3.5 stars
New Vietnamese market I had the pleasure of checking out. It had all the main staples, fresh produce, main Asian grocery selection, fresh fish and a butcher shop. There was also a hardware section of household goods, frozen and a big bonus. An open concept restaurant located in the grocery store. It looked as though locals were enjoying a Saturday lunch when I arrived. The smells of wonderful pork bone soup filled the air!
Back to the grocery store two blocks away is Kim Phat. So one would think how the hell can they possibly compete with such a Vietnamese powerhouse as KP. It's like the David and Goliath tale. Obviously there's an allure to shopping here as people were coming and going. Parking is to a minimum and there was a guy attending and trying to control parking as I was coming in.
Selection was more than adequate for my Asian food needs. Some interesting discoveries:
1) dried mud fish. Not sure how one would cook a dish using. Never tried this before but googled it and it looks like a devilish creature living in a muddy landscape far far away.
2) vegetarian shark fin. As many shark lovers have cried afoul of Chinese and their celebration of shark fin soup. Don't judge me I grew up with real SFS. With the veggie version I'm glad Kei Phat supports this socially conscious move. Pamela Anderson or the PETA individuals would be proud as well.
I would definitely return as its a good experience to come and shop then eat lunch or vice versa in the restaurant. read more