Marche Kim Hour

Interesting discovery of an Asian grocery store that has intrigued me when driving by. So I decided to stop in one day. There is a good mix of all Asian staples plus a fish market and butcher shop with Asian cuts. The seafood section didn’t smell bad but I was a bit shocked at the volume of lobster and fish that were in the tanks. Totally no room for them to move and the water didn’t look the cleanest. The butcher shop had your typical Asian cuts of meat. Meat looked of decent quality. I would concur this place is like a smaller version of Kim Phat. At the entrance a lady was making banh mi sandwiches and fresh Vietnamese spring rolls with shrimp. Overall I purchased some sweet chilli sauce and some dry chow mein noodles.
They did have some fresh vegetables Asian fruit and all your necessary canned, bottled and dry Asian spices. A very decent Asian supermarket. Not sure I’d come here on a regular basis but it was cool to check it out. Smaller in selection than the other popular Asian markets but less busy and easier to get in and out of.

Solid, convenient market. Lots of selection, reasonable prices.
Stopped in to grab breakfast. Lo and behold were a selection of banh mi. I spotted two bins marked identically (Vietnamese pork sandwiches), except one had «spy» written. No clue what that meant, so I grabbed one (I wouldn’t last long on Survivor), and an Aloe drink (decided against beer). Paid about C$ 4, in cash.
The drink was good, and the sandwich was fine for what it was, where it was. The sheen on the sandwich freaked me out when I first unwrapped it, but it ended up being satisfying overall, with pickles, cold cuts, and jalapenos.

I tried this place this Wednesday night. The tea was as cold as the sink water. No taste at all. I ordered a simple meal of sea food and rice. I did not enjoy it at all. Not enough vegetables and meat and rice ! I left there still hungry. At a normal asian restaurant, I can’t barely finished my plate. I have to ask for a bag to take it home. I was really disappointed by the quality and service.

What the hell is this place? It’s one of the cheapest, best asian food I’ve eaten. I say asian because there’s a mixt between Sechuan, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Chinese food. For you get in it’s a small asian grocery with all those products you don’t feel so sure about. Those weird candies and sauces. The cultural shock is givng you this little smile where you feel you’re not in your comfort zone. Then you continue your way down to the left part and there it is, the «restaurant». There’s ONLY asian eating there except maybe one table and the table you’ll have. When it’s busy, people will eat standing, or beside some other unknown people like in a cafeteria! It’s funny! So I went there and had some amazing meal. As I was choosing my eyes half-​closed I have no idea what I’ve eaten. I remember some fried Duck which was amazing. So i took an asian beer, a load of meal with my friend Pierre, and there you go, 1 hour later I’m filled up thinking to myself: IS that a joke, I’m gonna pay 14 $ plus a generous tip to the waitress who litterally left us alone! instead of annoying us with tap water and ice like a regular Asian restaurant. But this is not a regular restaurant, it’s weird, it’s kitsch, it’s awesome, cheap and in a grocery.