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| - I come from L.A., where there are a lot of Asian markets and general ethnic groceries available, so I was cautiously optimistic that this one would be good. In my opinion, it's quite good and has all the things that you would expect from an Asian market: cheap prices, body parts of animals that you never thought people ate, weird odors, and all the ingredients to remake what you had the night before at a Chinese restaurant.
Selection: Their summer time selection is very good, and it really stands out when it comes to veggies. You can find all kinds of greens, root veggies, mushrooms, legumes, and other stuff that isn't often used in other cuisines. The produce looks very fresh, not too many with blemishes or bruises. The meat section is pretty standard; you're also see fun things like pig feet that you wouldn't at an average market. The seafood section is interesting; there's a lot of stuff, but I would still probably say to buy at your own risk; you never know how long something's been sitting out there on ice, which is obviously less controlled than a fridge. The live stuff looks okay though. Yeah it smells weird at times, that's what happens when half the ocean is in a room temperature building. I would note the one area where they're a bit deficient is the dairy section; dairy isn't hugely used in east Asian cuisine.
Prices: The pricing is very good compared to the other two markets I went to in the area (Starskys, Longo's). Obviously if you want to put together like a cracker / grapes / Italian cold cuts platter, go to one of those places. But if you're just shopping for everyday stuff, like raw meats or fresh produce, the prices are way cheaper here and the quality seems to be just as good. Absolutely if you are looking for some kind of sauce, a particular noodle, or fresh dim sum, this is the place to go. It's really in a pretty good location (I bike there from my place).
I would note that it's good to know what you're looking for. Not everything is in English, and sometimes the signs are just the Chinese characters written out with English letters, not actually translated into English. It's pretty clean for an Asian market in my experience, and there are definitely people who are fluent in English if you need help.
And be forewarned that if you go on the weekend, you'll probably be waiting for 15 minutes in the checkout line.
Edit (Aug '17): something I have noticed over the last year that I've lived here is that items that are not Asian-specific (e.g., peanut butter, pasta sauce, canned fruit) are not necessarily any cheaper than some place like Wal-Mart (and even Longo's), and in some instances are more expensive. Not by a significant margin granted, but something to consider if you are a big penny-pincher. I started buying most of the non-Asian things elsewhere since I happen to pass by on my various bus routes. I have also been experimenting more with the discount section (back left corner). The seafood is usually discounted because it's just recently died (the shellfish) or has been sitting around for a bit (the fish). So far eaten a crab, a lobster, a salmon head, and tilapia and had no issues. Would cook it basically as soon as you get home though, especially the shellfish. Produce is hit or miss; a lot of it is discounted just because it's got some blemishes (like bruises), but sometimes it's just way too ripe and probably only viable for a jam or something.
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