It's the Year of the Snake and what do snakes eat? If you guessed eggs, you would be correct. If you guessed lizards, frogs and squirrels, you would also be correct. But you're not picking up a packet of squirrels at ASDA now, are you?

Ahead of the Chinese New Year, I visited Wing Yip in Nechells in search of eggs and more as part of a shopping trip. I aimed to pick up a variety of items to show what was available at the Asian supermarket and see if it was different to UK chains.

Before I entered, I was drawn into an impromptu game of Frogger as endless streams of cars passed me by. The amount of cars entering the car park shows the popularity of Wing Yip and after about three minutes of sulking, I could finally enter.

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After visiting a lifeless Waitrose earlier this month, it was nice to see a supermarket chain with life again. Wing Yip is a chain and the Birmingham store is one of four locations in the country.

However it feels more like Costco than Aldi with a warehouse beyond the supermarket. This is perfect if you love Asian food but want to buy it in bulk.

Aisles are labelled efficiently here, you're not going to get lost in a supermarket maze looking for some instant noodles. It's clear where items are, and if you come here frequently, you'll probably know everywhere from memory.

Although there is a decent amount of fresh fruit and vegetables, Wing Yip is perfect if you enjoy frozen food. Aisle after aisle of freezers left me feeling like I was in a Chinese Iceland, packed with everything from spring rolls, gyoza to bao buns and ready meals.

There is still a good selection of fresh noodles, fruit, vegetables and buns. Visiting at lunchtime, the aisles were half empty, so I would recommend a morning visit to secure the best options.

Wing Yip is also home to a fresh meat and seafood counter, including rare items you don't really see in any major supermarket - live lobsters (£36.95) and crabs (£9.45). In terms of what I was purchasing, I decided to go for something else as I don't think my Uber driver would appreciate a lobster in the backseat.

I went for a pack of duck eggs, Wing Yip's soy sauce, egg noodles, Jasmine green tea, egg yolk-flavoured crisps and a pack of grape mochi. I wanted to grab a little bit of everything, and frankly, the story would be dull if I just brought home a bag of rice.

The grape mochi did smell delightful but had the texture of a pillow and the grape-filled juiciness on the display box was an exaggeration.

You get the tiniest bite of a filling whilst the remaining duration is just chewing for the sake of chewing. Imagine flavourless chewing gum which you can't wait to finish, that's how I would describe the grape mochi.

If you enjoy trying new flavours, by all means try the egg yolk crisps. But for me, it left behind a unpleasant aftertaste for hours, to the point where mouthwash was being considered. I've never had a crisp like it and it must be popular for a reason. But next time, I'll stick to Walkers.

Although I had calculated that the receipt would be under £15, additional bag and tax costs meant that the final total was £15.67. I compared prices to Tesco and Sainsbury's, overall Wing Yip was slightly more expensive in most cases, but not by much.

Total bill:

Yuki & Love grape mochi - £2.85

Premium Jasmine tea - £2.25

Salted duck egg (pack of six) - £4.35

Fresh egg noodles - £2.25

Salted egg yolk crisps - £2.10

Wing Yip superior light soy sauce - 85p

Recyclable bag 50p

52p tax

£15.67

What Wing Yip does have, and why it's unlike any supermarket I've visited is variety. Whether it's noodles, sauces, crisps, rice, frozen food, tea or desserts, the options are staggering in Chinese food and drink.

So many of the world's best dishes come from this region and whether you want to cook them fresh, or go with frozen for convenience, you have that option here. If you're going for price, look for a supermarket, but if you're looking for new options, give Wing Yip a try.

There are plenty of items here you won't find in any UK supermarket, I've never seen live lobster and crab in a Morrisons. My conclusion is that Wing Yip is a secret gem for discovering new favourites, but pick a different selection of crisps, there's enough to choose from.