Tokyo Mart

Nothing about Northbridge Plaza (unassuming, slightly dated and more than a little weary) prepares you for the spectacle of Tokyo Mart. It may not be as large as many Asian supermarkets in Australian suburbs, but it is most certainly comprehensive. And unless you read Japanese, you’ll have to ask the helpful staff for interpretation of the plethora of bewildering specials signs since you’ll need them to choose between seemingly identical products. But it’s to Tokyo Mart that you will have to come if you’re looking for Japanese produce, because they stock (almost) everything under the Nippon sun. Expect to find frozen sashimi grade scallops (your guests will enthuse how you took the trouble to serve them fresh scallop sashimi, promise!), seaweed, yuzu dressing, pickled vegetables, every conceivable soba and ramen, crazily cheap wagyu cuts and sukiyaki meat, and even a smattering of Chinese and Korean ingredients like frozen dim sum for the former and kimchi for the latter. A two dollar section of household paraphernalia and things you never knew you needed until you browsed the shelves will also prove dangerous, but it’s nowhere near as perilously enticing as the locked display of artisanal Japanese knives that you will fiercely covet.