My visit to the new location of Zion Market had me wondering what the status was of the upcoming San Diego location of the Korean specialty market Wooltari, which I first noticed was opening back in September in the Crossroads Center off Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. So, I drove on over and noticed that the front door of the shop was open!
I decided to park the car and stroll on over and perhaps take a peek inside.
When I was crossing the parking lot…the open sign was turned on! Ok, I guess they're open!
I walked on over and entered. And much like "FOY" Peter described based on his experience with the former business; the shop is a small rectangle with cold cases and freezers occupying east and west facing walls and shelves in the middle stocked with all kinds of goodies.
And this being a Korean based market, well ginseng specialty products greet you as you enter.
Speaking of greeted….well, I was met at the door by a very friendly and shall we say super-enthusiastic woman. She sort of became my "personal shopper" and insisted on following me and explaining what everything I looked at was, the source, and how that product was of great quality. Now, I really appreciated the enthusiasm and she was very nice; but I wanted to explore myself and of course the basic reason you'll not see too many general photos from this first visit was because she was right next to me the entire visit.
There was of course kimchi.
Yes, it is $55….but those are 5 kilo bags of baechu kimchi! I was so tempted and the woman told me where it was made in Korea, but I've forgotten. There's just no way I'd have enoguh room in the fridge and even containers to store the stuff once I open it. I'm wondering how long it would take us to finish this as well. Still, I'm tempted.
There are of course frozen meats….
And even Jokbal….
I did get a couple of items before leaving and I knew the Missus would enjoy shopping here. The woman was really nice, but a bit much.
Haven't tried the pajeon yet, but the Maneuljjong Muchim, the panchan made with garlic scapes was maybe the best I've had! Still quite crisp, decent, but not overwhelming spice and fermented tones, hint of sweetness, and most of all, great, pungent garlic flavor! It was awesome with some rice porridge…which we've been having quite often during these cold evenings. The Missus enjoyed the Mechurial Jjorim, the briased soy sauce quail eggs as well.
So, of course the Missus wanted to check the place out. We headed over after hitting up 99 Ranch Market arriving right when they opened. This time, there were two older gentlemen working; it was much more laid back, but they were also full of info as well! And they both had a great sense of humor when I joked about how much the Missus was going to spend.
This time I managed to get a few photos to give you a better idea of the layout.
The really nice gentleman told me "yes, we are more expensive than Zion or H Mart, but you won't find what we have there. Our buyers source regional specialties which are either packaged and distributed by various manufacturers or in some cases packaged by us. On the back of each bag, you will see the source location for each item."
The highlight of the visit was when the gentleman, who knew I was Japanese, asked me if I liked "natto". I exclaimed that we both enjoy natto. He proceeded to grab a package from the shelf and give a sample of this.
It's freeze dried fermented soybeans. We loved it! Crunchy, you get the initial sweetness from the coconut sugar and then it goes into funky "natto town"! If you like that flavor profile; you might enjoy this. We bought two bags.
Of course the Missus got Her ginseng stuff and we haven't tried the mushroom soup thing yet.
The Missus watches a lot of K-Dramas and shows on Netflix and Amazon and told me that LactoFit….it's a probiotic powder is one of the latest things.
Ohhh-kay…..
The Missus is enjoying the frozen persimmon thing and seeing both chili and gobo type chips, well, I had to get those.
You know me and gobo chips, right? These are interesting, both the chili pepper and gobo chips have been coated with corn starch and glutinous rice so both are quite crunchy. THe chili pepper chips are quite spicy, but that's about it. The Gobo chips have a nice earthy-sweetness, with a touch of saltiness.
So, with the freeze dried fermented soybeans and the gobo chips I have two "keepers"! 
The Missus was admiring the sesame oil, when I told Her it was "time". The two guys working cracked up!
We were told that Wooltari will be having their grand opening on Valentine's Day and are currently in soft opening mode.
I think it's a nice addition to the area!
Wooltari
7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
If you do check them out; let me know what you think!