I’ve been to several Asian markets here in Portland now, and I don’t know if I have an overall favorite yet.
I’ve been multiple times to Hong Phat (both the smaller one and the bigger superstore). It’s fine but nothing super special, but I’ll probably go there for basics. I like their ready-made Vietnamese pickles for convenience, and they sell Bui tofu. (I’ve been to the small Bui Tofu shop several times, and we love it there. Not exactly a full market though)
I went to Fubonn once, and while I thought the produce was pretty good, I wasn’t that impressed by the rest. They had a very nice selection of SE Asian herbs. There was a popular Filipino bakery in that plaza though where we had a very tasty scone though!
This weekend I went to the newly opened 99 Ranch, and some things were great but other things just okay. They don’t really have any prepared foods or a bakery area, and no fresh rice noodles in sight. But on the plus side, the tofu and fish cake selection was far better than the other markets I’ve been to. Produce seemed fine (no sign of Vietnamese/SE Asian herbs here though – not even mint). There’s a new Yunnan rice noodle place in this plaza that looks interesting!
I’ve been to HMart in Belmont multiple times, and I like their prepared foods and frozen food selection. Easy and quick to go in/out, which is also nice. I also stopped by Boo Han on 82nd which was just OK, though I didn’t try their kimchi and maybe missed one of the shelves where they sell panchan.
The main contender on the east side that I haven’t been to yet is SF Supermarket. I’m hoping they sell sa-cha sauce, which is the one condiment that I haven’t been able to find anywhere! Not a single one of the stores listed above sells it as far as I can tell, unless the label is in Chinese only and I missed it somehow? I usually bought Lee Kum Kee brand in the Bay Area, which was available at nearly every Asian market.
On a side note, went on a date night to Gado Gado the other night, which was fantastic! We loved the shrimp sambal, and I’m hoping to either make some or find a good jarred version. Any recommendations? Are there any good SE Asian markets w/ Malaysian/Indonesian products besides what I’ve mentioned?
Dave MP
