654950 Fri Sep 25 12:43:06 -0700 2009 80 12 Boston Area 0 5058435 Just back from the mayhem (in a good way!) at the grand opening of H-Mart. Look forward to hear what others thought; but my wife and I were pretty blown away by the vast quantity and quality of all food/grocery/staple types. The crowds were immense and imagine this weekend will be super crazy; but highly recommend to all foodies for everything from meats, veggies, fruits, seafoods, prepared stuff, spices, condiments, noodles of all types, etc, etc., etc. One of the workers carving sashimi tuna from the actual whole fish gave us a special deal on toro for only $15/lb (compared to $30/lb after the initial opening festivities). Amazing quality across the board and prices are generally quite good (most meats, veggies, and fruits are a fraction of, say, Whole Foods). There was a nice selection of Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, and even American offerings along with the huge selections of the expected Korean and Japanese (although no bottled yuzu juice or higher end ponzu) musts. Expect to park far away during the rush!!! If you don't see what you want then definitely tell the manager: they are looking to please big time! As far as Asian markets in the greater Boston area this is quite simply the place to go. Fri Sep 25 12:43:06 -0700 2009 1103602 sushifest 1 5058529 I posted a fairly long report on this thread http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/639048. I saw the tuna and was sorely tempted. One thing that I will never forget was the Korean performance group, dressed up in what seemed to me to be Korean traditional outfits and playing what seemed to me might be traditional instruments, giving their rendition of God Bless America in front of the store. (Gongs, wailing recorder-like instrument, beating drum, like no version of God Bless America you have ever heard or probably even imagined.) Oh, and for anyone who does brave the grand opening crowds, after you leave the store hold onto your receipt and go to the tent in the parking lot. If you spend more than $50 you get a freebie item (what depends on how much you spend). Fri Sep 25 13:16:31 -0700 2009 5058435 177209 PinchOfSalt 2 5058679 The selection is great. The prices are a bit high but there are good specials to be found. This market is similar to the Mitsuwa Japanese market in size (albeit a bit smaller) and scope. Later in the afternoon, H-Mart also had a clown making balloons for kids and a cotton candy machine. There was plenty of samples to go around from curry to potstickers to sashimi tuna to calpico yogurt drink. Fri Sep 25 14:25:13 -0700 2009 5058529 229023 robertlf 1 5058696 http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/09/crowds_flock_to_1.html Fri Sep 25 14:33:39 -0700 2009 5058435 196033 justbeingpolite 1 5058923 D'oh, no yuzu juice?! That will hurt. One of the things I really wanted them to carry. :( Fri Sep 25 16:19:31 -0700 2009 5058435 13028 kobuta 2 5059912 Do tell the manager you also want bottled yuzu juice...the more people request it the better the chance we can get them to stock it. Sat Sep 26 09:08:33 -0700 2009 5058923 1103602 sushifest 1 5059094 It is wonderful! And crazy busy - i'd avoid the opening weekend rush unless you enjoy that kind of scene (and have plenty of time and patience). I enjoy that kind of scene immensely. I went this morning with my Korean mom, who was drooling over the huge seafood selection (deal - live blue crabs for 1.49/lb!). The produce is beautiful, bountiful, and mostly inexpensive - look for the specials (4 scallions for $1, string beans at .79/lb, enoki mushrooms .50/package, english cucumbers .79/ea). Some specialty Korean/Japanese items were considerably more expensive, but worth it to most homesick Koreans. And some specialty items were cheap, cheap - dduk for $2/lb, and big bunches of fresh kkaetnip for 50 cents! The fish and produce sections are large (triple the size of a typical grocery store?), there's also a big meat section, and a sizable prepared food section (mostly side dishes/banchan). The rest of the store is divided fairly equally into the following: Korean ingredients (dried beans, seaweed, ground peppers, course salts, pastes, noodles etc), Korean/Japanese convenience foods and mixes (calypso drinks, curry mixes, pancake mixes), Korean/Japanese frozen foods (dumplings, mochi ice cream), Misc int'l ingredients and convenience foods (Sriracha for 1.99 on sale, rice paper wrappers, indian spice mixes), American ingredients and convenience foods (sugar, chips, etc), and housewares (cleaning supplies, stone pots, comforters, expensive rice cookers). There was a tiny, tiny selection of bento supplies - nothing special or interesting. There are a couple fancy furniture sellers, a Hello Kitty shop, and a handbag shop. The food court is a bit cramped, with an Indian place, a Japanese place, and three Korean - one is traditional and serves mostly soup, one is Korean-style Chinese, and one is a Cho-cho's offshoot (from the Porter Exchange). We got takeout from the traditional Korean place, it was fine, nothing special. Next time I will skip it or try the Korean-style Chinese. There is also a fancy bakery which was pricey - looks so delicious, though. Compared to the local Korean markets (I usually shop at Reliable): the non-sale prices are about the same (maybe slightly less for some items, and sale items are cheap!), the selection is considerably larger, it's significantly cleaner, but way less convenient for me. I will try really hard not to shift too much of my Korean food shopping from the local Korean markets to H-Mart because I don't want the local guys to go out of business. I'm worried for them. I'd rather shift my Shaw's budget to H-Mart and keep all the Korean markets around!. Compared to Super88 in Allston/Brighton (during it's heyday, not in it's current sad state): H-Mart is more upscale (smells good!), has a larger produce selection but slightly more expensive, obviously way less Chinese items and more Korean (Super88 always had a pathetic Korean/Japanese selection), there are fewer cheap-o fun housewares but more super expensive appliances, and finally, the food court is way less interesting than Super88's. Compared to the H-Marts I've been to in NJ and Philadelphia, Burlington seems to have more international food - mostly Japanese (lots!), Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian. There seems to be a smaller selection of Korean items (like marinated meats, side dishes, dumplings, seaweed, hot sauce, etc) than in the other stores, which makes sense for the Boston area. If you live in the area, I think it's possible to do 90% of your regular grocery shopping at H-Mart (especially if you normally buy produce/fish/meat, and cook basic food from scratch). The quality is very good and it's a good value. If you are Korean (or crave Korean food), it's worth a long drive to stock up. Some convenience items and Korean specialty items might cost you, though. Fri Sep 25 18:16:31 -0700 2009 5058435 292136 tkdtkd 2 5059302 You might want to update that "current sad state" comment about the Hong Kong Market (formerly Super 88) in Allston. You clearly haven't been in a while. Fri Sep 25 20:41:15 -0700 2009 5059094 17548 BarmyFotheringayPhipps 3 5059685 Ohhhhh burnnn! Sat Sep 26 07:05:01 -0700 2009 5059302 10607 Luther 3 5071659 excellent - i guess it's been a month or two since i last checked - and it was depressing. i'll have to check it out! thanks. Thu Oct 01 06:17:06 -0700 2009 5059302 292136 tkdtkd 2 5059752 "I will try really hard not to shift too much of my Korean food shopping from the local Korean markets to H-Mart because I don't want the local guys to go out of business. I'm worried for them. I'd rather shift my Shaw's budget to H-Mart and keep all the Korean markets around!." Very thoughtful - I hope everyone will follow suit. I'd hate to see the smaller shops suffer. Sat Sep 26 07:46:00 -0700 2009 5059094 23383 threedogs 2 5077145 Went there first time, it's a big zoo. A dozen or so police details were helping on directing traffic. Heard the neighboring Market Basket got mad at H-Mart's customers for parking in its lot. A lot of food there. Picked up some baby-head sized Fuji apples, dry persimmons, very-well marbled short ribs (Gaabi $4.99lb), belt fish (from Korea, really good even though pricey at $10lb), small whole flounder @$2.49lb was not great more like sole, prob mis-labeled. etc. Wanted to get some moon-cakes, at $9 a box but was told a mountain pile was sold out yesterday within an hour. Way too crowded, esp. in the food court area. People eating cha chiang mian off the shopping cart. LOL. Chines buns were good, so was the Masala chicken from the Indian stand (the poor guy, no one was buying except us) Will check it out again when things are not so crazy. Sat Oct 03 17:38:59 -0700 2009 5059094 130737 weston 3 5077204 We ate lunch at the Indian Curry stand as well, primarily because of the lack of line. Finding a table was ridiculously hard. The food at the Indian stall was better than average mall food court Indian, but not as good as the Indian at the Burlington Mall food court (which is better than many sit-down restaurants in the area.) My daughter had sushi and gyoza from the Japanese stall. She liked it. Tous Les Jours was out of red bean paste rolls when we got there. So sad. Make sure if you go that you bring along the coupon flyer from the Boston Globe. There were some great deals, including a dozen free eggs if you spend $30. We picked up some giant oyster mushrooms (which seemed to be everywhere we turned), chinese chives, fresh bamboo shoots, and a variety of non-asian produce. Also a few fun frozen items (chinese pork buns, vegetable gyoza, mochi ice cream, little yogurt probiotic drinks), and a bunch of staples (chicken, ground beef, marinated beef, milk, OJ, juice, etc.) So really, just our regular grocery shopping plus some asian specialty items. It came to $140, which is about what I normally spend at Roche Bros. We got almost everything we would normally buy (except for cereal - not much in the way of American breakfast items) and bought some extras that we wouldn't usually get. I can't wait for the crowds to die down, though. it's a madhouse. Sat Oct 03 18:23:28 -0700 2009 5077145 55578 Eatin in Woostah 4 5077384 If you go to this page on the H-Mart website, you can print out the coupons - no Globe required! http://www.hmart.com/company_new/shop_coupon.asp?store_code=BLT Yes indeed, some of those deals are really good. Sat Oct 03 20:33:48 -0700 2009 5077204 177209 PinchOfSalt 5 5077481 Thank you and Eatin in Woostah for the coupon idea. T-bone steak at $7.99 for choice grade is not exactly legit sales price. Nothing to complain about free eggs though, lol. Sat Oct 03 21:45:03 -0700 2009 5077384 130737 weston 1 5059749 Thanks so much for the report!! I can't wait to visit - sounds like I'd want to bring a sleeping bag and take up residence there, hehe... Sat Sep 26 07:44:40 -0700 2009 5058435 23383 threedogs 1 5060502 Um, this is heaven. I went at 8:30a this morning and it was thankfully not a madhouse. Highlights: - Fresh scone, baguette, and red bean bun from the bakery -- delicious. And warm! Bonus: their house blend black coffee is very drinkable. - Blue crab at $1.49/lb. - Love the scoop-your-own fresh shrimp (head on or off) and baby octopus - Fresh lobster at $4.99 lb -- much livelier and healthier looking than those at the Super 88/Honk Kong Market - Huge jar of citron honey tea base at about $4 -More inscrutable varieties of plastic tubs of ssamjang-looking pastes than I can possibly get through in a year. I look forward to trying them all! -Many varieties of kimchi, even the kind that comes with oysters. -Beautiful looking produce - Nice-looking and interestingly marinated pork, chicken, and beef, ready for at-home Korean BBQ. When I cook mine up, I'll let you know how it is. The not so great: At the bakery, I hadn't put any actual groceries in my basket yet, but I did have my reusable bags (from WF, TJs, etc) in the cart. It wasn't very crowded, but there isn't a ton of room for carts up at the cashier station, so I parked it right behind me, inside the food court. I turned around for a half-second to pay the bakery people, and the damn cart was gone. I don't know if it was nefarious, or just opening weekend on-top-of-it-ness causing workers to put away seemingly abandoned carts (which this wasn't, but whatever). Annoying, for sure, but to H-Mart's credit, after I brought the issue to the attention of the customer service counter, one of the English-speaking dudes in a suit (perhaps a manager?) first offered to pay me for them, and when I declined, he insisted I take three of their H-Mart branded reusable bags to replace the three I'd lost. The folks were all very very nice, and while I wish I hadn't lost my original bags, I was very happy with the way they handled it. I LOVE H-Mart. Surely, the backlash will soon begin, but let the haters hate. I am so so excited to have this place nearby. And with a TJ's in the next mini-mall over, this becomes a real destination. Now maybe when the crazy dies down a little, I'll be able to go during normal weekend lunch hours and try the food court. Sat Sep 26 15:03:26 -0700 2009 5058435 47694 litchick 1 5060543 Thanks All - Can't wait to visit. Does anyone know their hours? Looking forward to an early Sunday morning visit to hopefully beat the crowds. Hopefully. Dewey Sat Sep 26 15:26:31 -0700 2009 5058435 24369 deweyweber54 2 5061266 http://www.hmart.com/company_new/shop_store.asp?store_code=BLT 8 am - 9 pm Sun Sep 27 03:28:04 -0700 2009 5060543 1112250 de_engel 1 5083119 clean, lots of new products that are not carried at the other markets, good prices on meat and seafood, the kimchee case (totally worth it we went through 2 containers of kim chee this week), everyone in the house loved the marinated meats I picked up (and so easy to throw on the grill), a good variety of other asian products and really nice staff. It was crowded but it was ok (the staff was madly restocking the entire time I was there). Definitely my new go-to asian market (I go to burlington every week anyway). I will still need to hit kam man or the super 88 in Malden once in a while to stock up on the unusual chinese or vietnamese products. The drinks section was really lacking. I also thought they would have a more substantial snacks section too. Market basket is bound to crack down on the Hmart customers soon. Their parking lot had more hmart customers than MB customers (some guys in ties were giving me the evil eye when I came back with my groceries). Tue Oct 06 11:35:05 -0700 2009 5058435 14740 noodlely 2 5085447 Well there are signs at Hmart that say if you park at Market Basket your car will be towed. I went Sunday morning at around 9am and got a spot close to the store and ran to Market Basket for a few other things afterwards and there were a few cops standing near the entrance behind Market Basket when I was leaving. I assume they were there to stop people from parking there and crowd control. Wed Oct 07 09:24:41 -0700 2009 5083119 1111909 tallen103178 3 5086658 must be a new sign... wasn't there last week. If that is going to be the case then people will stop shopping there b/c who wants to circle the parking lot for 30 mins? Wed Oct 07 15:27:19 -0700 2009 5085447 14740 noodlely 1 5085540 Went there over the weekend...big store, mobbed, lots of great specials. Diverse food items. As with any other store, I'd be careful getting meat/fish items (check for freshness). They were giving out a ton of samples - miso soup, marinated chicken, noodles, fish balls, Korean pears, dried Asian persimmons, etc. etc. We ended up spending about $60 on noodles, frozen dumplings, fruits/veggies, miso, tofu, chicken, etc. etc. and got a 6 pack of dried soup as a bonus for spending over $50. The prices, I think, other than the specials, were higher than what I would pay at C-Mart, but the selection of items is enormous. My children got some Indian food at the little restaurant in the food court - the food was just ok. A ton of rice, somosas, chiken tiki masala, and a veggie dish. They were stingy with the condiments - I had to ask for tamarind sauce and green chutney (they only provided the onion chutney) - and would not give us cups so my kids could share the soda they got with the meal. And, getting a table there was craziness. Too many people for too few tables. The noodle dishes other people were getting from the other restaurants looked yummy. Oh, and the bakery items at Tous LeJours looked great too. We parked in the Market Basket parking lot as we were directed to do so by the police detail working at H-Mart and actually finished up our shopping over at Market Basket. Wed Oct 07 09:54:04 -0700 2009 5058435 38538 nlg 2 5088060 Do they have the Chinese Spaghetti Factory Dumplings??? Can't find them ANYWHERE anymore!!!? thanks Thu Oct 08 07:54:46 -0700 2009 5085540 249439 sinned61 3 5088102 Its further out, but China Merchandise in Burlington usually carries a whole freezer full of them. Galangatron might be able to say if one of the markets in Lynn has them too. Thu Oct 08 08:08:31 -0700 2009 5088060 12962 itaunas 4 5088318 i haven't seen them at any of the markets in lynn (se asian markets don't usually carry chinese dumplings) but you can find an ample supply of chinese spaghetti factory dumplings at any of the c-marts Thu Oct 08 09:13:16 -0700 2009 5088102 47608 galangatron 5 5088481 They had the Chinese Spaghetti Factory dumplings at H-Mart. Didn't seem as if they had as many types as they have at C-Mart. I didn't bother getting any as I still have some at home from C-Mart. Instead, I got some interesting dumplings they don't sell at C-Mart. Thu Oct 08 09:57:44 -0700 2009 5088318 38538 nlg 6 5089341 thanks SO MUCH for the info! I used to get them at Super 88 in Malden (now Hong Kong Market)....Hong Kong has NONE!!! So surprised. Where exactly is China Merchandise?? I know where Hmart is, but have not been due to the nightmare stories on crowds. TIA Thu Oct 08 14:51:10 -0700 2009 5088481 249439 sinned61 7 5089382 China Merchandise is on Rt3A, probably about 2 miles west of Rt 128. Its in a strip mall across from some playing fields (you'll see a gas station on your right too just before it). Their actual selection of Chinese merchandise has diminished and been replaced with more Indian products, but within the month they had the dumplings. Thu Oct 08 15:07:58 -0700 2009 5089341 12962 itaunas 8 5089397 Cool THANKS Thu Oct 08 15:13:29 -0700 2009 5089382 249439 sinned61 9 5101228 I live in Burlington and get Chinese Spaghetti Factory dumplings there on a regular basis. They have several different kinds, including chicken and shrimp in addition to the standard pork. China Merchandise is across from Burlington High School. Tue Oct 13 19:02:36 -0700 2009 5089397 29916 Kiyah 10 5101275 GREAT to hear....I WILL visit them! Tue Oct 13 19:26:38 -0700 2009 5101228 249439 sinned61 11 5101951 sinned61 since I made a visit this past weekend, I can add a few more details. Right now they are carrying the mini-pork (same size bag as 50 regular but maybe 80pcs?) and pork (40pcs) for $3.99. For $4.99 they have the chicken and shrimp and pork and leek 50 pcs. They also had a bunch of wontons further down in the case (I think those have lesser turnover though, so make sure they are fresh). Slightly less freezer space and varities than before, no 100pc bags. Very minimal selection of refrigerated chinese products (probably 70% indian), but produce selection was decent and in good condition. Wed Oct 14 06:23:50 -0700 2009 5101275 12962 itaunas 8 5089832 More Indian products is exactly what I'm looking for. Is this shop before, or after, the Building 19? Thu Oct 08 18:23:49 -0700 2009 5089382 68464 sablemerle 9 5089860 If you're coming from 95 heading toward Billerica, it's on your right quite a bit before Bldg. 19. It shares a parking lot with Metro Credit Union, which is easier to see from the road. In addition to China Merchandise, there is also an Indian market that has been there a long time and just recently next door another Indian market opened that seems to have meats and fish, although I didn't see any on display when I did a quick walk-through. Thu Oct 08 18:41:56 -0700 2009 5089832 77061 bear 10 5089959 I have also glimpsed, but not yet visited, a Ganesh Market on the right before the Metro/C.M. plaza. I am assuming this is Indian, but if it's regional, etc., I have no idea. Actually I'm not even sure it's food. There's China Merch. in the far right corner, two Indian shops to its left and one on the right within that one L-shaped strip. The one on the right includes a Halal butcher. There's quite a variety among them of packaged food, and a small selection of fresh vegetables. You should be able to find whatever you need. China Merch. also has a variety of other Asian goodies. I was a bit concerned for this store with all the hoopla about H-Mart, but I think they'll survive. Thu Oct 08 19:35:58 -0700 2009 5089860 11331 peregrine 11 5090358 Yes, I've also seen Ganesh Market but have never stopped. The new place right next to China Merchandise advertises Indian fish and I believe, meat. I didn't see any, but did see a large saw in back and someone wearing a butcher's coat, so it could be in a fridge in a small room in the back. Looked very clean. Fri Oct 09 03:11:07 -0700 2009 5089959 77061 bear 1 5087946 Does anyone know what the "long green hot peppers" are"? They have both red and green ones. Looked a bit like an Anaheim pepper. I was there at about 3:00 and just managed to get an parking spot in the packed parking area. Thu Oct 08 07:12:54 -0700 2009 5058435 206904 Ferrari328 2 5088454 Sounds like what are sometimes called longhorn peppers: in my experience, they're sharper-tasting than an Anaheim, but fairly mild. You see them sliced and cooked with various meats in some Asian restaurants. Thu Oct 08 09:50:40 -0700 2009 5087946 17548 BarmyFotheringayPhipps 2 5090782 Did they look like this? http://www.flickr.com/photos/61246842@N00/sets/72157622548846018/ These start out green and have good flavor and turn hotter as they turn red. I don't think they're Anaheim but maybe Thai bird?? These grow faster than I can eat them or give them away; so I store them in vinegar. There's a lot of peppers and names out there, with some overlap, depending on what country is naming it. I'm not an authority but enjoy these and most peppers with heat. BTW, You can buy Chinese Spaghetti Factory dumplings on Essex St in Ctown, right next to Chau Chau City. Not a warm and fuzzy store but they'll sell to the public. Fri Oct 09 07:45:32 -0700 2009 5087946 10111 9lives 3 5093934 Thai Birds are tiny -- these were about 4" long. Although a bit of searching reveals they're a varietal called (funnily enough) Korean Hot and are related. Sat Oct 10 15:48:55 -0700 2009 5090782 23882 dtremit 4 5094000 Mine don't generally grow to 4"..so I guess that rules out Thai bird.. I have friends from both El Salvador and SE Asia; that both pick from my plant for cooking. I'll ask them waht the name they use for them next time I see them..:) I use them for anything from Thai Beef Salad..or cooked on a pizza, or stir fried, or... Great flavor! Sorry but not very helpful to Ferrari and his inquiry about the peppers at HMart. Sat Oct 10 16:24:26 -0700 2009 5093934 10111 9lives 1 5088506 There's a "Taiwan" basil in the H-Mart produce section that doesn't seem to have the licorice-like and minty smell of Thai basil. But then again, I think I may be coming down with a cold. Is this basil the same as Thai basil and just mislabeled? It looks different too, no purplish leaves and stems. Thu Oct 08 10:05:17 -0700 2009 5058435 1102492 amy_wong 1 5089570 Any fresh rice noodle sightings? I didn't see any in the fresh noodle section when I was there last week. Darn, I was hoping to have a source slightly closer to Waltham than Allston. Maybe when the dust settles, I'll suggest that they carry them. Thu Oct 08 16:31:42 -0700 2009 5058435 77061 bear 2 5089664 Are you talking about the wide, ribbon-like noodles used mostly by the Chinese in recipes such as chow foon or the much more narrow and somewhat (to my thinking) firmer noodles that show up in Vietnamese food? I think I may have seen the latter, but not the former, when I was there yesterday. Mostly what I saw in the fresh noodle area were wheat-based noodles like you would find in a Chinese market. Another thought. As I have been reading up on (and experimenting with) Korean recipes, I have found a number of references to "rice sticks". They seem to be very similar to or the same as the thick oval-shaped rice dough noodle-things that are occasionally in Chinese cooking. Apparently they are more popular in Korea. I saw quite a few bags of those kinds of noodles, frozen. Is that what you were looking for? Thu Oct 08 17:06:38 -0700 2009 5089570 177209 PinchOfSalt 3 5089818 Thanks for the response. I was specifically looking for the chow foon type noodles, which I used to get at Super88, and didn't see at Hong Kong last month. Since then, someone posted that Hong Kong has them, which is great. I was just hoping that HMart would have them, since it's a bit easier for me to get there. I also am a bit intrigued by the frozen oval rice "cakes" or whatever they are called. Dae Han in Waltham has several in the freezer case. I've also had them in a few dishes, and they are pleasantly chewy like fresh rice noodles. I'll have to investigate more. Thu Oct 08 18:12:53 -0700 2009 5089664 77061 bear 3 5090193 The rice ovals are sliced "ddeok" (or garaeddeok), which is indeed a tubular rice cake (kirimochi, in Japanese). They're most often found in ddeokbokki (stir fried with pepper paste, and usually fish cakes or sausages), and in ddeok guk (rice cake soup). Color, the little place on Harvard in Allston, recently opened my eyes to the idea of making ddeok&cheese, though, which sounds like a homey fusion food :) Thu Oct 08 21:44:35 -0700 2009 5089664 49653 another_adam 4 5090359 Sounds really good. I'll have to start learning more. Fri Oct 09 03:11:47 -0700 2009 5090193 77061 bear 4 5090409 Thanks for the info. I definitely have to try some recipes that call for ddeok. What you describe sounds like perfect comfort food, especially for chilly, damp weather. I don't know about fusion ddeok though, no matter how sensible the combination may sound; I like my ooey gooey crusty-on-top version of mac and cheese too much to stray. :-) BTW, I have been cooking from A Korean Mother's Cooking Notes and find myself slurping up every last drop. I suppose I ought to post about that over on Home Cooking... Fri Oct 09 04:28:35 -0700 2009 5090193 177209 PinchOfSalt 5 5098637 Yes.. you should. [Please] Mon Oct 12 20:22:27 -0700 2009 5090409 59258 smtucker 6 5098725 Heheh okay. I will have to arrange my thoughts. I have been doing extensive research on several recipes, especially Soft Bean Curd Stew. Tonight I tried a new one - braised fish - using pollock from my CSF share (distributed today, looked like it had been swimming this morning). Very easy, surprisingly tasty.... Mon Oct 12 21:24:33 -0700 2009 5098637 177209 PinchOfSalt 1 5093958 Made the trip today for the first time and it is *still* jam packed on the weekend. Thhey now have the Market Basket parking lot entrance near the road that leads to HMart blocked off with sawhorses and a sign that says "No HMart Parking -- You Will Be Towed." Took about 20 minutes to get a parking place. The store is fantastic -- I was in awe of the selection and freshness of everything. I didn't get a chance to look at the food court in much detail since it, like everything else, was packed. Thrilled to find another source for Haiga rice, which I used to buy at Kotobukiya (they have it in the rice aisle, not the large format section). And I can't wait to eat my way through some of the more unusual stuff. Puzzled as to why kale was $8 for 3 ounces. The shopping experience -- less fantastic. The way they've laid out the store - especially the seafood section in the back -- makes it really hard to figure out the traffic flow. Combine that with a throng of people, sample tables for all sorts of food set up in the aisles, and people restocking shelves in the middle of the day, and it starts to feel like Market Basket without the sawdust. I spent way too much time just waiting to move -- I was worried my frozen food would melt before I got through the checkout. One thing I really appreciated is that the panchan section (which is huge) has English translations for everything -- a lot of delicious things I've been served in restaurants are mysteries to me, and it's nice to know what they are! Incidentally -- I was struck by the selection of seafood, which appeared to be very fresh and well priced. I was a bit confused, though, by a lot of what looked to be fresh fish that was marked as "Salted." Does anyone know what exactly that means? Is it just seasoned with salt, or are we talking something more serious? Or is it just saying it's saltwater fish? It looked just like nice fresh fish to me. Incidentally, the cashier next to me was asking the woman checking out if she'd found everything she was looking for, and when she said "almost everything" the cashier encouraged her to put in a request on the website for anything that was missing. Apparently they're still fine tuning the selection. Sat Oct 10 16:00:11 -0700 2009 5058435 23882 dtremit 2 5098431 Where was the panchan? I saw lots of sauces and pastes. I saw the largest selection of ramen. Even the salted fish case. :) Course I did get distracted by the large bakery selection. :) Mon Oct 12 18:56:06 -0700 2009 5093958 49650 makonna 3 5098494 In the back right, just walk through the produce section to the back Mon Oct 12 19:21:46 -0700 2009 5098431 10607 Luther 4 5112502 It's sort of tucked in the back corner -- where the last few food court stalls would be, if they went all the way to the back of the store. Sun Oct 18 12:22:50 -0700 2009 5098494 23882 dtremit 1 5100340 I went here on Columbus Day - foolishly at noontime. Duh. Still a packed parking lot; but after several swings through several aisles with no parking to be found, I went up the ramp to the Market Basket lot. It wasn't blocked off, no Burlington police or MB people standing there. Many, many other people doing the same thing. Now, I'll first say I know virtually nothing about all Korean (and many Japanese, Chinese, Thai, et al) ingredients and cooking, but I wanted to check it out - knowing I'd not know a lot of what I was going to see. I wasn't going to look for anything in particular; I was just exploring a new-to-me supermarket. I'm one of those weirdos who likes to check out supermarkets in other areas of the country. :-) After getting just inside the door, I knew this was going to be overwhelming for me, but I plowed on through the crowds, with just a basket on my arm. The food court was packed - and anyone eating in there left their filled shopping carts along the pallets of 50 lb. bags of rice - so navigating along that aisle in the produce section was extremely difficult. The smells coming from the food court were wonderful; got a few rumblies in my tumbly, as Pooh would say. The produce was amazing (to me) - lots of things I'd heard of but never seen. Will have to go back when it's not so crowded and make a small list of items in the produce section - sort of a "What's that and how do I use it?" list. Picked up some garlic, shallots and a few other basic things I needed, saw pomegranates for $1.29 each (vs. $2.99 or $3.99 in other local supermarkets), so I got 2 of those. Didn't venture into the prepared foods area, but the meat section had me fascinated for awhile...pig heart, pigs ears (thinking back to Top Chef challenges), and various other items not seen in "regular" supermarkets in this area. The seafood area in the back - wow, LOTS of great fish. One sign caught my eye - butterfish - which I've only had in Seattle, as I believe it's a West Coast fish and not often brought to the East Coast (I could be wrong about that, but don't recall seeing it on any menus here in Boston). Amazing fresh and frozen seafood selections. I basically stayed on the perimeter, except for going down two inner aisles for some shoyu and udon noodles. WAY better prices on udon than in standard supermarkets. Got onto the express checkout line; asked the woman in front of me if she'd been to H-Mart before and if it was SOP as to the crowds...she hadn't yet been to this store except that day, but says the one in Baltimore is WAY more crowded. The guy doing the bagging said their opening weekend was absolutely insane - there were 3 accidents in the parking lot on just the opening weekend (I'm not surprised based on where I saw cars parked - on the grass, on the sidewalks, everywhere). I will definitely go back, perhaps on a weeknight - would love to have someone alongside me to tell me what is in all the packages that aren't well marked. I'm a definite beginner when it comes to many of these ingredients. Tue Oct 13 13:02:02 -0700 2009 5058435 10532 LindaWhit 2 5100467 Butterfish is a common New England fish, but one that a lot of people overlook because of bone/skin to flesh ratio and a lot of it is shipped out of the area. I have bought some really nice butterfish at the Chelsea MB in the past, although as I mentioned on another thread I have had much less luck with whole fish in the new MB. Tue Oct 13 13:39:22 -0700 2009 5100340 12962 itaunas 3 5100506 Would it be called something else in a restaurant, itaunas? Or just not offered on menus? or maybe I'm just not going to the restaurants that *do* carry it. :-) Tue Oct 13 13:51:32 -0700 2009 5100467 10532 LindaWhit 4 5100559 You might see it or a similar fish in restaurants as Pomfret. For a restaurant I know serves it, Qingdao Garden, and pretty certain I have seen it or a similar fish at Shangri-la. Tue Oct 13 14:06:18 -0700 2009 5100506 12962 itaunas 5 5100689 Neither of which I've been to. Thanks. Tue Oct 13 14:57:08 -0700 2009 5100559 10532 LindaWhit 4 5110602 I highly recommend the crispy butterfish at Wang's. It is very simply prepared with a light coating of salt and then deep-fried until crispy and tender (you forget about the bones and skin). Sat Oct 17 12:45:19 -0700 2009 5100506 10607 Luther 1 5108323 went at lunch time yesterday. For once there was plenty of parking in their lot (and when I left there was even more). I was able to get lunch in less than 10 mins (unlike previous 30-45 mins wait). The lack of drinks and snacks are starting to get annoying. I am so used to kam man's huge drinks aisle and 2-3 separate snack aisles. Other than I have been able to find my usual chinese/vietnamese groceries (I actually found all of our usual vietnamese groceries but some of the chinese stuff I usually get I found a korean alternative). I really like the kim chee section (though you really have to check the dates most of the stuff out yesterday had a sell by date of the same day or today). It is great to have it fresh every week and I can't believe I am getting really sick of Korean BBQ from the marinated section. Its an easy go-to when I am busy and its fairly cheap there. The bakery is really nice but really expensive. For instance the same bun I pay 60-80 cents for in a chinese bakery costs $2-$2.25 there. They really have to do something about the produce. They have beautiful produce when it is first put out there but most of it is wilted. Plus the bean sprouts look like they are turning every time I go there. What is up with the white folks ranting while they are still in the store about Korean people and food? You don't see Korean folks complaining at stop and shop that they don't carry kim chee? I have had to listen to someone complaining the last 2 times I was there. Fri Oct 16 10:58:07 -0700 2009 5058435 14740 noodlely 2 5108483 This white person definitely does not rant about Korean people and food. Trips to H-Mart are a treat. Yesterday I even ran into another Hound there. You never know what you are going to find at H-Mart. Yesterday it was some "premium" oyster sauce whose first ingredient really was oyster extract. Yay! I can't wait to try it. I notice in the sales flyer for the week starting today that lobsters are 4.49 a pound. I know what will be on my dinner plate. :-) I agree about the produce being lovely when they put it out and wilting soon after. I think they have a low humidity problem and it is pretty clear that they know it. I have seen H-Mart employees spraying down the produce but that is not sufficient. They probably really do need the auto-misting produce displays that you seen in some supermarket chains. I predict there will be a solution found. Certainly the store has plenty of customers; H-Mart should be in the position to invest in a fix. Every time I go, I see they are stocking more and more southeast asian produce and ingredients. Have you noticed that too? Fri Oct 16 11:52:29 -0700 2009 5108323 177209 PinchOfSalt 3 5110141 much to my delight there are definitely more south asian products! Someone needs to open a boba shop there... and I think a vietnamese deli would do fantastic in the food court. There are tons of vietnamese and khmer folks in the lynn/malden area and h-mart is a short hop from lowell. Even though battambang in lowell does a fantastic job stocking traditional south-asian groceries H-mart is a nice change with more american and asian-american groceries. 4.49 a pound for lobster!!! I think it is time for lobster hot-pot in our house this weekend :) Sat Oct 17 08:20:40 -0700 2009 5108483 14740 noodlely 4 5110187 Well, there is that empty spot next to the Korean stall in the food court. And, unfortunately for the people that run it, how long can that Indian stall stay open with so few customers? The one thing that H-Mart does not have and which I would expect to find is cooking oil in large units. At C-Mart or Mings or Super-88 (in its day) you could get a big jug of peanut for a reasonable price. Okay, Koreans do not use oil as much as the Chinese do, but all of the cooking oil that I could find at H-Mart (near the vinegar and corn/rice/malt syrup areas) was in bottles the same size as you would expect in an American supermarket. Or maybe I need to look in another part of the store? Sat Oct 17 08:43:05 -0700 2009 5110141 177209 PinchOfSalt 5 5111020 Bought 1.5 liters of peanut oil at HKM Allston for about $18 weekend before last. Sat Oct 17 16:31:21 -0700 2009 5110187 17548 BarmyFotheringayPhipps 6 5111085 Thanks, BFP, at least I know I can still go there when I need more peanut oil. Sat Oct 17 17:05:08 -0700 2009 5111020 177209 PinchOfSalt 1 5109861 First visit was Thursday, 10/15 and I scored two huge beef tenderloins priced at $4.99 lb. Couldn't believe my eyes!! Tucked them in the freezer for a future festive meal. Sat Oct 17 04:29:04 -0700 2009 5058435 15050 random amblings 2 5110197 Anyone have experience with the freshness of the fish? They were selling Chilean Sea Bass for $9.99 lb. and at WF it is about $24 per lb. Sat Oct 17 08:50:37 -0700 2009 5109861 110819 bakerboyz 1 5110278 I was just wondering how things are nowadays, crowdswise and inventorywise, in the evening on the weekend. I'm thinking of coordinating an outing, but my partner in crime is not a big fan of Korean market mayhem, either in the parking lot or the aisles. (We had our trial-by-elbow in the big markets of LA; I survived, but after one too many parking lot dings, he decided that going during peak times was not for him) It occurred to me that during or after dinner might be tolerable, but I was just curious what people's recent experiences were, since unfortunately, going on a weekday isn't an option for us... Sat Oct 17 09:39:41 -0700 2009 5058435 49653 another_adam 2 5111695 Someone told me that Sunday morning around 10am would be a good time. I asked why then and they said something about Church for the Korean people and it may be less crowded. I haven't trired it yet though, so I don't know if it's true. Sun Oct 18 03:50:01 -0700 2009 5110278 15691 mcel215 3 5112117 Oh, that's an interesting point. I never really found this to be the case in LA (churches have such diverse meeting times, it seems), but it sounds like this suggestion was made with specific knowledge of the area! I ended up going to Super88/HK market last night instead and actually found a couple new Korean items I'd never seen before, even in the manhattan H-Mart! They had really cute star-shaped ddeok for ddeokbokki, and mysterious kimchi-flavored danmuji/takuwan. (The latter was actually a chinese product) Things there are really beginning to look up- they have lots of things that Super88 never had even at its peak. There are still lots of things that I'm looking forward to H-Mart for-- stuff that the small local Korean markets simply don't carry or charge ridiculously much for-- but it seems like the number of H-Mart specific needs is gradually shrinking a bit. Sun Oct 18 09:28:40 -0700 2009 5111695 49653 another_adam 3 5112374 Confirmed - I went to H-mart at 10am this morning (Sunday) and the parking lot was 1/2-empty and the store was empty enough to push a shopping cart. Sun Oct 18 11:30:32 -0700 2009 5111695 118575 spicyivan 4 5114245 Nice to know that my source was correct! I bet she shops there at that time. Mon Oct 19 09:01:35 -0700 2009 5112374 15691 mcel215 1 5113921 I stopped by H-mart last week and was awed (and a little intimidated) at the selection. As someone who loves going out for Korean food but has no idea how to cook it, I found this website helpful albeit a little silly: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe Anyway, I found the Korean marinated chicken we bought was really tasty, and can't wait to try some other things. The food court was also closed before 8pm, so hopefully next time I can try it as well. I agree with another poster that a milk tea stand would be fabulous! Mon Oct 19 07:08:07 -0700 2009 5058435 179943 madscientist 2 5115836 I went this past Saturday night about 6 pm. It was a mad house. I would suggest avoiding weekend nights. Mornings are better. Also, a warning regarding the fish, there is a sign that says that they can prepare fish five ways. However, I asked them to do number 3, which is cut into a fillet. I was told that everything but number 3 is done. If you want fillet, you have to buy the fish that are already filleted on the right side. Mon Oct 19 18:15:19 -0700 2009 5113921 107633 bulldog69 3 5124705 Went this past Tue. Sea bass was very good, frozen albalon at $16/lb. The Kaya bun at the bakery is the very very good, authenic kaya with pandan & coconut flavor, the Kaya buns in Chinatown should not use the name Kaya. Fri Oct 23 05:13:14 -0700 2009 5115836 1089998 queeny 1 5125644 Good news about the parking situation. Two employees told me that H-Mart is arranging for 450 additional spots over by the Burlington Mall. (I am not sure exactly where.) I believe there will be some kind of shuttle van. No word when this plan will be in place, but it is something to look forward to. P.S. I thought I posted this a little while ago but it isn't here. maybe I did not click the post button. If for some reason this topic is not appropriate and my post was removed, my apologies to the mods. I just want to make sure people hear the good news if that is allowable. Fri Oct 23 11:38:50 -0700 2009 5058435 177209 PinchOfSalt 2 5126439 That's good news, I guess. I noticed that the parking lot was packed, with the police again directing, even in what would have seemed to be off hours during the day today. I have managed to go three times--and aborted the mission at least two times because of the traffic jams. I have also managed to eat in the food court. (Note that the usual strategy of arriving before noon doesn't work!) I sure wish I knew what people were eating around the day it opened--it looked kind-of like dark chips of tendon heaped on rice. I may be totally wrong, since I just saw this in passing, but many people seemed to have that. Nothing I see on the menus, which have areas blocked out, look like what I saw. I also got a number of items at the bakery. They all seemed to look a lot better than they tasted for me, but then I tend to like bold flavors. :-) Fri Oct 23 17:18:27 -0700 2009 5125644 44169 ErstwhileEditor 3 5126446 I'm headed back within the next few days for some marinated beef, pork and chicken. A friend was very happy with hers, for something like $2.99/lb. I wish the bakery used butter instead of margarine, though. Fri Oct 23 17:25:22 -0700 2009 5126439 77061 bear 3 5126979 First time I went it was a Thursday afternoon @ 3pm. Had no trouble finding a parking space. Sat Oct 24 02:30:09 -0700 2009 5126439 10426 shaebones