I love looking around the Chinese supermarkets in Soho and go often, but like above poster I don't rate Chinese cooking much. I also cannot bare crustacean seafood. So with Chinese food I am a bit limited. I find the supermarkets fascinating though.

Vegetables I find though aren't as fresh as you would get in our normal supermarkets are dirt cheap and some of the more unusual stuff I am always willing to try.

Frozen dim sum - I always buy a few bags of these to use in my bamboo steamer. I prefer the veggie varieties.

Sweets and cakes - Yum, so much to choose from. I don't think that that victoria sponge looks that great and most chinese "cakes" seem to have a strange texture. I did once buy these "Banana Cakes" they tasted lovely but had a texture of marzipan almost, which I couldn't get past and they made you feel quite sickly afterwards - I think they were made from some sort of curd. In one or two stores I buy the "Banana Loaf" - That is very nice! I also like the various biscuits encasing chocolate.

Noodles - I always make sure I buy some dry packs of Vermacelli Rice Noodles, again they are just so cheap! I buy them for a special oriental chicken soup I like to make. It is very thin and involves boiling down a whole chicken, with added Mange Tout, baby sweetcorn and Pak Choi. Also the various instant noodles are great and cheap too - the children love them.

Does anyone know whether chinese supermarkets sell hot food, a work colleague told me years ago that the chinese supermarket in Peckham did, but was wondering if they do now?

Thanks QS.

@Freeasabird. It would be unusual for a Chinese supermarket to sell hot food in my experience...but there's no telling what they're capable of down in Peckham!

[quote=pugamo;57655815]Chinese supermarkets are scary![/QUOTE

That's so true!

There are lots of Chinese supermarkets in Leeds and many have a restaurant attached so you can get hot food.

I love browsing but Mr Gooby doesn't like the smells so I have to leave him in the car!

I too get my basic ingredients there as it is much cheaper than normal shops. Especially coconut milk/cream products - they are so expensive in other places.

I stay away from the flavoured instant noodle meals though. They are very cheap but they contain so much salt I just can't put my body through it. Probably fine if you are in your twenties but you have to be a bit more careful once you hit 40!