When did "smelly" become an acceptable element to grocery shopping???? It seems like many ethnic supermarkets are known for this unfortunate distinction and to my surprise, many shoppers will tolerate the overwhelmingly smelly environment to get their ethnic shopping done. I don't know about you but no matter how fresh something looks and how great a sale the store may have on, I try my hardest to avoid making a trip to these spots. For some reason, the odour always makes me question the establishment's cleanliness, hygiene and food handling process.
T. Phat in Pickering is no exception to the smelly rule and possibly the worst offender out of all the asian markets I've visited in and around GTA. There is no excuse for this level of odour in ANY supermarket and it makes me think that another visit from Canadian Food Inspection Agency should be in order. Let's face it. If there are other supermarkets like T & T, Galleria and PAT marts that can pull off the non-odourous shopping environment, why can't these places follow suit??
Even without the odour issue, T. Phat offered the least variety of produce, both vegetables and fruit, compared to most other asian markets and the freshness seemed questionable at best. I walked by the fish counter as quickly as possible from the fear of slipping and falling into one of the giant smelly puddles of water which, without a doubt, came straight from the melting ice from the fish counter. YUCK!
I originally went to pick up some sliced meats for Chinese hotpot and the packaged meat were all so badly freezer-burnt, I didn't even bother with other ingredients on my shopping list.
If I have to brave even a little bit of that odour, I'd rather drive a little further west and visit Skyland (Markham/Lawrence) or Farm Fresh Supermarket (Sheppard/Brimley) where it's a little less malodorous and the variety and freshness of vegetables at least will not be in question.