Alyanna C.
Yelp
Fou Lee Market is an unassuming Asian store near the VA Hospital on Beacon Hill - however it's more of a Filipino store, so don't come here expecting it to be a Ranch 99 where they carry Japanese specific products as well (someone came here asking if they carried okonomiyaki sauce... poor guys). From what I hear, it used to be a gasoline store and is now a famous word of mouth place among Pinoys. Despite major Filipino supermarkets like Seafood City and Island Pacific opening in Seattle, I still like coming here specifically for their fresh longanisa and hot deli.
Let me start off with the bad - this is not a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, or even a Safeway... don't expect super clean shelves and produce aisles where they spray the groceries every 10 minutes to keep them moist. You'll want to check the expiration dates on any shelf products just to be safe... it's your typical Asian grocery store. Just like in China Town. So leave that haughty expectation out the door. ;)
Also parking is a nightmare... their lot is super small with the additional dangers of Asian drivers. It's also a bit hard to enter because if there's traffic to get into the parking lot (it's one way), you won't be able to turn in OR you may block traffic on the main road. Like I said, it used to be a gasoline station... so of course the place is tiny. When there's a line for the cashier, it will be crowded, and don't expect them to be the nicest people as well.
On to the good - they really do sell FRESH longanisa . You can find it in the refrigerated section with the pork in a blue tray. It won't be frozen and have all the preservatives you find in the mass produced longanisa. I believe it's store made, and there are 2 varieties. The redder one is the spicy sweet variety people are used to - this is my favorite. They have a grayer looking one which is a variation in the Philippines - it's also good but has a more distinct flavor, like a bitter savory flavor... it's hard to describe. It reminds me of Vigan longanisa, for those who know what I'm talking about.
They also sell a great variety of Asian produce - before Seafood City and Island Pacific, we used to come here specifically to buy hard-to-find produce squash flowers for Filipino dishes like dinengdeng and sinigang.
However the winner here is the hot deli in the back - for the most part it's cheap and good with no frills. The egg noodle chow mein is DELICIOUS. I don't know if it's actually chow mein or pancit canton... but whatever, it's great. It's super garlicky, comes with a good amount of veggies and chicken, and the people who pack it always try to fit as much as they can in a container. The chow mein is great as a leftover and perfect for bringing to parties.
Now going into full Filipino mode now, the other thing that's amazing here is the dilis - crispy deep fried silver fish (I think they're smelt?) that are super addicting to anyone used to eating dried fish, especially dangit (Filipino fried dried fish). They have the perfect crunchiness and savory taste. They're about $9.99 a pound, but WORTH IT... cheaper and better than the fried smelt from Ranch 99 or jeprox from Seafood City.
They are heavenly dipped in vinegar and are perfect for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with rice. Seriously, if you are a Filipino who loves fry dried fish like dangit, you will CRAVE these all the time after eating it. It's worth making my car smell fishy, as I can finish an entire carton in a day (normally less than that because my family LOVES snacking on it).
OK moving away from my Filipino cravings... I also recommend trying the humbao/siapao (whatever you call it). They're cheap and good for $1.25 each - I tried the bola bola flavor and the meatballs were big! They also have super cheap premade Vietnamese deli sandwiches for on the go ($2 each) and have some tasty Filipino deserts like carioca (deep fried rice balls covered in brown sugar) and turon (Filipino banana eggroll).
Occasionally they have coconut shrimp by the pound here - I recommend it as it's really good and fairly cheap compared to other places. The deli is really good for cheap Asian catering - they have cheap party trays and perfect for an Asian family, since they offer garlic shrimp, fried chicken wings, eggrolls, chow mein, etc. Definitely look into it if you can get catering here for a get together - I don't recommend the party tray of lechon kawali though. It was more fat than meat. X_x
With that said... even with Seafood City and Island Pacific available for my Filipino grocery shopping and better parking situation, I'll still continue to come to this small business for my cravings of their deli food.