99 Asian Market

The Small Storefront is Deceiving

The answer to your question faithful subscribers, is yes…the 99 Asian Market sells sweet chili sauce. But that wasn’t the only reason for my visit to the North End last week, for I’d also heard they serve amazing food.

The 99 Asian Market is a family run operation with ingredients from the local Boston and Montreal markets. Its store front is so small that even after google-mapping the location, I still drove by the place 3 times before I was able to find it. Despite the fact that I was coming on recommendation, I still prejudged the location and had some reservations when I got out of the car and started to walk towards the door. I have got to stop doing that.

When you walk into 99, you realize that the store isn’t as small as it seems. Upon entering, I stepped into what I like to call the foyer of produce. Looking past, I could see that there about 6 or 7 rows of shelves that run 2-deep.

There are no hostesses waiting to seat you but the couple who owns the shop, along with their beautiful baby, greet people from behind a counter and cash register.

And that’s when you get it. You’re not really in a restaurant. You are in a grocery store that happens to also serve food.

Moving through the foyer, I found the menus on a little stand and a seating area tucked back between the produce and the refrigerated sections. The owner himself brought us some hot tea and cleaned off the rest of the tables before giving us a few minutes to peruse the menu.

The menu of 99 Asian Market is fairly extensive, spanning  4 1/2 pages and with a litany of options ranging from traditional soups, to bubble teas, to variations on classic dishes. But the menu is not all inclusive… the market has a secret. Ask for the “Banh Mi” (Bun Mee) and you will not be disappointed. It’s not on the menu, but you can order this tasty, large sandwich with beef and fish sauce for only $3.50!

And so after surveying the menu, the Americans ordered Chicken Curry, a sandwich (Spicy Beef Banh Mi) and a roll sample platter. Yes, we are cliché and maybe a tad bit unoriginal. Sorry.

Waiting for the food is the best part. This is when you can explore the market, which stretches twice as long as it is wide. There is a large selection of oriental foods and, though you all know I love the Thia Phat Market, it is significantly more spread out and less cramped and offers just as good, if not a better, selection.

We were so excited to eat that we forgot to take a picture of the food when it came out. This is half-way through when we were slowing down!

When our food arrived, we were glad we ordered what we did. (Though I have it on good authority that the Shrimp Pad Thia is out of this world.) The curry was delicious, with just the right amount of coconut, though it could have been a bit spicier. Tiger rolls? Out of this world. I’m getting 12 next time I go. And the Banh Mi…jackpot; though after the meal was over, I picked what I thought was a piece of beef from my plate and it turned out to be a pepper…I drank a lot of tea and ate a lot of my fiance’s rice in a hurry.

We were stuffed and happy when paying the bill, but things got better. The price for an appetizer and 2 meals? $18.50. Yes, Burlington, there is a Santa Clause, and he eats at the 99 Asian Market because it’s unique, wallet-friendly, delicious and filling.

Until Next Time,

A Stranger Observing Burlington, Vermont – Elek