So a couple weekends ago, my dad visited and we had some great time eating bbq (Jim & Nick's), watching the Wings Over Marietta airshow at Dobbins (soooo cool), and then checking out Manila Mart and Ranch 99. It was a great time getting in touch with my Filipino side, not to mention it was quite an adventure!
By adventure, I mean treasure hunt. It was extremely hard to find Manila Mart. We later found out that the store is in a transitional time right now and will be opening at its new retail location on Nov. 2. But until then, they are tucked away in a warehouse in a confusing office park. We drove around for 30 minutes trying to find it...my dad called a couple times trying to get directions.
We finally found this sign tape on the back of a van in a parking lot:
Whew! Finally there...we walked up into the warehouse and strolled 1 back to back aisle of dry goods and several freezers with meat products and...ice cream!!! Yummmm.
The frozen items I got were ube (purple yam) ice cream, pork & shrimp lumpia (eggrolls), siopao (pork buns - my filipino grandmother peels them like onions and eats them), and pandesol (dinner rolls). I tried the ube the same day we bought it, and it was very interesting. Not quite what I remember and a little on the salty side. It was still good, and I may have to buy some beans, fresh coconut and shaved ice to make some halo halo with it. A couple nights ago, we steamed the siopao and fried the lumpia. The siopao was very good. I can't believe it was frozen! The bread was so soft and the pork was really juicy and tender. Yum! The lumpia was good, but it just doesn't compare to my dad's. I may try a different meat in the future. I have not yet tried the pandesol. Honestly I forgot I had them because I was so enthralled with the other stuff. I can't wait til they move into their new store, because then they will carry Goldilocks bakery goods. I have only been to Goldilocks a couple times out in LA but oh man, is it tasty!!!
After Manila Mart, we went to Ranch 99. This is a huge Asian supermarket on Buford Highway. My dad LOVES their tamarinds. For $2.99 you get a huge box of them, and he eats them like candy. I'm not a huge fan of them, but he thinks they are a great deal and great quality. He also got some great looking baby bok choy and some other produce I can't remember. But the best part was that everything he bought total was way under $10. You can find some amazing deals here. Just be wary of the meat & seafood dept. I'm sure the food is fresh & good, but I totally freaked out when I saw soft shell turtles for sale to eat. They were still alive, just swimming around in a plastic tub of yucky looking water. Ughhhhhhh :( I will never walk by that case again.
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