Ah the greatness of an Asian grocery store never ceases to amaze me. There's something about them…read morethat makes me always come out completely satisfied with my purchase. Maybe it's the cheap prices, maybe it's the cute Hello Kitty girl at the till or maybe it's the fact I don't have a clue what I'm buying so can't be let down. This one in the Albany Westfield is great because you don't have to go out of your way to go there. It's right next to the New World so you can get all your usual groceries and then spice it up with some different Asian products. There's so much to see and try in this store and it's really, really, clean so you won't be grossed out by being in there. The prices are right and the food is just as right. Check it out today!

This is your average Asian supermarket, this one has been here for a while. The DH supermarket has…read morea few other branches around Auckland. They stock in good quantity all kinds of Asian groceries and frozen goods and at a reasonable price. And also a few western items like milk and bread. But watch the fruit . It can be cheap as, but the quality is not so good. The service is pretty good and even if it is quite busy check out never takes too long. Also of note here inside the actual supermarket building is a travel agent which can give some pretty good deals, a money exchange and a healthy living shop that sells all them supplements and body creams etc.

There is a separate fish shop inside. The old bloke has great pride in his fish, and its clean as…read more(for a chinese place). We go there to get fresh live Paua, Clams, Eels, Cod, Wrasse and Crays. They also have some oddball species all live. For a kiwi it seemed a fairly expensive way to get fish but compared to going on a charter its dead cheap. AND YOUR FISH WAS SWIMMING TILL YOU POINTED YOUR FINGER AT IT AND GOT IT FILLETED. Just cant be beaten for freshness. Also has all the usual dead fish on the chiller slab. Wow the mussels taste so fresh, not smelling of ammonia like the ones at the usual supermarkets.

Everyone loves a farmer's market right? Well if you don't, then you haven't been to a good one…read more Farro Fresh is what would happen if a supermarket and the Matakana Market had a baby. And boy is it a cute baby. There are a couple of these around Auckland now, but I have only been to this one and I love it. Walking in, it's really clean, smells fresh and is jam-packed with goodies. There are different areas for things like fresh produce, seafood, fine wine, boutique chocolates, cheeses, deli and filled rolls. You're never far from a helpful staff member who can always help you find what you need. You would think that a place like this would be really expensive, but it ain't. There are definitely expensive things, but they also have really great specials on every day so it's very common to be able to pick up a little bit of luxury for less. Don't be scared off by the fanciness - you'll be surprised by how similar the pricing is to your local supermarket, and yet how the quality at Farro is better.

Yes, Farro is expensive but their array of artisanal products is second to none (ok, so perhaps…read moretheir on par with Sabato). I particularly love their charcuterie and cheese sections complete with tastings and fabulous staff to help you nudge you in the right direction. They also have a wonderful range of cookbooks - our latest purchase was Ottolenghi's vegetable cookbook, 'Plenty' - as well as cooking and baking utensils. Don't miss their fabulous chocolate selection (new Wellington producer, The Wellington Company's salted caramel chocolate is out of this world) and of course the, Harney & Sons teas.

Really cheap compared to the other two big grocery chains…read more Pak N Save Albany is a spacious, organised and clean looking store. Some of their other locations I have shopped at have been cluttered or messy but this one always seems to hold a high standard. Deli and seafood counters look very well presented and fresh and their bakery makes really good grainy bread and rolls. Saved approximately $25.00 on my weekly shop today compared to my usual local grocery store. Cheers Pak N Save!

BEWARE OF MEAT! Pak…read moreN Save is a great idea in theory (food is sold and carted by the customer without the fancy frills of expensive packaging) but I have always been weary about the quality of the food being sold there. Just seemed too good a price to be true... Apart from the occasional tasteless apple or leathery lettuce, it's never been too much of a funky food adventure. Pak N Save is quite good for items already packaged by the manufacturer, so while there are fresher grocery stores around, I do find myself wandering into one every now and then to stock up on soap, flour and other cabinet items. BUT... what happened tonight will be enough for me to swear off Pak N Save food forever! In a last minute effort to throw together some dinner I ducked into the Pak N Save Albany and ended buying the Beef Sirloin Steak Marinated (on sale for $12.05/kg this week). Upon frying it, and cutting it to check how well done it is, I found that it was an unusual pink colour. I threw it back into the pan thinking it would cook more, but the peculiar pink never seemed to cook away. Then I tasted it... There cannot be a cow on this green Earth to have produced such a fake-tasting, rubbery Franken-steak; no matter how many hormones it has pumped into it's system, no matter how secretly omnivorous it may be! What I tasted should not even be labelled as "beef"! Hell, even nitrate-heavy, endtrail-laden hotdogs would kick this "meat" out of their refrigerated section! Waste of time, waste of money, and waste of internet gigabytes doing online searches of "meat glue". Unless you're a starving backpacker willing to momentarily shelve your standards of what passes for meat, steer clear! Pay the extra bucks elsewhere and get a decent cut of beef.

When I was in my late twenties, I lived the good life, dining at restaurants and buying whatever…read moregroceries I needed at Nosh and Farro's. I never needed to buy anything more than pate and champagne, or maybe bacon and eggs for breakfast, and a fresh baguette of course. I was out producing TV programmes and music videos, and life was good, and money plentiful. These days I'm a married man with baby and a mortgage, the high life has dried up, and I've got bills to pay. This also means that I've got to save my money and budget for the things I love. Plus I've got to spend smarter... And spending smarter means visiting Gilmours. Gilmours is limited in what they carry, but the prices are excellent, and if you do have a business card, then the overall savings can be huge. Just by buying my alcoholic drinks for a party did I save close to a hundred dollars. It is a mission to get all your goods there, but smart planning can save you big dollars, and just looking at the trouble Europe is in, saving is not such a bad idea.

Recently refurbished Countdown in Browns Bay. There is now a pharmacy inside which is very handy to…read moreget your prescription filled while you shop (which I am guilty of not using). The shelves are always tidy, the produce fresh and the staff here are always friendly - especially with my 13 month old son! I joke that it's his favorite place to go to see the checkout ladies :)

This is the supermarket I come to when I need something specific. Too many times I've tried my…read morelocal first then ended up having to come here anyway, nothing more frustrating than going to two supermarkets in one day! Far bigger range of products. Today I even swiped my own groceries, felt like a checkout operator (not so good) but at least my groceries were packed properly!

This Pak N Save is nice and new and modern, well on the outside its modern, but in the inside its…read morejust this big massive warehouse, with big wide aisles. Its stuffed from floor to ceiling mainly full of packaged stuff, every time I come here it just reminds me of how much packaged food we eat these days, from cereal to snacks to noodles to canned food - a whole big aisle full of canned food, chips, biscuits, bread. I wonder what our Great Grandparents would think about all the packaged food we eat these days, I'm sure they would think we were crazy, just look at your trolley next time you go to the supermarket at your trolley full of packaged food. Anyway the location of this supermarket is pretty convenient as its accessible to a number of suburbs and has easy motorway access, I mainly come during the week when its nice and quiet thank god, as I'm sure in the weekend it gets pretty busy. I also often grab a coffee from the expresso coffee stand, I do wish that they had coffee cup holders in the trolleys. I do think also from shopping at New World and Countdown that Pak n Save is the cheapest and its good if you don't mind the packing at the end. They also have a convenient fuel station next to the supermarket and you can use the discount voucher provided on your receipt. I still think the petrol should be cheaper though considering its self service.

Nice big store, good layout and easy to find what you need, loads of parking, easy to get in and…read moreout off car park,

This shop is on the smaller side, but it's packed full of British goodies! I came here because they…read moreare the only place in NZ I could find Scrumpy Jack cider in stock, and also I heard they had banana bread beer! I found both these things there, and plenty more besides. Biscuits, chocolates, crisps, plenty of alcohol, and even things like washing powder - any homesick Brit could feel very at home here. They even have Cornish pasties! Despite it being a little bit of a drive, I'll be back for sure - my English Mom needs her Quality Street fix, and this place have the big tins (1.3kg) for only $24.99!

I generally head to Tai Ping Trading Company after an evening at neighbouring yoga studio The Loft…read more Tai Ping is open late, and its shining lights tend to entice me as I'm walking back to my car. The main reason I go to Tai Ping is to choose from the array of tofu they have for sale. There is a huge range of fresh tofu in water, pre-packaged chunks (either marinated or plain) and other different presentations of this delicious soy staple. I also head to the noodle fridge to pick up fresh noodles, which you can grab in various different styles for just a couple of bucks. It's astounding how cheap the fresh stuff is here and I'm really happy when I see the total ring up on the register. Tai Ping is also great for stocking your pantry and fridge with Asian staples - I like to grab sauces (soy, oyster, mushroom), oils (chili, sesame) and other items such as mirin and sushi seasoning. It often takes me quite a while to get through these, particularly given that Tai Ping sells everything in such big bottles for so cheap!

Have you ever looked up an Asian recipe on the Internet but not had a clue what 80 percent of the…read moreingredients were? Do not be discouraged my friend, take that shopping list down to the Taiping Trading Company, they will sort you out no problem. This place is a galaxy of strange Eastern flavors, I would recommend just starting anywhere, pick a shelf and pick a sauce bottle, this is going to take a bit of trial and error, but if you persevere you will be able to out cook your friends soon enough. Seriously some of those bottles are literally just instant recipes, just poor it all over your frying pan and presto. PS don't worry if you do not know which soya sauce to choose, they have like 20 different types but they all taste the same.