After a recent lunch at Pho Ca Dao, I decided to take a short walk across the parking lot and check out World Foods Supermarket which shares the strip mall with Pho Ca Dao and several other businesses.
As I walked in to the market and began my usual "perimeter walk", two things struck me. First off, much like Pho Ca Dao, World Food was alot smaller then it appears. And second of all, I was surprised at how clean and "smell free" the whole market was.
As I walked through the produce department all the usual suspects were apparent, like some really nice mint.
And though the quantity and variety of produce could not match that of Vien Dong III, there was still a nice assortment of produce and herbs. That’s fresh turmeric on the left and galangal on the right:
Though I found that these peppers were labeled as "Jalapenos". If someone actually thought these were Jalapenos, they’d be in for a BIG surprise!
As with most markets, the meat and seafood section stretched along the entire back wall of the market.
The meat looked fresh, and all the more "specialty" cuts like Pork snouts and ears were available, even some things that really had me stumped.
The seafood section was very clean, and your sense of smell is not attacked by the pungent smells that are sometimes associated with certain Asian Markets. The smells emanating from most markets doesn’t bother me much, but I know it bothers some.
Here’s some really fresh looking shrimp for $3.99/lb.
And as I passed the live seafood tanks…..
I met up with this proud and regal looking fellow:
Surprisingly, World Foods was fairly empty on this Saturday morning, probably because it was the weekend after Tet. World Foods is worth a stop if you’re in the area and need to stock up; the market is clean, and the produce looked pretty good. As with many "International" markets, World Foods, also stocks a variety of items. Check out the hot sauces.
World Foods Supermarket
5245 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115