Oriental Spice and Food Store

Honestly, this week I had less ideas than usual, firstly because of my disappointment with a Greek deli (which I will explain in a separate post), and secondly, because I really want to be concise with the content, so I want to stay on the East. On the other hand, I ran out of Eastern delis. Then, suddenly, my friend, Eszter started to tell me about this little Oriental food store in Buda, just a corner from Millenáris. What really drew my attention to this place is that regardless of its size, which is quite small compared to other food stores I have visited previously, it still has an offer just as good as any other. As I mentioned in previous posts, no matter how many food stores I visit, I simply never run out of ingredients yet to discover. Well, it wasn't any different this time.

I would like to start right away with the best quality this store has. Differing from any other delicatessen stores I have visited, Oriental Spice and Food Store offers grains, dried fruits and many types of Eastern sweets in bulk. This means two things: first, that you can get the exact amount you want, you do not have to buy the 2kg pack of couscous when you only need 3dkg; secondly, that it is a lot cheaper than the packaged goods, because the price does not contain the costs of the wrapping material and process, just the shipping. So, if you have to work with a tight budget, this is the perfect shop for you!

Now let's talk about the content of the shop. You can find fresh olives, dried tomatoes, dried plums, dried dates, dried apricots, cashews, red lentils, quinoa, couscous, beans, and many types of teas in bulk. There are of course many other types of grains they offer, but this is the best I can recall. Apart from these, they have many interesting sweets that you can purchase: nuts with honey and rahat, a Turkish colorful fruit jelly rolled in powdered sugar.

The Oriental Spice and Food Store has a spice shelf very similar to the one in Asia Shop, however, it is not half of it in size. But still, considering the fact that Fővám tér is not very close, it is a good thing that people in the second district still have their own little Oriental spice shelf.

Finally, this shop also has a wide range of sauces and canned goods. There are also different types of flours. I have also found one of my long-time favorites, a Greek delicacy called Dolma which is basically rice stuffed grape leaves. One can of Dolma containing about 10 pieces was 1000Ft, which is not a terrible price if you know that in a regular Gyros restaurant one costs usually more than 200Ft, so here you can get them for half price. Also, it was delicious! :)

In conclusion, I believe, this grain-in-bulk thing is a very good and economical in this shop. The saleswoman is very nice and helpful, and she knows many things about the delicacies. She also told me that apart from food, shisha lovers can find fine quality Egyptian style shishas and hookahs in the store. Furthermore, the shop is part of an Oriental Food franchise that also has shops in Budapest on Erzsébet-, József-, Teréz körút, and the Fehérvári Úti Market. I would not be surprised if this franchise would have a connection with Exotic India, too. Thus, the Oriental Spice and Food store is suitable for everyone who wants to find good Eastern ingredients in Buda!