating is for "as good as it gets". Hong Phat is not the ultimate store. The space is strangely allocated: too much of some things, not enough or zero of others. They are short on spices, although they do have one of the best mild red chili flakes, Wang brand. They have NO Chinese herbs like angelica. It may be just my preference, but I think they could free up both sides of an aisle and a half by cutting out 90% of the varieties of noodles, rices, soy sauces, snacks, and flavored ramen packets and replacing them with more categories of items. Most of the fresh vegetables are labeled in one or two languages, neither of them English; I like to try new things but I often pass up interesting-looking veggies because I can't be bothered to go ask someone how to prepare them, so that's some dollars not earned. But they probably know their market better than I do, so who am I to say. They do seem flexible, so if you go there and ask they may try to stock what you ask for. Let's help them branch out so we can all experience greater variety! read more