Well in case you couldn't tell I am a big guy, naturally, you can assume I like to eat and I enjoy hunting for imported food. Shopping in Asia is usually fun, but for me nothing beats discovering some food item I haven't had in years at a Malaysia grocery store.
Imported food in Malaysia is a real mixed bag. A large portion of the 'western food' you find is from Australia, which makes perfect sense geographically. You also find tons from Asia (both East and Middle) and a moderate amount from Europe. British imports are also quite numerous and are perhaps equal to what you find from North America.
The curious thing about a lot of imported food in Malaysia is that it is primarily convenience food (especially if frozen) or junk (chips, biscuits, candies, etc). I think that's not too bad though especially since it is usually the junky foods that I find I am craving (like cheetos). Cereal chimes in a a strange import good. I saw strange because you can get imported versions of cereals that are quite common in Malaysia in the first place. an imported box of cheerios could cost you about RM25 whereas a 'local' version is/was (not sure if they still produce it) runs you back about RM10.
Imported meats mainly favour the non-halal section but you can often find 'English' sausages side by side with their Yankee counterparts. You pay through the nose but Hell nothing beats a Johnsonville Brat or some nice Hormel Bacon. Deli sections can be both well-stocked or pathetic depending on where you shop and when you shop.
Dairy products vary in selection by store as well. Some stores like 'Jason's Food Hall' in Bangsar or 'Jaya Grocer' in Subang have fairly extensive imported cheeses. Village Grocer, Cold storage and Mercato also have a decent selection all things considered with Village Grocer probably being the best out of those three.
Freshness? The fun thing about some imported goods is that the local population don't always go for them as the price point can be pretty hefty; furthermore, they are not always familiar with the products so who could blame them for not taking a gamble. Because of this situation you can sometimes stumble upon products about to expire (like a month before people!) and can get a ridiculous deal. I have found that in Malaysia freshness is pretty much only guaranteed if you go to the farm and pluck the food yourself, and this rule goes double for the imports. Could you really blame somewhere for hiding that expiry date on such high cost items? Of course we can! So the moral is check check check!
Where to buy?
I've already mentioned the biggest names but here's a list (people LOVE lists)
Village Grocer
Jason's
Mercato
Cold Storage
Jaya Grocer
Isetan (mainly Japanese goods)
If you got a scoop on some food or you want to know if I have seen a product just let me know! I recently helped track down the elusive A1 steak sauce.
Imported food in Malaysia is a real mixed bag. A large portion of the 'western food' you find is from Australia, which makes perfect sense geographically. You also find tons from Asia (both East and Middle) and a moderate amount from Europe. British imports are also quite numerous and are perhaps equal to what you find from North America.
The curious thing about a lot of imported food in Malaysia is that it is primarily convenience food (especially if frozen) or junk (chips, biscuits, candies, etc). I think that's not too bad though especially since it is usually the junky foods that I find I am craving (like cheetos). Cereal chimes in a a strange import good. I saw strange because you can get imported versions of cereals that are quite common in Malaysia in the first place. an imported box of cheerios could cost you about RM25 whereas a 'local' version is/was (not sure if they still produce it) runs you back about RM10.
Imported meats mainly favour the non-halal section but you can often find 'English' sausages side by side with their Yankee counterparts. You pay through the nose but Hell nothing beats a Johnsonville Brat or some nice Hormel Bacon. Deli sections can be both well-stocked or pathetic depending on where you shop and when you shop.
Dairy products vary in selection by store as well. Some stores like 'Jason's Food Hall' in Bangsar or 'Jaya Grocer' in Subang have fairly extensive imported cheeses. Village Grocer, Cold storage and Mercato also have a decent selection all things considered with Village Grocer probably being the best out of those three.
Freshness? The fun thing about some imported goods is that the local population don't always go for them as the price point can be pretty hefty; furthermore, they are not always familiar with the products so who could blame them for not taking a gamble. Because of this situation you can sometimes stumble upon products about to expire (like a month before people!) and can get a ridiculous deal. I have found that in Malaysia freshness is pretty much only guaranteed if you go to the farm and pluck the food yourself, and this rule goes double for the imports. Could you really blame somewhere for hiding that expiry date on such high cost items? Of course we can! So the moral is check check check!
Where to buy?
I've already mentioned the biggest names but here's a list (people LOVE lists)
Village Grocer
Jason's
Mercato
Cold Storage
Jaya GrocerIsetan (mainly Japanese goods)
If you got a scoop on some food or you want to know if I have seen a product just let me know! I recently helped track down the elusive A1 steak sauce.
was researching about malaysian's grocer. Suddenly this adamskura blog pop up. hmm wonder where i've heard about that name :P
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I am so famous Mr Shark ;)
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