Austin's Chinatown Center

I find these Vietnamese delicacies at an Asian Market here in Austin called MT Supermarket. To get there I drive north on Lamar, one of the major roads in Austin. I pass check cashing operations, taquerias, Salvadoran restaurants, signs in Spanish, decaying buildings and well-kept properties. Suddenly I see a shiny Chinese arch or gate on the side of the road. A new shopping area is behind the gate, and the pillar of the shopping area is the enormous MT Supermarket.

The shopping area is called Chinatown Center, and it opened in 2006, so the buildings look new. The koi pools in front of the market always attract my attention with the fish and many statues placed around  it. I walk through the doors and face an ocean of food. They specialize in foods from China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam. And strategically near the door they have tables of these interesting sweets. How can I resist!

My visits can easily eat up half of a day for me. I love walking down the aisles and reading the packages. The fresh fruits and vegetables aisle alone is worth at least 30 minutes for just browsing. In the back they have live fish for people to select for dinner.

The delicacy to the right is Banh Deo Thap Cam according to the wrapper. It is made of sugar, rice flour, cashew nuts, almond, sesame, and water. I believe it is quite similar to Chinese Moon Cakes.I love the lotus flower shape. The soft outer part surrounds a nut filling.

For more information about Vietnamese food you can visit the gastronomy blog.