My favorite job site was when I started work at Verizon Wireless, and they posted me as a customer service rep at their Uwajimaya kiosk, located in a GIANT Asian grocery, complete with restaurants, gift shop, and deli counter, as well as aisles upon aisles of fun new things to try... I was in shopping heaven, as i am constantly searching for something I have never tried before, and Asian groceries are the best place for culinary adventures.
Today i wandered into the Best Asian Market (yes, that is their name, as well as, apparently Bay Market) and was transported in time to my lunch hours, which were spent reading the fine print on packages written in Thai, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Japanese...
The building is in a neighborhood few seek out, that stretch of East Sprague that people would rather just... drive on through with the doors locked.. which to some is a drawback but since i was born in that neighborhood, and well frankly, have seen much worse, I am charmed by the art deco buildings and spattering of ethnic markets, thrift shops, and fledgling specialty shops which pepper the often empty storefronts and failed nightclubs and restaurants. Yes, Best Asian Market is not a place you would just wander by and visit on a whim, Yet judging by the traffic inside, it surely is a place to seek out.
The market is a big Art deco corner building in cream and pink, The inside is a simple setup. freezer cases full of frozen fruits, vegetable, ice creams, cakes, pork buns, spring rolls, onion pancakes, and more lead you to a produce section with prices not to be beat and a selection of fresh baby bok choy, shitake and other mushrooms, sprouts, ginger root, herbs, radish... The aisles are filled with sauces, seasonings, canned fruits and vegetables, teas and more, and a plethora of noodles... so many i was stuck in that aisle quite a while trying to decide. Finally, proteins. feezer cases of frozen fish from the common to the um... what was that? and then the even more adventurous, frozen snail, even insects, soft shell crabs (i will buy them some day!), fish cakes... and we wont talk about the meat case but lets just say... the pork hocks looked good but, i am not so adventurous for the rest.
This was a great find for me, and i will be back regularly, the only complaint i have is the aisles are so narro it is hard to navigate with a shopping cart, but next time i will just take a basket.
If I have to choose one product to highlight it would be:
Huy Ky Bakery's Dau xanh nhun mut or Winter Melon and Bean Hopia
a flaky but not too sweet pastry filled with sweet mung bean paste and bits of winter melon. This was my favorite purchase today. It is a perfect blend of richness, powdery softness, and just a little crunch and freshness.
and i think todays adventure will lead to regular installments, maybe not so long, of great finds at great markets.
Best Asian Market is found at 2020 E Sprague Ave Spokane, WA 99202
They service restaurants and individual shoppers.
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