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| - It's difficult to post a review for a place where options of things that interest me are very limited and yet still say I really like the store, but that's what it is with Sanko, a cool little Japanese trading store right in the heart of Queen West.
There's actually quite a bit of good stuff that I like in this store. The only issue I have with it is the prices are pretty high on some things, but given the geography it makes sense. The rent in Queen west isn't cheap. Nonetheless, $5 for a red bean Kit Kat feels like it's eclipsing the exotic candy/price threshold. Drinks and certain items like the dishes are definitely pricier than you'll find in Chinatown, sometimes by a considerable margin. But it is quite possible that the quality is that much better and thus the price differential, and that's the impression I get. It would seem to be a poor business model to over piece things just to keep it to scale with the price of rent: Why not just rent in Chinatown and make the prices lower? Anyhow, that's basically hypothesis and something I have no real interest or way to verify.
What I do really like is the uniqueness of having a shop like this in my neighborhood. It's got a good selection of popular ramen, fairly priced. If fresh ramen is more your thing, they carry that too. Just drop in boiling water and it's done. Looking for something unique to drink? They have 'Pocari Sweat' an oddly named but tasty ion enrichment type drink from Korea and a variety of popular aloe drinks as well. The owner and staff are very friendly, much more personal than most Chinatown stores of similar ilk, and they also carry a large selection of ceramic knives from Kyocera.
Depending on what you're buying, the prices can most likely be overlooked for the availability of things in an area they'd otherwise be unavailable in.
Worth the trip
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