Kam Man Food
“There is nothing in Hmart that is priced fairly, there is nothing in Hmart that is cheaper than anything.”
“The bakery section is larger and even has a place where you could order boba (shoutout to the 626–bobalife!).”
“On a whim we picked up a half a crispy duck and 8 pan fried pork buns (sheng jian bao) and I found the buns to be absolutely juicy and full of flavor.”
Kam Man Food
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Bigger than Hong Kong market, smaller than H-Mart.
Right when you walk in, you're by the bakery, and boy is that smart marketing. I can't tell you the number of times me and my mom stopped to look at red bean buns, cakes, sandwiches, scallion or hot dog buns. Delicious! They also sell hot foods around there (hanging animals right in front of you!) , but the line is further in, and around a slight corner.
Have the basics in the aisles (canned, dry goods, etc) if you are doing small scale shopping. Produce section is decent — we always stocked up on Fuji apples. Fish section is large and pretty fresh.
Parking lot is big, but not exactly open space, so you can be waiting for people at weird angles.
To me Kam Man is to Hmart as Stop&Shop is to Wegmans in some ways. And I'm only speaking of the Edison locations of the respective chains. You would save money shopping at Kam Man, but Hmart is bigger and better (better service, more natural/organic options, etc). However, what this Kam Man has going for it is its bakery section. The local Hmart has its small section in addition to a Tous Les Jours, but Kam Man is a good alternative if you're on a tighter budget. I've had their bakery's fruit cake many times – and I've got to say – it's really good.
I've shopped here monthly 2005-2010 & it's experienced a very noticeable lack of maintenance physically that really takes away from the experience. Even if the stocked items & prepared foods are ok as products, the presentation in an older store with disheveled shelves and aisles with various elements of rust or dust or oils etc. make customers mentally less happy than they could be which translates into less revenue thus profits. It's the little things which count, too.
It's plusses are many small stores on its periphery breeds a lot of traffic & a fun time perusing through them all.
This place had gone down over the past decade especially since HMart is around the corner. Long story short, I only come here still because of their bakery section. As soon as you walk into the supermarket, you'll smell the fresh baked pastries like coconut cream bun, taro bun, roast pork bun, twisted fried dough and congee, etc. They also see red, black and green bean pasted desserts.
I also noticed the summer roll and Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches but I wasn't daring enough to try it. I leave the Vietnamese food and dishes to Vietnamese people to make and sell.
They also have bubble milk teas for about $3 but I'd rather buy the smoothies down the block from Fusion Ti.
Their roasted pork, duck and bbq pork are delicious but the line is always busy here. There's only 1 small booth so only 1 line and 1 order taken each time. I suggest coming off hours.
This Asian grocery mart is the closest to where I live, but I'm having mixed reviews after visiting almost every week. I'll try to break things down by sections.
Cooked food: like their scallion chicken and shanghai buns (both the pork + vegetables as well as the chives version). Even though the selection is big, I feel that it's average at best, and overpriced. For reference, their 3 dishes + 1 soup combination is a popular option for family dinners.
Bakery: home made unsweetened soy milk and soy pudding are awesome. The other bakery items did not get me too excited. They serve bubble tea at the bakery counter. I like the chocolate milk tea, they use a type of chocolate power from south east asia – milo, which is different from regular chocolate power. It's malted cocoa, it's delicious. For reference milo is also sold separately in the store.
Selection of snacks, condiments, dried goods, frozen foods etc are plenty. There should be no problem getting what you want. There are also different types of meat, including a counter where you get to pick the cut of pork and the quantity you like. Seafood couldn't get any more fresh when they have it live. Although I couldn't say the same for their fresh produce. There are times I had difficulties picking out decent produce such as potatoes and ginger. Once I got some purple yams only to realize they were bad after slicing them at home.
All in all this is an ok basic Asian grocery store that would satisfy your needs and cravings. They carry some nice cooked food and snacks. Just keep an eye out and choose carefully.
I love this Kam Man branch a wee bit more than the one in East Hanover for a few reasons:
1) Larger selection of goods: The selection of Taiwanese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese products is larger; you have more options in brands. The canned, dry, frozen, and refrigerated foods sections were well stocked after lunch time. The frozen section seems to be larger, as is the fresh seafood area (where the fish actually swim around). As for the produce section, I believe the one in East Hanover is larger and has fresher vegetables, but this one isn't far behind in quality.
2) Nicer employees: Maybe it's because it wasn't busy or maybe they're just that nice here, but everyone at this branch seemed friendlier; everyone I spoke to–from the hot food section to the cashier and bagger–was smiling.
3) Ru-Yi Homemade Bak Kwa (pork jerky): Dude, yes! There's Singapore Bak Kwa for sale on Amazon, but if you don't want to wait weeks for it to be delivered, I'd recommend this place. They're right next to the hot food section, near the entrance. I think they only had noodles on the heating trays, but they also serve many other dishes, especially herbal chicken soups. A half pound is $8.95, but I found it worth every penny. Their Bak Kwa is tender, sweet, and has a perfect peppery kick. You could have them slice it up into smaller pieces or just slice it yourself at home.
Near the cash registers are other standalone businesses, such as a separate place to buy herbs and roots and a stand outside of it selling a few beauty products and/or medicines (can't exactly remember).
The bakery section is larger and even has a place where you could order boba (shoutout to the 626–bobalife!). It wasn't as well stocked, but I was lucky that fresh rousong buns were being made right in front me. I wish I saw the Banh Mi that another Yelper mentioned; Baguette Delite happened to be closed on the Monday that I went, so I was a little bummed out.
Large, typical Chinese supermarket – this one is unappealing to me. It has a rather tired, worn look. The prepared foods at front aren't very good, the baked breads don't look appetizing, and the market doesn't have the brands I want to buy.
Simple enough. Lots of Asian goodies. Noodles, fish, Chinese, Korean, Japanese snacks and more.
I wish they had a Filipino section. 🙁
They have a bakery section with fresh buns with filling meat, chicken, bean paste or fruits. Also you can grab a sandwich or lunch options with rice.
They have the basic things you will need. If you need more elaborate stuff, you can just go to H Mart on 27.