Kent’s Hong Kong Market offers ethnic flavor

Everybody has foods that remind them of home, comfort foods that become favorites and familiar stand-bys in the kitchen.

But for those not from around these parts, finding some of those foods, sauces and desserts they grew up with can be difficult, if not impossible.

But for former residents of east Asian countries, a new market in town is offering a taste of home with a large selection of Asian products as well as vegetables, meats and seafood all aimed toward the familiar palates of their homelands.

“We have a good idea of what the Asian folk need based on what I cook,” said Brian Hoang, owner of the Hong Kong Market in downtown Kent.

Hoang and his wife, Den Sin, originally from Vietnam (though her background is Chinese/Vietnamese), are both former engineers, but dreamed of owning a market. After Hoang’s brother-in-law last year bought the plaza in which the market is located, Hoang and Sin began to consider the possibilities.

“Once I came here, I looked at this place and said ‘this is perfect for a supermarket,’” Hoang said. “If we do it right, people will come.”

Drawing on brother-in-law Peter Pang’s experience and connections in the refrigeration industry, the pair partnered with Pang, bought the space, began renovating it and started making contacts with suppliers.

“We built this place,” Hoang said proudly. “We renovated this place by ourselves.”

Hoang said he knew some of what would be needed in the store, but admits what he knew was only a small amount of what would ultimately have to be stocked so he and Sin visited every market in the Seattle area, checking out their selections and making notes for their own store.

Hoang said the final decision was to stock mainly Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, Filipino and Taiwanese foods, with a small Indian and Hispanic selection as well.

“We try to cover a large range, but fundamentally it’s an Asian supermarket,” he said.

On Nov. 1, the 10,000-square-foot grocery store opened its doors.

Walking through the aisles, Hoang proudly points out the large selection of Asian products, a selection he said is larger than those found at traditional supermarkets.

Hoang said he carries the full range of Lee Kum Kee products, a brand he said is well known in the Far East, while other stores only carry select products.

“It’s just like Kraft in America,” he said of the brand.

The rear of the store is dominated by the meat and seafood counters, run by manager Jimmy Nguyen, which contain many cuts that may be unfamiliar to American tastes.

Along with more traditional cuts of beef and chicken and pork, the Hong Kong Market also includes such traditionally Asian fare as duck heads, chicken feet, ox tails and even the private parts of bulls, as well as cuts of lamb and goat.

Nguyen said that while not all of the cuts or meats are necessarily considered the best or tastiest, people become “sentimental” about the foods they ate growing up, so the store tries to stock everything it can.

At the seafood counter, the store offers a wide range of fish and other seafoods, some with the heads, some without the heads and some, well, just the heads.

There is also a deep fryer in the back and busy shoppers can simply pick out a fish that workers will clean, cut and fry for a quick dinner.

“You just pay for the fish, the rest we’ll take care of,” Hoang said.

The market also carries a larger selection of Asian vegetables than most stores, keeping things bok choy and choy sum in stock, as well as fruits like the lychee, a sweet Asian fruit hidden beneath a prickly shell.

Hoang also said one of the more popular items is the prepackaged “Canh Chua” mix, which contains all of the necessary vegetables to make the traditional Vietnamese soup (fish heads available in back).

There is also a large variety of rices available, from jasmine to basmati and everything in between, with multiple brands for each type, which again allows people to buy the brands they are most familiar with.

“We’re selling rice like crazy,” Hoang said.

The store also stocks candies, ice creams, soft drinks and even beers from around the Asian countries.

And if your comfort food can’t be found, Hoang said he is happy to take customer requests and will try just about anything.

“That’s what we’ve been doing,” he said. “Our selection is still growing.”

The Hong Kong Market is located at 320 E. Meeker St., Suite 102. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. For more information call 253-372-3738.