There's an advantage to living in France, near Geneva which is a pretty international city for its size. When I first moved here, I had a difficult time finding Asian ingredients in the local French supermarkets aside from the very tiny and expensive Suzie Kwan brand. So I did some research via the Internet and by foot, and here's my compiled list.
FRENCH ASIAN MARKETS (near Geneva)
Mekong Market
30 Rue Versoix, 01210 Ferney-Voltaire France
Tél: +33 (0)4 50 40 45 60
Notes: Great little market, stuffed to the gills. They also sell puffy white buns filled with pork, lap cheong, and egg.
Wing Sheng Store
366 Rue du 18 Auot1944, 74100 Etrembiers France
Tél: +33 (0)4 50 94 86 69
Notes: Open Sunday, Mandarin speaking staff, large frozen section, no butcher. Large and clean store. Reasonable prices comparable to (or sometimes better than) Lyon prices.
FRENCH ASIAN MARKETS IN LYON. Lyon has a small Chinatown, known as un quartier chinois, with many shops owned by Teochew diaspora who have settled here. Read my blog post on Lyon's Chinatown.
Hiep Dung
7 Rue Passet, 69007 Lyon
Tél: +33 (0)4 72 73 19 20
Notes: I prefer this market for a number of reasons: they are Teo Chew, the prices are slightly lower, and they have a butcher. Credit cards accepted.
Supermache Asie
12 Rue Passet, 69007 Lyon
Tél: +33 (0)4 78 58 92 65
Notes: They have a large frozen selection as well as fresh vegetables compared to Hiep Dung. But check your receipt carefully. Last time I was there, they overcharged 7€90 for some beef that I didn't buy. The reason was because they were trying to handle another purchase for a man who only had one thing to buy while they were in the middle of ringing me up! So his purchase was added to my receipt..by mistake I hope to think. Credit cards accepted.
SWISS ASIAN MARKETS IN GENÉVE. When in Geneva, consider taking a walk around the Paquis area, where most of these Asian stores are located. Here is a short list. The selection is good, but the prices are quite high due to the strong Swiss Franc, but also because everything in CH is very expensive, compared to France and especially the U.S.
Asian Spices
Rue de la Servette 49, 1202 Genève
Tél: +41 (0)22 734 58 68
Asia Store
8 Rue Pradier, 1201 Genève
Tél: +41 (0)22 732 28 38
Notes: Teo Chew owner named Tran is very nice.
Genève Bambou Shop
Place de Montbrillant 8, 1201 Genève
Tél: +41 (0)22 731 70 83
Genève Éléphant Bazar
Rue de la Faucille 2, 1201 Genève
Tél: +41 (0)22 733 25 23
Genève Miyai
Rue de Zurich 45, 1201 Genève
Tél: +41 (0)22 731 48 62
Notes: small Japanese store that sells Kasugai and homemade miso in the Paquis area
Lyzamir
3 Rue des Corps Saints, 1201 Genève
Tél: +41 (0)22 732 53 80
Store hours: Open Monday to Saturday from 09:00-19:00 (18:00 on
Saturdays)
Notes: Food products from South America, Asia, Africa, North America and the
Middle East.
Mabuhay Store
Rue du Fort-Barreau 21, 1201 Genève
Tél: +41 (0)22 740 25 10
Thu Hang
52 Rue de Monthoux, 1201 Genève
Tél: +41 (0)22 731 67 93
