Reno’s little secret is Ellen Woo’s Mon Fon Asian Supermarket is a treasure trove of savory exotic goods tucked away on West Fifth Street.

Heavily influenced by the fusion of Asian cultures, Ellen Woo’s balances a wide varity of assorted goods from unusual delicacies of parrot fish and dried black fungus to packets of noodles and mounds of rice. What you can’t find at a normal grocery store, you’ll sure find here.

A Chinese shrine located at the entrance of the store is put there for protection to ward off evil. Unpeeled oranges and sets of tea cups filled with tea act as offerings.

The pungent aroma, a lucky kitty statue, decorative lanterns along the wall and a smiling Buddha screams of authenticity. It’s almost like walking into a Chinatown shop but a very clean version.

Surprisingly enough, although it may seem small from the outside, it’s the amount of supplies packed in there that give customers a good selection of exotic goods that lure locals and out-of-towners into the store.

“We are the biggest Asian shop in Reno,” owner Ellen Woo said.

Her husband Tony Mai is happy with the clientele that is made up of differnent races.

“Most of my customers are 60% white people,” Mai said. “The other 40% is made up of different Asians from Japanese, Filipino, Chinese and some Cambodian. We even get a lot of Chinese and Japanese students that come here from UNR,” Mai said.

The prices are very reasonable and the six employees are very friendly. The most important of all, the store is very clean and organized.

Woo said she is very proud of her selection.

“I like the snacks, vegetables, the spicy seasonings and the gifts we offer here,” Woo said. “This store is really popular and the international students know me well.”

Originally from Mainland, China, Woo and her family lived in the Bay Area before settling down in Reno seven years ago. Many may not know about Ellen Woo’s but those that do are loyal customers.

“We don’t advertise much but our customers come from word of mouth, from friend to friend,” Woo said.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 21st, 2008 at 11:18 pm and is filed under Asian, Food, Markets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1. Avid Reader Says:
   April 22nd, 2008 at 10:02 am

   Kudos to the Nevada Sagebrush for highlighting a place like this that is generally so under the radar here in Reno. It’s one of my favorite places to find exotic ingredients for fun culinary experiments. I could potentially spend hours checking out all the goodies that are packed onto the shelves.

   My favorite recommendation to pick up: bamboo shoots preserved in chili oil. A jar is less that $2. Add a tablespoon or two to salads or rice and you’ll have a yummy dish with lots of flavor!