Is there anywhere on the Westside that sells Shaoxing wine or Chinkiang vinegar?
I am in dire need of Chinese staples and I don’t know of any Chinese supermarkets or grocery stores that don’t require a 45-minute drive. I’ve tried Korean, Philippine, and Japanese markets for Chinese items, but the pickings are slim.
Does the downtown Chinatown have a supermarket? I would be okay with driving there, if there’s nothing closer.
I googled, but didn’t see anything. Thanks.
In Echo Park, I have long gone to the A Grocery Warehouse for staples:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/a-grocery-warehouse-los-angeles?search_key=44443
But the grand daddy appears to be LAX-C which I still need to check out:
Depending on where you are on the westside and depending on traffic, it (the drive to 99 Ranch in Van Nuys) could be short as as 15-20 min drive (it’s super close to the Victory Blvd exit on the 405), and parking is plentiful.
there’s ai hoa in chinatown and they even validate parking.
or you can pay up the wazoo and get them through amazon - $12.50 for the cooking wine and $7.83 for the vinegar. i think there’s free shipping on orders over $25.
or some enterprising person could start a small business taking orders from west siders and schlepping non-perishable groceries from the SGV over to the west side a few times a week with designated pickup spots at scheduled times. it’d be perfect for my friend in santa monica who drives over the SGV for lunch on fridays and likes to wander through grocery stores afterwards. it would remain to determine a portage fee that’d make the effort worthwhile and yet be worth it for customers.
please remove
Ditto for the Gardena branch of 99 Ranch Market, which is a similar trip from places like Culver City or Palms.
@wienermobile: if you click the trash can icon, your post will get automatically deleted in 24 hrs.
Thanks everyone! I’ve considered 99 Ranch, but was hoping I could miraculously avoid the freeway.
I’ll flip a coin and decide which direction to go. Maybe Chinatown, what the heck, I can get lunch somewhere I haven’t tried yet.
errr… you live in LA… 
Have you tried the Marukai on Pico & Bundy? they have an aisle of Chinese sauces and condiments I think I saw Shaoxing there, worth double checking before you drive much further out.
You can take Sepulveda all the way up. Good luck 
You could get almost anywhere in LA on surface streets as fast, and many times faster, than taking the freeway.
Unless you’re shopping for groceries at 2 a.m., of course.
@aaqjr Excellent, I’m in that neighborhood a lot. Thanks.
@Ns1 That is a nicer drive, true.
@ipsedixit I would love to do all my driving at 2 a.m., if only those pesky drunk drivers would start ubering instead of crashing into us all the time.
Have you thought about any of the Korean Markets on Western? Galleria, H-Mart etc If you strike out at Marukai, Those markets are not as far as Chinatown
I did. They had some Japanese items, but I didn’t even see black beans.
Definitely hit or miss but I find Chinese ingredients at Simpang Asia in Palms from time to time.
You can safely substitute a dry sherry for Shiaoxing Wine; I wouldn’t go as dry as Fino.
Chinkiang vinegar is a mild dark rice vinegar. When I couldn’t find any I subsitituted Japanese brown rice vinegar diluted with water about 20% (total guess). Didn’t seem to hurt the dish.
LAX-C specializes in Thai items. It’s like a Thai Costco. Don’t miss the food court!
Thanks for the tips. I drop by Simpang occasionally (they have great coconut water and snack things, shrimp chips!), but never noticed Chinese ingredients. I’ll look more carefully next time.
I use sherry, but would really, really like to try a good Shiaoxing to see how it tastes. Do you notice a big difference?
And I’ll try your vinegar sub. If it works for you, I’m sure it will work for me. I’m kind of a novice to Chinese cooking. My pantry is full of Thai and Japanese ingredients, but light on Chinese, other than the most basic stuff.