Only place in city where I can find mango paste to make lassi. Well-stocked. Staff a bit…read moreindifferent but that does not matter to me

The Pakistani family who own World Food Bazaar have some surprises in store for you when you stop…read moreby their little place at the back of an industrial estate near 2nd and Havana. The shop is enormous but very well-organized, so whether you're looking for beauty products, clothes or (of course) groceries you'll be able to find it in a heartbeat. From the flowery ice cream soda called Pakola to digestive biscuits, from violet-distilled Banafsha syrup to preserved Hurda [inknut] fruit (good for swollen tonsils and hacking coughs respectively), from huge bags of Basmati rice to tasty fresh Samosa pastries, you can fill your South Asian needs here. World Food Bazaar is sure to become a must-stop on Havana Street from your first visit. Check it out and see for yourself!

At Colfax/Lansing (right between two memorable Mexican masterpieces - Real de Minas and Guadalajara…read moreBuffet) sits a similarly mighty maven of merchandise, from Myanmar in this case. Why don't we do a bit of culinary trekking at Asian & American Super Market? So, you're craving a touch of Burmese food, but don't have time to head all the way over to Taw Win or Urban Burma? Well, that's absolutely no problem at all - you see, A&ASM can help you out in several ways. Look - here is a handy kit containing the fermented tea leaves and other beany/seedy/etc, items needed for the palate-refreshing salad you probably know better as Laphet Thoke. Oh, you wanted something more substantial? Let's head to the back of the store. See? Here are canned versions of Ametha Si Byan (beef curry) and Ohno Kaukswe (coconut noodles) direct from the homeland for you to sample. (No, silly - the latter doesn't actually *contain* the noodles - that would just make a mushy mess). Wait, where did you go? Ah! I had a feeling you'd head to the front register, where, depending on the day, you can find such delights as Pe Palata (flatbread stuffed with vatana beans), Kyet Thun Gyaw (onion fritters) and Shwe Yin Aye (coconut milk/pandan jelly/sago/bread dessert). Are you full yet? [URP] But there's so much more to see up and down these aisles of course (I'm sure that probably goes without saying, but, well, here we are). Ooh, don't those durian segments look delicious? Stop that, you know you love them. Well, OK, what about a few Da Nyin Thee (jengkol beans) to put some shimmer on your stir-fried dishes? Mmmmmmm, I'll bet those rambutan are super juicy. And just look at these tempting jars of smoky Karen-style fish/chili sauces (Lar Say Paw and Saw Lay Pe, to be more specific). Or, try a link or two of plump beef sausage. (This, like many, many other items in the shop is Halal, as you may have guessed by the fact that the owners are members of the Rohingya community, who have traditionally lived near the border with Bangladesh and practiced Islam for centuries). All kinds of fresh produce can also be found here - for example, I've seen bamboo shoots, taro, and winged beans on various visits. But I don't want to give away all of A&ASM's secrets, so go see for yourself.

I love that M Mart is locally owned and does so much for the Asian community. This reminds me of…read morethe Mom and Pop Korean grocery stores I grew up with in the Springs before the were big box Asian markets. They always throw extra treats in when you check out and it's so reminiscent of my childhood They are always so kind and helpful. They have a good selection of fresh/frozen/shelf stable/ready to eat items. There is even a bakery that has yummy treats I can't seem to pass up on my way out.

Am going to make mapo tofu so came by after lunch for tofu and mapo tofu sauce. They didn't have…read morethe sauce but I picked up some canned tuna in spicy sauce and original flavor. Didn't notice they have a bakery before but I did today. Cakes looked good. Might have to try them soon. Cashier was efficient and we were soon on our way.