Category Archives: Ethnic Groceries

Patel Food Market

Posted on November 15, 2011 by alonna| Comments Off

One of 8 Indian groceries of the same name, Patel Food Market is the only Pennsylvania location.  The rest are in New Jersey and one in New York.

This is a very large, well organized store with everything you need for Indian cooking and a large variety of frozen prepared foods.

The produce is very fresh and it is an education just to walk the aisles and see mysterious vegetables.

They carry very conceivable kind of rice:

And flours:

And grains:

And lots of pickle (achar), sauces, pastes, and spices.

I have found the staff to be quite helpful when I am trying to choose between their many options. My husband is a achar fiend and was very happy with the recommended choice I brought home.  For information about Indian cooking click through to an earlier post here.

The Details:

They accept credit cards and have a small parking lot that gets VERY crowded on the weekend.

705 B Bethlethem Pike, Route 309
Montgomeryville, PA  18936
(215) 855-5520
Hours:  10:00 am to 8:30 pm daily


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H Mart

Posted on November 8, 2011 by alonna| Comments Off

One of my favorite things to do is to go food shopping at an ethnic grocery, whether it be a hole in the wall or a large supermarket.  My local H Mart in Elkins Park is no exception.

The first thing that you go past as you enter the building is a mall area with small stores carrying everything from clothes, toilets, a florist and, my favorite:

Paris Baguette, which is always a nice pit stop for decent coffee and a sweet.

The snack from my last visit:  a croissant and an egg custard.  These custart tarts are addictive.

 This 34 Korean chain started in Queens, New York in 1982 and carries a huge variety of Asian foods in long neat rows.

I get lost in the produce department and often pick up a combination of items I am familiar with like Asian pears, scallions, thai basil, to the various mysterious greens that I look up after I get home. And the prices always seem quite reasonable.

A trip to the fresh noodle case is always in order and I pick up a couple of packs of wonton noodles.  They go in the freezer for a last minute meal sautéed with left over meat and any veggie that is handy.  A dash of fish sauce, chili oil, and toasted sesame oil flavors it all up and I always feel inordinately pleased with myself.

Hmart carries more kinds of kimchi than you ever thought possible, has entire aisle of dried noodles, and a nice selection of fresh fish and meats that a friend of mine swears by.

Need sushi ingredients, curry sauce, fish sauce, Korean chili paste, or frozen dumplings?  It is all there and the biggest dilemma for me is what is the best version; which alls leads to the adventure of bringing it home and experimenting.

If I am shopping around meal time I pop up to the food court and pick up some Vietnamese noodles with crispy spring rolls (Bun Cha Gio).  You order your choice of Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese or Chinese food at various stands, pay at the central cash register, and wait for your number to come up on an electronic message board.

If you can’t get to Hmart, they are set up for online shopping.  Shipping prices reflect how far you are from your local store and whether you’ve ordered anything that is perishable.

There are three H Marts in Southeastern Pennsylvania:

The Details:

7320 Old York Road
Elkins Park, PA  19027
(215) 782-1801
Hours:  8:30 am – 9:30 pm daily

 

7050 Terminal Square
Upper Darby, PA  19082
(610) 734-1001
Hours:  9:00 am – 9:00 pm daily

 

1138 Bristol Oxford Valley Road
Levittown, PA  19057
(215) 949-1003~5
Hours:  9:00 am – 9:00 pm daily

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Tortilleria San Roman – The Best Corn Tortillas in Philadelphia

Posted on September 22, 2011 by alonna| 4 Comments

Jonathan Rivera, the grandson of the founders.

Until the last couple of years, the Mexican food scene here in Philadelphia has been ho hum.  Of course, there have been good hole in the wall tacqueria’s in the Kennett Square area, but now we have quite a few choices.  South Philly is good destination for taquarias, center city has Lolita, El Vez and El Rey, Norristown has Taqueria La Michoacana that I am particularly fond of, and Conshehocken has El Limon with free margaritas that is on the top of my list for trying.

I love cooking Mexican food and was thrilled to find out about Tortilleria y San Roman in the Italian Market, doors down from Esposito’s meat.  They run their tortilla press every day and you can buy a kilo (about two dozen) for $2.  The warm paper wrapped paper wrapped packages are stored in an igloo to keep them toasty.  You can also buy some seriously spicy salsa, tortilla chips that are like crack, and some Mexican fruit drinks and sodas.  That is it.

Two dollars for two pounds of delicious, tender corn tortillas.

There tortillas are tender and delicious and better than any other tortillas I’ve eaten in Philly.  I asked one of the owners, Mario Rivera, whether they do a lot of commercial business, and he said they didn’t.  Restaurants don’t want to pay their prices.  I don’t even know what to say to that.

This tiny storefront opened in 2010 named for Mario and his brother Fransisco’s grandfather Roman.  San means saint in Spanish, so maybe he was a Saint.  His grandson certainly still seem to be the only game in town when comes to delicious, worthy of a drive, heavenly corn tortillas.

Pantry Notes:

I buy 2 kilos at a time, cool them, and wrap them tightly in foil and then saran into 8 tortilla packs.  Come weeknight rush to cook time, I unthaw and use whatever I happen to have in the kitchen that would be a good match.

The Details: 

They take credit cards and parking is on the street.  If you are wanting to find a parking lot, go to: http://www.phillyitalianmarket.com/contact/map.htm

Address:
951 South 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA  19147
(267) 507-9161

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tortilleria-San-Roman/121193751286217

Hours:
Mon-Wed 8 am – 5 pm;  Thu-Sun 8 am – 7 pm

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