Saigon Market International Groceries, located at 831 S. Kerr Ave just off of Market Street, offers those with an adventurous palate and a small budget a great way to try new foods. I’ve always enjoyed this colorful market with its unique offerings ranging from tropical fruits to goose eggs. It’s easy to get lost staring at the lobsters in the tanks or wandering up and down the spice and sauce aisles.
On this visit, however, my mission was to review a variety of snacks on a budget of just $15. I purchased three salty snacks, two sweet snacks, and two novelty drinks, inviting a tasting panel of three other Hoggard students to join me in rating each snack on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest.
The three salty snacks included Boy Bawang Chichacorn snacks, Ppushu Ppushu Noodle Snacks, and Lays Seaweed Potato Chips. The Boy Bawangs (6.5), a crunchy chickpea with a slightly salty and garlic taste, was a very solid snack. The PPushu PPushus (3.5) were basically uncooked Ramen noodles with a spicy seasoning mixed in. Although the snack was mediocre at best, it had an interactive element of crunching and seasoning/shaking the ramen, which we all agreed was fun. Still it didn't make up for the fact that it was basically raw ramen. Finally, the Lays Seaweed Potato Chips (7.2) received mixed ratings ranging from 3 to 8. Some reviewers, like me, liked the salty sea-like taste, while others described the chips as “fish food.”
The two sweet treats were a big hit with all reviewers. We first tried Meiji Mushroom Chocolate treats (8.4), which came in a colorful package with specific instructions on how to hold and eat the sweet mushroom chocolate top. The best snack I bought - and unanimously enjoyed by all reviewers - was the Choco Churros Turtle Chips (9.3). These chips can best be described as light and airy cinnamon toast crunch with chocolate drizzle. They have the perfect amount of sweetness and unlike American food, the bag was completely full of the product, not just air. This snack would be my number one recommendation if you decide to visit Saigon Market.
Finally, we tried two flavors of Ramune-style carbonated drinks by HATA. Ramune is a Japanese soda variety that comes in a heavy glass bottle whose mouth is sealed by a round marble, which keeps the contents carbonated. They often retail for $3.00 or more per bottle for the name brand. Our Ramune knockoff drink by HATA, however, was the most disappointing of the bunch. It was overly carbonated and had little flavor, so I wouldn't recommend this drink if you stumble upon it. In spite of this particular drink, Saigon Market has a plethora of delicious drinks to try ranging from boba to banana milk.
At Saigon Market, what’s even more appealing than the food is the prices. If I went to an American grocery or convenience store, I would easily pay $20 - 30 for an equal amount of snacks, and they would be bland and boring. I would highly recommend a visit to this unique Wilmington market - a fun place for both flavor and culture.
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