The Collective has recently welcomed Dada Oriental Thai; a family-run authentic Asian supermarket specialising mainly in Thai Cuisine. Offering curry sauces, seasonings, sweets & snacks, freezers full of good value key ingredients and fresh Boba Tea – Dada offers a full taste of Thailand that can’t be found at your local supermarket! We met up with Gavin and Dada, the store owners, to chat about their intriguing mini-supermarket and how they’re setting out to change the way Shrewsbury cooks.
What motivated you to set up shop for Asian Cuisine in Shrewsbury?
It’s a good business to set up!
Since moving to The Collective, what product has been your best seller?
The curry pastes – especially Chinese and Thai. The drinks like the Mogu Mogo, even the Oshi lemon and black tea! We have exclusivity on them locally. The noodles are very popular too, particularly the Korean, Hong Kong and Thai. Our absolute best seller is our Bubble Tea!
Using ingredients from your store – what’s the easiest recipe for new Asian-food inspired customers to try?
Pad Thai noodles! It’s easy to cook and we have all the ingredients for it here including the sauce, seasoning and noodles.
How have you overcome your biggest challenges as a small family run business?
Getting the business going. Once you have the momentum, then it’s fine but starting out is always hard.
What does the future for DaDa Oriental look like in The Collective?
Since we opened about 6 weeks ago, we’ve been getting increasingly busier so we hope to retain our customers and get new ones.
What are your top cooking tips for making the most delicious dishes?
Get all your ingredients from here!
Which Boba drink would you recommend to new customers?
If you like fruit – mango or melon. If you want a milky tea then either Taro or Chocolate.
Thank you to Gavin and Dada for sitting down for this mini-interview even though there was a small queue of people wanting a bubble tea! You can find Dada Oriental Thai at the bottom end of the Collective for take-out Bubble Tea and a good value foodie shopping spree!
