South China Seas Trading Company

As one expects from granville island boutique shops, this one is worth poking your head in. books, spices, products from all over the world, even free recipes.
Picked up some amazing rosemary spice, pretty good quality so far.
Friendly, knowledgeable staff too.
located right beside L’epicerie Rotisserie chicken. Yummy aromas all around lol

I’ve been shopping at South China Seas for over 20 years and I’m always happy with the fresh produce, selection of products, as well as the friendliness and efficiency of the staff. I can always find the sauces and ingredients that I need for my favourite Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Latin American recipes. It’s a bonus that the store is at Granville Island, where I can also shop for fresh fish, meat, etc.

If you are bored with just salt and pepper, come to South China Seas for exotic spices and ingredients that you cannot find in many places. The keyword here is «exotic.» The décor of this shop certainly conjures a sense of history; Think 16^th or 17^th century purveyors of fine, hard to source ingredients. They’ve got TRUE cinnamon quills from Ceylon, not cassia that we came to know as cinnamon in North America. I’ve also seen fresh red and green peppercorns, fresh young ginger that is perfect for salads and stir fries, pandan leaves that are used in many South East Asian desserts, fresh red chillies and many more. This store would literally bring excitement back to your kitchen with tonnes of flavours and enticing smells.

Do you need some Asian ingredients for your upcoming dinner recipe? Then you need to stop by South China Seas Trading Company for the cheap, yet quality goods. From lemongrass to curry pastes, from young ginger to plantains. South China Seas Trading Company is located on Granville Island across from the Granville Tea Company. I suggest stopping by and seeing their products.
And as always, Have Fun!!!

a hidden stall in the Granville Island market, the south china seas trading company carries all kinds of phenomenal, rare ingredients you can’t find in any supermarket. perfect for making authentic Thai food.
kaffir (also known as magrut) limes. fresh lime leaves. galangal. lemongrass. thai basil. chiles. curry pastes. fish sauce. all fairly intimidating, unfamiliar ingredients. step outside your comfort zone! experiment and trust your senses. smell. taste. touch. they won’t steer you wrong. and more than anything, don’t be afraid to ask questions. the staff at south china seas are knowledgeable and helpful.

I work on Granville Island so will have a browse at South China Seas Trading Company in the Granville Island Market at least once a week. More often than not I’ll end up purchasing some random herb or spice to add to my collection — last week’s purchase was Star Anise (for making Phở’) and Lavender (for Lavender Shortbread Cookies). Although the stall is small, there’s quite a selection of goodies — including books. The staff is both friendly and informative. Definitely worth checking out for something hard-​to-​find — or, just for inspiration.

Yummy choices for the spice lovers and condiment crazed among us. My husband complains that we don’t have room for food in our pantry or fridge– too many oils, spices, vinegars.
If you love adventurous eats, go to the South China place for your spices, mushrooms, etc…

What an awesome little ethnic specialty store you will find the most interesting spices and ingredients here for cooking a fabulous meal! They have different sauces and a great selection of produce you wouldn’t find in an everyday supermarket isle. I wandered in here to pick up some phyllo pastry for spanakopita I was making and got into a conversation with the friendly staff about the liter of coconut water I was carrying. They told me they could actually order in a flat of young coconuts for me that would end up being cheaper and better quality than the glitzy silver tetra pack I so often brought myself to purchase. It was $ 18 for 9 young coconuts (hold about 3 cups each) and its $ 3 for an individual coconut water in a tetra pack that holds just over a cup. So obviously the deal is better, its not quite as convenient since you have to pry a hole in the top to get the water out however you do get to scoop out the delicious coconut meat a little snack after, yum!

Along with the selection of both fresh and packaged herbs and spices and difficult to find veggies like Thai eggplant and galangal. They also have a rotating collection of obscure cook books. They carry pretty much everything you need for many of the more esoteric Thai dishes.

Visibly aesthetic, very nice cashier, and things to drool over (well, not literally). But I don’t like the high prices here. I guess I’ll have to get used to that on Granville Island…

Their specialty is fresh Asian and Caribbean spices. Not only do they carry the product, they carry the fresh version when possible and they know how to use it! They’re not just a retailer, they’re a great resource, too.
Key limes, fresh lemongrass, garam masala… Lovin’ it.

This place is the reason I come to Granville Island so often, and I just call it «the spice store». I’m always looking for fresh spices and ingredients, and South China Seas has the best and widest selection of any store in Vancouver. Very well stocked for South Asian, Southeast Asian, Chinese and Central/​South American foods, but they’ve got a little bit of everything from everywhere. Whether you’re looking for the freshest lemongrass, fresh wasabi root, Thai basil, queso fresco and great tortillas, a variety of fresh and dried chiles, great paneer or lime and curry leaves, you can find it all in the same location. They also have many cookbooks, frozen foods, canned goods, mushrooms, hot sauces and the best selection of packaged spices in Vancouver. (My only complaint about South China Seas is their spices have annoying packages — plastic bags with a label stapled to them. You can’t reseal after opening, so best to get some spice jars or ziploc bags.)
The service is great and friendly too, so this is a good place for both globe-​trotting foodies and culinary novices who might have lots of questions.

The definitive location for all of your exotic cuisine needs, the South China Seas Trading Company does an excellent job of stocking unique items from all over Asia, Latin America, India and the Caribbean. Mexican cheeses sit alongside Thai basil and lemongrass, while water chestnuts, enoki mushrooms, fresh noodles, miso and wasabi share a stage in the chilled section of the shop. Exotic fruits and veggies, chilies, dumplings, curries, sauces and chutneys will add flair to the recipes you whip up with your new cookbook from the great international cookbook selection.

When my wife needed pandan for a Malaysian dessert called onde onde, we made a trip to South China Seas. We also found some mirin and white miso that we needed for another couple of recipes. They carry ingredients for cooking recipes from Southeast Asia, Japan, China, India, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. They have a big selection of cookbooks in case you need some inspiration for what to do with the ingredients that you find in this store.

**International Food Smuggler alert**
You have found me! Yes I am that clever (sneaky) American who crosses the border to eat raw milk cheese, satiate my Southeast Asian fruit cravings and occasionally smoke a Punch Punch or SS#2.
Mangosteens are my real weakness here! A purple baseball of a fruit hiding decadent morsels of Banana-​Raspberry-​Strawberry tasting flesh just beneath its leathery exterior.
Now you can almost always find some (if not all vendors) hawking mangosteens along with dragon fruit throughout the year, but only this purveyor will actually have them flown in fresh! This is probably my favorite fruit in the world, and refrigeration or freezing will actually ruin the flavor and texture of a mangosteen. Trust me and don’t buy from any other supplier in the market, their mangosteens have been sitting in the refrigerated cargo holds of ships for weeks!
Instead I urge you to splurge, and pay about 4 times the price that the other stalls charge to truly experience this gem of a fruit.
They also have fresh Kaffir limes and leaves, Rambutans, Calamansi, Gangal, Thai Basil, dim sum steamers, chutneys, cookbooks and just about every other exotic ingredient, tool or guide that you might need, but not know where to find it at.
The store is small, but the staff is excellent and happy to answer any questions you might have. The Granville Market is one of my very favorite destinations in Vancouver, and along with Oyama, the South China Seas Trading Company is a must stop for me on every trip!
Hint: For you lime lovers, try the Kaffir Lime in your favorite cocktail (Gin or Rum especially) or just squeeze some into a diet coke. You can smell this lime from across a room when it is squeezed!