Bao Tea House Chocolate Milk Bao: This is a special at Bao Tea House in the West Village that will be added to the full menu soon (in that way, it’s more of a preview than a special). Ordered in sets of two, the chocolate baos are coated in melted milk chocolate and slices almonds, with chocolate chips and a cream filling. I’m not a very big chocolate fan, so this wasn’t really a dessert for me, but texturally I liked the combination of crunchy and soft. The cream filling was a bit overwhelming though; it felt more like calo... (read more) 3.0/5.0
manhattan nyc desserts sweets baoteahouse chocolate milk bao 3.0
Galil Roasted chestnuts: Part of a larger trend of packaging vegetables-as-snacks (e.g., fried snap peas, roasted seaweed, apple crisps), these roasted chestnuts have a slick coating that make you want to eat them with a utensil, ultimately taking away from the convenience of having it in a packable pouch. Otherwise, it’s largely not-messed-around-with. 3.0/5.0
organic vegetables galil roasted chestnuts 3.0
Lonely God Japanese Seaweed Flavor Potato Chips: A quintessential Chinese snack whose name is likely the result of a mistranslation, these auger-shaped potato snacks are about 1.5 larger than Frito flavor twists and slightly softer in texture. They're coated in a savory sweet seaweed powder. Purchased from Hong Kong Supermarket, they're one of the many examples of Asian snacks commonly found in 7-11s in Taiwan, but difficult to find in America. Overall, I wish the snack were crispier, and they are sweeter than I prefer for a savory snac... (read more) 3.0/5.0
asian nori chinese hongkongsupermarket lonelygod japanese seaweed flavor potato chips 3.0
Kirin Rich Green Tea: If you can believe it, I have a months-worth of backlog for snack reviews. I purchased this bottle of green tea back when I was doing a retreat at the Recurse Center. I liked buying large bottles of green tea to drink at work for cost-effectiveness, and I found that the best selection could be found at Hong Kong Supermarket in NYC's Chinatown. I typically purchased Ito-En teas, but I decided to give this slightly less expensive bottle of green tea a try. It was decent, but more bitter th... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks matcha chinatown kirin rich green tea 3.0
Skittles Sweet Heat Candies: First, I did not purchase this snack. It was shared with my batch at the Recurse Center earlier this summer, and when a bizarre snack is freely offered to me, you can bet I will at least give it a try. The bag contains your standard Skittles colors and flavors: strawberry, watermelon, orange, lemon, and mango. Just like normal skittles, they are way too sweet and consequently send sharp pains immediately through your dentures directly to your taste receptors. But a few seconds after the ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
candy skittles sweet heat candies 3.0
Up Mountain Switchel Original Apple Cider Vinegar, Maple Syrup, and Ginger Switchel: Switchel seems to have gotten pretty popular over the past two years, which makes me happy because I especially enjoy ginger drinks. I purchased this one from a Vietnamese restaurant but recently saw that Whole Foods sells it. It's a little too sweet for me, and doesn't have as potent of a ginger flavor as I expected it to. Pretty average as far as switchels I've had. 3.0/5.0
drinks upmountainswitchel original apple cider vinegar maple syrup ginger switchel 3.0