| rev:text
| - Bottom Line: T&T Cherry St. is a clean Asian grocery store with a decent selection of Asian and non-Asian foods. Vegetables/Fruits are decently priced but vary in freshness.
Location:
Living downtown, I often find it economical to rent a Zipcar to make the trek to T&T on Cherry Street. Once upon a time, when this location first opened up, T&T used to have a shuttle bus from Union Station, but now you'll have to rely on a TTC bus to get there via public transit. It's located about 35 minutes by foot from Union Station. It's a nice walk but unless you're heading towards Cherry beach or Polson Pier, there's not much to do around that area.
There's ample parking and I've never had any trouble getting a spot.
Food:
Produce/Fruits: decently priced most of the time. They often have cheaper prices than Metro or Loblaws, though a bit more pricey than shops in Chinatown. Quite a number of the fruits/vegetables DO come from China so if that's an issue for you, your selection will be more limited. Meats are also far cheaper and when they have sales, they can be amazing! $2.99/lbs chicken breast skinless bone-out?! (Lord help me, I'm starting to sound like my parents...).
T&T's also a pretty great place for harder to find Asian imports, especially some Japanese items which may not be easy to get unless you're willing to travel to J-Town.
Prepared foods are pretty hit or miss. They have a cheap and greasy selection of Chinese and Dim-Sum dishes. They also have some BBQ meats, sushi and a random assortment of vietnamese food etc. I do like the Ma Po Tofu and greasy eggplant.
Bakery's also pretty decent. I'm a fan of the coconut bread and their cakes aren't too sweet if that's your thing. The Chinese and Portuguese egg tarts are pretty tasty too.
Bathrooms:
OK, but not the cleanest. If you come during T&T's night market, bringing a jar and catheter is a better alternative.
Service:
Pretty good. Haven't had any trouble speaking English.
All in all, I'd give this a solid B+ for being clean and having a decent selection. I've had some vegetables go bad rather quickly so freshness is more hit or miss. Location isn't that convenient unless you're driving.
|