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Wide World of Flavor
OC’s ethnic markets bring exotic fare to your doorstep.
By Melissa Adams Published: July 07, 2005
For less than $2,000 in airfare, you can circle the globe with stops in London, Bombay, Saigon and Hong Kong. Or, you can save that chunk of change and the attendant hassles of packing and jet lag and still indulge your appetite for a taste of diverse cultures at Orange County’s ethnic markets.
Ladies and gentlemen: You’ll need no passport, inoculations or foreign currency for this excursion into the world’s cuisines. What you’ll want to take along is an open mind for indulging in a multicultural smorgasbord that could include such delicacies as sizzling chicken tikka, crunchy, dried shrimp, marinated duck feet and for the truly adventurous lamb’s head, an Asian delicacy.
More akin to foreign bazaars than Western chains, most ethnic markets are more than venues for picking up pantry staples. With food courts, knickknacks, videos and travel agencies tucked within, many are one-stop shops for dining, entertainment and vacation planning. While they’ll happily do business with Caucasians, those in such pockets as Little Gaza in Anaheim and Little Saigon in Westminster cater to overseas immigrants with signs and packaging in languages other than English.
A local Tokyo
In the shadow of South Coast Plaza, you might not expect to find a mega-center for all things Japanese. But that’s just what recently remodeled Mitsuwa Marketplace is a sprawling collection of shops arranged around a modern supermarket full of specialty dry goods, meats and produce that may have you checking your wallet for yen. Set behind a nondescript strip mall with an Oriental chiropractor, hair stylist and family diner, the blue-tile-roofed structure looks like it belongs in downtown Tokyo. Throngs of Asian shoppers will have you convinced that’s exactly where you are.
There’s covered and outdoor parking at Mitsuwa, but arrive at lunchtime and you’ll vie for a space with Japanophiles looking for an udon or tempura fix at one of a half-dozen outlets in a newly expanded food court. Those literate in Japanese may be poring over a magazine picked up in row after row of imported publications, CDs and videos.
Around Mitsuwa’s perimeter, there’s a cosmetics counter with a large line of Shisedo products and booth-like shops specializing in Japanese confections, teas, vitamins, gifts and auto parts. Need a sake set? Stop by The Art of Tableware, a ceramics outlet proffering serving dishes, teapots and chopstick rests. Looking for a unique hostess gift? Choose from artfully wrapped sweets at Kobe Fujetsudo.
“Most of these shops are Japanese franchises we have permission to operate,” says Dwaine Yamasaki, manager of the 33,000-square-foot complex. Checking out the refined presentation that’s a signature of Japanese culture, you might guess as much.
If you don’t speak the language, Mitsuwa may have you feeling like Bill Murray in “Lost in Translation.” Without an interpreter, even the community bulletin board is indecipherable. But you won’t need a trained eye to appreciate the huge selection of colorfully, packaged noodles, tofu, sauces, freshly made sushi, bento box lunches and fresh-baked goodies at St. Honore bakery.
While you can find sashimi-grade seafood here, don’t expect bargains. You’ll pay upwards of $40 a pound for fresh ahi, snapper and halibut. For a rosy square of marbled maguro tuna, anticipate shelling out about $60 per pound.
From tank to table
The fare is equally foreign at 99 Ranch in Irvine and Anaheim. Especially in Irvine, where nearly 30% of the population is Asian according to the 2000 census, there’s clearly a call for chains that cater to those from foreign lands.
Stroll through the tidy aisles for wasabi in a tube, jellyfish salad, black sea cucumber and jasmine green tea. Come on a weekend and indulge in demo-offerings that might include plump potstickers, crunchy spring rolls, spicy Korean sausage and sweet mochi cake.
On a recent Saturday, Chinese Sunday school teacher Michele Wang arrived at the Culver Drive outlet for a deal on soy sauce $2.99 a gallon, but not the only lure.
“I can’t find the Chinese food I like at Albertson’s,” said the Laguna Niguel resident. Alongside the super-sized jug of soy sauce in her basket were frozen dumplings, five-spiced tofu, preserved duck eggs and tropical longan in syrup.
Exotic rations aren’t the most striking difference between 99 Ranch and American chains. While you might find live lobsters at Vons, you won’t encounter an encyclopedic assortment of seafood. At 99 Ranch, marvel at bins of glistening sardines, Japanese mackerel, sculpin, eel, grey sole and tiger fish.
If these scaly offerings were any fresher, they’d be swimming. And that’s just what the tilapia that Jerry Koh selected for his father’s dinner was doing before mallet-wielding butchers fetched it out of one of a half-dozen tanks with live offerings.
“Asians like fresh food, and that’s what we get here,” said Koh, of Irvine, who patronizes 99 Ranch for all his vegetable, meat and dry goods needs. If the idea of purchasing a meal from an aquarium appeals, bait your appetite at cisterns of squirming prawns, catfish, striped bass, black cod and silver carp.
The creatures of the deep are in equally abundant supply at Dong Loi Seafood, in the heart of Little Saigon. A briny aroma is your first clue you’re far from westernized Santa Monica Seafood, and unfamiliar offerings will prove you’re in foreign waters.
For its largely Vietnamese clientele, this cash-only outlet stocks such Asian treats as live sea snails, Taiwan goo fish, shrimp from the Philippines, whiskered catfish and jumbo octopus. Feeling really exotic? Pick up a three-foot yellowtail or Vietnamese black eels for hot-and-sour soup.
According to owner Larry Huynh, the shop sells more than 100,000 pounds of fresh and frozen seafood weekly. “In Orange County, 90% of Asian restaurants get their fish from us,” he says.
At neighboring Dong Huong Supermarket, round out dinner with selections from open vats of pickled bamboo shoots, lotus roots and long beans. Like many ethnic shops, this one gives new meaning to venturing to market to buy a fat pig. Alongside familiar chops, find pork ears, hearts, snouts, kidneys, hearts, stomachs and tongues.
Middle East treats
When the craving for hummus or halva hits, head for Sinbad Ranch, catering to Anaheim’s Islamic community. At the entrance, look for “Sinbad” proprietor Greg Yamine drinking espresso and enjoying a smoke as he greets customers arriving in Mid-Eastern garb.
Known for reasonable prices on fresh pita bread and a wide selection of halal meats, the shop is a source for falafel and couscous mixes, Persian trail mixes, Kefir cheese, grape leaves, butter ghee and exotic spices. Olives in all shapes and sizes line one aisle, and hefty bags of bulgar wheat and jasmine rice are piled high.
Pick up a copy of the Beirut Times here, or an Armenian cookbook. Need a hookah for a party? At Sinbad’s, it will set you back just $25.
Venturing into Tustin, scents of cumin and curry will welcome you into Laxmi Sweets & Spices, named after the goddess of wealth. At the one-stop shop for Indian groceries, movies and music, Rajeev Jain will tell you that his wife Sanju can sell you a home and his dad can do your taxes. If canned mulligatawny soup, hot mango chutney, crunchy Punjabi snacks, tandoori paste or fresh chapatti is what you’re after, you’ll find it here.
From the freezer section, take home a meal of chicken biryani, lamb curry or potato samosas. Or join sari-clad customers enjoying the lunch buffet a deal at $7.99. Don’t mind the Mexican chef. “He’s been with me for 12 years, and he cooks better than any Indian,” says Jain, who serves as a backup in the kitchen when he’s not minding the cash register.
If you have any doubt that running a market is hard work, quiz the proprietor of this mom-and-pop shop about what he wants for his three children. “I love running the store, but the business will end with me,” Jain predicts. OCM
Melissa Adams heads WordGeisha, Ink. She is a regular OC Metro contributor who welcomes your feedback and ideas for covering the OC retail beat at melissa@wordgeisha.com.
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Ladies and gentlemen: You’ll need no passport, inoculations or foreign currency for this excursion into the world’s cuisines. What you’ll want to take along is an open mind for indulging in a multicultural smorgasbord that could include such delicacies as sizzling chicken tikka, crunchy, dried shrimp, marinated duck feet and for the truly adventurous lamb’s head, an Asian delicacy. More akin to foreign bazaars than Western chains, most ethnic markets are more than venues for picking up pantry staples. With food courts, knickknacks, videos and travel agencies tucked within, many are one-stop shops for dining, entertainment and vacation planning. While they’ll happily do business with Caucasians, those in such pockets as Little Gaza in Anaheim and Little Saigon in Westminster cater to overseas immigrants with signs and packaging in languages other than English. A local Tokyo In the shadow of South Coast Plaza, you might not expect to find a mega-center for all things Japanese. But that’s just what recently remodeled Mitsuwa Marketplace is a sprawling collection of shops arranged around a modern supermarket full of specialty dry goods, meats and produce that may have you checking your wallet for yen. Set behind a nondescript strip mall with an Oriental chiropractor, hair stylist and family diner, the blue-tile-roofed structure looks like it belongs in downtown Tokyo. Throngs of Asian shoppers will have you convinced that’s exactly where you are. There’s covered and outdoor parking at Mitsuwa, but arrive at lunchtime and you’ll vie for a space with Japanophiles looking for an udon or tempura fix at one of a half-dozen outlets in a newly expanded food court. Those literate in Japanese may be poring over a magazine picked up in row after row of imported publications, CDs and videos. Around Mitsuwa’s perimeter, there’s a cosmetics counter with a large line of Shisedo products and booth-like shops specializing in Japanese confections, teas, vitamins, gifts and auto parts. Need a sake set? Stop by The Art of Tableware, a ceramics outlet proffering serving dishes, teapots and chopstick rests. Looking for a unique hostess gift? Choose from artfully wrapped sweets at Kobe Fujetsudo. “Most of these shops are Japanese franchises we have permission to operate,” says Dwaine Yamasaki, manager of the 33,000-square-foot complex. Checking out the refined presentation that’s a signature of Japanese culture, you might guess as much. If you don’t speak the language, Mitsuwa may have you feeling like Bill Murray in “Lost in Translation.” Without an interpreter, even the community bulletin board is indecipherable. But you won’t need a trained eye to appreciate the huge selection of colorfully, packaged noodles, tofu, sauces, freshly made sushi, bento box lunches and fresh-baked goodies at St. Honore bakery. While you can find sashimi-grade seafood here, don’t expect bargains. You’ll pay upwards of $40 a pound for fresh ahi, snapper and halibut. For a rosy square of marbled maguro tuna, anticipate shelling out about $60 per pound. From tank to table The fare is equally foreign at 99 Ranch in Irvine and Anaheim. Especially in Irvine, where nearly 30% of the population is Asian according to the 2000 census, there’s clearly a call for chains that cater to those from foreign lands. Stroll through the tidy aisles for wasabi in a tube, jellyfish salad, black sea cucumber and jasmine green tea. Come on a weekend and indulge in demo-offerings that might include plump potstickers, crunchy spring rolls, spicy Korean sausage and sweet mochi cake. On a recent Saturday, Chinese Sunday school teacher Michele Wang arrived at the Culver Drive outlet for a deal on soy sauce $2.99 a gallon, but not the only lure. “I can’t find the Chinese food I like at Albertson’s,” said the Laguna Niguel resident. Alongside the super-sized jug of soy sauce in her basket were frozen dumplings, five-spiced tofu, preserved duck eggs and tropical longan in syrup. Exotic rations aren’t the most striking difference between 99 Ranch and American chains. While you might find live lobsters at Vons, you won’t encounter an encyclopedic assortment of seafood. At 99 Ranch, marvel at bins of glistening sardines, Japanese mackerel, sculpin, eel, grey sole and tiger fish. If these scaly offerings were any fresher, they’d be swimming. And that’s just what the tilapia that Jerry Koh selected for his father’s dinner was doing before mallet-wielding butchers fetched it out of one of a half-dozen tanks with live offerings. “Asians like fresh food, and that’s what we get here,” said Koh, of Irvine, who patronizes 99 Ranch for all his vegetable, meat and dry goods needs. If the idea of purchasing a meal from an aquarium appeals, bait your appetite at cisterns of squirming prawns, catfish, striped bass, black cod and silver carp. The creatures of the deep are in equally abundant supply at Dong Loi Seafood, in the heart of Little Saigon. A briny aroma is your first clue you’re far from westernized Santa Monica Seafood, and unfamiliar offerings will prove you’re in foreign waters. For its largely Vietnamese clientele, this cash-only outlet stocks such Asian treats as live sea snails, Taiwan goo fish, shrimp from the Philippines, whiskered catfish and jumbo octopus. Feeling really exotic? Pick up a three-foot yellowtail or Vietnamese black eels for hot-and-sour soup. According to owner Larry Huynh, the shop sells more than 100,000 pounds of fresh and frozen seafood weekly. “In Orange County, 90% of Asian restaurants get their fish from us,” he says. At neighboring Dong Huong Supermarket, round out dinner with selections from open vats of pickled bamboo shoots, lotus roots and long beans. Like many ethnic shops, this one gives new meaning to venturing to market to buy a fat pig. Alongside familiar chops, find pork ears, hearts, snouts, kidneys, hearts, stomachs and tongues. Middle East treats When the craving for hummus or halva hits, head for Sinbad Ranch, catering to Anaheim’s Islamic community. At the entrance, look for “Sinbad” proprietor Greg Yamine drinking espresso and enjoying a smoke as he greets customers arriving in Mid-Eastern garb. Known for reasonable prices on fresh pita bread and a wide selection of halal meats, the shop is a source for falafel and couscous mixes, Persian trail mixes, Kefir cheese, grape leaves, butter ghee and exotic spices. Olives in all shapes and sizes line one aisle, and hefty bags of bulgar wheat and jasmine rice are piled high. Pick up a copy of the Beirut Times here, or an Armenian cookbook. Need a hookah for a party? At Sinbad’s, it will set you back just $25. Venturing into Tustin, scents of cumin and curry will welcome you into Laxmi Sweets & Spices, named after the goddess of wealth. At the one-stop shop for Indian groceries, movies and music, Rajeev Jain will tell you that his wife Sanju can sell you a home and his dad can do your taxes. If canned mulligatawny soup, hot mango chutney, crunchy Punjabi snacks, tandoori paste or fresh chapatti is what you’re after, you’ll find it here. From the freezer section, take home a meal of chicken biryani, lamb curry or potato samosas. Or join sari-clad customers enjoying the lunch buffet a deal at $7.99. Don’t mind the Mexican chef. “He’s been with me for 12 years, and he cooks better than any Indian,” says Jain, who serves as a backup in the kitchen when he’s not minding the cash register. If you have any doubt that running a market is hard work, quiz the proprietor of this mom-and-pop shop about what he wants for his three children. “I love running the store, but the business will end with me,” Jain predicts. OCM Melissa Adams heads WordGeisha, Ink. She is a regular OC Metro contributor who welcomes your feedback and ideas for covering the OC retail beat at melissa@wordgeisha.com. |
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