PHOTO ESSAY: 555 Supermarket (Jersey City, NJ)

If you ever find yourself on Tonnelle Avenue in Jersey City, I suggest you stop in at the 555 Supermarket. It’s the place my grandparents do the majority of their shopping at, so it’s gotta be good… right? On their website they claim to be the “most convenient Asian supermarket.” I’m not too sure about that – it seems like a pain to me.

The following are photos I took on my recent visit. You can’t really compare it to the Asian markets we have up here, but I like 555’s layout better.

But some thoughts before the photo onslaught:

1. I’ll admit, I’ve been guilty in the past of sampling at the store. But it was a grape, and I wasn’t really thinking about pesticides, just if they were sweet. But apples? Who samples apples… at a store no less? And that sign is in both English and Tagalog. As for the doubling in price if you break ginger… what if I didn’t break that ginger, and it was in fact already broken? Do I pay the price for someone else’s ginger breaking tendencies? I didn’t take a look at the receipt, but I’m sure it was fine.

2. The produce is pretty much in own building, and the perishables are in a walk in cooler of sorts. Clean, organized, and the complete opposite of the markets in Chinatown. Signs are clearly marked and some of them even have a picture so you know which vegetable its referring to. Very smart! I wish the stores up here had their varieties…

3. One of the freezer cases is dedicated to frozen fish balls. A mix and match of sorts, which is both crazy and awesome. I didn’t really get a good look at the signs, but I distinctly remember saying to my sister, “are… you… serious?!?” The new things you find at this store, I tell ya.

4. There was no offending odors coming from the seafood or meat sections. Take note, Asian Supermarket.

5. Their “food court” is this tiny thing, but the foods that come from it are pretty darn good.

6. They sell apples that are as big as pomelos, I kid you not.

7. Emulate, upstate. EMULATE.

Pandan Cake

Picked this up from the Philippine Bread House in Jersey City. It’s supposed to be a pandan cake, but I didn’t taste any pandan in it. Should have picked the mocha roll instead… at least I would be guaranteed some mocha flavor.

Max’s Chicken Take Out

Max’s Chicken is finally open! I still haven’t checked out the restaurant, but one of my aunts stopped by this weekend and was nice enough to bring some over. Like Red Ribbon and Jolibee’s that came before it, Max’s is the newest restaurant transplant from the Philippines. I’ve had it over there, and well… chicken was scrawnier and saltier than what I’m used to back here. But that was the Philippines and chain food in general tasted off to me (except for Chow King).

Why You Should Eat In Jersey City - Fil-Am Food Mart & Red Ribbon

L to R: Chicken Empanada, Lumpia Shanghai, Pampanga Longanisa

So I wrote last time about where to buy Filipino treats in Jersey City. This post will cover two other places you should check out if you've got a hankerin' for some Filipino food and not a lot of time.

Fil-Am Food Mart
685 Newark Ave Ste 1
Jersey City, NJ 07306
(201) 963-0455

This store has changed a lot over the years, and yet it hasn't. One half of the store is the grocery area, the other a luncheonette. The grocery side is filled with all the things you would normally expect in a Filipino shop. When you first enter the store, you're greeted with bags of chicharon, clover chips, and other plautan types. They also sell baked goods similar to what you find at PBH. There are aisles and aisles of foodstuffs from the Philippines, although I wonder about some of it. Why ship over things that are already being sold here? Is the taste really that different?

For a store of its size, it has a decent seafood/meat section. I don't know how comparable it is price wise, but I don't really remember my parents ever buying fish from there. I quickly walked through there, but it was clean enough. The one thing that did catch my eye was the self-serve breakfast meats. There were several types of longanisa (Philippine sausage), and tocino (sweet cured meat). I don't eat them often, but they were there and I had to give them a try. I bought some Pampanga and Manila styled longanisa and some of the tocino.

If you're not one to cook (Matt, this is directed right at you) then you should proceed right over to the luncheonette. I'm not sure if the menu changes daily, but there are plenty of dishes to choose from, and you can pick a la carte or go with the combo meal. The combo meal is any two meats with your choice of white rice or pancit canton (noodles... lo mein if you must have an equivalent) and it comes with a soda. I think it comes out to ~6 bucks. They also sell appetizers and desserts. I bought lumpia shanghai (meat filled egg rolls) and chicken empanada. You can eat it in their dining area or bring it home.

Red Ribbon Bakeshop
591 Summit Ave
Jersey City, NJ 07306
(201) 795-1988

[I don't have any pictures from Red Ribbon, but that's only because my meter expired and I didn't want to get a ticket.]

Out of all the places in Jersey City, this is the only chain. They are all over the Philippines, but strangely enough, I never saw one when I was there. It's relatively new in JC's Filipino food scene, but it seems popular enough. RR is primarily a bakery, but they do sell some non-bakery items (pancit sotanghon, kaldereta, bbq). I bought two beef siopao and was on my way. They were a little doughy, but still hit the spot.

So there you have it. If you need something quick to eat, these are the places to go. I'll see about trying some of their restaurants soon.

Why You Should Eat In Jersey City - Philippine Bread House

I am sure there are other fine places to eat in Jersey City, but this post will focus solely on Filipino food.

I don't know what your level of familiarity is when it comes to Filipino food, but here are my suggestions if you want to get some snacking done. I can't report on the Filipino restaurants, because I tend to defer to my family's cooking.

L. to R. bicho-bicho, Maja Blanca, Pan de Sal

Philippine Bread House
530 Newark Ave
Jersey City, NJ 07306
(201) 659-1753

Would I be exaggerating if I said that this was the Mecca of Philippine baked goods in the area? It can't be an exaggeration if these people share my sentiments on PBH. You can purchase pastries and order cakes for an event. I don't remember if they were the place to go to order lechon, but I wouldn't be surprised. They also have a little lunchonette side if you want something quick and other than sweets. I don't know if they're good, the last time I ate there was at least twelve years ago.

Dieting is not in the Philippine vocabulary. We love our fat, our fried, our sweet, and our carbs. We also love overindulgence- I don't go to PBH often, but when I do, I go all out. I stopped by on Monday and purchased the following:

Bicho-bicho - The Philippine take on donuts. These are more similar to the Western style donuts than the Chinese type (where they most likely got it from). Deep fried and coated with sugar. They are incredibly addictive, and currently going for 75 cents a piece.

Pan de Sal - The Philippine bread roll. Light, airy, sweet. Best eaten while still hot (I couldn't resist and had some in the parking lot) and a great accompaniment with your breakfast. During the holidays we pair it with ham and Queso de Bola. I like to stuff it with corned beef or sliced up longanisa/tocino. My grandma Nina used to slather them with tons of butter, dredge in sugar and fry for a great after school treat. You buy them by the dozen (I think) and they are under 2 bucks.

Maja Blanca - Corn pudding. Actually it's more like Coconut corn pudding. I've never had it, don't know if I ever will. I bought it for my dad, and he sure does like it. The crumbles on top are from cooking down coconut cream until a brown residue remains. Dry it out, crumble it on. Doesn't sound appealing? Well, I wasn't planning on eating it, so I wasn't going to make it sound all that great.

The following are not pictured... my dad got to them before I had the chance.

Ensaymada - A sweet bread that is an adaption of the Spanish ensaimada. The Philippine version is loaded up with butter, sugar, and grated cheese. There are different varieties of ensaymada, and they come in different sizes. Good for breakfast or as an afternoon snack (merienda).

Mamon - Philippine sponge cake. Comes in various flavors (I bought the Pandan one) and in different styles. You can buy the mini cakes or creme filled rolls. They are a little on the dry side (but what sponge cake isn't?) so best with a cup of coffee.

Kutsinta/Cuchinta - Steamed rice cakes. If you go to a Filipino party, guaranteed there will be large plate of these at the table. They come in various sizes and are always served with grated coconut.

It looks like I'll just turn this into a series. Studying for my second exam is really taking up all of my time and I'd hate to have all the drafted posts start to pile up. Next in the series, Red Ribbon and Fil-Am Grocery