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 Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 9:36 pm Post subject: Expat supermaket in Beijing - best market places |
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Expat supermatket in Beijing - best market places
Imported food usually costs at least double what it does in its country of origin. If you are buying meat to freeze, be aware that it may have already been frozen and defrosted. To find out where the following shops are, ask someone!
Supermarkets
Several of the shopping centres have a reasonable supermarket in the basement, e.g. Cofco, Landao, Pacific, but many people find it more convenient to use the smaller supermarkets.
The larger ones include:
Yan Sha You Yi (Lufthansa) shopping centre
This supermarket has both local and imported goods, but can be expensive. It also carries an excellent selection of fresh vegetables and herbs. Try here for elusive items such as Lea & Perrins and HP sauce. There's a good selection of Dutch cheese.
Carrefour
The big problem with Carrefour is that it's a long way to the car park. It can be a little daunting for the newcomer because it's huge and all the signage is in Chinese. It can also get very busy with slow check-out queues. It's nonetheless good for organic vegetables, rice (white and brown), and pulses. A good selection of fresh fish is available here. Turnover is high and food generally can be relied on to be fresh. They stock a wide variety of wine and usually do a wine promotion in the autumn. As well as food, Carrefour offers a wide range of household and leisure items in a huge warehouse-style building.
A next-day delivery service is available via the internet. Subscribe by email to receive their list: customer@carrefour.china.com. Minimum order value is rmb 500, plus a delivery charge of rmb 39 for each order. Payment is by cash or foreign credit card on delivery.
Wang Jing warehouse
This excellent large Chinese supermarket is near the third ring road, a few minutes from the Lido. It sells all kinds of food (including organic fruit and vegetables) as well as electrical goods, household items, stationery, linen, basic clothing, shoes, even bikes. They carry some imported goods, but the range is fairly limited.
Makro
You have to be a member to use Makro, which is close to the Lido, but membership is free. It's useful for household items, cleaning products, beer, etc., but check-out queues can be long.
PriceSmart
There's an annual membership fee for PriceSmart which is located in Chaoyang.
CRC
Not as good as Lufthansa, but worth checking for those hard-to-find items. Two locations: China World Trade Centre, and near Lido.
Smaller supermarkets
April Gourmet
Excellent delicatessen for luxury items, e.g. Italian salami, Australian hams and yoghourt, fine cheeses, rare fruits such as fresh raspberries, herbs and spices. Occasionally stocks Australian or New Zealand rack of lamb, top quality and much cheaper than elsewhere. The shops always look clean and tidy, and also stock a small selection of cleaning products, toiletries, etc. Currently 3 branches: Sanlitun, Shunyi (opposite entrance to Capital Paradise), and near the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) just by next to Jenny Lou's.
Jenny's Shop and Jenny Lou's
Apparently two sisters originally ran these shops together, but following a disagreement went their separate ways. Jenny's Shops are opposite Eurovillage, inside River Garden, Le Leman (Lomond/Lemmon) Lake, and Dragon Villas. There are branches of Jenny Lou's near WAB, by the west gate of Chaoyang Park, on Sanlitun West Street, at SOHO, and in the Riviera Clubhouse. Style is similar, service friendly, and you can get just about everything you need, including fresh fruit and vegetables.
Lion Mart
There's an old one bordering Capital Paradise and new ones underneath Somerset Fortune Garden and the Ascott. They have a good selection of imported goods, often competitively priced, plus a reasonable range of fruit and vegetables.
Sure Save Supermarket (Pinnacle Plaza)
This relatively new supermarket has been establishing itself in recent months and is now a good source of many items which are unavailable elsewhere and which might especially appeal to Brits and Australians, e.g. Ribena, Branston Pickle and Sharwoods curry sauces. The manager is very helpful and is keen to source items that expats want. They also have good bread.
You Yi Sanlitun (Friendship Store)
They have a good selection of imported products plus good and cheap local lamb and beef.
Speciality shops
Riverside Deli, Café and Restaurant
This sells German baked goods, cold cuts and cheeses, and wine.
It is located at 10 Sanlitun Bei Xiao Jie.
Kempinski Hotel Deli and Cafe
Excellent for bread, cakes, cold meats and ice cream, though very expensive. Also carries Australian beef and lamb.
Holiday Inn Lido Deli and Cafe
Also excellent and less expensive than the Kempinski. Australian beef and lamb, good selection of salami, parma ham, fresh pasta, baked goods. Good birthday cakes to order.
Charlotte's Butchery
Located at Chaoyang West Gate, many expats buy their meat here.
DFC German Food Centre
Local beef, pork, and chicken, plus German sausages and cold cuts.
Bakeries
All of the above sell high quality breads and pastries. Lido and Kempinski do special occasion cakes. Jenny's Shops have their own little instore bakeries. The Jiang Guo Hotel (near Four Seasons Restaurant) sells special bread, e.g. walnut, cornflour.
Markets
Check out the markets near you and remember to haggle over the prices, even for vegetables. Ma Lian Dao Cha Ye, in the south west of Beijing, is a whole street of tea shops at prices lower than in town. Dong Jiao Pi Fa market on Da Wang Lu (about 300 m from the junction with Jian Guo Men Wai Da Jie) sells vegetables, fruit, flowers, fish, as well as clothes, bikes, small pets and all sorts of other things.
Wine
It's easy to order wine over the internet for home delivery and you should get a discount for buying a case, even if it's mixed. Carrefour has a very good selection. For Chinese wine go to Wang Jing or Makro. Shops such as Jenny's have a variety of imported wines, but it works out more expensive to buy wine this way.
Suppliers include ASC Fine Wines (homedelivery@asc-wines.com, www.asc-wines.com), Montrose Food and Wine (claire@montrosechina.com), Sella & Mosca (Qingdao) Winery Co. Ltd. (catai@163bj.com), Summergate (summergatewines@yahoo.com), Torres Beijing (torreswine@sohu.com - email them for a wine list), and Palette Wines Ltd. (www.palettewines.com, gaiyongjun@hotmail.com). |
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