Uwajimaya has done justice to food court
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It takes a Uwajimaya Village to put this much incredible food under one roof.
And I'm not talking about the supermarket's incomparable seafood market with its Great Wall of live tanks, the miles of aisles of condiments, imported canned goods and all-things-noodle-y, nor the magnificent meats, cut and packaged by helpful butchers. I'm not even referring to Uwajimaya's produce department, where customers are prone to dancing around like kids, inspecting fresh tamarind and turmeric, long beans and pea vines, durian and daikon, garlic chives and gai lan.
What you should know (if you don't already), is that the 50,000-square-foot supermarket's food court is in full swing, with enough bargain-priced takeout or dine-in goodies to keep hungry Asian-food fans fat and happy - and keep the cafeteria-style cafe tables full.
Before you get in line at Uwajimaya Deli - a pan-Asian steam-table buffet where portions are enormous and the fresh-cooked options endless - take a look around. It's hard to beat the deli's "Supreme Combo," a $6.75 bonanza involving fried rice, chow mein and a choice of three fresh-cooked items, but investigate the entire food court before making your final decision.
You'll find a spotless barbecue case where glistening ducks hang next to soy-basted chicken. These, and barbecue pork tenderloin and finger-licking spareribs, are whacked to pieces and sold by the pound, with a half-pound minimum.
Cold and hot deli cases are a window shopper's delight, heavy with, but not limited to, Asian inspirations. Korean-style spinach salad and chop chae (cellophane noodles tossed with vegetables) share shelf space with slices of cheesy quiche and Greek dolmades.
From the grab-and-go department you can snag packages of sushi, or hot goodies such as sweet-potato fries, donburi or broiled sea eel over rice.
If you insist on made-to-order fare, the deli offers beef curry, donburi and noodle bowls among other items that'll cost you less than a five-spot.
I've been eating here for months, biding my time before writing about the food court, awaiting the opening of in-house outlets of some of the city's finest Asian restaurants.
Open since last winter, Chinoise Café - the pan-Asian grill and sushi bar whose older siblings reside in Madison Park and Queen Anne - anchors a visible corner of this retail/condo complex and is the only restaurant-adjunct without entry directly off the food court. Shilla Korean BBQ is still under construction and scheduled to open this month. It's the last of several impressive eat-and-drinkeries already in business under Uwajimaya's roof.
Ready and rolling is Inay's Kitchen (featuring Filipino favorites like pancit, pork binagoongan and chicken adobo), Saigon Bistro (with eight counter seats for those who want to eat their Vietnamese fare away from the crowd) and Yummy House Bakery (selling Hong Kong-style cakes and pastries).
Thai food is dished up from steam tables at Thai Place (sibling to Racha on Queen Anne), and you can cadge an ice cream or bracing cold milk tea at Honey Moon Tea (courtesy of the folks who own the International District's much-loved Ten Ren Tea Company).
Of course, if all you need by way of refreshment is a double-tall nonfat mocha, there's a Tully's here, too, facing Fifth Avenue South, adjacent to the fountain-bedecked street entrance to the food court.
How did so many great independently owned Asian restaurants end up in a supermarket?
"We went around looking for the best," said store manager Tomoko Matsuno, daughter of Uwajimaya founder Fujimatsu Moriguchi. "We wanted a mix of Asian restaurants run by people who had a track record. We weren't looking for the traditional food-court mentality. These people knew they were getting a quality situation and that they were getting parking."
Most of all, she said, they knew that Uwajimaya, which opened for business in 1928, had a track record of its own. I'll drink - and eat - to that.
Uwajimaya is at 600 Fifth Ave. S., Seattle; 206-624-6248. The food court is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with three hours' validated parking ($5 minimum purchase, save your receipt).
Nancy Leson can be reached at 206-464-8838 or nleson@seattletimes.com.