Where to Shop Around the World
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  • Singapore
    1. Fresh CHEAP!! vegetables - Pasir Panjang wholesale market.
    2. Po piah skin - Tiong Bahru Market. Be there early !!
    3. Banana leaves - KK Market.
    4. Fresh seafood - somewhere along Pasir Panjang Rd.
    5. Thai Spices - Thai supermarkets at Golden Mile Centre.

  • San diego - This is for Asians living in San Diego. I almost wept with joy when I saw the chilli padis during my first visit there. The oriental supermart is called Ranch99 and it is somewhere along Clairemnt Mesa Blvd. The logo of the place looks somewhat like SUPER's (coffee powder). Sells everything asian. If you are looking for things distinctively Japanese, there is Yaohan at Balboa Ave. Good place to go for ramen and udon (cooked of course) too. - Veronica

  • England - There is a superstore called WING YIP that sells literally everything you can get in the Far East, including yew char kway! WING YIP has branches in Croydon, Birmingham and Manchester. As it is a superstore it is situated outside Central London. To be precise, the London branch is situated near Staples corner, the end of Edgware Road and the beginning of the motorway M1. It is situated amongst other superstores such as PC World and many others and very near the popular Brent Cross Shopping Center. - Philip

  • San Francisco - consider yourself lucky to be in San Francisco !! The Chinatown is the largest outside Singapore (I wanted to say China, but China doesn't have a Chinatown) and you can get everything you need, down to different kind of turtles. For Southeast Asian ingredients, try the Tenderloin district. - Thian

  • Amsterdam - Everything (almost) you need could be found in and around Zeedijk and Nieuwmarkt. Try Wah Nam Hong or Oriental for general items, Toko Azie Bahru for special Indonesian stuff and the Thai shop for special Thai products. - Thian

  • Perth - Shopping for Asian food is not a problem. There is one which is within walking distance from where I live, and a few more Asian grocery shops in the next suburb, about 10 minutes drive by car. These shops import products produced mainly by the natives themselves, so ingredients tend to be more authentic / exotic than what we can find in the average Singapore grocery shop. The advantage of these shops is it's a one-stop shopping for Indian, Malay, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, etc ingredients - no need to travel from China town to Little India, for instance. - karen mcgeorge

  • Vancouver, Canada - we have a great kitchen shop that has all the Asian cookware you would ever need. The main store is located our Chinatown, it is called Ming Wo Cookware. They are also happy to do mail order. Phone (604) 683-7268 Fax (604) 683-3848.
  • Oklahoma City, USA has a thriving asian community centered around Classen Ave and 23rd Street in the "Little Saigon" district. There are two large markets, Cao Nguyen and China Supermarket, and several smaller ones. I haven't much experience to compare, but I believe the variety is very good. The pork and fish are much better quality and variety than any american supermarket in the city. - David Drexler
  • Madrid, Spain
    I hope this will be useful to fellow Asians living in Madrid, Spain. There isn't a chinatown in Madrid but there are at least 3 Asian grocery stores I know which stock fresh produce such as kangkong, kai-lan, fish balls, tao-pok, ladyfingers, chili padis, galangal, lemongrass etc. (air-flown from Thailand). All located at calle General Margallo (Metro stop : Tetuan). There is also a chinese crockery store as well as a small eatery run by a young couple serving delicious noodle soups on the same street. For Indian spices, there are two shops located in calle Amparo (Metro stop : Lavapies) catering to tandoori & curry lovers. - Linda
  • Paris, France
    Thought of letting you know where the chinese supermarkets in Paris are located, which is also the Chinatown and much bigger than the one in London. The Chinese supermarkets in Paris is at the 13th arrondisment (which means district) Metro train station: Porte D'ivry, street name called Avenue D'ivry which has lots of chinese supermarkets and restaurants and you can get almost anything there. Hope this info is usefyl and you can add in to your list of chinatown contacts! - Serene
  • Canberra
    I live in Canberra, Australia and the Asian food here is terrible! No joke. Just to add to Shopping Tips around the world...Two Asian shops around Belconnen (where most uni students are living) have a great range of Asian spices and what-have-yous (from Jin-tooi to Axe oil). One's called Angkorwhat in WEstfield Shoppingtown Belconnen, and the other is Capital Asian Groceries somewhere near Rae Street (i can't remember the actual street name where the shop is at). Capital Groceries is cheaper and is run by an old HK couple,so heaps of Chinese cantonese food, and Angkorwhat is run by Thais and sells chili padi and fresh Asian veges. - Jille Carter
By post
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  • Indonesian food items mail order from the States run by an Indonesian from Ujung Pandang, Sulawesi, and his American wife.
  • Spice Merchant - spices sent to your door for those in the States!
  • Bangkok Cuisine's Spice Market - We have a bunch of recipes, pictures, misc. food products and cooking tips. Vegetarian section coming soon. - Khun Pornsak

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