Although it may not seem like it, London seems to be lacking diversity when it comes to wanting quick snacks to fill your appetite. Although there are hundreds of foreign restaurants and cuisines that pepper across the city, when in dire need of just a quick bite, there’s not really many options available.
From McDonalds, Starbucks, KFC, to Subway, Pret a Manger and Greggs, young people seem to be in search of something different when trying out new foods, and the Hmart in Warren Street seems to be the answer. Selling different types of Korean, Chinese and Japanese food, the small cute shop is able to provide diversity in the sea of Western snacks, as they sell a range of different types of treats.
There’s snacks such as chocolate sticks, gummy treats and even matcha flavoured hard candy to ease the appetite, and if that’s not good enough then at the counter the shop even provides warm steamed buns, with pork and vegetables stuffed inside them. However, if its not hot food you’re looking for, then Hmart proudly provides a cool shelf of Asian drinks and jello’s, all of different flavours and consistencies and cutely packaged bottles. Some drinks have small fruit flavoured jellies inside, like mango and pineapple chunks to create a stranger experience to the Asian world. Next to it, are boxes and containers of cold food and snacks, such as different flavoured, and coloured mocha, which are chewy and sweet, a delicious quick finger bite snack that you can enjoy. Other containers hold a Korean specialty, called Kimchi and Gimbap, which is an enjoyable small snack that many can try for a very cheap price.
With all this much food to take in, the Hmart plays videos and performances of Kidols, singing Kpop, an increasingly popular genre of music in Korea and is also transgressing into the Western Industry too. Kpop groups such as GOT7, Monsta X, BTS, Twice and Mamamoo are played throughout the day, so make sure to come in at the right time if you want to see your favourite group on TV!
However, it’s not just food that the diverse store sells that would interest customers, but available are kpop albums and posters of many different groups as well as a Korean Skincare aisle too! Selling different brands of facemasks and face wash, you are able to experience the routines that many Koreans follow in order to maintain their reputable clear skin. Their products are affordable and work so well, having used their different flavoured skin sheet masks, such as pomegranate, lemon, aloe vera, and so much more.
To top it all off, for people who wish to prolong their inevitable experience there at the Hmart, you can buy more long lasting foods to ring home and try. For example, they sell many different flavours of ramen and rice, and have a frozen section, which hold many of Korea, Japan and China’s delicacies. These kinds of stores are very important to maintaining London’s reputation of diversity, as they provide an authentic route into the life of Asia and their culture, and bring it right into London, one of the most popular capital cities in the world.
Cheyenne Chan Richies – Ashmole Academy
