Jin Jin Shanghai Market

I drive past this market several times out if the week so I finally stopped in today. It was actually a pretty decent little market. They carried things from vegetables, fresh fruits, frozen dessert, frozen meat, frozen seafood, cooking sauces, noodles, bowls, spices, etc. I had one thing I was hoping to find here that I couldn’t find at Shuang Hur in St. Paul. I was looking for Szechuan peppercorn and to my surprise, this store had it. I was quite happy. The only thing I didn’t like about this place was that the cashier which is probably the owner also, kinda walked around the aisle I was walking in in a lurking way like I was going to steal something. I didn’t like that but I’ll still go back. Its convenient for me and so what if she wants to stalk me in her store.

I needed some core Thai and Filipino ingredients to make Tom yum soup, Korean kalbi ribs, sinigang and egg rolls. I’m coming from the Minnetonka area and I didn’t want to make the drive to St. Paul so decided to try out Jin Jin. I read some other reviews and made sure to double check all the expiration dates– no problems there!
Let’s be real-​when we go to an Asian market in the states, standards should be set a little bit lower than going to a whole foods. With that in mind, I’m giving this place a solid four. Cleanliness, as expected was a little under par. Freshness of ingredients was adequate. But my review is on the high side because the shelves were stocked and the service and friendliness to help me find ingredients I’ve never used was better than most other Asian markets I’ve been to. They won’t come up to you and ask if you need help, but if you ask any of the workers, they’ll help you find what you need.
So if you’re looking for fresh desserts or a meat counter, this isn’t the right spot for you. But if you’re looking for all the Asian staples of cooking– vegetables, sauces, canned ingredients– then this is the spot. For my Thai needs-​galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce and my Filipino needs-​egg roll wrappers, canned chestnuts, sweet/​sour sauce, & tamarind — it was a home run for me.
Try to bring cash as that’s their preferred method of payment.

I used to go to United Noodle, but I like this place way better. It is smaller but much better organized, has lower prices, and the staff is much more helpful (United Noodle has soy sauce in three different places in the store and their employees’ typical response to a question is, «I don’t know.»)

I came here over the weekend because I was in search of Ponzu sauce. I can’t remember where I bought my ponzu sauce before-​probably at an Asian store of course. I normally shop at Shuang Hur Oriental Market in Mpls but I was interested in this place because it’s a lot closer to me and less traffic to deal with.
I ended up grabbing a basket and filling it up-​I usually do at any good Asian grocery store lol. They had a small produce section and a pretty large freezer/​refrigerator section. No fresh fish and no big bags of rice that I saw, but that is something I’d go back to check on, especially since my 25 lb bag of sticky rice is getting low!
I found my Ponzu sauce, along with some other things to try. I found a Sriracha Mayo bottle, which I quickly grabbed, along with some fish sauce with the brand name Pufina Patis-​that some friends swear by. I also grabbed some Asian ramen to make some quick meals with. They also had a pretty good selection of dishes and kitchenware, which is always nice to see. I found a small bamboo steamer basket that I may actually go back for-​I thought they only made the larger ones. I didn’t see any large woven baskets that I cook my sticky rice in but since I don’t need one at the moment, I have plenty of time to go back to see if they actually go carry them.
The store is small and the aisles are cluttered but the aisles are pretty organized-​I was able to find what I needed and didn’t need pretty easily. As much as I love Shuang Hur, this store will probably be visited by me pretty frequently.

do not shop here… i repeat do not shop here !!! i’ve been there three to four times now. their kimchee is crap. i know this is an oxy moron but the cabbage is rotten. it’s not real kimchee. i’ve read bab complaints about the local company that makes it. then i bought some chili radish paste in the jars and two of the four was rotten. the cap was opened. they sell very sub par products. nothing is fresh.
Update…I just looked on the jars of the chili radish paste I bought… The expiration date on it is may 18 2012. I think that says it all!!!

There are larger stores that cater to Asian palate (Sun Foods in Brooklyn Park and United Noodles in MPLS), but they are 20+ minutes drive from our pad. This is the first Asian store in my neighborhood that have mostly everything that I need. Patis (fish sauce), sukang maasim (cane vinegar), and Filipino sardines (soaked in tomato) make a surprising appearance in their aisles. I even bought some frozen Chinese buns (steamed dumplings).
They don’t sell fresh fish like Sun Foods in Brooklyn Park, but they do have a decent selection of frozen fish. The produce section is what you would expect from a small neighborhood store; the essential veggies for good asian cuisines are present and the quality is above average. I didn’t see any mangos :(
btw. I can’t find a decent mango anywhere. Cub, Byerlys and Rainbow sell them but they are a bit too bitter. I like them soft and sweet, like my Twinkies. The last mango that I enjoyed was from Sun Foods, 25+ minutes away… yikes.
Now if I can only get my wife to like sardines, because I bought enough to last through a zombie apocalypse.

Yay! An asian market in the MSP area!!! I just moved here from LA and have had a really hard time finding the things I need to make basic dishes. Mabu tofu sauce, miso, canned lychee… yakisoba noodles… oh my! They even have the large dog food sized bags of rice and the gallon tins of soy sauce.
If you need help finding something be sure to ask since there are so many products here. I’ll definitelty be coming here weekly!