It may surprise you to learn that I do not just dine out all the time-- I cook at home. A LOT!
And when it comes to Asian Food ingredients, T&T is my not so far away 1 stop. I could go to the markets in Chinatown, but parking is terrible and although I ride my bike, sometimes I can't find all the goods I want at the same store. And the crowds drive me away.
T&T is clean, albiet sometimes it can get a little crowded at the checkout and there are rare times that I can't find the specialty food items I'm looking for. Duck crepes? Yep-- they're located with the frozen dumplings. I had to search for 20 minutes and ask 3 different employees until finally a nice woman working the food demonstration for soba noodles directed me there.
Great fresh fish, although I do find that the prices have gone up a bit. Perhaps this has something to do with Loblaws buying the chain? And they always have a good selection of fresh ducks and rabbit, which can be hard to find even at No Frills, where I usually go for my game meat or other meats that aren't often eaten or cooked by white people.
I'm not the biggest fan of the hot food buffet. Usually, the food is super greasy and fried. The most I will do is buy a duck from the BBQ counter and bring it home to make crepes and crystal rolls. The BBQ duck is by no means as crispy as Peking Duck, but it does the job in a pinch if you can remove the fat from the skin.
Large selection of thinly sliced meats for hot pot or fondue and I can always find the vegetables I need. Things like lime leaf and galangal are always available if I'm making Thai.
This is my number 2 go to grocery store and it's always fun to go in and browse around, try the free samples on weekends and stock up on Asian foodstuffs for my pantry.