By ALESHA CAPONE
Yu Mei Tian at the Brimbank Asian Grocer is at Brimbank Shopping Centre Deer Park. 101262 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
A NEW family-run business is bringing the best of Asian food to Deer Park.
The Brimbank Asian Grocer recently opened at Brimbank Shopping Centre during a $36 million fresh food mall renovation.
Centre manager Pearse Coleman said customers had been requesting an Asian grocery at the centre.
The Taylors Hill family of father Wei-Qiang Tian, his wife Yu Mei and their son Kevin answered this call.
Kevin, 21, is a young businessman who acts as floor manager at the Brimbank Asian Grocer.
“What I have enjoyed most is helping customers and the local community when they come in,” Kevin said.
“We are getting a lot of good feedback and positive commentary. A lot of people have said, ’Thank goodness there is an Asian grocer close by now’.”
The store stocks staples such as fried and rice noodles, different kinds of rice, Asian spices, snacks such as rice and prawn crackers, soy sauce and frozen Asian sardines which can be used in dinners, similar to yum cha.
“I think the most popular item has been the big bags of rice we sell. Usually, supermarkets sell them in five kilo bags, we sell them in 25 kilos,” Kevin said.
Another popular item at the store has been the family pack of ’Hello Panda’ brand Japanese biscuits.
The snacks are made up of small shortbread pieces full of creamy fillings in flavours such as strawberry and chocolate.
Kevin said the store had been “flat-out” since first opening a month ago.
“When we first started, a lot of people were asking for more Filipino-style food, and we now have an aisle just for Filipino stock,” he said.
