Muang Lao Convenient Store in Chollas Creek, San Diego, California

Chollas Creek is a less than busy neighborhood about 4 miles southeast of downtown San Diego. It is rather out of the way of main tourism traffic. The northeast corner of 47th and Market there, though, seems to constitute something of a Little Vientiane - a compound of one story building housing all-Laotian businesses.

Aside from housing Asia Café, the fantastic little Laotian eatery where you can get authentic tasting Lao-Thai food for very cheap, a coin laundry, and a Laotian-Thai import store, the north side of the long L shaped building complex also houses the lovely little Muang Lao Convenient Store where you can get anything from toothbrush to canned Asian food and cookware for less than what you'd have to pay at 7/11 or even at the local grocery stores.

It is a small-ish store fully packed with goods from basic household items like toiletries and kitchen items to exotic sauces, dry and canned food from Southeast Asia. They don't have many brands to choose from, but whatever sauce or spice you wanted you're likely to find there. I was especially delighted to find the Thai sweet chili sauce that goes so well with fried chicken and other dry meat.

The instant noodle part of the aisle is a bit disappointing, though (I was hoping to find a Mama brand tom yum noodle there). They had a couple of flavors of Wai-Wai noodle and a Loatian brand of tom yum noodle soups. The price is good (2-3 noodles for a buck). The SE Asian sweets there had me wishing that I had more room in my backpack since I don't pass that way all that often.

What keep me going back are the homemade Laotian dried beef jerky (sold in small plastic bags) and the canned iced tea and coffee. And when the weather gets really hot here, their $1 fruit flavor ice bars are life-savers that won't lade too much guilt on your breach of diet. This is a family business and the Laotian owners are really nice and knowledgeable about what they have in the store. The place is pretty easy to get to by car (ample of free parking space there) or bus (#5, 13) or trolley (Orange Line. Get off either at Euclid Avenue or 47th Avenue station and you only have to walk a block to this place).

If you are looking for a big shopping trip for Asian grocery, I'm afraid you're better off going to Ranch 99 Market on Clairemont Mesa Blvd in Kearny Mesa area. But if you are in the are and just want some Asian goodies to get you through the week, drop in at Muang Lao at the NE corner of 47th and Market (and don't forget to check out Asia Cafe next door!).

Muang Lao Convenient Store: 4726 Market St (at 47th Avenue), San Diego, CA 92102-4716 Tel. (619) 263-3959