There probably will never be a shortage of Chinese food and groceries in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as there are dime-a-dozen Chinese supermarkets, stores, & restaurants. Many Chinese immigrants from Southeast Asia moved to Toronto after the Vietnam War & 200,000 more immigrants from Hong Kong arrived during the 1980's & 1990's due to the takeover of Hong Kong by China in 1997. As they settled in Toronto & the Greater Toronto Area, these immigrants established huge Chinese shopping centers due to an abundance of land. They formed about six major Chinatowns, including North York, Scarborough, Markham, Richmond Hill, & originally downtown. Many new Chinese businesses were established that catered to the Hong Kong immigrants.
One of these businesses is Canada's largest Asian supermarket chain, T&T Supermarket, which sells local & imported goods from Asian countries (primarily from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, & Malaysia) at reasonable prices. It first opened in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993 & currently has about 29 locations in the major cities in Canada, with four more locations to open in 2022.
The "T" in its name stands for the names of founder City Lee's two daughters, Tina & Tiffany. With store sizes ranging from 35,000 sq ft to 74,000 sq ft, it was bought by the huge conglomerate Loblaws in 2009, which also owns Shoppers Drug Mart, Real Canadian Super Store, & No Frills Supermarkets.
In addition to having the same items (dairy, frozen foods, grocery, produce, meats, etc.) as other supermarkets, all T&T Supermarkets have an in-store bakery, Asian deli, sushi, Chinese bbq meats, live seafood, snacks, daily baked breads, ready-to-eat meals, & non-food items. Literally, a one-stop Chinese market for all your Asian needs.
It was a special treat for us to just walk through the aisles, as we couldn't believe the extensive variety of items being sold in this supermarket! We especially enjoyed the following:
* In-house bakery. Their regular/custom-decorated cakes/pastries are exceptional in taste & artfully detailed in vibrant colors & seasonal fruits. Hard to decide, as they have egg & Portuguese egg tarts, green tea cakes, red bean filling pastries, taro cakes, chestnut cakes, chocolate mousse, breads, rolls, pineapple buns, sponge cakes, croissants, moon cakes (seasonal), cookies, mango tapioca pudding, & many others. No need to go to a regular bakery.
* BBQ meats. Freshly made roast duck, roast pork, char siu, roast chicken, turkey tails, ribs, tripe, etc. hanging from skewers & ready to be chopped up for take-out. Perfectly seasoned, barbecued, and roasted.
* Dim sum. Freshly made throughout the day - char siu bao, pork hash, look fun, sticky rice in lotus leaf, curry beef pastries, congee, & many others. Delicious & authentic.
* Hot foods. Freshly cooked entrees - lemon chicken; spicy chicken; pepper pork; sweet sour chicken; jai, chow mein; veggies; stir fry beef/shrimp/calamari; drinks; bubble teas; Vietnamese summer rolls; hot pot station (with tendon, tripe, sausage, etc.); soups; etc. Lots of free samples too. Towards dinnertime, foods are marked down, which is an opportune time for locals to pick up their dinner or lunch for the next day (easier to eat out than to cook).
* Sushi bar. Sashimi, sushi bentos.
* Live seafood. Great prices on live king crab, Dungeness crab, blue crab, fish, lobster, shrimp, geoduck, sea urchins, eel, octopus, clams, etc. Pick what you want, & staff will clean for you.
* Fresh produce. So fresh, as many are imported directly from Asian countries: longan, lychee, dragonfruit, durian, mango, bamboo shoots, lotus roots, & green veggies.
* Fresh meats. Sold by the pound, this is your old-school butcher shop where they will wrap your fresh meats in butcher paper.
* Grocery. Lots of dairy; frozen foods; snacks (preserved seeds, dried seafood, candies, crackers cookies); dried mushrooms; sauces; spices; rice; Chinese sausages; dried soup mixes.
* Misc. They also carry kitchen utensils, household items, appliances, & stationery.
This location is located at Langham Square, an indoor mall & plaza in central Markham at Kennedy Rd & Unionville Ave. It differs from other locations, as this location has both an underground covered parking & outside parking; the covered parking is good for the protection from rain, snow, & the hot sun. It also has an automated cart escalator that brings your cart down to the first level where your car is parked. This location is very clean, bright, & orderly. Hours of operation are 9a to 10p daily.
Don't forget to ask for a loyalty reward card to collect points on purchases & redeem them for in-store gifts.
With other similar Chinese supermarkets providing competition, T&T maintains its excellence among the top Asian supermarkets. We always look forward to browsing through its aisles & getting our snacks & hot foods whenever we visit Toronto. read more