Hong Kong Supermarket and H Mart
37-11 Main St., 718-539-6868
29-02 Union St., 718-445-5656
There's no dearth of Asian supermarkets in Flushing, but the Hong Kong Supermarket, a Flushing institution, is worth a visit even if bok choy and gingerroot aren't on your shopping list. It has a dizzying selection of Asian candy (including puckery dried plums, muscat-flavored fruit chews and more flavors of Pocky than you ever thought existed) and a drink case stocked with exotic drinks (mango-flavored aloe beverage, anyone?). It's also a great source for specialty appliances, like fuzzy-logic rice cookers and electric hot-water dispensers that maintain the perfect temperatures for black and green teas. H Mart, a Korean grocery store, is a newer arrival to the Flushing scene. Some must-buys there: any of the Korean brands of dried, roasted seaweeds (warning: they're more addictive than potato chips) and the spicy instant noodle soups, which are essentially supersize Cup Noodles, except much, much hotter.