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Rows and rows of flavor
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Produce, nuts and beans at Lotte Plaza Market
Brennan Griffith
Founder and chef, Nam Prik Pao pop-up
Favorite items to shop for: “Ground pork. You can tell they do the process right, where the meat comes out more like pieces that have been cut small.”
Recent impulse purchase: “The barbecue chicken spot in the food court. I needed a quick dinner before heading home, and Bb•q Chicken whipped up the crispiest, crunchiest Korean fried chicken I’ve ever had. We got their honey garlic flavor. Even the next day after being refrigerated, it still had that crunch.”
Unexpected find: “Containers for fermenting/pickling. They come with an insert in the container that holds all the vegetables below the brine inside the container.”
Best part about shopping there: “Variety of produce. It saves me from having to bounce around different stores and has been consistently top-tier fresh.”
Food court or bakery? “See above answer [about Bb•q Chicken].”
Leah Branch
Executive chef, The Roosevelt
Favorite items to shop for: “I’m mainly in the condiment section for fried chiles in oil, all the vinegar and seaweed snacks.”
Recent impulse purchase: “I can’t resist the grape Kasugai gummies.”
Unexpected find: “There’s a sizable Indian food section. It’s worth checking out the spices and grabbing some chaat supplies.”
Best part about shopping there: “The variety of products is really nice, especially the produce section. The playlist isn’t bad, either.”
Food court or bakery? “I’m always down to try something from the food court. The kimchi pancake is crazy.”
Christine Wansleben
Founder and instructor, Mise En Place cooking school
Favorite items to shop for: “I’ve shopped for my entire sushi class at Lotte, from rolling mats to pickled ginger to roasted eel. Both my kids like the frozen tteokbokki, the fresh kimbap and crispy shrimp skewers from the prepared section.”
Recent impulse purchase: “They have ginger-honey tea in a jar, and I love the instant Vietnamese coffee; it’s hard not to walk out with something.”
Unexpected find: “My kids have gotten faux Crocs from there.”
Best part about shopping there: “If I need Indian ingredients, I can go there, and they have all the presliced meats if you wanted to make your own bulgogi at home. They have rewards, too.”
Food court or bakery? “Bakery for the red bean bun — delish.”
Piyush ‘Pi’ Jessani
Owner, Pi’s Coffee
Favorite items to shop for: “Mostly veggies, meat and seafood. The selection is one of the more diverse amongst the other Asian grocers in the area, which makes shopping easier with it being a one-stop shop.”
Recent impulse purchase: “Pokemon plushies; it’s an impulse buy every time I’m there. Gotta catch ’em all, right?”
Unexpected find: “A whole slew of Indian snacks and cookies that I couldn’t find since moving to Richmond.”
Best part about shopping there: “Being able to run through the aisles and see little windows into the different cultures and be inspired to create something new and fun by the time I get home.”
Food court or bakery? “Bb.q Chicken is my guilty pleasure. And the boba and Korean pancakes there are pretty good, too.”
Hira Shabbir
Food scientist
Favorite items to shop for: “Ras malai [Indian dessert in the frozen section] and pulpe de guanabana [pulp from the soursop fruit].”
Recent impulse purchase: “Ocean Bomb Digimon Agumon sparkling water, banana flavor.”
Unexpected find: “Various sushi-grade fish.”
Best part about shopping there: “Bringing friends to the food court, then perusing through the fresh produce and all the squid- and crab-flavored chips.”
Food court or bakery? “Bakery items: ube latte, custard bun, frank rolls, sweet and savory croissants, petite tiramisu, and various macarons. Food: Korean fried chicken, stir-fried squid, spicy pork bulgogi, meatball and brisket pho.”
