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Food & Drink

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

By Renée Suen| Photography by Renée Suen
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Grocery shopping in the city’s west end will never be the same. After opening Nations Fresh Foods locations in Mississauga, Vaughan and Hamilton, the chain’s parent Ocean Fresh Group has opened its biggest location yet at the Stock Yards Village in the Junction. Nearly three times the size of its predecessors, Nations Experience (and boy, is it ever an experience), has moved into the 155,000-square-foot space left behind by Target. Nations puts all other grocery store “international” aisles to shame: the brand’s “where east meets west” philosophy means the shelves, refrigerated cases and freezers are chock full of otherwise hard-to-find products, from the Caribbean to the Philippines, all under one gigantic roof. But it’s so much more than that. The “foodertainment” store (Nations’ words, not ours) is part supermarket, part quick-service restaurant and part ... amusement park. Take a look around:

Goodbye Target, hello Nations:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Get ready:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

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Frank Ho, Nations’ co-founder and senior vice president, tells us that all of the currently empty space bordering on the store’s entrance will host independent vendors, including an oyster bar, and French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Peking duck restaurants. (Yes. All of those):

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Nations Experience is what Ho envisioned as the milestone for the brand:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

More than 10,000 square feet are dedicated to amusement and entertainment:

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Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Happy Kingdom includes the 4,000-square-feet Ocean Ball, a kids-only playground:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

The “kingdom” also includes a games room, outfitted with 135 arcade games...

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

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... complete with a prize counter. (In the new year, players will also be able to redeem points for items in the food court):

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

And five party rooms that can be rented out:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

The food court inside Nations already seats 300, and more seating is on the way.

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Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

The Western Kitchen section serves pizza, panini and burgers inspired by In-N-Out:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

There’s a grab-and-go section here, too:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

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Food from the salad bar is priced by weight ($6.99/lb) and features seasonal produce:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

The value buffet ($5.99/lb) offers a wide range of grains and mains, like meatballs in tomato sauce:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

The premium buffet ($7.99/lb) draws from an international menu of jerk chicken, tandoori chicken, whole lamb shanks, baked salmon and more:

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Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

And of course there’s rotisserie chicken ($9.99 each):

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

The hot food counter includes freshly steamed and fried dim sum (much of which is made in house), whole fried fish and other Chinese-Canadian quick-casual favourites like sweet-and-sour pork, salt-and-pepper squid and stir fries:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

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Here’s some dim sum being made right now:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

The Chinese BBQ counter offers roast duck, pork, chicken, squid and even whole-roasted pigs (they sell 20 a day at the Mississauga store):

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Here’s more barbecue, just because:

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Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

How about some ribs?

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Or some pork?

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

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There’s sushi, of course:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

You can even get made-to-order teppanyaki:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

The unagi (barbecued eel) rice bowl from the teppanyaki station:

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Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Juice blends are made using fresh-squeezed oranges and other fruits and vegetables from the store’s produce section:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

There’s also bubble tea:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

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And even gelato:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

The deli is stocked with cured meats and cheeses:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Here’s the bakery:

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Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

House-baked goods, including this Cantonese seaweed and pork-floss bun, come from Oceans Fresh Food Market, an affiliate grocery brand:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Glutinous rice desserts, including custard-filled mochi, red bean-filled fried sesame balls and pandan mung-bean cakes:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

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There are always free-sample tables kicking around. This section will soon become an aisle for Portuguese and Latin American products:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

The Power Aisle is where customers will find the week’s promotional goods (so, flyer specials):

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Fresh chicken, lamb, pork, and beef, but also goat and rabbit, are available in the refrigerated meat section or at the butcher counter:

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Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Looking for goat meat? There’s fresh and frozen shoulder and leg available pre-cut or whole:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

The poultry section includes free-range and silkie chickens:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

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A semi-enclosed seafood department helps keep any ocean-fresh smells from leaking into the rest of the store. This is where you’ll find fresh seafood, on ice or still swimming:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Here are some yellowtail snappers:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

And an entire section dedicated to salt cod:

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Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

There’s a section of prepared foods, including pre-cut or pre-marinated meat and veggies, for those short on time:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

The sprawling produce section is stocked with imported fruits and vegetables, including a wide range of Asian greens:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

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Spanish limes, otherwise known as genip:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Chinese hawthorn:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Soursop:

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Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Egyptian guavas:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

And saboche, a Vietnamese fruit:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

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Other tropical fruit includes passion fruit, rambutan and dragon fruit:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Stem lettuce:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

Aisle 12 is dedicated to spices from all over the world:

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Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

 

While aisle 13 is a collection of seasonings and mixes:

Inside Nations Experience, a 155,000-square-foot supermarket with an arcade, a playground and all-day dim sum

1980 St. Clair Ave. W., 416-767-5888, nationsfreshfoods.ca

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