New Asian market at Broadway and Berwyn

I happened upon the "grand opening" of a new Asian market, Golden Pacific, walking home from Edgewater Produce tonight, and I'm thrilled. While it's not as large as the megamarket on Argyle, its prices are comparable, and it's both squeaky clean and extremely friendly. Golden Pacific stocks excellent produce and an array of fresh Asian herbs I have never found on Argyle. While I was surprised by their wide selection of frozen goods, they currently have only a limited selection of fresh fish and meat, but that may change later. As they have just opened today, their stock isn't yet complete, but the owner believes it should be by early next week.

The real joy for me, besides the happy lack of a miasma of durian and dead fish, is its friendliness. The items are clearly labeled in English and the staff is eager to ensure that you can find everything you need--a boon for those who, like me, are relatively new to Asian cooking. What's more, the owners assured me that they would be happy to order anything they did not stock--and I think they actually mean it.

Golden Pacific Market
5353 N Broadway
(773) 334-6688
Open until 9 p.m.

(btw, hello: I've lurked here for months, but never quite felt I had anything worthy of posting.)

Whoo-Hoo! I am very happy to hear about this place. Thanks for posting and welcome

I often go to edgewater produce, they have such good stuff for so cheap! Especially the bags of mesclun mix: 1.50 and it's not at all slimy! The garlic is good, and I also like their large containers of EVOO. Oh and big jars of capers as well as roasted red peppers.... So many things in such a small store!

messycook wrote:Whoo-Hoo! I am very happy to hear about this place. Thanks for posting and welcome

I often go to edgewater produce, they have such good stuff for so cheap! Especially the bags of mesclun mix: 1.50 and it's not at all slimy! The garlic is good, and I also like their large containers of EVOO. Oh and big jars of capers as well as roasted red peppers.... So many things in such a small store!

Hi messycook! Last night while at Edgewater we picked up some greek "mountain tsai" from that little end rack of spice packages out of curiousity. It's lovely, sort of a wilder, greener, spicier chamomile-type herb. If you haven't already, try it with honey. I'm already addicted. That place is so much fun.

One thing that thrilled me about Golden Pacific is how cheap the shallots are: $1.69 for a bag of about 10. They look good, too! I just hope that they get more fresh mushrooms and produce in general in soon.

Any ideas about where to buy fish in the area? I'm a student and thus public-transport reliant, and I haven't cooked fish at all this whole year because I'm permanently turned off the Berwyn Jewell and Dominick's fish counters.

Great news about the Berwyn asian market. Thanks.

I also love Edgewater Prod. but as walker who lives all the way east on the park, i just can't get there as often as I like. But for a cheap bag of shallots...

Can't help you about the fish. You're right about Jewel/Dom's. Whole Foods is out of the way and insanely expensive. One might have to keep experimenting with the asian markets. I'm guessing that the restaurants in the area are supplied by them and I've certainly eaten good seafood dishes in the hood.

Hi and thanks for the tip on Golden Pacific. We don't live in the area but come in frequently enough for pho and bahn mi. Will definitely need to check it out next time. For fish, I would still suggest the grocery store (replete with durian miasma) toward the east end of the Argyle strip. I forget the name but it's on the south side close to Kenmore. Their seafood is about as fresh and diverse as you'll find in the area. Another place to check out is Sea World on the north side of Argyle just east of Broadway. They are our 'go to' for Dungeness crab - consistently high quality and great price - usually around $5.99 a pound. Just steam them, melt the butter and chow down. They also have a live fish counter in back that is of the 'you pick it - we kill it' variety. Probably as fresh as you'll get but selection is limited freshwater bass, catfish and carp.

Any idea if Yuzu is available there?

Mr. T. wrote: Probably as fresh as you'll get but selection is limited freshwater bass, catfish and carp.

Frogs, Mr. T. You are forgetting frogs. I think that they get eels in, as well. I've had them kill and dress frogs for me. While they are significantly smaller than those carried in some of the Chinatown markets, it often saves me the trip. At any rate, even if smallish, they are vastly superior to the frozen legs that can be found in many of the Argyle-area supermarkets.

Erik M.

Quite right Erik M. I forgot the frogs and turtles. Once we were there with my sister in law, and they had a large bin full of what appeared to be water turtles (looked like painted but I know it wasn't those) and soft shell turtles. My wife, ever on the look out for an easy laugh, crept up behind her sister while she was eyeing the turtles and grabbed her ankle. Sister-in-law let out a screech that was heard on Sheridan and almost fell into the cooler. Oh the fun to be had on Argyle street.

I stopped in this market last night and spoke with the manager. I remarked how clean the store was and a refreshing change from the typical Asian market (even if not authentic). He said the owner's one comment has been, "Keep it clean."

Lots of Thai items not even found in the venerable Thai grocery (e.g., frozen palm cakes). I would, however, like to see some prepared dishes or maybe some deli or take-away items.

So far, I only had a spoonful of the two ice creams that I purchased, taro and jackfruit. Both were good.

An incredibly nice gesture was a free sample of Thai jasmine rice provided by the cashier.

pd


Golden Pacific Market
5353 N Broadway
(773) 334-6688
Open until 9 p.m.

In the interest of building some Ghandi-esq "be the change you wish to see" momentum...I am here to encourage each of you to at least stop and see this market, if not post about your experience.

I guess we could also debate whether this is the Westernization of an Asian market, but I really think it is a positive for the off-off-Argyle community to have a clean and friendly place to shop.

The place has lots of Southeast Asian delicacies and it sounds as if owners and management are hell bent on reforming the concept of Asian market, at least as it is known on Argyle.

Please try stop by this weekend or next and provide your comments.

Come on out lurkers, now is your chance!!!

Regards,
pd

pdaane wrote:In the interest of building some Ghandi-esq "be the change you wish to see" momentum...I am here to encourage each of you to at least stop and see this market, if not post about your experience.

Peter,

I liked the place, the manager, Jimmy Wong, was friendly, knowledgeable, and had an obvious love of food. Jimmy said he was Chinese from Laos, spoke Thai, Chinese, Laotian and, obviously, English. I also heard him speak Spanish to another shopper.

The market seems well stocked, is so clean I'd feel comfortable getting my annual physical there, and the fruit, veggies and seafood looked fresh and well cared for. There was also an amazing selection of frozen fish.

The checkout girl spoke English as well, and, when I paid for my purchase, politely inquired if I liked jasmine rice. When I responded, most certainly, she gave me a complimentary bag of jasmine rice from Thailand.

Overall, my impression of Pacific Market is good, even though they have only been open for a few weeks. Added bonus is the fact they have a parking lot.

Enjoy,
Gary

ok, i admit that i'm an really late entry into this discussion, but i just stopped into golden pacific a few days ago.

i happen to live about 1 block from the argyle markets, and i shop there, and at nearby asian (east and south) markets, on an almost weekly basis. though i'm like a kid in a candy store when i go there, i've always lamented the fact that items are poorly, if at all, lableled, that the cleanliness factor, though adding welcomed charisma, won't be impressing food inspectors any time soon, and that architecturally and aesthetically, the places are travesties in as beautiful a neighborhood as uptown is.

i also happen to be an active member of the neighborhood and am involved in organizations attempting to, among other things, clean up and beautify (but not change the character of) argyle. we recently held a community meeting at which many argyle business owners and a diverse group of local residents were present. the resulting dialogue as to moving argyle forward (getting the bars off the windows was a prominent concern) seemed to be well-received by all parties and will now hopefully be acted upon.

so, it was with great delight that i saw first-hand what golden pacific is doing. as a regular consumer of the goods offered, i was very, very impressed by the selection, clealiness, excellent labelling, and nice display of food, and i plan on doing a lot of shopping there. but it is my hope, too, that, in conjunction with our community work and market-forces now really coming to bear, argyle steps up to the competition (and that golden pacific thrives). argyle's offerings are unique and a real treasure. i'd hate to see them not prosper.

pdaane wrote:In the interest of building some Ghandi-esq "be the change you wish to see" momentum...I am here to encourage each of you to at least stop and see this market, if not post about your experience.

I guess we could also debate whether this is the Westernization of an Asian market, but I really think it is a positive for the off-off-Argyle community to have a clean and friendly place to shop.

The place has lots of Southeast Asian delicacies and it sounds as if owners and management are hell bent on reforming the concept of Asian market, at least as it is known on Argyle.

Please try stop by this weekend or next and provide your comments.

Come on out lurkers, now is your chance!!!

Regards,
pd

I have been to Golden Pacific a handful of times now since it's opened. It's a great addition to the area stores & a pleasant shopping experience.

Also, there are huge Asian markets in the Northern VA, & DC area, such as Han Ah Reum, that are great places to shop...clean, awesome selection of fresh ingredients, samples, etc. So I do believe that you can have a great Asian market without the stereotypical cleanliness issues. It seems that Chicago area markets are slow to adopt this change in the way the Asian grocery store can be thought of.

via Chicago wrote:So I do believe that you can have a great Asian market without the stereotypical cleanliness issues

Do you mind providing more information on the Virginia and DC Asian stores, at least addresses! I'd like to check them out the next time I am out there.

I have been to the Chinatown in Washington, D.C. more to eat or pick-up and go. I don't usually cook or pick-up supplies, though I do when I go to NJ.

Thanks in advance.
Regards,

foo d,

Was the meeting you were talking about being held at Sun Wah? I saw a large private party there a week ago last Thursday (they are usually closed on Thrusdays). I was tempted to walk in and inquire, but I was already late to pick up a friend. Would you send a private message with the details....that is, if you don't feel like posting them here.

I know one of the huge boosters of the community passed away a few years ago and the community development in the neighborhood has been neglected....I would love to find out what is being done and current plans to boost the community once again.

pd

the sun wah event was a fundraiser for a mural that is to be painted within the next year. it'll be on the side of one of the buildings on argyle. should be a great addition to the neighborhood. bank one ponied up $15K of the, i think, 20K required. the fundraiser, which attracted probably ober 100 people, was to help with the rest, tho' i suspect there's probably more money needing to be raised. contact joyce dugan at Uptown Community Development Corp to find out about donating -- (773) 878-1064.

Cathy2 wrote:

via Chicago wrote:So I do believe that you can have a great Asian market without the stereotypical cleanliness issues

Do you mind providing more information on the Virginia and DC Asian stores, at least addresses! I'd like to check them out the next time I am out there.

I have been to the Chinatown in Washington, D.C. more to eat or pick-up and go. I don't usually cook or pick-up supplies, though I do when I go to NJ.

Thanks in advance.
Regards,

I'm not too familiar w/the N. VA area but the last time I was there visiting my parents, they took me to Han Ah Reum. It's a large grocery chain that operates in many states on the east coast. It looks like & is lad out like a big American grocery store...like Jewel or Dominicks...with extensive produce, seafood & meat sections. It also carries a lot of 'regular' household items like laundry detergent, shampoo, etc. I believe there are other stores similar to Han Ah Reum, but I don't know their names.

btw, Han Ah Reum is a Korean market, FWIW. Here's a like to their website.

http://www.hanahreum.com/eng/index_eng.html

You should find addresses at the site. Check it out next time you're in the area! Let us know what you think!

Just went here tonight--great! They have natto, very friendly, and even though I generally don't care, very clean and not smelly!

I want to resurrect this thread mostly because I don't think enough praise has been heaped on GPM. It is my go-to Asian market, and more and more, it's become my go-to market period (well, that and Edgewater Produce). And it always seems half-empty: certainly less busy than its cousins on Argyle. I've never seen more than one cash register open at a time, and half the time, when no one's in line, the check-out person is off doing something else.

So. First, I want to point out the small but basically adequate selection of Japanese products they carry, which you won't find at the Argyle markets. E.G: not only do they carry filleted, pre-sauced eel-- frozen unagi-- (which I didn't know at the time I was asking) but they actually carry bottles of the eel sauce. One package of unagi, enough for 3 una-dons, or maybe 30 individual maki, is like $6.50.

(They also carry un-filleted, unsauced eel, which comes frozen, head-on, coiled like a beefy computer chord, which I've been too chicken to try, thus far.)

A 2-serving package of seaweed salad, spicy or regular, is $1.40.

You can get fresh, wicked-cheap oyster + shitake mushrooms: 6oz for $2.50.

They sell packages of smoked salmon, frozen, as cheap as Trader Joe's: 4 oz for $2.50.

Plus, lately they've been carrying fresh crawfish; shrimp is all kinds of cheap (frozen or otherwise); they've got all the pocky you could ask for, and, of course, all your Thai and Vietnamese staples-- plentiful and well laid out. In sum, joining the chorus: the selection is excellent, the prices are low, the place is antiseptically clean, and the people are universally friendly.

That's all.


ps: though, they haven't given me any bonus items at checkout lately-- maybe they see I'm already hooked. (I can count Thai rice and a jar of aloe among my past scores.)
ps: (the aloe, FYI, was pretty incontrovertibly grody.)
ps: all prices are To the Best of My Recollection.

GPM is also my Asian grocery store of choice. Although I do go to Arygle on a regular basis, I much prefer the ease of parking at GPM. The store is clean, as mentioned. People are nice, and the selection is pretty good. I don't think I have ever not found what I was looking for at GPM.

I particularly like their produce area: Tung-O (shungiku) for sukiyaki, kabocha squash, jicama, chinese chives, lotus root... All nicely packaged and reasonably priced.

The last few times I've been there, I noticed a maximum of 3 other shoppers. It does make me sad to see the lack of people, but it does give me an incentive to learn to cook more so that I can give them more business.

The next time you are battling the crowds on Argyle, think of Golden Pacific Market... Now I have to go collect my $20 for writing this...

Thank you for resurrecting this post! I was dreading my plan of battling the Argyle crowds this weekend with my tight time schedule. I plan on shopping at GPM this weekend based on this post and recommendations.

Unagi?! Yee haw! But is it good? (with it being frozen and all, would the texture suffer?)

Heck, I might as well check out Edgewater Produce while I'm up there and skip out on Stanleys.

Thanks again -

foodie1 wrote:?! Yee haw! But is it good? (with it being frozen and all, would the texture suffer?)

I'm not 100% sure on this but I do believe that most Japanese places use that same frozen unagi for all of their unagi-dishes.

I've used it before and it's great for una-don or for making your own nigiri.

i can't shop here. everything looks and smells too clean. takes the fun out of hitting the Asian grocery stores. probably the same reasons why business hasn't picked up?

viaChgo wrote:

foodie1 wrote:?! Yee haw! But is it good? (with it being frozen and all, would the texture suffer?)

I'm not 100% sure on this but I do believe that most Japanese places use that same frozen unagi for all of their unagi-dishes.

I've used it before and it's great for una-don or for making your own nigiri.

I believe this is the case as well; The only assured place you'll find live unagi freshly killed, dressed and then roasted for you is at specialty eel shops in Japan, or some of the nicer department store basement food courts may at least roast their own eel. Even in Japan much of the prepared eel fillets you would purchase in the groceries is the same pre-packaged eel (sent from China). If you shop at Mitsuwa, you'll see that the Japanese community all purchase the pre-roasted/pre-packaged unagi, albeit from different manufacturers. Most Japanese restaurants are not equipped, nor are they going to go to the work of prepping and roasting unagi fresh. Interestingly enough, if one IS interested in roasting their own unagi, you can purchase live eel in the Chinatown markets which they will dress for you OR you can purchase already dressed raw eel fillets at Tensuke in Arlington Heights. I couldn't even imagine trying the whole frozen unprepared eel as one poster previously mentioned, when live eel is so readily available in Chinatown markets; I suspect the whole frozen would prove horrible. One find I'd like to see is Anago (saltwater eel); To my knowledge I've only eaten anago in Japan.

Jay K wrote:One find I'd like to see is Anago (saltwater eel); To my knowledge I've only eaten anago in Japan.

I don't know where to find this raw, but various local sushi bars have it, at least from time to time. (And I'm sure they're not passing unagi off as anago because there's a definite difference in flavor, and some places offer both.)

well, I finally visited GPM and boy were you right on.... that has got to be the most cleanest asian market/store I have ever been to. The floors were practically glistening as if they had been recently polished. So organized and nicely laid out.

I was anxious to get some of the frozen unagi that was mentioned in this thread... only to have the owner/manager tell me they are out and will have more coming in next week. But what blew me away was how FRIENDLY the gentleman was in suggesting an unagi alternative. (I'm used to getting a firm "no" - no more or less....or an "I don't know."

It was so nice of him to suggest canned unagi that it was the kind of personal touch that will keep me coming back. (I ended up purchasing 2 different brands imported from Japan. I'm curious how they'll taste while I wait for the frozen stuff to get in...)

I was also able to find a instant package of a tapioca dish that I haven't seen in Argyle, so there's another bonus point for GPM! I definitely left happy with my purchases and service.

Thanks again for sharing this place

Foodie1,

Frozen unagi is pretty easy to come by, really. In case you need some now, the Korean grocers have it. Clark Market on Kedzie north of Lawrence for example. And Dirk's has a high-quality version. It's all pretty much previously cooked, glazed and frozen, as suggested above.

Hmm - I didn't realize unagi was more readily accessible than I thought! I'll check out Dirks since it's not to far from me. Thanks JeffB!

foodie1 wrote:It was so nice of him to suggest canned unagi that it was the kind of personal touch that will keep me coming back. (I ended up purchasing 2 different brands imported from Japan. I'm curious how they'll taste while I wait for the frozen stuff to get in...)

I can't believe he recommended canned eel - which in NO way tastes like roasted unagi. I ate a LOT of canned eel back in college (a popular staple of Taiwanese interestingly enough); Now I liked the taste of it back then, but I can't stomach it now. Canned eel is actually marinated in a sweet sauce and then deep-fried prior to canning (you can eat the bones) - like many of the Asian varieties of canned fish (ie: dace, anchovies, etc).

Anyways, we recently purchased this past week, unagi from Mitsuwa at $10/lb (8oz packages priced at $5) and at Tensuke $12/lb for pre-packaged 10oz fillets. If possible, purchase the larger fillets when price permits b/c the fillets (as common sense would dicatate) are thicker and often tastier (you'll get a higher meat to skin ratio).

As other posters mentioned, you'll find it at all local Korean markets as well as many Chinatown markets. We've purchased from Chicago Foods Inc as well (Korean mkt at intersection of 90/94 and Kimball).

Jay K wrote:One find I'd like to see is Anago (saltwater eel); To my knowledge I've only eaten anago in Japan.

Jay,

I ~think~ these eel are Anago, though I am basing that on the most cursory of web searches. Either way, you don't get much fresher. There are a few different types of fish in the tanks, though I don't remember specifics. I was oot and a-boot, as they say in Canada, with Erik M that afternoon and his memory is (much) better than mine.

I should also point out the pictures were taken over a year ago, call before rushing off on the El for Eel.

Outside Richwell Market.





Enjoy,
Gary

Richwell Market
1835 S Canal St
Chicago, IL 60616
312-492-7170