ottawa foodies

So I happened to be in the Airport Area yesterday and saw T&T Supermarket and decided to stop there for lunch before going to class.

I was very impressed with the size of the place (I'm used to Grace on Bank and Somerset-ish). This is literally a supermarket. There was a large selection of ready-to-eat foods, fresh produce, meat and fish, as well as dishes and all kinds of grocery items.

I had a bahn mi with some sweet and sour pork. The sandwich was really really good except for the bread. It would've been better if it was an actual baguette, but those are hard to come by even in French restaurants, so it wasn't a big deal. S&S Pork tasted like your regular chinese food place fare. I didn't feel like trying the other food items because some were spicy (not my thing) or weren't labeled. I just didn't feel adventurous this time lol.

I wanted to know what you like to go there for. I saw they had Dim Sum, steamed meat buns and all kinds of things. Has anyone tried these? I've been wanting to try dim sum for a while but still haven't.

here are some links to previous discussions on T & T. it is a supermarket, owned by loblaws actually. still a great place to shop.

vendor page: T&T Supermarket

forum: Forum - T&T Shopping List Favourites

Great, I searched this site but couldn't find anything; I was quite surprised.

Thanks HFF!

The database search I'm using kind of falls apart with words having less than 3 letters. Ampersands also confuse things. T&T is the worst of both worlds. :(

We visited the store a few months ago with the family... lots of stuff but we strictly go there for the bakery. They have sweet bread which is very similar to Mexican style (Pan Dulce - Conchitas) the flavor is amazing and very-very close to the real deal.

The store is too far for me to go often-esp by bus from where I live now...might take an hour one way.

I was also waiting for someone to mention in was owned by Loblaws.
My impression when I went there and asked where to find a few items on the shelves, the staff had no idea (was looking for fortune cookies, rice crackers,packaged cookies).
After looking everywhere,I was sent to the wrong places...where I already looked!

They had a lot of different green tea ice cream.
Bought some green tea popsicles, those were good.
But would not go back for those, I can make my own here that are very good!

More curiousity about the Loblaws/T&T/Real Canadian Superstore connection.

I was just looking at the Dec 10-16 Real Canadian Superstore flyer online. On the front page, Kraft cheese is on sale for $4.44. BUT if you go to the last page of the same flyer (page 21) you will see a photo of a very nice Asian family. Just below them, the price of the SAME cheese is only $3.99! This is for the same store. So... I guess if you are Asian you get cheaper cheese.

re: Prettytasty's post; "I was also waiting for someone to mention in was owned by Loblaws."

Actually hipfunkyfun posted; "here are some links to previous discussions on T & T. it is a supermarket, owned by loblaws actually. still a great place to shop." on Dec 7 so yes, it had already been mentioned.

I checked it out the other day and picked up a few DimSum items and a few bbq foods. I get better bbq in Chinatown. MUCH better. I have to drive to get to either, so I'll just keep going where I usually go: Yang Sheng on the corner of Bronson and Sommerset.

However, if there is a difficult-to-find paste or sauce that I really need ... I imagine that this will be my go-to place from now on.

I like their sushi. It isn't the best, but if I need a quick salmon fix they do in a pinch.

just to add further nuances to Witchypoo's observations, I was struck by the fact that the same packaged Kimchi-Ramen at T&T was priced @ 1.29 vs. 0.99 at my local Loblaws. Don't know if these price comparison still hold (it was a couple months ago), but i found that one kind of curious.

Equally interesting, T&T carries a brand of 6 way AC plug splitters that look very similar to ones Cdn Tire retails ... for a couple $ more.

Shopping is a very complicated affair these days!

I've never had Dim Sum. Is this a good place to try it (at the ready-to-eat counter), or you would suggest going to an actual restaurant?

Oh, definitely go to a restaurant first. Just avoid anything with tentacles. Take along a native guide to help you feel out what you might like. Also, enjoy the experience.

I remember taking a dozen of my friends out for DimSum one Sunday afternoon in the summer. It was a really fun time. Haven't done it in a while. I suppose I need some friends again.

My boss told me Dim Sum, means "touch heart" . . .

I thought it was funny because I got a double meaning from it right away . . . it's kind of high cholesterol, so it probably does touch your heart.

I really enjoyed dim sum, but I don't have it very much anymore.

I know . . . people who eat healthy don't live any longer, it just seems that way. :-) (another double meaning)

Went to T&T for the first time a few weeks back. Initial reaction was: WOW! But on closer inspection, I was disappointed: The focus there is on an enormous selection of prepared foods (high margin items) at the expense of the raw ingredients I generally buy. If you want 300 varieties of ramen noodles, it's great. If you want thai basil, culantro, kaffir limes, duck legs, or the usual stuff I head to Chinatown for, you may be disappointed. I am really saddened by the loss of a couple of my favourite places in Chinatown. It's not just the atmosphere I miss...it's the products!