Fubonn Shopping Center

The Asian grocery store is of a decent size, offering a wide variety of products, including fresh produce, pantry staples, and unique ingredients. In addition to dry goods, they also have a selection of cooked food and snacks, perfect for a quick meal or treat. The prices are reasonable, making it accessible for budget-conscious shoppers. However, I do hope the management considers upgrading the overall cleanliness and organization of the store, as a tidier environment would enhance the shopping experience for everyone.

It is a great Asian shopping center. The market is clean and has many varieties of produce. The customer service is great and staff is hospitable. The price I would say is affordable in the area. Parking lot is ample but I have seen lots of drug addicts and homeless people around. Maybe it’s not the market's fault but we need to think about how to solve it soon before it becomes a bigger problem Other than the market, you can find other clothes, lawyer booths nearby. I had a good experience here

Great selection of vegetables and they get fruits you can’t get elsewhere. Well stocked all around, with well-priced snacks and staples. They do have a slight problem with sticking frozen perishables that have thawed out or started to go bad so be mindful when shopping especially for meats. The price of some of their frozen goods however is outrageous. They don’t label many goods so you may end up paying 14 dollars for a two serving package of lumpia like I did. That’s just robbery. I can’t go anywhere above three stars because if just how absurd the pricing on some unlabeled items like that is, it’s just so scummy.

Good Asian food market. They have a nice selection of produce. A good deli. Lots of great food products and household goods. It's a bit of a drive from Hillsboro, but when you need stuff to make Tom Kha Kai soup, it is the place to go.

Nice stinky little grocery/mall. I come for the $4.00 Banh Mi’s.

This 5 stars review solely for the Vietnamese Chè Xôi Nước! It's one of my favorite comfort desserts. It's also sentimental to me since they make it very close to the way my Bà Ngoại made for us. She always made it with extra mung bean and coconut mild for me. It's super cheap $3 per container with 3 big balls and many little ones. I wish they give more coconut milk with it. I don't know if they make it daily but I'm happy it was there when I came in today.

As cooks, my wife and I are not quite as adventurous as we tend to be when simply picking things off a menu in a restaurant, but Fubonn is our destination of choice for ingredients when we do branch out. And they've never let us down in terms of selection. We're still making our way through different brands and types of curry to try. And every time I go back, I'm still amazed at the number of snack foods that there are to take a chance on. On a recent visit, we discovered additional parking and entrances on the south side of the mall, and behind it - since the parking situation out front can be crowded, it's nice to know of other, equally convenient options.

This is an entire shopping center and there are several small stores, clothing, beauty, and restaurant type shops. My review is specific to the grocery store at the center of the building. This is a great place to find obscure sauces, noodles, mochi, and a whole variety of Asian cooking ingredients. It may take you some time to walk down the isles and find what you need so give yourself some extra time (there is a lot of stuff packed in there and not every thing is clearly marked or labeled). They have fresh and frozen meat/fish, veggies, and fruit too. There is a section for beer/wine and also misc. household items. Updated January 2023: on my most recent trip I noticed there were a lot of missing staples. (Like plum sauce). A few items were restricted to how much you could purchase. I think this is due to the supply chain issues all stores seem to be facing. Parking can be tricky, there is some parking around back. There are a few handicap parking spots in the front and back of the building. It is one level and is accessible from both entrances for those with a wheel chair or walker. I think it is shorter from the front entrance to the main grocery store, however it is crowded with merchandise at that entrance. Also: if you go into the center grocery store with a cart or stroller, be prepared to enter at the exit and go all the way around to get in. The front entrance has one of those bars you push to enter. I saw one security guard in the building at the exit of the main grocery store.

Overall they seem to have a nice selection. But they are terrible at maintaining stock. They normally have an entire refrigerated section of fresh noodles. I drove there for the noodles and there were none. None. Just inferior noodles spread over the space to make it look like they weren't out of stock. Waste of my time.

Fubonn is the largest Asian shopping center in Oregon. Located off 82nd Ave. The shopping center is open 9am-8pm but store hours may vary. There is a parking lot but it is kinda funky so be careful driving in it. Stores inside include: Food/Drink - Fubonn Supermarket, Bun & Pho House, Meianna Bakery, O'Sushi, Rocking Crab & Boiling Pot, SokongDong Tofu & BBQ, Starbucks Health/Beauty - Anna Ao Dai, Health Foot Spa, PDX Chiropractor, Lam's Beauty Salon, Pacific Cosmetic, Studio Buda, Te Limon Fashion Other - ANFA Express, Asian Immigration Services, Can. Fred Lawyers, Express to China, Farmers Insurance, Jessica Jeweler, Kumon, LDTTech Wireless, Ultron Home Service, Van Phong Khai Thue NT Tax Service

The reason for the poor rating is for 2 employees. Yesterday at 5pm I stopped at the meat counter, and stood there for 10 minutes, finally a worker stomped over and like Iwas bothering him. I asked for some ground pork and neck bones. These looked super fresh. He pointed told me to go and get the ones in the aisle already packed, and I said I want these particular ones in the glass case. He became very agitated. I was very friendly and thanked him. I was very unhappy with him.

Great haircuts, she also dies hair, perms, hair, straightens hair. She has cut my hair for a long time now at least seven years. She is a sweet lady. She fits me in any day that I come in. Just don't come in around nine or 930 come in a little later.

Good pricing especially on the fresh seafood. Large selection of Asian brands that I have not been able find anywhere else.

Do not use the shipping service here !!! I tried to send some goods to a friend in Vietnam The package came late (took over a month) arrived with missing goods inside, they stole 3 boxes of cigars and replaced with bunch of papers inside....

I forgot how this place is a completely different beast on the weekend. You can come here for the grocery store pretty much any day of the week, but the shopping center is basically ghost town, except on Saturdays and Sundays. Then it starts to show signs of life. But most part though, the only reason to poke around in the mini mall is the fabulous Meianna Bakery, or maybe a quick bubble tea on the way out. Still, it is nice to see that *something* is being done with the space, although my original critique still stands: I just wanted to be so much more than it is.

This is a fascinating Asian supermarket that skews Southeast Asian in terms of what they stock. They have your standard Asian goods along with some really rare/interesting stuff, including: - MEGACHEF OYSTER SAUCE: This stuff sells for $15 a bottle at specialty food stores, but here it's only around $4. - LAO BILE SAUCE: This is sauce made from beef bile, which is used to add bitterness to Laotian style Laab. - GREEN MANGOES: These were only $2.99 a pound, a total steal! At Lao and Viet markets in the Bay Area, these babies could go for as much as $5.99 a pound. This Asian market is a treasure trove, with a lot more specialty ingredients than big box Asian supermarkets like Uwajimaya or H Mart. It's also relatively clean! Clientele seems to skew Filipino and Vietnamese.

Always a fun experience! Every aisle contains a variety of each item - think shelves and shelves of soy sauce. Aisles of chili paste and fried Chile - Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai. An entire aisle dedicated to different types of dried noodles - egg, mung bean, rice. Huge seafood department that always fascinates me. Lots and lots of fresh produce. So many types of snacks - shrimp chips, rice crackers, sesame nuts, rice cakes, mocha and so much more. Kitchen items and even home decor, this market has it all. Prices are higher than other Asian Markets in the area. The store is clean and even though it's huge, it's well organized. Parking lot out front is large, and since I go on off hours, I've never had a problem getting a spot. Usually I go to this market when I need something specific for a recipe, but I never just go in and out; I have to wander! My family is from Italy and I grew up with a Mediterranean style of cooking, so walking up and down every aisle, checking out the staples and fresh seafood and produce, trying to figure out what some of the items are, is a fun experience! Always end up buying more than I intended with the romantic notion that I am going to prepare a new Asian dish to add to my repitoire. Sometimes I do, but often my intentions remain just that. Either way, I had fun.

I don't come here often, but when I do, I always like it. I've always liked it because it's not just some typical Asian grocery store, but has lots of other stores around it too. Korean beauty, Korean BBQ, Starbucks, and more. The prices are average, but the, by far, large selection is what sets it apart. The thing I'd have to knock its score down for is the fact that entry, parking, and leaving is always a pain in the butt. The entry point and parking lot size is too small, and because it's so popular, you're always busy trying to dodge pedestrians and cars while fighting for a spot (on busy days anyhow). With all that said, definitely a must visit place for those who are a fan of these stores. Might not be for everyone judging by some reviews I've seen, but I think it deserves its recognition.

For the last decade, I've been a regular Uwajimaya shopper, but now I'm torn. Both have their positives and negatives, but what sways me in this direction is that Fubonn is much more than a grocery store. It is surrounded by many other Asian restaurants, bookstores, candy shops, etc. so it makes for a wonderful outing. Uwajimaya is an island unto itself in Beaverton. When I go to either store, I don't have a specific shopping list and just enjoy endlessly strolling the aisles and picking up this and that. My kids always head straight for the fish counter and tanks. If you go on the weekend, be prepared because this place can be a zoo. The funniest surprise on my most recent visit was Ritter Sport chocolate bars from Germany at the checkout counter. Two great tastes that go great together.

Yes!!!. This place is a must, they have atone of shops in one big building and restaurants inside. And their grocery store is huge a lot of product's plus cute utensils and plates.

I don't have a ton to say: I go in, I get staples I need for cooking, I get out. There's also now a yummy food cart-type thing right outside of the exist with delicious samosa, skewers, bao, and bubble waffles! I can get most of the things I need for my very Japanese-heavy diet (I'm half Japanese) without having to go out to Beaverton. Only 4 stars due to the parking.

My goodness...I had read about this place in a Portland magazine and got super excited, because I love Asian culture. Well, we got a lyft to this place and it cost over $15 to get here (would have been over $20 but we had a promo). It was not worth it at all. We walked in, and I was like "oh no..." Some shops were closed, it just looked super sad, and I was immediately upset that it was even classified as an Asian shopping mall. Sure, there were some stores that were distinctly selling products like the Vietnamese ao dai or even the Asian supermarket...but my goodness, it was sad. We ended up just buying some snacks for our trip and then some boba, because that's all we could really find. Saw a sign for an arcade so we were saying that we might as well do something while we were here. Check out the picture of the arcade that I uploaded. -___-" This was definitely a waste of time (with the exception of a couple of the stores).

I miss these little Asian pancake biscuit things (I forget the name but it was just called a pancake or something basic of the sorts, I think). It was from a tiny booth in the Fubonn Shopping Center, in the hallway in front of Fubonn. Recommend.

This location has a good Asian supermarket for your Asian food needs! If you want Korean food, you can go to SoKongDong. The Starbucks here is good because the service is great! I regularly come here to have my clothes altered as well.

First off a warning, the parking here can really suck, it wraps the building but it is just an odd layout. Since the market/mall is quite popular, there are usually lots of cars moving about.... That said there are lots of reasons to come. There is obviously the big super market the mall is named for (see separate reviews...) restraints, a foot massage place, a great asian bakery, and lots of odd little shops. It is also the only place I know of that still has those odd coin operated kids rides I used to love...they have quite a few of them. The halls at times seem lined with odd statues. look around, grab a bubble tea or go to the bakery. There is a small arcade by the bathrooms. The mall is a unique experience. Tip, get the little egg tarts! or the pineapple pound cake! You deserve it after the parking lot. Tip 2- no visit is complete without going inside Fubonn itself....then why wouldn't you?

Ron and I continued on our tour of international markets after a successful stop at Uwajimaya for Natto. He has so far really enjoyed the Natto and has found different ways to use it. We loved Uwajimaya, but he lives in SE Portland and it is quite a trip out there. So we started a tour of the SE side international markets at Fubonn. As far as I can tell, it probably is one of the largest Asian shopping centers in the area (please remember we are just starting this process). Some have commented on the parking being difficult, but we found a parking spot readily right near the front door; beginner's luck??? I have nothing else to work off of because it was our first visit. After nosing around, both Ron and I thought that parking on the sides of the building might be easier. Could be worth a try. The main Fubonn store is a circular structure with four wings that house other Fubonn businesses (florists, beauty salon, etc.). The actual grocery store was quite large, but not packed with other customers when we were there. We could move around through the aisles with no difficulty, and we found Natto in the freezer section easily. Everything was clean, and the light overhead is nice and bright. Today's discovery was they have quail eggs available. What beautiful things they are! The duck eggs of course were easy to see because they are a good deal larger than the chicken eggs. We did find the frozen octopus tentacles. They carry Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese products and no doubt others, and they do carry a mix of American products, particularly soda pop and juices. There's more to explore and look at here with a lot of other things besides groceries (clothing, garden statuary, and more). Ron was thrilled with nearby Natto, and I really enjoyed the experience. We will be back for more Natto (he has talked me into trying it Saturday night). Fubonn just gained themselves two new customers. Be sure to visit it; it is well worth the trip.

Love the ramen aisle Fun stuff to shop for, tradition and not traditional. You HAVE to buy the huge bag of fortune cookies, just because.

My happy day tip for you: There are 200 parking spaces behind Fubonn, and an entrance to the "largest Asian mall" in Oregon in the back of the building. No more fighting for parking! Go when you have time to wander. There is a lot to see and you need to pick up multiple items, say, "WHAT is THAT?" and then saunter over to the next aisle and repeat. Chocky sticks? They have them. Kimchi? In the bottle. Komoboko? At least three different kinds. They have a ton of vegan products in the last freezer case facing the wall. We picked up fresh gai lan and made gai lan in oyster sauce. We also made rice with chinese sausage and long beans. And it wasn't very expensive, all things considered, to get groceries there. I even got flavored seaweed, my favorite snack ever. Go here for cheap eats. All the different kinds of ramen you want. Kimchi ramen? Seafood ramen? Korean and Japanese ramen? It's all there! The premade food and dimsum looks kinda hinky, I'm not sure I would eat it. Also, I have no need for pig uteri in my cooking, but I'm sure somebody eats it. Once I showed my father in law a plastic wrapped package there that just said "assorted meats." Yeah, I dare you to get that! Put THAT in your pho! The meats and fish in the back don't look all that great, but maybe they are just fine. I don't know. Definitely go here for your Asian food cooking needs and expand your palate. And get the flavored seaweed. It's delicious.

Asian foods galore! This store has everything you could want with a wide selection of foods. The price is moderate and not too bad. The workers though are not that friendly and it is hard to fins a thing unless you know the layout of the store. It is also hard to find anybody to help you locate an item. The workers are not that knowledgable about the products. The return policy is. It there frat neither. They have a good selection of meat, season and dried goods. Just about anything you could want from an Asian store. The parking lot isn't too bad neither. Overall the selection of Asian type goods from rice to MSG is great. But customer service is very much lacking.

It's only natural to compare new Fu-bonn with its Japanese counterpart Uwajimaya in Beaverton. While FuBonn is more accessible to inner Portlanders, it lacks in the housewares, books, and stationary that I adore at Uwajimaya. Nevertheless, there are plenty of affordable and puzzling grocery items here, providing great browsing fun. Fubonn is also home to the largest selection of frozen fake meat items I have ever seen, thus making it a must-see for adventurous vegans. Fake haggis anyone?

I usually shop here because they have a variety of Asian stuff. Almost everything I need . The price is reasonable. At least the cashier s are professional and honest. I know there's a couple smaller Chinese groceries stores down the street . The one name: tin_ seng always scam people . If you buy a lot of stuff there. They will over charge you. Last time I bought a bunch of stuff. They purposely charge me 3 bags of snack when I bought only two bags . At that time I didn't realized because I bought a lot of stuff. By the time I got home. I counted my items and realized I got scam . When I told my mom. She said they pulled the same scam on her and her friends too. This is the reason why I only shop at big Asian grocery stores .

Well, let me tell you the bad thing first. It's located near 82nd and Powell in the Southeast. It's very busy, especially during weekend. If you don't want to fight the traffic, you'd better come here early in the morning. But I've been to other Asian groceries store around Portland. And this one seems to have more varieties than other places (including Uwajimaya). I also like the fact they have quite a few of Indonesian food for sale. Although, I often find that the shelves are half empty. Must be alot of Indonesian go and shop here. They also have a great sake and wine selection. Something that you should checkout when you come here next time.

I had a strange experience here where I was wandering for a long time looking for a specific Chinese ingredient, which I never found. People kept peering into my cart ( I did have a few other things to get, from the frozen section and the noodle section, but I think people were wondering what I was buying??) I never did find my ingredient ( specifically sauce for char sui, which comes in a jar at Uwajimaya )but .... I did find myself some lunch at the deli on the way out, though, a steamed pork bun ( char sui bao, or hum bow, depending on where you're from). It was yummy. I was planning on making my own char sui, but this time it wasn't going to happen for us. We had a noodly stir fry instead. I did notice the strong smells near the fish area, but I think a lot of fish markets smell just like that... ..It certainly was entertaining-- like a step out of Portland - in there, reminded me so much of markets in San Francisco where I used to go as a little kid.

I guess I'm just spoiled after frequenting the enormous Uwajimaya in Seattle's International District, but Fubonn was kind of a disappointment. Even the Uwajimaya in Beaverton, although far smaller than the Seattle location, is more impressive. However, if you live out on the East side and can't make the trek to the 'burbs, Fubonn would solve all your Asian grocery needs. The prices are great, but the selection is lacking. I couldn't find chopped garlic in jars to save my life, nor could I find an employee on the floor who could help me. I also expected them to have a better deli/food court... but remember, I'm spoiled. If you need the basics, Fubonn will suffice but there are better Asian groceries in town.

In what is surely an alternative to Uwajimaya, the Fubonn center is supposed the one stop place for all things Asian. This was a necessary project for Portland's Asian community and gives folks from all backgrounds a chance to shop for things they wouldn't find in a traditional westernized supermarket / store / shopping center. Portland is home to one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the US and a good portion of the folks working here are Vietnamese or Chinese-Vietnamese. The patrons will vary from Southeast Asian to Caucasian but this place is as good as dead during the afternoon. The food court has been near empty from 1-5PM and picks up a bit more closer to dinner time when folks have more time to shop. The weekends can get crowded, but it seems like this place would be losing money if it didn't encounter a good amount of patrons visiting at all times of the day. Hopefully the Fubonn Center will be able to stay open for a long time.

For those of us who grew up in Asian-American suburbs and then "transplanted" themselves in Portland, Oregon, it's easy to miss the gigantic supermarket centers where we would trudge to every weekend so mom can buy all the baby bok choy and catfish that her heart desired. Fubonn eases that ache a little. It ain't no Ranch 99 or Hawaii, but it's what Portland can offer and I can appreciate it. Also, there's no where else in town where you'll find such a comprehensive collection of POCKY!

This place is probably as good as Portland will get at the ginormous Uwajimaya in Seattle's International District/Chinatown. It claims to be a mall and I suppose it fits the definition, but as you walk in, it's pretty much wall-to-wall kiosks on the side as you approach the actual Fubonn Market. Very clean on the inside though and there were also many shops on the outside as well, including a delicious Korean restaurant. The market itself carries the standard Asian food fare. We went in looking for decorations for Lunar New Year and we found some pretty good ones. There are also appliances that cannot be found in traditional American stores. Great place to visit and stock up on delicious food!

Stoked! Came here soley for the market inside. It's a nice large market full of typical and foreign product. Produce: Foreign and domestic selections and great price/quality! I came here hoping to find bean sprouts and boy did I! Packaged soy bean sprouts are a little over $1.50 for a 1.5pb bag. Self serve bean sprouts are 69cents per lb!!! Tons of great fruits and veggies, if I lived closer I'd always shop here instead of a normal grocer. Meat: lots of pork! Just about every part of the hog is on display for sale. Lots of other animals and poultry for sale as well, and a tint bit of beef. Lots of organs and whatnot too. Plethora of noodles, condiments, desserts (yes, mochi!!!) And looootttttssss of Asian dry food. Tons of Asian cookware, dishes etc. Fabulous market

If you're looking for large selection of things in general (such as spices, frozen food, and vegetables), probably the best you can find in one place for a fair price. There are lots of option around the shopping center. The bake goods are good. I like all the vegetables selection and the dried good selection. Excellent variety for dried goods. The vegetables are fair priced and so is the BBQ section. I would go here again if I knew I had a large groceries list for a party and craving for particular Asian food. Location wise, it is slightly far for those in Hillsboro area, the drive itself would equal the cost of groceries if you were to go to other Asian market nearby. Service is excellent here and it is fairly clean. Much better pricing than other large Asian markets.

I love the Fubonn. So many options here for things to do and try. Last time I was here, I tried a bakery that had a card minimum. I just took some extra cookies to go. They were delicious, with M&Ms. My favorite place to go is Pretty and Cute, which is technically outside the Fubonn but still awesome for asian beauty items. Oh and the Pho place outside is great. Not the best ever but still pretty decent. I prefer Pho Hung and pho oregon if I'm on 82 but it's a good option if you're already at the Fubonn.

Still the preferred place for my Asian groceries. Better selection than Uwajimaya, Hong Phat, and smaller Mom & Pop places. Hot Bar selection and quality is far from like places in California. Lilly's Market in NE has one of the best. I wish they'd carry less non-food items and replace with even more selection. Service is typical stoic borderline crappy found in this part of town.

an oriental shopping complex mixed in with asian restaurants. Can be crowded on weekends. Good to go if you are looking for hard to find ingredients on your asian dish. reasonable prices.

I went there because in Portland is very TOUGH to find some kind of FISH, especially fresh mollusks such squids. On that regard I found its fish market the best available in town. Recommended for fish shopping, not really for the rest.

Rather dirty even for local Asian stores. Obviously no one who works here cares. MUCH of the produce is tired, old, wilted, and in the case of the cucumbers I wanted they were moldy and rotting in the store. These folks have a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. While I was there, someone brought their little dog in. The clerks seemed happy to see it even though it took a dump in an aisle. No one cleaned that up! When I said something, they treated me as if I were the bad one because I noticed.

Its just okay. I just happen to be in the area and stopped in. Produce prices are higher than you expect for an asian food store. For example the vegetables are around $3-4, instead of $1.50-2.50 per pound. Fruits don't look that good, but the prices are the same as a regular supermarket. If you're buying seconds, it should be reflected in the price.

Fubonn was a neat find many years ago. Since then I discovered H-Mart which has much better pricing on almost everything. Fubonn has a larger variety of offerings. However they don't have many items on sales or enough specials to attract me. Even though I live closer to Fubonn than H-Mart I rather shop at H-Mart. Their vegetable pricing is much higher than H-Mart.

Uhm, okay. With all of the shining reviews on here, I was apprehensive about posting negatively on Fubonn's page. However, here goes: FUBONN GROCERY IS THE WAL-MART OF ASIAN GROCERY STORES. I have lived in Portland all of my life. I've traveled around the country (not extensively), and spent a wee bit of time in Asia. I went to Fubonn for the first time a couple of weeks ago. You ask: If I've lived in Portland for so long, and cook Asian food quite often, why is it that it wasn't until then that I went there? I answer: there was never any appeal to go there. Sure, the place took up a city block and seemed elusive with its giant metal gates and peach colored building, but to me, it seemed as if the only thing it had going for it was its size and novelty. But I wanted to give it a go, rather than judging it from outside its metal gates from my ivory tower. But when I got into the grocery store, it was everything I was expecting: it was Armageddon. People were running around, boxes were all over the place, it was messy and cluttered and disorganized. Whatever. I've been to markets like that in the past. As long as the food is good and the people are nice, I'm fine with it. After I went from aisle to aisle tossing in random bits that looked appealing (including squid chips, basil seed drinks and tamarind candy), I began looking for a particular item that I'm able to buy in the other asian stores (a kind of dried beef). I need to note: I speak Vietnamese and English. However, when trying to look for this product and asking the sales staff for help, I might as well have been speaking pig-latin. No one could understand me, or convey their message to me, or even point me to someone who could help me. Even when I found someone who spoke English, all they could do is wander aisle to aisle with me. I felt like a flippin' rat in a rat maze, seriously. I'm sure Fubonn has that giant, got-a-million-strange-asian-items thing going for it, but for me, the whole thing was not something I want to do again (unless I was really, really, really craving squid chips and pandemonium). I recommend Thanh Thao on Sandy Blvd., where the people treat you like friends (and they know where their flipping dried beef is).

I go to Fubonn because it's the closest Asian store on my side of the city and has the largest selection. That being said, I've been thoroughly grossed out a few times now after visiting this store. And no, it has nothing to do with the stinky fish smell or all the random animal parts in the butcher section. It's the produce. Three times now, I've brought leafy vegetables home and found insect communities flourishing within. Today it was a full-sized slug in a napa cabbage. I screamed like the sissy girl I am and immediately threw it out. I know, I know, it means they don't use pesticides, so somehow it's better for the environment. I love my earth but come on, bringing home insect communities and storing them in my fridge is not something I'm real keen on. I'll be shopping for Asian produce elsewhere, but keep Fubonn in mind should I ever decide to build a terrarium with my kids.

This place is really fun to go to but I much prefer 99 Ranch market. Better selection, prices, service, and it doesn't smell funky like Fubonn can.

OH SNAP. For those of you who don't make your way out to the 'Tron as often as you'd like, there's always Fubonn. I would go back simply for their Costco-sized cans of coconut milk. They also have fresh produce, crazy Asian confections, cheap chopsticks and ladles and such, and balut (O...M...G.... ANDREW ZIMMERN, but for the sake of cultural relativity, I will save my squeamishness for later). Will def be back for my curry fix. Pass on that balut.

Okay, I will admit that the place smells like fish. Why? Because they sell fish. Now, maybe I'm romanticizing the concept of the big Asian marketplace, and only an Asian person who has been shopping at places like this their whole life can really tell me if Fubonn is the s**t or not. All I know is, I dig it. The produce is a wonderland of stuff that non-Asians probably won't recognize. But instead of plugging my nose and running out because everything isn't specifically aimed towards me, the white western American, I don't get all alienated, I just grab a package of something that looks interesting, and ask one of my fellow patrons what it's used for. That's how I discovered Nira Grass. It smelled like delicious green garlic, only it had these long skinny flat leaves. Much culinary potential. I asked a very friendly Chinese lady shopping there about it, and she told me that it was an herb used sort of like parsley. I went home and cooked it up with some other vegetables and some shrimp in a stir fry. Lo and behold, it was magnificent! Now lets' talk about the meat: On that front I've never been disappointed. Brisket, pork belly, and pork shoulder from the Fubonn have all been excellent quality. And this jives with what I 've been told, which is that meat in Asian markets is better quality than, say, Safeway, or Freddy's. Why? Apparently, it's because there's a high turnover so nothing sits around, and the customers have a higher standard for meat and won't settle for the out-of- date crap that American supermarkets insult us with. As for the packaged stuff in the other sections being unfamiliar and odd and covered with funny writing that you can't read? Well, duh. How do you think someone in Saigon feels when they pick up a bag of Cheetos? Anyway, here's a tip for Fubonn packaged food: turn it over and read the ENGLISH ingredient label that was stuck on 99% of it before it was even allowed into the US. If you don't like the ingredients, don't eat it. And don't miss the hot sauce aisle. Or as I call it: 'The Promised Land.'

Fried tofu...Check! Indomie instant noodles (the best Indonesian instant noodles eva)...Check! Frozen fish balls...Check! Indonesian fish crackers (5 bags of it)...Check! Asian potato chips snackies... Check! Tamarind soup base... Check! Vegetarian frozen drumsticks...Check! Coconut juice in a can... Check! This is why I spent at least $30 every time I came here...it's like Asian food Nirvana for me. I'm away from my beloved homeland, so a trip to Fubonn is a must to cure my home sickness. Still nothing can replace the taste of home, but this will do. :-)

Meh. I hate to sound like that snobby Californian, but I guess I'm spoiled, coming from the SF Bay Area and San Diego, where there are huge Asian populations and plenty of Asian markets. Before moving to Portland for the summer, I researched long and hard where I could get my Asian fix. I was excited to read about Fubonn, Uwajimaya (Beaverton), and H-Mart (Tigard). So tonight, I drove over to Fubonn and expected to feel right in place again among tons of Asians. That's not really what I got...yes, there definitely are more Asians here than what I've seen in Portland thus far, but I'd say 80% were non-Asian. That's not such a big deal, as long as the market serves up great Asian products and the cheap prices I'm used to in California. Previously, I thought Asian markets in Berkeley were expensive, my last residence before coming up here. But then I walked into Fubonn and everything was more expensive and less fresh than even in Berkeley. Perhaps it's because Fubonn tries to be too much of an Asian melting pot, and so it lacks in each culture. In a way, that is okay though, because it makes it more of a one-stop place for people. The fresh produce selection was pretty limited, and some of the produce didn't look so fresh at all. The tomatoes looked like they were about to rot today or tomorrow. Other produce, like bok choy, looked alright. I thought the rest of the shopping center was nice though. Lots of restaurants that I must try soon - Malay Satay Hut looks good. The bakery inside the center was a little sad compared to ones in the Bay Area, but since it seems to be the only one around for miles, it's pretty good, has the standard Asian bakery items (although most of it was sold out when I was there...). There's a boba place too, which I didn't try yet. I'll be checking out some smaller Asian markets soon! And I plan to check out Uwajimaya tomorrow! Update: Uwajimaya in Beaverton is WAY better, and H-Mart in Tigard is EVEN better than Uwajimaya. Produce is waaaay cheaper, has a much larger selection, and is infinitely fresher. It's worth the drive.

Fubonn has expanded! They've added some new space up front and stuck a bunch of new cash registers in. This is definitely an upgrade for the busy shopping hours and will allow me to scoot in and out much more quickly, since I'm usually only picking up the odd Asian item I need for some crazy recipe. It also spruces up the whole mall, which seemed to be languishing with a bunch of empty retail spaces. Digging the new change!

When we left Asia, I thought I was saying goodbye forever to my favorite treats: ChocoPies, Milo, lychees, Trung Nguyen coffee, jelly candies, being surrounded by loud shoppers. It was depressing to leave it all. But then, three months later, I found Fubonn. -insert heavenly choir here- They've got close to everything I could want from a Vietnamese market without the wet floors and overbearing fish smell. I love this place with its wide variety and reasonable prices. The vegetarian meat selection is crazy-big (can only vouch for the the chicken nuggets and they were great). Weekends are a madhouse, but I kind of like it. I was there last Saturday and it was packed, as usual, when a little kid in a cart near the Thai green beans grabbed my arm and asked "Are you Vietnamese?" "Khong. No, I'm not," I told him. He yelled back ('cause kids can never be soft-spoken) "I am! And my mom is Vietnamese and my dad is Vietnamese and my sister is Vietnamese." I told him I was a bit jealous, but I'm not sure he understood. Point is, when I shop at Fubonn, I feel a little closer to Asia. It helps the insane longing to return.

Ok, there's this old Vietnamese guy working the seafood these days who literally does not speak any English. He hates everyone and yells angrily and randomly in Vietnamese and throws people's fish at them when he's done cleaning it. If he can't understand what you want he just yells at you in Vietnamese and walks away. He is sort of my fishmonger now. First of all, all that rage is helpful when he's ripping the blood and guts out of a poor helpless tilapia right before blasting it clean with his sink hose. Also, he smiles at me when I put in my order. Now, I don't know if he's smiling at me because he thinks my hand gestures for "the smallest one, cleaned inside but head included" are cute, or smiling because he's about to punch me in the face. But he does clean my fish real good and he always throws the head back in the bag just like I asked. By the way, the fish is very fresh, unlike what some reviewers are implying. Take a look for yourself. How much fresher can you get than "still swimming in the tank?"

When I am in a pinch and need to get rice, or ingredients to make Bulgogi or Pho, then I will head out here because it's close. However, as another posted mentioned, it's ghetto. Walking in, I actually feel like the time I was in Viet Nam; the junk vendors selling junk on either side (who actually buys this stuff?), and to be honest, the place just smells. Really bad. You're better off hitting up H-Mart or Uwajimaya as both of them carry most of the same items (although, you'll find a better selection of things from SE Asia at Fubonn).