Visit to Mitsuwa Marketplace

I have been wanting to check this marketplace out for awhile to check out what kind of interesting Asian ingredients and items I could find.
My kids are fans of Japanese mangas and animes so it was easy to convince them to come along to keep me company.
There are a few Mitsuwa Marketplaces located throughout the country. The one we headed for is in Edgewater NJ.

Some of the adjoining shops.


Ther are nice walkways outside so I took a few pictures of the scenery.


The rear view of the main building from one of the walkways.

Inside is a large supermarket surrounded by a foodcourt with quite a few places to eat. We decided on a restaurant that specialized in ramen soups. We truly enjoyed our lunches!



My daughter Katie really raved about the broth!

Here is Emily giving the illusion she knows what she's doing!

 
Most restaurants had lots of plastic models of their offerings!

Inside the grocery store we found lots of interesting finds!
Noodles.

A nice variety of  meat choices, including thin sliced Kobe. I piced up a pack of chicken hearts.

 
Quite a selection of Sake and also another isle dedicated to Japanese beers.

Lots of snacks, sweet and salty and fishy too!


Some of the interesting items I purchased.


And a beautiful sashimi platter for Katie and I to share.

We had a great time. We bought some beautiful pairs of enameled chop sticks, some mangas and Kyle got a beautiful statue of Godzilla!

We have a similar place out here in Mesa AZ, though not as elaborate. It opened about 2 years ago and has a very good Asian supermarket with a wide variety of foods from all over the Pacific Rim. They have about 13 Asian restaurants as well as other retail outets. I enjoy shopping and eating there. http://www.mekongplaza.com/
Here's the tenant list:
http://www.mekongplaza.com/Tenant%20List.html
 

Great pictures!  Nice to see the family.
 
I also have a Mitsuwa close to home.  I've yet to try the ramen.  It's not something I can bring home to eat.
 
I also find that most of the food stalls inside of Mitsuwa all sell the same items.  How do you choose?

I am a regular shopper at the Mitsuwa near me in Costa Mesa, CA. That's where I got the tuna that I wrote about when I made poke and posted it here a month ago. I often get ingredients to do sashimi or yakiniku beef there. Believe it or not, I also buy the thin-sliced ribeye beef shabu shabu there-----and then use it to make Philly cheesesteaks with!
Santouka Ramen is great and has become a regular stop for me. My favorite there is the miso salt ramen with extra pork on the side. The pork is extremely tender, yet holds it's shape until you pull it with chopsticks. You made a good choice going there. I also enjoy a place there called Miyabitei. They specialize in pork and chicken cutlet plates and make a very reasonable eel on rice bowl that I like. 
By the way, the Mitsuwa Marketplaces here in soCal do not have that awesome view that you have in the one you visited. I like that!

mar52


Great pictures!  Nice to see the family.

I also have a Mitsuwa close to home.  I've yet to try the ramen.  It's not something I can bring home to eat.

I also find that most of the food stalls inside of Mitsuwa all sell the same items.  How do you choose?

Thanks Mar, Irealized later that I didn't take a picture of Kyle just his Godzilla.
The restaurants all seemed to specialize in something different. One Ramen, another Tempura dishes and another Katsu. There were quite a few more including a few bakeries and one place called the Italian Tomato. We didn't check that one out.

Foodbme, That looks like a great place, I checked out their website. Is it hard to get Asian products in AZ? The towns neighboring Edgewater(Fort Lee, Leonia, Cliffside Park have large Japanese and Korean populations. They have quite a few Asian grocery stores in the area.

EdSails


Santouka Ramen is great and has become a regular stop for me. My favorite there is the miso salt ramen with extra pork on the side. The pork is extremely tender, yet holds it's shape until you pull it with chopsticks. You made a good choice going there. I also enjoy a place there called Miyabitei. They specialize in pork and chicken cutlet plates and make a very reasonable eel on rice bowl that I like. 
By the way, the Mitsuwa Marketplaces here in soCal do not have that awesome view that you have in the one you visited. I like that!

Yes, I think we made the right choice also. The pork was so good! Funny thing, when I saw the super thin sliced rib eye I immediately thought cheesesteaks!
As for the view, it really is nice! We were also lucky to have such a nice day.

agnesrob


Foodbme, That looks like a great place, I checked out their website. Is it hard to get Asian products in AZ? The towns neighboring Edgewater(Fort Lee, Leonia, Cliffside Park have large Japanese and Korean populations. They have quite a few Asian grocery stores in the area.

Not too hard. We have a significant Asian population in the Valley. Some other places include:
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dining/articles/0113chinesemarkets.html
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/bestof/2009/award/best-asian-market-1453820/

Looks like you have a great selection! Back in the early 80's when my husband and I first got into Japanese food(After reading Shogun together), it was very difficult to find these ingredients. Fort Lee, NJ was usually the place to go.

Out here, they used to have several of the Italian Tomatoes in the Mitsuwa Marketplaces, as well as a few that were stand-alone locations. They've gradually closed up some of them. Next door to the one in Costa Mesa was  a Korean soup place owned by a woman who was on Iron Chef. I tried it when she first opened and it wasn't as good as some of the Korean soft tofu soup places I've been to. Within 3 months she closed the place. The Italian Tomato is still there, although I rarely see any customers at it. Apparently spaghetti is a big thing in Japan but with all the pasta places here I don't see how they survive. I've never tried it there------just seemed really weird concept to me!
Santouka often has a line with 20 to 30 people in it at lunchtime. Miyabitei has big lines too. I've tried the udon place there and it's good but the broth is not as rich as Santouka's. Was it very crowded when you were there? also, do they have the video store? I found that very interesting to look at the video collection they had. I've also tried pastries at the pastry place---they were actually excellent. 

Very nice report and photos!

Thanks for a great report. My daughter is already planning a trip after viewing your report and the web site. That soup looked great!!!!!

This store looks beautiful.  I go to an  Asian market all the time but  mine is in a strip  mall with another strip mall behind it!
 
However I love to go there as I can  find  any ingredient that I am looking for   for Asian recipes.  Also,  they  have the  most wonderful and huge  fish  department  with all kinds of   great  fresh  fish .  The vegetables and fruits are the cheapest in town!

agnesrob, Thanks for the great report.  I will be working in Leonia later this year.  I would like to try lunch there.

joerogo


agnesrob, Thanks for the great report.  I will be working in Leonia later this year.  I would like to try lunch there.

Joe,  If you know a couple ofweeks ahead of time let me know. Company always makes food taste better!

leethebard


Thanks for a great report. My daughter is already planning a trip after viewing your report and the web site. That soup looked great!!!!!

Leethebard, is your daughter into all things Asian as my children are??

Yes she has loved Manga, Anime and all things Japanese for years!

EdSails


Santouka often has a line with 20 to 30 people in it at lunchtime. Miyabitei has big lines too. I've tried the udon place there and it's good but the broth is not as rich as Santouka's. Was it very crowded when you were there? also, do they have the video store? I found that very interesting to look at the video collection they had. I've also tried pastries at the pastry place---they were actually excellent. 

We arrived at about 10:30am. Since the food court doesn't open until 11 we explored the grocery store to scope out what we might want to purchase. Also to take pictures, much to my daughter  Katie's embarrassment!(she got used to it) It was not very crowded at that time. We were about third in line for our lunch but by the time we finished eating there were lines at all of the retaurants.
I noticed some people just bought one of the prepared meals in the grocery store to eat in the food court. I'm sure on the weekends it's even busier.
Once a year they invite some well renowned sushi chefs(Nobu being one of them as he lives nearby) to demonstrate breaking down and butchering a whole tuna. I would love to see that but I bet it's really packed and parking is at a minimum.
 

agnesrob

EdSails


Santouka often has a line with 20 to 30 people in it at lunchtime. Miyabitei has big lines too. I've tried the udon place there and it's good but the broth is not as rich as Santouka's. Was it very crowded when you were there? also, do they have the video store? I found that very interesting to look at the video collection they had. I've also tried pastries at the pastry place---they were actually excellent. 

We arrived at about 10:30am. Since the food court doesn't open until 11 we explored the grocery store to scope out what we might want to purchase. Also to take pictures, much to my daughter  Katie's embarrassment!(she got used to it) It was not very crowded at that time. We were about third in line for our lunch but by the time we finished eating there were lines at all of the retaurants.
I noticed some people just bought one of the prepared meals in the grocery store to eat in the food court. I'm sure on the weekends it's even busier.
Once a year they invite some well renowned sushi chefs(Nobu being one of them as he lives nearby) to demonstrate breaking down and butchering a whole tuna. I would love to see that but I bet it's really packed and parking is at a minimum.

 
Hi agnesrob,
Several times I've bought sashimi in the market and then taken it out to enjoy at the tables. I've also done that with some of the bento boxes they have. So have you decided what you're doing with all the goodies you bought?
I'm going for an appointment close by and will stop at Mitsuwa tomorrow for lunch. What to get for lunch.............and what do I want for dinner? If they don't have something awesome, I will go to the Korean place I went to on Friday. They have almost as nice a seafood section and had nice monkfish tails for $2.99/lb. when I was there. I may go pick up a few of those to grill for dinner. 
BTW, most of the time when they do special weekends they are packed. You really have to plan one of those as an all day event!
One thing I found raising my kids, was when I took them to places from the time they were young and had them try other foods, that they found out that it really made them comfortable with other cultures. When they shopped with me at Mitsuwa, Marukai, H-Mart Korean, a real Kosher Deli
or a taco burrito place where you had to order in Mexican, they tried much more to enjoy the tastes and also understand the people. When my daughter was 6 and we asked her where she wanted to go for her birthday dinner we expected the same place all the other kids did----Carl's Jr., McDonalds or Chuck E. Cheese. Imagine my shock when she said (in slightly butchered 6 year old pronounciation) "Dad can we go to Inagiki for my birthday for teppanyaki?
Your kids certainly will fit in when they get more in to schools where there are a lot of cultures. It's a good thing you are doing. 
 
 

We went Sunday to Mitsuwa...wow what a place. We shopped and ate for hours. Opted to try the Ramen...super..My wife and daughter enjoyed shopping and even got a few Japanese Shampoos and such...bought some great dumplings. Will be going back. A must stop,if you're close by!!!

Glad you all enjoyed your visit!  My brother and I went yesterday for lunch. We both had the salt ramen and a side order of pork cheeks. So delicious! I feel like I always see something new when I go there.

Agnesrob.
    It was even better than we thought it would be...felt like I was shopping in Tokyo...Such a very large place...and so much food to try. I thought "salt" Ramen would be salty, so had the Misto Ramen. We're going back next saturday for the Fair!!! Thanks so much for steering us to this great place.
                                                                        Lee

I checked out the website. The festival looks like alot of fun! Only problem will be the parking of course. Glad you enjoyed your ramen. The salt ramen is not too salty just seasoned with salt instead of soy sauce or miso. When my kids and I went the first time we ordered a different kind for each of us to try them all. I would like to try the spicy one the next time. I would also like to try some of the other places to eat.
 

I had the spicy Ramen...very good...not too spicy, but tasty...Do you think if we arrived a little before opening, say 9:30 or so , on festival day, we'd get a parking spot?

The Mitsuwa in arlington heights IL where i live looks much different. Ours looks more like a giant Japanese house, with blue tile roof. All self contained. Their ground chuck packed in 1lb packages is far superior to anything in the other stores. The butcher told me it's because the scraps from Wagyu, Kobe are added when they grind. It's only like $1.49 lb. This weekend they're having their Summerfest, with dancers etc so we stayed away from the huge crowds. I go there a few times a month, it's a great store!

leethebard


I had the spicy Ramen...very good...not too spicy, but tasty...Do you think if we arrived a little before opening, say 9:30 or so , on festival day, we'd get a parking spot?

Hard to tell. The market opens at 9:00 and the food court at 11:00. Edgewater is so challenging to park in. I've heard from other people that they park down the street at the Trader Joe's shopping center and walk to Mitsuwa. Their website suggests using public transportation. That would be a little challenging to do from Park Ridge. I think we'll pass on the festival.

jeepguy


The Mitsuwa in arlington heights IL where i live looks much different. Ours looks more like a giant Japanese house, with blue tile roof. All self contained. Their ground chuck packed in 1lb packages is far superior to anything in the other stores. The butcher told me it's because the scraps from Wagyu, Kobe are added when they grind. It's only like $1.49 lb. This weekend they're having their Summerfest, with dancers etc so we stayed away from the huge crowds. I go there a few times a month, it's a great store!

I agree their prices for many things are very good and the quality is great. I buy my daughter and I a platter of sashimi for allot less than I would pay in a restaurant. I can then afford some extra things to go with it. This past time we got some sushi grade scallops, salmon roe and some thinly sliced whelk, which I have never had, to go along with the platter. I also picked up a beautiful chiroshi bowl which is a bowl of sushi rice covered in beautifully arranged raw fish. We had a reasonably priced feast Friday night!

Now I want to try the Ramen.  At my Mitsawa there are several cafes, all selling Ramen.  Do you know the names of those you tried?
 
I used to go to a privately owned place called Yokohama Ramen that sold.  I've not yet been able to find a place that replicates the mabo ramen that they served.  

agnes, you had me at plastic food.  I irrationally love those plastic food displays.  And I'm so jealous you have this nearby; I would be there all the time.

 
  I would go to that shopping center for the exact reasons you showed. My dad lived in Fort Lee and West NY,NJ. The supermarket is amazing, ...very amazing!!!! My best memory of that store was the pickled vegetable stand, and I would probably never eat half of it.  As far as packaging goes, nothing beats the Japanese.  I would walk around that center for hours. 
http://images.wikia.com/s...s/6/66/Mr._Sparkle.gif
    
Your closing photo of Godzilla is the second part, as I spent hundreds of dollars there.  I even have Godzilla chopstick holders.
 
mark
 

mar52


Now I want to try the Ramen.  At my Mitsawa there are several cafes, all selling Ramen.  Do you know the names of those you tried?

I used to go to a privately owned place called Yokohama Ramen that sold.  I've not yet been able to find a place that replicates the mabo ramen that they served.  

Mar,  The name of the shop is Santoka Ramen. If you check mitsuwa.com you can check to see if your location has this restaurant. Of the one's we tried the salt ramen is definately my favorite!

Nancypalooza


agnes, you had me at plastic food.  I irrationally love those plastic food displays.  And I'm so jealous you have this nearby; I would be there all the time.

Yes, I'm facinated by the plastic food. It's so realistic looking!

doggydaddy


 
I would go to that shopping center for the exact reasons you showed. My dad lived in Fort Lee and West NY,NJ. The supermarket is amazing, ...very amazing!!!! My best memory of that store was the pickled vegetable stand, and I would probably never eat half of it.  As far as packaging goes, nothing beats the Japanese.  I would walk around that center for hours. 
http://images.wikia.com/s...s/6/66/Mr._Sparkle.gif
  
Your closing photo of Godzilla is the second part, as I spent hundreds of dollars there.  I even have Godzilla chopstick holders.

mark

Wow, My son would love the Godzilla chop stick holders! I'll have to keep an eye out for them! He owns quite a few Godilla movies, mostly in Japanese with English subtitles.

 
 
I'll give you a quick and fun Roadfood afternoon excursion.  Head to Pomme Frittes and right next door, you will find Toy Tokyo. It is quite possibly the largest and most unique store of all things Japanese:

http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Overview/4173/pommes-frites
 
Hundreds of dollars worth of Gojira.


 
You are close enough for Crif Dogs:

http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Overview/5308/crif-dogs
 
...and very close to Economy Candy. No photo:
http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Overview/5202/economy-candy
I know that there is even more going on down around there.....
 
mark
 
 
 

Mark,  Thanks for the info. That looks like it should be our next mini trip. I can't wait to show my son the picture of that collection!

Took the family to Midsuwa in Edgewater yesterday for the yearly festival. It was my daughter's request for her birthday. What a great day. We parked , as suggested here, in the neighboring shopping center lot by T.J. Max, after circling the Mitsuwa lot for twenty minutes or so trying to secure a spot. Very short walk, so that's the way to go on a busy day.
     The festival, in the area behind Mitsuwa was great. Games music and such. My son and I loved the many Japanese drummer groups that played all day. Sampled Japanese foods and desserts.
    Ate our main meal inside Mitsuwa market. My wife and son loved the Tempura they got, and my daughter and I returned to the Ramen place, I tried the Salt ramen after listening to the positive comments here. And I must agree, it was the best!!
    We enjoyed shopping again in the actual market area. I purchased two 12 packs of Sopporo Beer on sail that day for $18,00. Am enjoying that purchase. My daughter enjoyed shopping in the book and video store.
      We finally purchased a green tea cake in the bake shop, came home late, but sliced up that exquisite cake for my daughter's birthday.
       Will try to get some pictures up, when my daughter shows me how.
       What another great day at Mitsuwa Marketplace!!!
             

Happy Birthday to your daughter! Glad to hear you had a great time at the festival!

Thanks so much agnesrob...and thanks so much for all the great advice that inspired our trip. Santoka Ramen is indeed a great experience and the salt ramen delicious!