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| - One of my highlights in traveling to the Toronto area, or for the most part, anywhere in Canada, is stepping foot into Canada's largest Asian supermarket chain, T&T Supermarket, which sells local & imported goods from Asian countries (primarily from China + Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Malaysia) at reasonable prices.
T&T Supermarket first opened in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993 & currently has more than 20 locations in the major cities of Canada. The "T" in its name stands for 2 of the original investor companies that created this supermarket - Tawa Supermarket, Inc. of Taiwan & Uni-President Enterprises Corp. of California, whose Chinese name is pronounced "Tong Yi." In 2009, Loblaws Co., Canada's retail giant and largest non-Asian grocer , purchased T&T Supermarket for $225 million, which recognized the importance of T&T in filling a niche in meeting the needs of Canada's large immigrant Asian communities, & kept the markets intact. Prices of items in T&T are much lower than non-Asian supermarkets. (There are also other independent competitors similar to T&T.)
The average size of a supermarket is 35,000 - 50,000 sq. ft., w/ its inventory & layout the same for each store, no matter where it's located (some are located just a few miles from each other). T&T offers the following:
- In-house bakery. Their regular/custom-decorated cakes/pastries are exceptional in taste and artfully detailed in vibrant colors & fruits. They also have egg tarts, green tea cakes w/ red bean filling, taro cakes, chestnut cakes, chocolate mousse, breads, rolls, croissants, mooncakes (seasonal), cookies, mango tapioca pudding, & many Chinese pastries. No need to go to a regular bakery. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/t-and-t-supermarket-markham?select=TLAdnA_3yfWPXGHx9AbgTA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/t-and-t-supermarket-markham?select=TLIqxmXPdkEzd3gaHRiYOw http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/t-and-t-supermarket-markham?select=e_0urjAlt4wufCwYD9QK0Q
- Chinese BBQ. Freshly-made roast duck, roast pork, char siu, roast chicken, turkey tails, ribs etc. hanging from skewers & ready to be chopped up for take-out. Perfectly seasoned, barbecued, and roasted! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/t-and-t-supermarket-markham?select=ceVoIRbRP2tj6keM9kOO7Q
- Dim sum. Freshly made throughout the day - char siu bao, pork hash, look fun, sticky rice in lotus leaf, curry beef pastries, congee, & many others found in a dim sum restaurant. Delicious & authentic! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/t-and-t-supermarket-markham?select=9VmxrLsv4jM0mlQdrgwN7g
- Hot foods. Freshly cooked entrees - lemon chicken, spicy chicken, pepper pork, sweet sour chicken, jai, chow mein, veggies, stir fry beef/shrimp, fried calamari, drinks, bubble teas, Vietnamese summer rolls, etc. There is a dining area nearby where you can eat these foods. All the hot foods, including the Chinese BBQ, dim sum, sushi, & certain bakery items are marked down at significant savings a few hours before closing; surprisingly, there are many people who come just for this, which probably becomes their lunch/dinner the next day. Delicious meals at rock-bottom prices! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/t-and-t-supermarket-markham?select=1IzK0nkvQAlOB_-AjrFXeg
- Sushi bar. Sashimi, bentos, all kinds of sushi.
- Live seafood. Amazing to see that they're live - pick what you want & staff will clean for you. Great prices on live king crab, Dungeness crab, blue crab, fish, lobster, shrimp, geoduck, sea urchins, eel, octopus, clams. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/t-and-t-supermarket-markham?select=GWeCLLoXb3Kn4KwoW93aoQ http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/t-and-t-supermarket-markham?select=o5j4QJld9a0X3w6HePgDjg
- Fresh produce. I was amazed at its freshness, and that many of the items were imported directly from Asian countries: longan, lychee, dragonfruit, Durian, mango, and a whole myriad of bright green veggies & fruits.
- Fresh meat/poultry. Sold by the pound, this is your old-time butcher shop where you tell the butcher how much you want, and butcher will cut/wrap it in butcher paper.
- Grocer. Dairy, frozen foods, snacks (lots of Japanese/Chinese snacks), dried mushrooms, sauces, spices, rice, Chinese sausages, dried soup mixes (even shark fin soup & crocodile meat soup mixes). There are also kitchen utensils, stationery, & limited household supplies. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/t-and-t-supermarket-markham?select=1Elh6mUtieAtYKqJb5notA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/t-and-t-supermarket-markham?select=Sw1z_2GYa5ABeZYgmOAUUg http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/t-and-t-supermarket-markham?select=RBIlgwZxQipABUFcQ_y0Mw
All the T&T Supermarkets are bright, clean, & well organized, w/ English/Chinese signage. They're always crowded, so their shelves are constantly replenished during the day; finding a parking space on a busy day becomes a challenge. Lots of food sampling during the weekends.
T&T Supermarket is like a Chinatown all in one, a one-stop shop. Wish we had one in HNL.
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