Forget online supermarkets. A new breed of specialty e-stores are offering the best food items they can import. By Rachelle Low

Let’s face it—how many of us go to the super market and pull our hair in grief because we cannot find the exact cut of meat, or that hard-to-find, never-heard-of sauce we need for that all-important meal? In such dire situations, how many times have you lamented through gritted teeth that there must be an easier way? We feel your pain—so we’ve searched, picked, squeezed and poked our way through the ginormous supermarket we call the Internet to bring you the answer to your shopping woes. Behold, the rise of the online specialty store.

www.lffoutlet.com

Hola! This e-store specializes in Latin products—mainly sauces, flavorings, chilies, soups and interesting spicy treats like Pulparindos (tamarind and chile candy). A section is dedicated to simple recipes experimental cooks can try out and a location guide on where to find their products in the non-virtual world.

Delivery times
Orders made before 3pm will be delivered the next day.
Orders made after 3pm will be delivered within the next 48 hours.
Deliveries are made only from Mon-Sat excluding Sun and public holidays.

Delivery Fees
Free delivery for orders of $69 and above.
$12.50 fee for orders under $69.

Payment methods
Through PayPal service with Visa, MasterCard or Amex.

Sample Price List
500 grams of Guajillo chilie $18.90
300 grams of green/red salsa $6.30
250 grams of tangerine chardonnay wine vinegar $9.60
1 kilogram of bayo beans $6.30
570 grams of San Miguel cream of poblano pepper soup $5.90

What we think
The site is straightforward and a comprehensive one-stop e-shop for Latin products and free recipes. It even comes with a client service contact should you feel doubtful about something. If you’re not particularly clued-in on Latin products, this site will be an eye-opener for you, as it stocks items we don’t usually see on our supermarket shelves.

www.meidi-ya.com.sg

Meidi-Ya is to Japanese expatriates what hawker centers are to us: Absolutely essential! Many of our supermarkets here already have a comprehensive Japanese food section—but besides food items and dried goods, this site also carries a great selection of Japanese seafood, groceries and condiments, so you can whip up just-fished-up-from-the-ocean sashimi in a jiffy and at your convenience.

Delivery times
Delivery schedule is dependent on area. Please refer to the website’s shopping guide for further information. No deliveries on Sat, Sun and public holidays.

Delivery fees
Free delivery for purchases above $50.
$5 fee for orders below $50.
Express delivery is available—orders made before 11am will be delivered between 4-7:30pm on the same day. A $10 fee will be charged for the Express Delivery service regardless of the purchase amount.

Payment Methods
Visa, MasterCard, Amex, JCB.

Sample Price List
2 pieces (approx. 80 grams) of sliced gindara (silver cod) $13.00
3 pieces of fresh hotate (scallops) $ 12.80
500 grams of Ishimaru Sanuki udon $7.50
250 grams of Shodoshima Tenobe silk somen $9.80
300 millimeters of Sawanotsuru Ginji Zuicho sake $15.50

What we think
Apart from the slight hassle of having to sign up for a Home Delivery membership, the interface is clean and neat, with products and prices listed clearly for easy reference. At least we didn’t feel like logging off after two seconds—so all in all, this provided a pleasant browsing experience.

www.thefishmonger.com.sg

Dedicated to bringing the freshest seafood to those who are nitpicky about the quality of their seafood (who isn’t?), this site sources just-caught products from Australia and New Zealand. You can be assured that their seafood is of the highest quality, as it comes by freight and is delivered to you within the same day. Definitely nothing fishy going on here!

Delivery times
Orders are taken from Fri-Tue 9am-5pm with deliveries on Wed from 2-5pm or 5-7pm.

Delivery Fees
Minimum order of $50.
Free delivery for orders above $75.
$10 fee for deliveries under $75.

Payment methods
Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard or Amex.

Sample Price List
100 grams of Australian Blue Eye cod fillet $6.11
100 grams of Tasmanian salmon fillet $5.35
100 grams of Australian John Dory fillet $7.46
100 grams of frozen barramundi fillet $4.39
300 grams of Doodles Creek tartare sauce $13.50

What we think
An easy-to-navigate and user-friendly site, these guys have nifty customer service and reply to emails really quickly—which really helps when you have a burning fish question and can’t reach them on the phone. It may not carry as many choices as a supermarket, but we think these folks score for their policy on freshness.

www.thebutcher.com.sg

Brought to you by the same people that manage thefishmonger.com.sg, this is the closest you can get to visiting the butchery without having to endure the smell of raw meat. The pictures look so real that you can almost imagine sinking your teeth into the huge selection of grill-ready goodies like beef, chicken, veal and other game before it’s even arrived at your doorstep. This is totally a meat lover’s electric dream.

Delivery times
Deliveries are available Mon-Sat from 10am-1pm, 2-5pm, 5-7pm.
Orders made by 5pm will be delivered the next working day.
No deliveries on Sun and public holidays.

Delivery Fees
Free delivery for orders above $100
$10 fee for deliveries under $100.

Payment methods
Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard or Amex.

Sample Price List
300 grams of club steak (beef) $10.95
500 grams of diced lamb leg $19.95
150 grams of veal eye filet steak $9.90
500 grams of beef & Guinness thick sausage $15.75
250 grams of Venison Wellington $20.75

What we think
Extremely easy to surf and with enthusiastic customer service rigged up, this site certainly gives a confidence boost. The customer service reps answer a lot of questions that might come up with regard to the different types of meat they offer. Get this—free recipes are available and they host a retail store too (#01-50, 44 Jalan Merah Saga, 6472-0073. Open Mon-Fri 9:30am-7pm; Sat-Sun 9:30am-6pm; closed on public holidays)—if you ever feel like you need the raw smell of meat to inspire you in the flesh.