Grocery shopping

Finding western food stuffs isn't as hard as you'd initially think.
Here's a brief list of various grocers around town. Most of them sell imported food stuffs mainly from Europe, UK and USA.

1. Tesco

The Tesco Extra I go to is the one next to the Curve in Mutiara Damansara. You won't find too many imported food items but it's good for bulk dry goods like sugar and coffee and water etc. They also have a wine and liquor section, although small. Have a look at www.tesco.com.my to find your nearest store.

2. Ben's Independant Grocer/BIG:

Walking into this store for the first time, I was so happy I could have done a little "happy dance" right there in the store. It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside when you see food stuffs that you know. They have lots of imported foods and a good wine selection. They also have our Ceres fruit juices from South Africa. Have a look at www.thebiggroup.co/bgfs. Located in the Publika shopping mall.

3. The Village Grocer:

This is where I have been doing most of my shopping as it is close to home and parking is relatively good. They have one located in Sunway Giza Mall, Bangsar and Mont Kiara.
They have a large organic section and their fruit and veg always look nice. I can get basically everything here that I need, including a non-halal/pork section (remember to pay for pork separately at the section before checking out). Also has a small bakery and wine and beer section.

4.Cold Storage:

Cold Storage is a bit bigger than Village Grocer and you'll find more imported products here. I found Rusks, Bakers Biscuits, Ina Paarman's range of sauces and spices, Simba chips and Nik Naks at the one in IPC shopping centre next to Ikea.

I'm still looking for boerewors though......or I might have to try making it myself!

At the end of the day, don't go to Tesco first. If you've just arrived in KL and in need of some familiarity then look at Village Grocer, Cold Storage or BIG.

Also to mention, they don't charge for plastic packets and after a month and a half here I have a collection of bags that fills two cupboards. Now I re-use them when I go to the shops.

I also keep a cooler bag in my boot. This is especially helpful when you've just bought chicken and ice-cream and get stuck in a traffic jam on your way home.....melt melt melt!

Happy shopping everyone!