ottawa foodies

The other night while the boy was at Judo I decided to go into Giant Tiger. It was part morbid curiosity, and part cheap bastard. For the uninitiated, Giant Tiger is a Canadian discount chain that is like a low-budget Wal-Mart with supermarket.

I went upstairs to the food section. Naturally, it's mostly all packaged foods and we are trying as much as we can to get away from that kind of eating. But the prices were extremely good if you do eat things like Chef Boy Ardee and such. Then I got to the big row of deep-freezers and a few things caught my eye pretty quickly - a whole freezer full of Perogies and Cabbage rolls! Hey, c'mon, I'm half Slav and damned proud of it - how could those not catch my eye! I love them! A big part of the reason we shy away from packaged foods is that the ingredients are normally complete shite - loaded with stuff you cannot pronounce let alone spell. And who knows what that stuff actually is? I've been an ingredients-reader for all of my adult life, and so out of sheer curiosity I picked these up and read. Wow, was I surprised - both of them had only real ingredients like "beef", "potatoes", "cheese" and "onions". Not a single thing that you cannot pronounce. Pretty much everything in there was something I could raise on a farm if I wanted to. As I was reading the Perogies and Cabbage Rolls, I noticed that in the next freezer they had frozen pizzas, and when I picked it up to read, it was also all real ingredients! Wow.

But alas I didn't have my wallet on me so I only had enough change in my pocket so for a bag of the perogies to try them. They were a 1kg bag for $1.67 - how the heck could I go wrong? That's half the price of perogies anywhere else! And they had both cheese and potato, and bacon and potato to choose from. We cooked those up last night and they were as good as any other perogie I'd ever had, including ones I'd made myself (I once cooked Borscht and Perogies for 150 people!).

Then today after work I got home and SWMBO wasn't sure yet what she was going to cook for supper. Sometimes when that happens on a Friday we'll just order a pizza. But that's $25 and I'm a cheap bastard - so I suggested that I walk around the corner to Giant Tiger and pick up a couple of those pizzas. They were regular sized at about 450g each, and at $2.97 with real ingredients, how could we go wrong? While I was there I picked up more perogies, and a box of the cabbage rolls as well.

We just finished the pizzas and while they were not the best we'd ever had, they were far from the worst. And probably a lot better for us, in part because of the better ingredients, and in part because they were not swimming in fat and cheese like many pizzas are.

I look forward to trying those cabbage rolls sometime soon. Cabbage rolls are one of my all-time favorite foods, afterall. This is a 907g box for $5.97!

Zym - you're killing me! I used to live down the street from the GT you're referring to (Hintonburg, on Wellington)... I used to go on what I called the "ghetto diet" to save $... I'd buy pasta, tinned tomatoes and beans, english muffins, blocks of Armstrong cheese, hot dogs, etc. from there and basically eat beans & weenies or some pasta dish. Not fine dining by any means, but definitely easy on the pocket book, and I'd usually lose a few pounds while at it as well! LOL... oh those were the days... but I definitely know the pierogies you're referring to, definitely not bad! My advice, stay away from the cryovac'd steaks... *shudder* Don't get *that* cheap bastard'ish!!!

See, I used to live across the street from the sam GT and have run over there more than a few times to get some "on a budget" groceries on occasion. What always weirded me out about buying food from there is - how are they able to sell things for THAT much less? Like, obviously if it is a non-big-brand-name discount brand it is obvious, however I see many large brand name items there as well (such as Pillsburry Toaster Strudel and McCain Deep 'n Delicious mini pizzas to name a few)that are over 50% cheaper than what you find in other stores. How? I've always been suspicious that they are just super old or something and GT buys, like, expired stock from regular grocery stores - not dangerous expired or anything, but just a lower standard of how long the product would normally sit in a freezer case or something. Anyone else have any thoughts on how they are able to undersell the brand names for so cheap?

Chef Ben Baird from The Urban Pear made the following meal for a recent article in Ottawa Magaine.

He had $25 to spend at Giant Tiger along with a few other pantry items (nothing fresh).

Appetizer: Chilled cumin-seed-infused tomato soup garnished with crispy fried homemade tortilla strips

Main: Pressed country-style ham, spring pea, and camembert ravioli served in a light garlic cream sauce with roasted white potatoes, crispy bacon lardons, and tempura of baby corn

Dessert: Apple and straberry frozen yogurt served in a raspberry liqueur-poached pear with raspberry-and-pear syrup

Great timing on your quest in to Giant Tiger Zymurgist. It looks like this issue just hit the stands.

My sister lives near the GT on Wellington and we were just there on Friday to pick up some aluminum foil. I'll check out the perogies next time.

The whole store is a treasure trove of curiosities, customers included. :) I always leave with something I hadn't planned on buying.

But now I'm curious about the deep discounts too. I assumed the deals were possible because the store cheaps on everything else.

I think that part of the low prices can be simply theorized, but not so simply explained. I expect that the prices can be so low, because they pay LESS for the product than other retailers. The question then becomes... how can they buy it so cheaply? Is it 'old' product (as someone suggested)? If you look on their website, they say they are "An outlet for products of over 2,000 suppliers." If they use the same definition of outlet as I do, it is basically a retail channel that is used for product that is not consumed by the regular retail chain. It could be because it's old, or it could be because they made too much for that month, or there is a spelling mistake on the packaging, or a thousand other reasons. If you check the dates on the product (or the production codes if you can figure them out) you should be able to tell whether the product is old or not, and purchase (or not) accordingly. That being said, I've purchased canned goods (Indian spice paste) from quite mainstream grocers that were very close to their expiration (less than 2 months) indicating we should all check whatever we buy.

"That being said, I've purchased canned goods (Indian spice paste) from quite mainstream grocers that were very close to their expiration (less than 2 months) indicating we should all check whatever we buy."

It's not hard to find items at some grocery stores that are PAST their expiration dates. The Loeb on Rideau is/was bad for this. Always check.

Yes I am learning very quickly about those expiry dates. A couple of years ago I noticed a sign in the window of a grocery store in centretown that they had some Nature's Path cereal on sale. I went in and picked out a few boxes but when I got to the cash I realized that the cereal was several months past the expiry date. I told the cashier I was not going to buy the cereal after all and pointed out the expiry date. The manager was standing nearby (therefore within earshot) but still instructed the cashier to put the cereal back on the shelf. I wouldn't think stores are allowed selling expired food... I have also recently discovered Giant Tiger though I usually go to the one in the Byward Market - it's closer to home for me - and they have some really good deals on their groceries and alot of brand name stuff too. (I bought some 900g packages of Italpasta noodles for .99 awhile ago - can't beat that price!) I just make very sure to read the package and check for expiry dates.

Last week I found some dried figs at the Superstore in Kanata that had expired in April. Eek! I always check.

Zymurgist: What was the brand of perogies that were sold there?

I don't recall the brand - it was not a name I recognised.

I checked the recycling bin : Laurie's

Cool thanx. I'm doing a little research on this thread of how/why businesses like GT can sell certain well known brand name products for so cheap! I've actually wanted to know this for quite some time....
Re: perogies...I've found it hard to find them in the grocery stores here. Loblaws, never. Loeb, if I'm lucky. In SK (due to the large Ukraniun community) they are everywhere in every flavour! I miss that...

I also just recently discovered GT and have yet to figure out how they can keep their costs so low. A visit to their website doesn't tell me much. I know Food Basics keeps their costs down by ordering direct and in large quantities to benefit from volume discounts. The store is also set up warehouse style so you don't have to pay for the nice packaging etc. As for perogies I think you can get them at the Sausage Kitchen and Continental Deli in the Byward Market. One of my colleagues at work is Ukranian from Winnipeg and he told me he can in fact find perogies here in Ottawa. I think he said he gets them at Continental...

Much cheaper to get Perogies from Giant Tiger though. And if it counts, I'm Ukrainian too :-)

Sasloves on Wellington also carries perogies. They have both the frozen kind, and also fresh homemade-from-scratch ones on the days that mamma decides to make them - recommended, YUM!

It's not hard to find items at some grocery stores that are PAST their expiration dates. The Loeb on Rideau is/was bad for this. Always check.

But how easy is it to find items that were expired before the store even opened?

I once bought baby food from the Barrhaven Food Basics that had expired six months before the store even opened.

perogies...I've found it hard to find them in the grocery stores here. Loblaws, never. Loeb, if I'm lucky.

Loblaws carries their own No-Name brand perogies. Sobeys carries Cheemo and recently started carrying some other brand that I don't like as much also.

Herb and Spice also carries frozen perogies. I think they have vegetarian and non-veggie varities. The brand I bought is called: Lee's Gourmet perogies and I paid $2.99 for 500g. They were pretty good and I'll buy them again.

I, too, used to live near that same GT.

My favourite ghetto meal from that time: a now-forgotten variety of frozen fries (!) topped with a now-forgotten variety of cheddar. Both items were, yes, suspiciously cheap.

As for the expired groceries bit: has anybody ever taken A&P up on:

"If you find any spoiled item in our store, just bring it to the Customer Service Desk and we'll give you a fresh replacement free of charge."

www.freshobsessed.com

?

It occurred to me over the weekend you can get some somewhat decent food at Dollarama as well. Not the variety you'd get at Giant Tiger but they have two types of Dainty rice I like for $1, whole wheat bread for $1, and a variety of vegetables and lunch "meats" for $1. You could probably come up with a pretty interesting meal within the $25 limit that they used in Ottawa Magazine.

I always buy perogies at GT, I can't stand the no name ones they carry at Loblaws. It's been a while since I've had them at all though since I can't control myself and have been known to eat 10 of them in one sitting topped with lots of sour cream. :(

9 is my magic number but I often end up eating the ones the boys do not, so it's more like 12 or 13 :-)

As a starving student, I would typically make 12 of the NoName perogies for my supper -- arranging them in a circle on a plate (spooned together to keep things looking pretty of course), then microwaving to thaw and heat, then browning in a sauté pan with a little butter and/or oil. I'm pretty sure I've had more than 16 in one sitting. And a chocolate sundae for dessert! j/k on the sundae ;-)

Now I prefer perogies to be more moist so I boil them and optionally pan fry them I'm not crazy about sour cream with them though!

My favourite ways to eat sour cream are mixed with brown sugar (great dip for fruit) or as a spice-buffer for jalapeño peppers.

I will certainly have to pop into a Giant Tiger one of these days to check these perogies out!

I have a friend who love sours cream so much she eats it out of the container with a spoon like you would yogurt. LOL!

My bf and I often eat perogies for breakfast (boiled and then fried up with onions and garlic). He started it, but I have happily carried on the tradition. :)

I thought the debate on how Giant Tiger sells such inexpensive food was interesting. The reality is so many other retailers food is so expensive that Giant Tiger just looks inexpensive by comparision. Food retailers price items at 'what the market will pay' not what the real price is. We tend to buy perceived value (ie. these perogies cost 8 dollars which I'm happy to pay so I don't have to make them) instead of real value (these same perogies actually only cost 2 dollars to make and package and put on a store shelf). The Giant Tiger price just reflects a more reasonable markup on the exact same thing. Trust me.

The cabbage rolls are good! I get them often. Also their frozen boxed lamb chops are inexpensive and very nice, if you're in a hurry and need something quick.

GT also stocks bakery items from Richmond Bakery on a regular basis. I'm not sure what days they deliver, maybe every day?

My wife made a big scoff of Indian food for supper last night and the nan bread came from Giant Tiger! It was very good - every bit as good as the stuff from Loblaw's

I recently went into a Giant Tiger for the first time. Wandering around, marveling at (and trying not to inhale) all the cheapness, WHAT DO I FIND?!!! Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard! Bottles I've stuffed into my suitcase on trips to the U.S.. It's here!
For those unfamiliar (poor dears), it has a spicy kick and a wonderful earthy flavour.
Created in 1862 by Charles Gulden ~ it won medals at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 and the Paris Exposition in 1900.
It's an item I would choose if I were to be deserted on an island...it would make everything on the island taste great. Yes. Everything! :)

Others agree: www.davidlebovitz.com

Hey, I'll put my wife on alert at our local outlet - I'd love to try this!

We never did find the mustard - looked a few times.

Right now they have Primo pasta in 375g packages for 88 cents. Both regular and whole wheat - the latter of which is what makes it such a great deal. Being on "poverty patrol" right now my wife cleaned out the shelves of whole wheat spaghetti, rotini and penne, and we are going back tomorrow to see if they have restocked the shelves by then

hello... well i think i might know why products at Giant Tiger are cheaper then most... not the expiery date and so on... my assumption is that since it is an "All Canadian Store" i belive that they get cheaper prices because they purchase from Canadian distributers... if so then it is quite possible that they don't have to pay receiving costs and relays the good/great prices on to us... i shop for grocerys there often mainly because im not only cheap but im broke three quarters of the time aswell because i am part of a low income family.

but in refrence to the prices that is just my guess... i buy most of my grocerys there i.e yogurt, milk, bread, fruit, etc... and according to me i can do a really awsome grocery (fill my fridge and cupboards) for between 160$ and 200$ and they really last a long time... yogurt atleast a month, etc... not that it stays in my fridge that long :)

Great, there's a GT near my work . . . and I love pirogies. They are actually derived from Chinese dumplings. China -> Eastern Russia -> Western Russia. Great with sour cream. Great with the hot sauce Ashley recommends. See pic.

Bangkok Meat Balls Food Co. Ahhhhhh hahahahaha !

That hot sauce is the bomb!

That is a funny name. Hadn't noticed it before. :-) Good sauce though. 10/10.

challenge accepted. i'm going to do a giant tiger themed dinner....or even better a Depanneur/Mac's themed dinner! Meat sticks, broth, canned peas, frozen potatoes....I'm sure I can make something.

Just wanted to add-expired products I always seem to find them.
Emvale loblaws kept the yves veggie items 2 months past the dates after I even mention this 3 times and wanted to buy those items.

Independent at billings-always has expired cheese in the premium section

Foodbasics on Walkley has flies in the snack food isle.
I am not tempted to get much there even tho I live beside there.

When A&P was around they had a fresh or free policy (same company as loeb,metro,foodbasics) and every week I'd find at least $50 of expired items and my "purchase" was many times store gift cards as I had nothing to buy (and they letme..prob have $300 of home depot cards still).

don't want to alarm people too much but if you buy juice,pringles or rice dream or carton items check the part under the lid to be sure it is sealed.
many times I check my rice dream and someone has opened the carton and put it back.