Oh boy, do I have a new favorite store!

Since moving east lo these many years ago, I have had a hellava time finding ethnic groceries.  Things are so white-bread out here on “The Main Line” that I couldn’t even find chipotles in adobo until last year!  I have to drive to Wegmans to get Sambal Oelek. It’s pretty sad.

I’ve been having Lumpia withdrawal for quite a while, now.  Once upon a time, a woman named Abundia who I worked with at UCSF kept me supplied.  But that’s been 10 years…  Finally, I asked a woman I work with who is Filipina where she got hers.  Her answer?!?  Assi!

It’s about a 35 minute drive – without a lot of traffic – but WOW!  What fun!  It was just like being back home!

Miles of aisles of fun exotic foods that you’re just not going to find at the local A&P.  Or Wegmans.  Or Acme.  Or anywhere else!  I was like a kid in a candy shop, looking at every item, trying to decipher labels, and just overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, and scents.  And actually hearing Chinese spoken.  It was great.

I went a little crazy.

I bought two types of Lumpia, three types of pork buns, vegetable buns, potstickers, noodles, won ton wrappers, rice dumplings, and even banana leaves!  And that was just the frozen aisle!

And I got teas, and sauces, rice cooking wine, mirin, coconut vinegar (I mean, when was the last time you had coconut vinegar, eh?!?)  And something I had never seen before – corn noodles.  I am just psyched.

I also picked up fresh vegetables and a bunch of meats – and two salmon steaks that were just perfect.  You’ll see them tomorrow when we have them for dinner!  Presentations and quality were unsurpassed.

Tonight, we steamed buns,

baked off pork buns,

and I got my Lumpia fix.  And potstickers, to boot!

It’s a little too far and a little too specialized to be a regular shopping haunt, but it’s definitely going to be a quarterly trek!  My stomach is smiling, the cabinets and freezer are full.

Life is good!