PrintNew Jersey Dispatch: Asian Food Center
"Beautiful bellies, bones for soup, ears and intestines, you name it, it's there."
Back in July I wrote: "Right now... I believe The Great Wall is the best Chinese supermarket in the state, but rival chain Asian Food Center is building a new place in Piscataway. Will that store take the crown? Stay tuned."
Well, that store in Piscataway, is open now and its time to revisit the subject.
The first thing you'll notice when you drive up to the new Asian Food Center is that it's right there with a Lowe's, a Panera Bread, and a WalMart. This in itself is a bit of a surprise, for those of us old enough to remember when "ethnic" grocery stores were dark, tiny, and well-hidden. This store is large, easy to navigate, and has plenty of parking. And located right near I-287, it's easy to reach from all over the area.
Not long ago, I visited the place with a huge shopping list and a small camera and set off to see what they've done. Try to take a photo inside and one big difference will be obvious: the place is really well-lit. You can see whatever you need to and easily read every label—a lesson that needs to be taught to almost every supermarket in the state.
The Asian Food Center hits the strong points of New Jersey Chinese supermarkets as well as anybody and falls short only where everybody else does. In Chinese "pork" and "meat" are the same word, and it shows. This place is pork paradise with everything but the oink on display. Beautiful bellies, bones for soup, ears and intestines, you name it, it's there.
The fish department is just as impressive. I wanted to toss my list when I saw the fresh skate and live eel. Properly wrapped whole fish, with clear freshness dating, sets a new standard. Frozen fish is impressive as well. After seeing a tray of baby octopus, I couldn't get the flavor of them marinated in garlic and herbs out of my head—the food equivalent of Muzak.
Produce fans will not be disappointed. Four kinds of yams, all those roots, and more than twenty different varieties of leafy greens—including Taiwan bok choi, tago choi, and one or two that you've either never saw before or haven't seen since the last time you were in China.
Because everybody else is going towards more and more takeout—indeed, new A&P stores look more like giant delis than supermarkets—I foolishly assumed that Asian Food Center would do the same. Wisely (and with no sympathy for visiting gringos at all) they've shrunk the takeout and bakery areas and devoted more room to fresh pastas and breads. You can buy a steam table "three dish" lunch or a birthday cake, but there's no effort to match what earlier stores had. This store preserves every square foot it can for serious home cooks.
If you're an observer of suburban immigrant culture, you'll see that unlike city neighborhoods, out here, what counts aren't restaurants, but supermarkets. If there's one sweeping generalization I can make about my neighbors, it's that they cook. If you do, too, you owe it to yourself to visit Asian Food Center. There may be no place to sit down and have a snack, but if this is your kind of store, you can cook better than any takeout counter anyway.
Asian Food Center
1339 Centennial Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (map)
732-981-0730
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9 Comments:
Sounds fantastic. I just want to point out one thing and that is that Muzak has a negative connotation - while octopus marinated in garlic doesn't.
http://www.Indianculinarycenter.com
hameshahungry at 10:09AM on 10/30/09
Awesome finds!
Does it smell better than Great Wall though?
Ambitous at 1:42PM on 10/30/09
This store is great, as said, very well lit and inviting. Even the cashier I had was helpful. Plus there's a whole lot of tea.
http://thuslytea.blogspot.com/
mcchendo at 2:19PM on 10/30/09
Ah, no roast meats counter?
annerska at 2:29PM on 10/30/09
I was just there last weekend - loved it! It's larger than the one on Rt. 22, but I think they're related.
@annerska - there is a hot food section, and I did see a golden roasted pig hanging from a hook - looked really tasty, but there were too many people waiting to get food, so I didn't get to try any.
finewinendine at 7:16PM on 10/30/09
That fish looks amazing. Wish we had an option like that in Manhattan.
patrickamory at 1:54PM on 10/31/09
I shop at the Asian Food Center on Route 22 in Plainfield. The selection of packaged potstickers and noodles, rice, and Asian condiments is amazing. The produce is cheap, but much of it is past its prime in terms of freshness.
I would not buy meat or fish here ever again. The one time I purchased scallops, they were terrible, chemically plumped, milky, and tasteless. The meat and fish area is really not very clean. There are dead fish floating in the tanks with the live ones. Yuck.
salpico at 11:44PM on 10/31/09
@patrickamory - there are some great supermarkets in chinatown in Manhattan that, while they can't compare in size to this, have great selections of chinese groceries including fish, meats, produce, etc. There's a big, newly-renovated place with a great selection on the corner of Elizabeth and Hester streets.
quandros at 6:03PM on 11/01/09
I'm psyched to visit this place. It's really close to me.
pbelardo at 10:26PM on 11/10/09