Valley Supermarket

This market has been my go to market for the longest time. The prices were always decent. The market was never crowded and they have a large parking lot. The vegetables were fresh. The other products I would suggest checking for mold and expiration dates. But this is very typical of all Asian markets. I have bought hot sauce and it was molded on the top.
Either way, I would still go to the market. Living out in the inland empire I have learned to appreciate Asian markets and their snacks with cheap prices!

They always sell the expired food. When I ask to return, they are so rude and refuse to return. Sucks!

Stinky smell is inevitable in almost all Asian markets, and Valley Supermarket is not an exception. It’s decently clean, so I wont complain.
Has most of your everyday needs. I have to say they have pretty fresh fish at a good price. Saw jack fruit sliced open for the first time and decide to try it. It turned out pretty good, the taste match the aroma, but a little bit too sweet for my taste.

Like everyone else I’ve been coming here as a kid. A lot. After school with my mother and I would always try to attack the candy section.
Fast forward a couple of years, I hardly come here anymore except for taking my uncles and aunts here. Nothing much has changed except for the new «high tech» freezers where there used to be more vegetables. This place has everything you could possibly need for any asian meal you are interested. There are plenty of vegetables in the right side, meat in the back, and seafood on the left (They have frog here as well).
If you’re looking to find some asian goods come here and you won’t be disappointed. Mu mother, aunts, and grandparents still come here. they would only shop there if they sold goods at a reasonable price. If you are disappointed, you should probably go to 168 (located right next to it) or 99 ranch market (keep driving down valley towards del mar).

Been coming here since I was a little kid. One of the biggest Asian supermarkets in the area. The prices are reasonable and they have a wide range of food. The market is fairly clean. After some construction the market looks bigger.
Parking can sometimes be difficult since there are so many other food places inside like Lee’s Sandwiches. There is parking behind the supermarket though not many people park there.
Overall great place to grab groceries. The checkout lines go relatively quickly. There are also several other locations (Arcadia Supermarket and Quang Hoa Supermarket in Monterey Park).

I come here from time to time if I don’t want to deal with parking at 99 ranch market. BUT I’m just so upset that they now have a minimum for credit card usage which is $ 5! WTFFFFFFFFFFF!!! If I run out of ginger in the middle of my cooking frenzy and don’t happen to have a dollar on me I can’t and won’t be coming here. Credit card companies do not allow this minimum, so if Visa ever finds out… HMPH!

Oh, those crazy Chinese people and their non-​observance of American holidays. That’s twice that living in this part of town has saved my behind, with the other time being 168 Supermarket open on Thanksgiving. Family dinner is at my house on Christmas day, and we’ve run out of garlic. Nearby Ralphs is closed. Mrs. C and I panic slightly. How about this place? Drive up and the shopping center is bustling with cars. They’re open! The 4-​pack of garlic in a small net is garlic imported from China. Blech! However, they also have pre-​peeled cloves under plastic wrap on a styrofoam tray, and they actually look pretty fresh. Was it California garlic? At this point, beggars can’t be choosers, right? We put some thru a garlic press, and it tasted fine.
Our oven-​roasted potatoes are saved, and mom and dad even want to know the recipe. Success! The old adage is true — poor planning on my part, does not mean an emergency on your part. In those cases, see if a Chinese business is open on what the rest of the civilized world calls a holiday.

I commend Valley Supermarket for letting the guy sell Roasted Chestnuts outside of on the weekends! It brings me into the store.
Great roasted chestnuts, very fresh, often still hot. Does anyone know where the Roasted Chestnut guy is recently? I didn’t see him.
*** UPDATE — THE CHESTNUTS ARE BACK *** 1÷8÷2011
As for the supermarket — I like that there is also a lot of parking around the back! And that I can grab a few other items from the same plaza.

I love not knowing whatever the hell is going on around me. I walked into Valley Supermarket, armed with nothing but a Vietnamese tour guide, and found myself in a maelstrom of an Asian calamity.
I walked inside Valley Supermarket with a self-​constrained awe, so as to maintain a level of cool in the presence of my Vietnamese companion. I like to pretend that I’ve been to these places many times over, you see. I mean, as much as I love Asian culture, I don’t think I’ve surrounded myself with it enough. It’s quite small, so there really isn’t anything «super» about it. Not as far as size goes, anyway. And, as far as appearances, this supermarket looked like a hand-​me-​down Alpha Beta from the 80s. Which is to say, I appreciate this store for carrying a long lost relic from childhood — Haw Flakes. You see, I haven’t had any of these since a childhood «vacation» to Chinatown, some time back in the John Hughes decade. Seeing that I spent .79 cents for 3 bags, I could see why this was the candy of choice for my mom’s thrifty pocketbook.
A few aisles back, and I was able to survey Valley’s selection of tea. My desire for some ginger honey tea served as the impetus to my visit, and my tour guide and friend seemed to know where it was right off the bat. Amazing, in that she had never even stepped foot inside this store before. She must have honed in on it, using some inherent Asian radar.
I found the box I was looking for, at what would be the cost of a cup of tea anywhere, and set sail to follow my tour guide’s lead. She, too, had her own agenda that she had sort of created as the touring came along. Watching the Asian culinary tactician demonstrate her magic by plucking certain sauces from shelves, and selecting particular ingredients, made me feel like I was there at the inception of my friend’s genius. I stood by in wonderment, as I watched my tour guide mirror that of an old wizard dusting off potion bottles — and other vials of precious ingredients — meant to conjure up the perfect spell. Whatever it is, I prayed at that moment the spell would weave its way into some Vietnamese dish served before me.
I watched le tour guide point and espouse why this fish sauce is better that that one, and why this Vietnamese noodle — Vermicelli; I got that one without her telling me, so as to appear as though I was a fount of Asian knowledge — is better than others. My tour guide strolled me by the meat section, to which I gazed upon every animal part known to man — heart, tripe, liver, gizzards, chicken feet, pork ears and heads, coagulated cubes of blood, you name it.
My tour didn’t end there. I skipped along like a young puppy and pointed at this and that, looking for official Vietnamese answers to questions such as «Do you eat this?» and «What’s that?» My eyes were alive with the sound of music. Or perhaps it was the sight of living creatures — fish, crabs, frogs — all of which were two shakes from a lamb’s tail away from being taken out of their tanks and into the bellies of a rabid Vietnamese and Chinese consumer base. Of course, I was the sole «white guy» who stared at the seafood attendant’s quizzical attempts at trying to pry open the crab’s shell from it’s body.
Various parts of the evening brought about certain facts — such as Chinese and Vietnamese cultures share similar foods and customs, Asian supermarkets carry extremely commercial products like Kikoman teriyaki sauce (just like you’d find at your local Ralph’s or Von’s) and to never take your tour guide for granted, as they know how to temper your cool so as to not look like an excitable child when rediscovering Haw Flakes.
All in all, I must say my «vacation» to Faux-​Saigon was more thoroughly enjoyed than whatever faint memory I had as a kid going to Chinatown. And my tour all came free of charge. As a matter of fact, my tour guide ended up spending more money than I. Presumably for a feast that will be gracing the dishes of a couple of fortunate people.

The White Man wanted some ginseng tea and thought it was appropriate to visit the Yellow Market. I was game because I know my people love tea. As expected, there were at least 6 ginger teas and a few dozen other flavors. And of course, I became the designated tour guide:
«There on your right, Hairy Sir, you will find cheap produce, though some are wilted and sad from being picked through by prudent inspectors. Nonetheless, they are replaced with fresh plants every morning, for those crazy Chinese people grocery shop daily. I know because my mom is one of em… but the VC version.
In the back of the market, my Pale Friend, displays a long counter of wonderfully dead animal parts, including fresh rib meat, gizzards, and hearts. But oh look! You can see where live frogs dwell in a grimy aquarium, waiting for their legs to be snapped into a French delicacy. Ooh-​la-​la!
Snap!
What was that? No, not a poor frog. That, Guai Lo, is a maniacal butcher cracking the head off of a live crab, not to be wiggling for long. With a polite request, those butchers will do it without a second to spare. And if you happen to have breasts, they will undoubtedly stare.
Ahhh…I see, Mr. Man, that you are interested in those sweet little haw flakes. No, you are not misreading the sign. 3 bags for 79 cents, indeed. So many Chinese kids were forced to eat them until they got sick, the demand is no longer what it used to be… hence the low low price (or so my Econ professor says).
I hope you enjoyed your visit although as always, there is so much more to see. Every visit brings a new adventure, whether you slurp their fresh tofu from local businesses, dip into their aisles of marinades and sauces, or watch them fry whole fishes in week-​old oil, this place will never disappoint Cracker Jack’s curious eyes.»

Not a big fan. Very limited selection. Items aren’t necessarily fresh. Prices are normal.

It’s a sign of the time when an Asian market, an institution known for some of the worst health transgressions this side of the hemisphere, carries organic strawberries.
I wasn’t surprised to see reusable bags for sale because it’s being mandated by state law, but organics? Granted it was the only organic item that I saw, but still… I am truly impressed by their efforts, however small and tentative. I wish I had bought a pack just to support them but had already placed 3 other fruits in my basket. Next time.
The other reason I like this place: the staff. My family began shopping here about 3 or 4 years ago after the produce at Shun Fat started going downhill and prices went up (and their management is rude). I’ve seen most of the same staff for the past 3 years which makes me think that maybe the owners are treating them well. They are also very responsive and speak to you — sometimes asking how you like a product that they are interested in buying. The meat and fish guys are not only nice, they know what we want now. I also think their produce are better.
It’s still an Asian market so you’ll get your exotic fruits and veggies but also cardboard containers and live seafood (fish/​frogs/​etc…) Still, maybe because it’s smaller, it seems less cluttered and dirty. It’s facing competition from the 168 Market which took over the former Vons location next door. They’re still around although it’s clear traffic isn’t as high — could also be a result of rising food prices. Support the underdog!

This is where my family used to go every week to get the usual Asian fare of groceries. It has all the things you need – fish, meat, produce, dried goods, breads, rice, tofu, the list goes on. However, it is relatively smaller than most other Chinese markets, and the freshness of their produce seems to be a hit or a miss. Also, if you’re not Asian and are therefore unaccustomed to the hygiene standards of Asian markets, I’d head over to 99 Ranch instead, since this place has got the flies and the smells that make this place feel so freakin’ ethnic.
They’ve now got some stiff competition next door with the new 168 Market. While the 168’s a lot bigger, their prices tend to be higher and their produce/​fish can sometimes be really bad. I’d recommend checking out Valley Supermarket if you don’t like what you see there.