Even some locals don’t know it, since it is hidden half a step away from Eftychidou Street as if playing hide and seek with the centre of the Pagrati Grove and the surrounding areas. Stable in this position for decades now, it is the only store that gathers in a few square meters so much exoticism from every corner of Asia and the Middle East, saving you from going downtown or visiting the “Asian City” in Ampelokipi every time you need high-quality coconut milk or authentic basmati rice.
Its fervent audience counts the Asian immigrants in the neighborhood who come here for every need, from sweet and sour sauce to phone cards. Even when all the other shops are closed, here you will find traditional Filipino sweets, something between a biscuit and baklava, made by Filipino housewives living in Athens, that are delicious for breakfast or coffee. You will also discover tasteful Arabic pies and a whole range of ready mixes for the ultimate authentic taste in any Indian or Asian dish.
A wide variety of the best Asian rice, from long grain to various basmati rice types and broken rice that ideally blends creams in sweets, various brands of coconut milk, regular heavy cream or heavy cream powder, infinite sauces, canned exotic fruits, such as lychee, mango and banana that are perfect for summer fruit salads, canned legumes that are rare to find in Greece, such as Asian fava beans that go so well in salads with hard-boiled egg and tomato, and all kinds of canned exotic vegetables. The best ghee, all types of noodles you can think of, legumes, canned chicken ham that Muslims love so much and, of course, a variety of Greek essentials, such as honey and canned tomatoes, that you would typically find in a mini market. Delicious frozen extra small baby okra, frozen dumplings and frozen vegetables. There are also fresh sweet potatoes, galangals, vegetables and other roots, as well as essential personal care products, from toothpaste and shampoo to skin whitening creams and wonderful oils that Indian women use to take care of their lush hair.
B&B Exotic, 5 Krisila Street, Pagrati, Tel. 210 7526691
