Han Ah Reum

[babyluck]

You guys are gonna be so jealous.

I just discovered I can WALK to Han Ah Reum from work. It would take 2x as long to drive because of the construction. I went there for the first time just now. Didn't have time to see the whole place but I gave the mall a once-over and covered the produce & meat sections of the market, then had lunch at the food court.

Had the spicy pork w/ rice -- yes, I got the warning "you know it's spicy, right?" -- it was not too spicy and pretty darn good. I like that utilitarian lunch-counter feel so I was right at home and the cashier was very helpful and sweet.

Went back w/ ginger, tofu & 2 packs soba noodles (buy one get one free!) for less than $5. Wish I had more time & the weather was better for walking. Next time I'm going to park next to the tracks and walk over from there so I can carry more!

-- Sorry, AFC, there's somebody new in my life, and his initials are H-A-R.

[Jason Perlow]

I haven't eaten at the food court in the Ridgefield location since they finished the construction in there. Sounds really good.

[Fat Guy]

I just discovered I can WALK to Han Ah Reum from work.

YOU SUCK!

[coastcat]

Sigh. The Wheaton branch is the closest Asian market to our house (7 miles away), and I usually keep on driving to get to the next market. This particular HAR is somewhat small and is located in a shopping center with lousy traffic flow. The produce selection is impressive, but navigating the narrow paths amid the mob is always a challenge - it makes the parking lot seem like a wide open prairie by comparison! The selection of Korean and Vietmanese products is excellent, but I've had problems finding the Japanese and Thai items I like (this has improved recently, however). There's a bare minimum of prepared hot foods. And I still haven't figured out where they hide the bean curd skins. The checkout ladies never seem to smile.

OTOH, there's an amazing array of kimchee, the veggies are good and cheap, the tofu selection is indeed vast, they carry Lee Kum Kee's Guilin Chili Sauce to which I'm addicted, and then there's that fish counter...

Edited July 22, 2003 by coastcat (log)

[babyluck]

I just discovered I can WALK to Han Ah Reum from work.

YOU SUCK!

MWA HA HA HA HA...

At least there's something good about being on the wrong side of the tracks. It was definitely worth a shoe full of swamp muck.

Mmmm, spicy pork...

[South Jersey Epicurean]

The history behind what you call "those rice cakes" is that this is BABY food for Korean children!! They give these things to babies/toddlers to suck on. It's the caucasians like us who love them. I have NEVER seen ANY Asian person consuming one when I've been in Han Ah Reum. Let's not call them them rice cakes because they TASTE WAY BETTER than ANY organic or quaker oats rice cake. These things actually HAVE taste -- (because they have a little sugar in them)!

[jhlurie]

One new thing of note is that if you do the Han Ah Reum/Foodmart run, there is also a Warehouse Retail location of "The Vitamin Shoppe" down the hill and across the railroad tracks on 91st street, where it turns off Tonnelle Ave. Its their corporate HQ and main Warehouse as well, so they've got access to pretty much anything the chain sells. Also, because its an Enterprise Zone, the Sales Tax is only 3%, which adds up eventually I guess.

Then again these "Health" stores are kind of anti-food stores to some extent, so maybe you should just stay away! I just needed some bloody multivitams and saw the sign, I don't need no stinkin' Wheat Grass.

[elyse]

They were selling wheat grass?

[jhlurie]

They were selling wheat grass?

On sale, no less...

This is the kind of stuff all of these places sell now (GNC being another example). I just wanted a stupid bottle of multivitamins. I found them.

[elyse]

Aww, I was looking for the grass grass. Oat or wheat. Kitties love it. They only play with the tablets.

[hillbill]

BTW: give the size of the ones we've seen in NNJ, I'm wondering what the "Super H-Marts" referred to on the website look like. Are they simply more westernized, or are they actually larger?

Here's an interesting (sad?) article from the Washington Post that talks about the Super H-Mart and how it has put most of the small Korean grocers in the neighborhood out of business. It also talks about how the intention of the store is to compete with mainstream supermarkets.

For Koreans, Changes in Store: N.Va. Grocery, Churches Reflect Shifts in Community

"HanAhReum Asian Mart Corp. owns 16 Korean groceries on the East Coast, four in the Washington area. None is more important than its new Super H Mart on Lee Highway in Fairfax City, an experiment to see whether the company can compete with the local big boys, Giant Food and Safeway. It is the first time the company has operated under a non-Korean name."

Super H offers one-stop shopping: a 53,000-square-foot warehouse with tanks of eel and lobster alongside Korean foods, pottery and videos, refrigerators, Kellogg's cereals and other Western foods.

Company officials had more than just the big grocers in mind when expanding. They figured they'd leave some mom-and-pop Korean operations in their wake as well.

And they have. Myung Hee Kang, who runs tiny Dong-A Asian Market about a half-mile from Super H, said there used to be 12 small Korean grocers in the area. Two remain. ...."

By David Cho

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, January 13, 2003

© 2003 The Washington Post Company

[hillbill]

  Btw there is a store on 32nd st in NYC (not at all like NJ, but a good selection of take away items) between 5th and 6th on the north side of the block.

According to the website, the NYC branch is an independent franchise, as are the branches in Woodside, NY and Edison, NJ.

Manhattan HanahReum is independently owned and operated.

Franchisee

• 1 Manhattan
  
• 2 Woodside
  
• 3 Edison
  

HanAhReum franchisees are independently owned and operated.

[hillbill]

I'm suprised that no one from Middlesex Co has chimed in about the great mkts in Woodbridge and Edison.

Would people please chime in about the great markets in Woodbridge and Edison?

I live in Staten Island and I'm very interested in exploring nearby (and far-by, if it's worthwhile enough) New Jersey markets, ethnic neighborhoods, Roadfood-ish kinda places, etc. etc.

[hindyg]

I finally went to Han Au Rheum yesterday. It was quite impressive. Though being that I have kept kosher thats couple years, there is barely anything for me to buy besides the veggies. If I still ate everything I would have had much more fun shopping there. I went to the Ridgefield location by the way, and it was a neat shopping center. The shopping center reminded me of some of the chinese shopping malls in San Francisco.

[helenas]

Could somebody tell me if the store in Ridgefield is opened on Sundays?

Thank you.

[Fat Guy]

Yes, it is open 7 days a week.

[MsSumida]

If I could figure it out...the Edison store is opposite Kam Man supermarket on Old Post Road.

Please note, the Kam Man has been closed by the local Health Dept. for numerous violations. I have seen food being demo'd, fall on the floor, and then put back in pan. The fish is not chilled correctly many times, the tanks beyond gross, and the bathroom smells linger inot the main part of the store. The place, while intriguing with the huge selection, is not clean, and many times, filthy.

[tommy]

i went to the little ferry HAR yesterday for some tuna for sushi. the prices are quite reasonable for tuna. i got a pretty big chunk for about 13 bucks. i'm not sure what the $/# is, but it seemed very inexpensive. the fish was top-notch.

[helenas]

Thanks for the recommendation: we made there today, and even my husband who just came back from Hong Kong this Saturday, was duly impressed: we bought a whole codfish (hot smoked tonight), arctic clams (those making only a sporadic appearance in my local asian grocery), and dirt cheap new zealand mussels. We didn't even mind an hour drive from our home.

[herbacidal]

anyone know what han ah reum means in korean?

there's one in baltimore, and i'm guessing it means something important in korean culture.

[tommy]

"bountiful"

a very important word in korean culture.

Edited November 27, 2003 by tommy (log)

[herbacidal]

"bountiful"

a very important word in korean culture.

a very important word in most asian cultures.

i believe various chinese restaurant names

i've known through the years mean bountiful.

that's a wink? we gotta get more emotive, obvious emoticions.

[tommy]

that's a wink? we gotta get more emotive, obvious emoticions.

how's this?

[=Mark]

So, not to put too fine apoint on it, when we gonna do the next Han ah Reum / China 46 event?

[herbacidal]

that's a wink?  we gotta get more emotive, obvious emoticions.

how's this?

actually that one sucks too. it just looks like he's closing one eye, not really winking.