Last year, a friend of mine living in Chinatown told me her grocery bills were reduced by almost half, largely thanks to her year-round access to dirt-cheap fruit and vegetables. So when I moved to a Chinatown apartment in July, I was excited that the bounty of Spadina & Dundas was minutes away from my front door. After several shopping experiences in the area, I’ve learned a few key things. There are crowds almost all the time. The cashiers are always lightening-fast. It’s hard to track down an unbruised tomato. It’s REALLY cheap. (Case in point: For just a few cents short of $10, I scored 4 lemons, 2-200 gram bags of shallots, a guava, 3 spartan apples, a pint of grape tomatoes, a bunch each of cilantro and scallions, 3 avocados, a zucchini, 3 bananas, two handfuls of sugar snap peas and a persimmon. Whew!)

When I’m not in the mood to face the hordes of people on Spadina, I deke around to Dundas and Huron. Right beside the well-known Ten Ren’s Tea is Sinnon Fruit Market (70 Huron Street), a medium-sized produce stand with a small indoor section of other groceries. There’s a decent selection of stuff like strawberries, lemons (4 for $1.00), bargain-priced sugar snap peas, white mushrooms and nectarines. The quality is fine for the most part, but 99-cent containers of grape tomatoes are mouldy. There isn’t much exotic selection, save for some Chinese greens and papayas, and no Ontario-grown produce as far as I can tell.

Directly across the street from Sinnon Fruit Market is a tiny outdoor-only produce stand that has no apparent name. It’s situated right on the southwest corner of Dundas West and Huron. The selection is small, but the quality and price beat Sinnon - lemons, for example, are 5 for $1.00 and containers of blueberries 2 for $4.00. I grab a huge bunch of cilantro for a buck and find 3 large and almost-ripe avocados for two $2.00 - deal! There aren’t any exotic finds at this stand, but there are some planters in the back section. Again, most of the produce is shipped in from the U.S., but the prices are unbeatable and the service fast and friendly.

I was excited to check out K&K Specialty Tropical Fruit (298A Spadina Avenue) for exotic treats. The small indoor/outdoor shop is difficult to navigate due to crowds, but the selection is super-intriguing. There are several varieties of mangoes (including green-skinned Thai ones), large, cactus-like durian, juicy lychee, plum-coloured mangosteens, bright-orange persimmon and spiky dragonfruit. Korean pears, wrapped in white netting, are 7 for $10 - a steal if you compare with chain grocery store prices. Aside from the hard-to-find fruits, there are 2 for $5 containers of blueberries, grapes and Fuji apples.

My experience at Hua Sheng Supermarket (293-299 Spadina Avenue) is not as pleasant as my other three visits. There are a lot of specials outside, but the produce isn’t very attractive. I spot several rotting apples and blemished peppers. The inside has an overpowering smell and the narrow aisles are hard to navigate. However, there is a large selection of Chinese greens, from bok choy to Shanghai Mui, and durian and dragonfruit are also on offer. Guava is a steal at 3 for $1.00.

Asian Foodmart Spadina (247 Spadina Avenue) is my favourite place for one-stop produce shopping in Chinatown. It has lots of decent-quality fruits and veggies outside, and even more inside the crowded shop. There’s a great selection of mushrooms - enoki, king, oyster, portabello - for low prices, as well as plastic-wrapped fresh herbs and peeled garlic. It’s the first place I spot lemongrass, a hard-to-find ingredient in Asian cooking. I even see peaches and cucumbers from Ontario, although there’s still a lot of imported stuff. The biggest downside? As with other places in Chinatown, it’s nearly impossible to find a passable tomato. A huge upside? It’s open 24 hours!

Shopping in Chinatown can be overwhelming, but it’s worth checking out the produce, especially for hard-to-find items. And while you won’t find anything organic and not much locally-sourced, the prices are significantly lower than Loblaws, Dominon or No Frills, and the quality is generally on par or better. Final tips? Avoid weekends if crowds are a concern. Always have cash ready so as not to slow down the lines. And again - don’t go if you’re looking for tomatoes!