Hershey Whoppers: There are only a handful of mass-manufactured candies I enjoy but never actually purchase; instead, I wait for Halloween to find them for free. One of my favorites is the malted milk balls known as Whoppers, which provided my first experience with malted foods. I couldn't care less about the subpar milk chocolate coating, which I see only as a protector for the malted interior, which easily dissolves on the tongue and has a satisfying barley flavor. I credit Whoppers to opening the doors ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
candy malted recommended chocolate hershey whoppers 4.0
Master Wang's Bakery Mochi: Brought back from Taipei, this brand of mochi treats comes in a variety box with individually-wrapped peanut, sesame, and red bean mochi. Since mochi is my favorite dessert, I can be an especially tough critic when it comes to this Japanese specialty, and it's not often I'm introduced to a new take. But after trying this brand, I've learned about a completely different texture of mochi that's slick rather than firm. While it's coated with a layer of starch like most packaged mochi is, biting... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended taiwanese redbean sesame peanut masterwangsbakery mochi 4.0
Smari New Orleans Coffee Organic Icelandic Yogurt: I finally purchased this brand of icelandic-style yogurt, and since I now wake up earlier and tend to eat yogurt for breakfast, I thought I would combine a bit of caffeine into my morning routine (without having to actually brew coffee). The rich whole milk yogurt is not as thick as Siggi's or Fage but also creamier and smoother, with specks of coffee bean throughout. The coffee flavor itself is excellent – slightly bitter and not too sweet. Definitely one of the most memorable yogurts I'... (read more) 4.0/5.0
berkeleybowl recommended smari new orleans coffee organic icelandic yogurt 4.0
Miaow Miaow Cuttlefish Flavoured Crackers: From a wall of tempting Asian snacks at Tokyo Fish Bowl in Berkeley, this particular bag caught my attention, first from the cute cat-accented logo and then its intriguing seafood flavor. I am a huge fan of Asian seafood snacks, and this particular one is from Malaysia. Unlike more familiar shrimp crackers, the chips are thicker and curl almost onto themselves like curly fries. The tentacle-like indentations mean that more seasoning is caught in the crevices, and there is a ton of sweet a... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended berkeley tokyofishbowl seafood squid miaowmiaow cuttlefish flavoured crackers 4.0
Sweet Sydney's Ginger Snap Cookies: Purchased from the premium snack vending machine at my work, this gluten-free cookie has a significant amount of spiced flavor and surprisingly moist texture. More chewy than crumbly, it's one of the best gluten-free cookies I've had. Though it is very sugary (31g in a cookie) the spices help balance it out. Made in San Francisco. 4.0/5.0
recommended glutenfree sweetsydneys ginger snap cookies 4.0
Luke's Organic Cheddar Clouds White Cheddar Cheese Puffs: Finally, a tasty gluten-free snack that doesn't scream gluten-free on the packaging. Actually, I didn't know it was gluten free until I looked up more information to write this review. Luke's specializes in gluten-free snacks, and these cheese puffs are designed to help people "snack like a kid, feel like a grown up." They have a sharper and tangier taste than Pirate's Booty and are similarly irregularly shaped. Not quite as light as you might guess for a product with "cloud" in its name... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended organic berkeleybowl cheese whitecheddar lukesorganic cheddar clouds white puffs 4.0