A chef’s guide to Melbourne’s best Asian grocery stores

Dai Duong’s polished Vietnamese cooking has been the talk of St Kilda for more than three years.

Now the Vietnam-born chef behind Uncle is giving Melbourne’s CBD a taste of his fresh, flavour-packed dishes, and the downtown sibling is even better than the original.

Dai knows all the best haunts for Asian ingredients in Melbourne.

Here are his five favourite Asian grocery stores…

1. Astee Asian Groceries & Butcher

   2. 35-37 Railway Parade N, Glen Waverley, (03) 9887 7130 
   3. Uncle gets a delivery from Astee three times a week – even on Saturday. They are fantastic people to deal with and the shop everything in Asian food, including fresh produce and a butcher up the back. Plus Kevin from Astee is an awesome dude… always happy.

2. Fuji Mart

   1. 
   2. 34 Elizabeth St, South Yarra, (03) 9826 5839
   3. Fuji Mart is where I buy most of my Japanese products, from Kewpie Mayo to Kombu. They also have an awesome selection of sake and Japanese beer.

3. Lee’s Asian Grocery

   1. 
   2. Stall 19, Paharan Market, 163 Commercial Rd, South Yarra,  (03) 8290 8220
   3. This is where I go to pick up fragrant herbs and exotic fruits and vegetables on market day (Tuesdays and Thursday to Sunday).

4. Tang Food Emporium

   1. 
   2. 185 Russell St, Melbourne, (03) 9663 3716
   3. This place is just three blocks away from Uncle Collins. It’s great to have an Asian supermarket close by, in case we run out of an ingredient after a busy day.

5. Limra Groceries

   1. 
   2. 162A Carlisle St, Balaclava, (03) 9537 1515
   3. Limra is an Indian spice store selling all kinds of Indian ingredients. It’s also just five shops down from our St Kilda restaurant, so it’s the perfect place to stock up on spices and pick up a few unusual Indian treats.