Spring Garden Market
Northern Liberties needed a real supermarket, so when construction of a new place, rumored to be a supermarket, began a year ago the entire area was excited. Only to have it turn out to be a nearly exclusively Asian market. Now, I have nothing again the concept of having an Asian supermarket in the neighborhood though it was a bit of a surprise because the neighborhood does not have a large Asian population. That being said, if you are an adventurous non-Asian or are planning a meal with Eastern influences, then this is the place to be; an entire aisle dedicated to noodles (from udon to something called glass noodles), an assortment of cookies and snacks, oils, dumplings, rice and canned vegetables that boggle the mind and imagination. Good thing that most of the packages are translated. There is an aisle for our western favorites, like Rice Krispies and Oreos but it's small. You can get basics like milk and eggs (or, if you prefer, quail eggs!) and the produce and meats section are top notch. From apples to durian, from fresh tofu to whole fish, Spring Garden Market is an interesting and challenging shopping trip.
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