Benkyodo Co Mochi: One of the original mochi shops in the US, Benkyodo in Japantown, SF opened back in 1906. Today, the storefront is an odd mix of diner counter, Asian 7-11-type snacks, and fresh made mochi. All of their mochi come in cupcake liners and taste very fresh because they are. The texture is softer than I personally prefer, and there is a little too much starch that coats your mouth with each bite. But I did enjoy that they were not overly sweet. The best was certainly a mango mochi that had f... (read more) 3.0/5.0
japantown sanfrancisco japanese sweets dessert benkyodoco mochi 3.0
Koreana Plaza Market Mochi: Inside the Koreana Plaza Market in Oakland is a small cash-only bakery with a variety of asian sweets, including lotus-paste-filled pastries (review forthcoming), pineapple buns, and almond cookies. I purchased a pack of two red-bean mochi (despite the oven-fresh sticker on the packaging, I'm pretty sure they were steamed). The mochi are about 125% the size of packaged mochi. Biting into a piece, I could instantly tell that it was very fresh. The glutinous rice flour had a bit more resis... (read more) 3.0/5.0
oakland sweets dessert japanese koreanaplazamarket mochi 3.0
I Heart Keenwah Aged Cheddar flavored quinoa puffs: Cheese puffs that substitute quinoa for corn and thus have a more substantial amount of protein (5g). About the size of a quarter, these crunchy bites have a flavor strongly reminiscent of aged cheddar boxed mac and cheese powder (the nice Amy's kind, not Kraft). Ends with a punchy peppercorn kick. Bag contains few servings (3). Worth a try if you're looking for a slightly healthier alternative to cheese puffs. 3.0/5.0
cheese quinoa iheartkeenwah aged cheddar flavored puffs 3.0 berkeleybowl
Beard Papa Strawberry Cream Puff with Vanilla Cream: As far as I know, the Westfield mall in SF is a no-mans land as far as snackable foods go. Not wanting to spend much money and not willing to walk all the way to Chinatown, I purchased a strawberry-flavored cream puff from Beard Papa, located in the mall's foodcourt. The strawberry icing is sweet and tart – a bit like strawberry Pocky but with a less waxy mouthfeel. The puff itself was slightly crispy but generally light, while the vanilla flavored custard was quite rich and just a little... (read more) 3.0/5.0
pastries desserts beardpapa strawberry cream puff vanilla 3.0
Trader Joe's Ancient grains and nuts granola: Crunchy granola clusters with whole roasted oats, chia seeds, walnuts, and coconut oil. Clusters are good for snacking out of the bag - mash them up to use as a topping for yogurt. Coconut flavor elevates it from your ordinary granola product, but it's also neutral enough to pair with many fruits and flavored yogurt. 3.0/5.0
traderjoes ancient grains nuts granola 3.0
Tara's Organic Ice Cream Jasmine green tea ice cream: On the northern edge of the Elmwood district, at the border of Oakland and Berkeley, is a small ice cream shop called Tara's Organic Ice Cream. They feature a rotating menu of ice creams and sorbet. I was hoping they would have black sesame ice cream, but I was out of luck on the day I went and got a scoop of jasmine green tea instead. The texture was not as smooth as it could be, but the subtle herbal flavor was unique - clean but also very creamy. The type of ice cream that needs to be acc... (read more) 3.0/5.0
icecream berkeley tea dessert sesame tarasorganicicecream jasmine green ice cream 3.0