There are plenty of Asian Supermarkets in and around the city, selling everything from aged (and…read morereally smelly) tofu to deep fried and dried Anchovies (The hairy snack!). One that stands out a little from the local competition is the Time Supermarket on Grote. Yes they stock all of the regular offenders (as regular as they can be anyways), but the big extra is LIVE fishies and other Oceanic tasty future tid-bits. The have a long wall of fish tanks that house live cray, crabs, various swimmy things and the odd pearl producer. Although I am a relatevely heartless chef (and individual in general) I haven't been able to bring myself to buying any of that particular produce as of yet, but as I write I am feeling more and more blood thirsty.....STOP, Hammer Time!

Time Supermarket is an enormous Asian grocery store lining Grote St. There's a lot to choose from…read morein here, beginning with all of your Asian grocery usuals such as sauces, snacks, drinks, rice, spice mixes and the like. As Scott pointed out, what's interesting about Time Supermarket is the fact that they stock live seafood. There aren't too many places that do this; even fishmongers sell you seafood that's already dead! It simply doesn't get any fresher than this! But I, like Scott, don't know if I could handle killing my own food. Even the thought of dropping a crab into a boiling pot of water makes me sad. In addition, you can buy lots of things in bulk here, such as large sacks of rice. There's plenty on offer in here - it's much like any other Asian grocer, just upscaled.

Little Tokyo is another of my home-away-from-homes. My Ninja-Samurai Soul soars evertime I walk…read moreunder the welcome banner and am instantly drawn to the rear of the shop, where the frozen Takoyaki Balls and Saki are kept. Just on a side track briefly, the frozen Takoyaki balls aren't too bad, but no where near as wicked as the freshly cooked balls of goo so hot it will mess your mouth up for hours! The relevance of this side note is that I also buy all of the raw ingredients to make my own from Little Tokyo! #The most important is the Dried Bonito Flakes......little wriggly saltiness! Anywho, Little Tokyo has a small selection of a lot of things, giving the shopper a real slice of Japan and a little taste of home for others. If you are a little bit of a Samurai or a Ninja (I am the only one who is both) then you will love this place as much as I.

Once you've gotten over the geographical anomaly of having a Little Tokyo in a Chinatown (Tokyo…read morebelonging, of course, to Japan), you can enjoy this little store of Japanese imports. Little Tokyo is a store of the utmost quaintness. It's tiny and decorated with oriental cloths and banners, all of which are available for purchase. It stocks teapots and teacups, noodles, trinkets, sweets and even imported beer. For me, though, the real treasure is in the movie selection. There's a well-bodied collection of the movies of those wonderful animated film creators named Studio Ghibli, and though you can find their movies anywhere, it's nice to have them all here in one place. Then there's the wealth of films you've likely never heard of before, each one looking more ridiculous and, consequently, more fascinating than the last. The teapots and teacups are of very good quality, and priced appropriately. If you're in search of Japanese chinaware (geddit!?), there's a very able assortment here. I've never tried any of the alcohol (though I plan to), but the noodles are great and the treats work a treat.

This is an East European Delicatessen, quite special in its own way. You can also get things like…read moreDVDs here for $1 per week rental from their extensive library and gift items as well as beautiful Icon Cards from Russia, so it is more than a food store. Some of the favoured dessert wines and liquors from Eastern Europe are to be found along with most of the traditional items you'd want in the kitchen. I always enjoy having a look around in the store and am enamoured with their relaxed attitude to life the universe and everything. Music Cd's, books, magazines and if you crave it, company of other Eastern Europeans... if you are a traveller you can immediately network into the local scene through this place. You can pick up sweets, desserts and good advice on how to cook with many of the spices and traditions of the Eastern block as well.

Mozaika is a cute little shop offering a verity of primarily East-European products. Besides food…read morethey offer CD/DVD's, books, nesting dolls and souvenirs. However, it's the food that brings me here because if you're after Russian sauerkraut for your homemade Russian beetroot salad you'll find it here. If your craving for Pelimene and you believe that tortellini aren't 'the real think' you'll be happy to find delicious authentic homemade Pelimene here. If you love super sweet and/or dark bitter confects & chocolates you'll find them here. And of course Vodka;) The staff was always friendly and happy to explain the products. This shop is the only one of its kind in Adelaide specialising on primarily Russian goods. This shop is covering all my Russian deli and service needs and it being unique in SA I'm confidently giving this folks a 5rating!

This Persian food shop draws my attention long times ago by its hot food mostly being meat…read moredisplayed in the cabinet, looking at the steaming hot fish, meatballs and chicken kebabs, I know it's a must try. I mean it's nice that there's a place sell Persian food more than falafel or yiros. Like other Chinese takeaway or Indian 2-3 choices curries, you get to choice 1-3 dishes from the food display cabinet. They always have this lunch special: fish and salad for $5.9, and the fish tastes better than it looks. I've been there twice and I ordered lamb shanks twice, it just looks too good and something I can't or won't bother to cook at home for myself. They always serve it with extra sauce on the rice, it's been slow-cooked and tastes so tender and soft. I choose to eat with a yellow-green fragrant rice other than steamed rice, it cost more but with more flavour, it has fennel in it which has been widely used in middle-east cuisines I think. The shop owner generously gave me extra scoop of white sauce (taste like sour cream with herbal in it) and another green sauce. The flavoured rice with lamb shank cost $11, but one dish with steamed rice is $9.5. Very good place to try Persian food, but usually cost over $10.

I'm a bit fussy about my yiros: the quality of the meat (the oilier, the better) and how much…read moregarlic sauce it contains (the more, the better!). Pars Kebab does a pretty good job of it at $8.50.

Cons is one of those one stop shops in the central market for continental food plus various cheeses…read moreand meats. When I was barely able to reach the peddals (but knew my 5 time tables like the back of my hand), I used to go to the market with my Dad to pick up the 'special' food for x-mas lunch. Although there were over a hundred stalls in the market to choose between and pick up some foreign wonders, we ended up at Cons for the cheese and cold meat part of our grand feast. Although, since that time, I have matured in my tastes and tend to favour other stalls in the market, I still walk through cons and once in a while am lured by the impulse buying of lady fingers (Italian Biscuity things) and a stick of Kabana. I don't suggest mixing them together though....but then again.......

Con's Fine Food's specializes in high quality continental small goods and is has made a historic…read morecontribution to the development of the South Australian Culinary pallet. Operating since the 1930's , and still retaining something of that old school charm, Con's stocks all manner of Southern European delights, including cheeses, dips, bread, olives, smoked fish and rollmops. Pretty much the ideal place to head if you are entertaining guests and need to whip up some quick hors d'oeuvre.

Chef Ni is serving a range of Shanghai and Szechuan cuisine at very affordable prices in a clean…read moreand streamlined environment. This is one of those places where you see lots of Chinese students having a meal and enjoying themselves. That's always a good sign because young folk tend to respond well to food that reminds them of all the home comforts. A lot more sophisticated than fast food Western style, but fast and fresh is healthy when it comes to noodles, rice and the variety of mixed vegetables and meats served with spicy additions. It is in an open space in the Renaissance Arcade so there are people walking past doing their shopping and birds do fly in and out - some find this charming - I do. Others will possibly find this not to their tastes, but when the food is as good and cheap as this, who cares if a little starling has come in to try its luck? You can get take away, but it's best to sit and enjoy - they'll give you a free miso soup to clean your palate and you can people watch as you eat. Yummy and in my opinion, along with many dietitians, this is some of the healthiest ethnic food around!

Not your average Chinese food. This place doesn't do the usual Cantonese style stuff…read more The flavours are from other provinces (Shanghai and Szechuan) My favourite so far is a dish that is just scratched on a chalk board on the front Counter, a benign named 'Spicy Fish' what you get (check the photo) is a large bowl of spiced Szechuan style broth with lots of chunks of tender white fish and some vegetables, flat glass noodles and plenty of dried chillies. There's plenty of other items on the menu for those that don't like the heat as well.

Ok, I know it seems rather silly to be writing about a giant supermarket that nobody will miss if…read morethey ever enter chinatown, but this one holds special significance to me and used to me a nightly haunt for me whenever I was up late at uni and needed a place to walk around or just restock on red bull and chips in the middle of the night. The only supermarket in town that opens again after midnight, it was like a beacon of hope for all those international students who had come to Adelaide not realizing that most places closed at 5pm and there was literally nowhere to go at night in order to shop. It has gotten better since back in those days, with shops opening up to 7pm or 7:30pm I think along Rundle Street, but back then, you'd go to Coles in chinatown after 12 and you'd see mostly asian people walking through the aisles, not necessarily to buy anything, but just to walk amongst potentially purchasable goods. I'm not one to judge, as I used to be one of them and really do appreciate Coles giving me a place I could go to in the middle of the night. Since moving away from the city, I have found an IGA near my place that never closes. Still, first's will always be firsts, and the chinatown Coles will always hold a special place in my heart that no other supermarket can replace.

The Coles on Grote St is so handy for me, because after I do my shopping around the markets, I can…read morealso stop by and pick up some supermarket brands in one trip, like soap, vegemite, you know. You can enter either from Grote St or from the inside markets, to save you walking all the way around. Apart from the fact that I see everyone here, from old friends to old teachers, what makes this Coles great is that it sells things like imported gelatine, Korean wafers, and other international brands. Being on the brink of Chinatown probably explains why it stocks these amazing creations. Additionally, the staff are always friendly and cheerful, and ready to help. My shopping experiences have been nothing but pleasant here. Oh, and did I mention that they're open from midnight, Mondays to Saturdays? How convenient for all you nocturnal folk!