Volcano Tea House White peach oolong tea with boba: At 25% sweetness, this herbal oolong tea had a light and refreshing white peach flavor, though it did taste syrup-y. The boba was quite good-neither overly chewy or soft and just a tad sweet. Good enough that I would consider revisiting this Sawtelle-based bubble tea shop in the future. 3.0/5.0
recommended drinks bubbletea volcanoteahouse white peach oolong tea boba 3.0
Mr. Holmes Bakehouse Apple and marscarpone cruffin: In LA on Larchmont, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse looks like just a regular pastry shop: no lines, a modest storefront, and a few nicely presented seasonal options. Both cruffin flavors (maple and beer and apple and marscarpone) were available, with seemingly no particular demand. We tried the apple and marscarpone muffin and donut hybrid, which stood tall and was dusted in sugar. The flavor of the apple filling was nicely spiced and textured like applesauce, and the exterior pastry struck me as more... (read more) 3.0/5.0
pastry donut muffin la mrholmesbakehouse apple marscarpone cruffin 3.0
Wallaby Organic Orange passion fruit yogurt: This citrus yogurt from Wallaby is one of the better flavors I’ve had from this American brand pretending to be an Australian brand. Australian style is essentially looser than most other yogurt, almost verging on kefir. Orange and passion fruit are not commonly seen together but maybe it should be. 3.0/5.0
organic wallabyorganic orange passion fruit yogurt 3.0
Saffron Road Bombay spice crunchy chickpeas: Fried chickpeas tossed with a dry savory spice mixture (it’s proprietary and thus not listed in the ingredients, but my best guess is garam masala, turmeric, cumin, ginger, and cinnamon). A bit awkward to eat because they coat your hands. The flavor was a bit too strong for me, so I never wanted to eat more than a handful. 3.0/5.0
wholefoods indian saffronroad bombay spice crunchy chickpeas 3.0
Osem BBQ Bissli: Israeli snack that is similarly shaped to spiral Fritos, but with a darker color, which I think is due to mixed grains. Same crunchy consistency. A fairly neutral bbq flavor - neither too sweet or overly smoky. 3.0/5.0
osem bbq bissli 3.0
Tartly Ginger pear shrub: Purchased from quality but pricy SF-grocer Bi-Rite, this bottle of ginger pear shrub is from California Brand Tartly. On their site, they describe the origin of the company: “One late summer day in California, two health-conscious foodies got together for lunch.” Sorry, but can there be a more generic template to describe every artisanal/small-batch/environmentally-conscious food company based in California?! Back to the soda-it’s sweeter than other shrubs but has a satisfying ginger and app... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks sodas tartly ginger pear shrub 3.0 birite