Arizmendi Bakery Oatmeal raisin cookie: Based on the Cheeseboard Co-op in Berkeley, Arizmendi had virtually the exact same offerings, like pizza, baked goods, and hot beverages. If the cookies are any indication, though, it is far inferior. This cookie had a crunchy texture and bland flavor. It ate very dry, with little sweetness. Quite simply not good. 2.0/5.0
cookies sf arizmendibakery oatmeal raisin cookie 2.0
Purple Kow Rosie Oolong Tea with Brown Sugar Jelly: Somehow, I kept finding myself at this bubble tea shop in Berkeley, likely because of its proximity to the downtown BART station. Purple Kow serves its bubble tea in "chubby" cups (essentially stout buckets) and uses organic milk products for its milk teas. I think they're a little too proud of this fact given that the last few milk teas I've had have been overwhelmingly milky to the point that you feel like you're having sweetened milk. Even with the "micro sugar option," it was too swee... (read more) 2.0/5.0
drinks milktea berkeley purplekow rosie oolong tea brown sugar jelly 2.0
Marin Food Specialties Fig Bars: I think figs are one of the most underrated fruits. Since I moved to Berkeley, I've enjoyed eating the Berkeley Bowl fig cereal bars fairly regularly, so I don't usually buy packaged fig bars anymore. This product was on sale, though, and given that it was a local brand, I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately, the filling was overly dense and far too sweet, while the cookie was too crumbly and a little bit dry. I have yet to find a good snack with the word "great tasting" on the labe... (read more) 2.0/5.0
berkeleybowl marinfoodspecialties fig bars 2.0
iTea Guava green tea with lychee jelly and boba: I can’t tell if the fruit teas are generally underwhelming or the quality of this bubble tea shop has just declined over time, but this guava green tea from iTea on Kearny in SF was too sweet, even at 30% sweetness, with a syrupy taste and no trace of green tea. Contains lychee jelly and boba, both of which were decent. Lines were incredibly long at the end of a weekday. Questioning whether I should just stop returning to this once-favorite place. 2.0/5.0
drinks bubbletea sanfrancisco sf itea guava green tea lychee jelly boba 2.0
Happy Lemon Lemon black tea: Textbook mediocre black tea. Tastes like Lipton, and it probably is. On the plus side, the drinks contains an entire lemon, sliced into wedges. But the overall effect is black tea I can easily make at home. Good thing it was free (from the buy one get on free promotion during Happy Lemon’s opening weekend in Berkeley). 2.0/5.0
drinks berkeley happylemon lemon black tea 2.0
Smartfood Spicy Jalapeño Ranch popcorn: For last minute ingredients, I sometimes find myself at Safeway when all other options are closed. Their snack aisles are stocked with brands Berkeley Bowl would never carry, including this bag of Frito-Lay Smartfood popcorn. I still remember enjoying the white cheddar popcorn in lunch bag snack packs growing up, so I decided to give this spicy jalapeño ranch flavor a try. It was spicier than I expected, but I don’t think jalapeño and ranch are a particularly good flavor combination; on thei... (read more) 2.0/5.0
smartfood spicy jalapeño ranch popcorn 2.0