This may be one of the best things to ever happen to a Winn-Dixie.

The W-D that had occupied the corner of East Colonial Drive and North Bumby Avenue was closed and has been taken over by an Asian food store called Mia Supermarket. It’s a fascinating place to wander about.

I first visited it when I decided I wanted to make kimchi. There were certain ingredients — kochakaru (Korean red pepper powder) and saeujeot (Korean salted shrimp) — that you just can’t find at your local Winn-Dixie. Or Publix for that matter.

I couldn’t even find those items at a couple of the older Asian markets in the Mills 50 district. So I gave Mia a try, and I’m glad I did.

Not only did they have the kochakaru and saeujeot I needed for my recipe, they also had a trove of fresh produce (including the daikon that the kimchi also called for) and aisle after aisle of exotic ingredients (at least to a typical Westerner) that had me thinking about trying other Asian recipes.

But I was most impressed with the fresh fish. Displayed on ice, just like you’d see in, say, New York’s Chinatown, the fish is right there for you to look at closely (clear eyes in all of them and not a whiff of fishiness). This is arguable some of the freshest seafood in town. Need even fresher? Mia has tanks of fish still swimming about.

And yes you have your familiar flounders and snappers, but you’ll also fine belt fish, king fish, cuttlefish, croakers, goat fish and sheep head. Most of them whole, but the friendly fishmonger will gladly fillet them for you.

I took a couple of whole snappers home and made a stuffed snapper recipe.

And kimchi, of course.

Mia Supermarket is at 2415 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando. It’s open daily.