Day In Supermarket

I miss the Asian supermarkets back home in Auckland. This is not quite as good as that but almost. A wide range of products. I would say it is pricey but no worse than Sainsburys and the main thing is you can get all the Asian food you like, and if you are vegan like me there is a fantastic choice.

A great little supermarket, I bought a new cleaver here at the bargain price of £8 although it’s nearly worth that just for the amazing «Engrish» wording on the label .
For such a small space they sure do stock a lot of stuff, the frozen gyoza type dumplings are great, very authentic. My only grumble is I really need a guide to show me around. It takes an age to check out every package! I bought some lovely baby pac choi there this week and fresh oyster mushrooms. For me it’s the best of the Chinese supermarkets.

this Chinese supermarket at the Arcadian is so much better than the larger but much emptier Sing Fat down the road. Maybe this place opening triggered the demise of Sing Fat who knows? Who cares? Day In is closer to town anyway and has loads more stock. i went in there recently to buy some noodles and curry paste and was blown away by how busy it was and how varied the produce is I didnt feel out of place either as there where quite a few studenty types in there stocking up on their instant noodles. prices are cheap and service is fast.

When I first started coming here, I was a little unadventurous, just choosing a few bags of chicken noodles then apologetically scurrying out again like a fish out of his own cultural water. In the last 5 years though, I’ve been doing frequent shopping trips to Day-​In to supplement my regular visits to high street supermarkets.
When I’m in here, I’m of course mainly browsing the seaweed collections, buying ovine innards, or treating the whole thing like some kind of tourist experience, like I would visiting the Sea Life centre.
My first stop is the fridge. I pick up two blocks of tofu, (the firm sort that will hold together with the rigors of stir-​frying) and some OKF aloe vera drink. This beverage contains both the juice and the gel from the plant, and its the world’s best seller. A glass of this when hungover or feeling run-​down is a welcome rescue remedy.
In the tinned aisle I picked up some mock duck. Made with gluten, it’s a substitute for the real thing, something that vegans would welcome as somthing they can sink their teeth into.
Then some soy sauce, a bag of chillies and a tin of coconut milk. The soy sauce is Pearl River Bridge, a rich, dark soy that is superior to the kind that you get in regular supermarkets and at just 58p for 150ml, its around a third of the price. The same goes with the chillies; a bag of bright red ones of the bird’s-eye’s variety at a fraction of the cost that you’d expect to pay elsewhere.
Next stop-​sauces and spices! You’ll find them in the last aisle. I pick up Rendang paste (best for beef, good for tofu), and some tom yum paste which I’ll have on another day with some prawns thrown in. These sauces ain’t healthy. They’re packed with salt and sugar and some with MSG but boy, do they taste good.
I balance the yang of the above with the yin of some fresh century pears. Apple shaped, and sweeter than say, a comice, these pudgy fruits are worth discovering.
I then grab four packets of Nissin noodles. What I like about these is that often they have a paste included as well as a soup powder for added complexities. Try the Tokyo Shoyu variety to challenge your tastebuds.

The best way of learning about the local gastronomy is going to some pats of the city where you can spot diversity and China town, in the Chinese Quarter of Birmingham, is a good example of it.
A good tip is visiting local supermarkets and groceries, especially the Chinese ones where you probably will spend few hours trying to guess what is written in some product labels.
Traditionally, oriental food is healthy and there is so much to discover about it that every visit to these independent shops is worth.
I have been to Day In Supermarket a few times. More for curiosity than anything else. I like my seaweed and seafood and because this place has a variety range of spices and sauces, I usually just let myself go for the natural feeling and always end up bringing back home some fine oriental discoveries.

You know that thing when you really want to eat some sheep’s uterus but just can’t find it for love or money? It is such a pain. Thankfully, you’ll find it easily at this excellent Chinese supermarket. If scoffing ovine reproductive organs isn’t your thing, you’ll find plenty more intriguing and delicious items stacked on the shelves.
They stock lots of fresh fruit and veg, especially the sort of stuff you’d struggle to find at Tesco. The spices and teas are great value. Adventurous cooks will happily spend an hour browsing the aisles. It is one part shopping trip, one part food education. No trip to the Chinese Quarter is complete with a visit to Day In.