Kingsbridge Comparison
Topic: Asian (General)

For those of us on the northern edge of NYC , Canal Street can be a bit of a trek - costing over an hour by subway (and that's if you're close to a main artery.)  A substantial distance - especially for exotic food fans, seeking only to score one or two basic ingredients (such as dried thai pepper, canned jackfruit, or African fufu.)  Fortunately, closer venues exist -  including the following stops unearthed during a recent visit to the Kingsbridge area:

African Market - 2649 Jerome Avenue (African)
A small store, the African Market sells only a few basic items...a handful of DVDs, and some African staples.  There's not much to see, butat least the essentials are available...such as homemade kenkey, and peppery Shintor sauce.

Battambang Market II  - 229 E. Kingsbridge/194th Street
Another "essentials" store, Battambang offers a good selection of veggies, grains and rice paper wrappers.  Located next to historical Poe cottage, it's a decent stop for your shopping needs...at least for Bronx-based Asian cuisine afficiandos.

Phnom Penh-Nha Trang - 2639 Jerome Avenue (193rd Street) (Cambodian/Pan-Asian)
Although owned by Cambodians, the focus of the store is pan-asian - with a decent selection of veggies, asian canned food and even basic thai desserts, available for impulse-buy near the counter.  Nice people...and certainly worth a visit.

World of Taste - 2614 Jerome Avenue (Jerome Avenue/193rd) (Vietnamese)
A  notable restaurant...if only because I've seen no other Vietnamese offerings anywhere near my neighborhood.    Haven't been here myself, but according to the menu, alot of basic Viet staples are available - from Pho, to Banh Mi.  So give it a try, and let me know!