Berkeley Bowl Japan Mix: The only grocery store I know that has rice crackers available in bulk, Berkeley Bowl's take on Japanese rice crackers is as good as any. The multi-colored, spherical rice snacks each contain a single roasted peanut. Some are topped with sesame, others mixed with nori; all are glazed with a lightly savory coating. A recommended snack. 4.0/5.0
recommended asian japanese peanuts berkeleybowl japan mix 4.0
Gregoire Homemade granola with yogurt: One of the breakfast items offered at the excellent takeaway restaurant Gregoire in Berkeley is yogurt (Fage, I believe) served with homemade granola. Buttery, sweet, crunchy, and chewy, the granola contains a mix of toasted oats, nuts, seeds, and dried berries. It's very well balanced and something I wish I could make at home but probably would never take the time to do, which is why I especially appreciate it when others do it right! 4.0/5.0
recommended berkeley gregoire homemade granola yogurt 4.0
IKEA Dryck Julmust: IKEA describes it as a "Swedish festive drink" (though it seems slightly out of season to be selling in October). The drink has a dark cola color and does taste a little similar but with a more nuanced spiced flavor (the ingredients include malt, and I got a bit of clove and cinnamon). It's also far less sweet than Coke or Pepsi. If I could pick a cola-like beverage to drink during the holidays, this would be it. (In my haste to buy furniture for my new place, I forgot to photograph the ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
drinks soda recommended sweedish ikea dryck julmust 4.0
Happy Lemon Lemon cooler slushie: While some may find their drinks to be overwhelming tart, I appreciate the sharp, acidic lemon flavor of the Hapoy lemon classic lemon cooler slushie. This beverage checks all the boxes for an ideal drink: refreshing, well balanced, and affordable. Highly recommended! 4.0/5.0
drinks recommended happylemon lemon cooler slushie 4.0
Morgenstern's Tour Pine'Our soft serve: One of my favorite chefs, Paul Liebrandt, recently collaborated with the LES ice cream shop Morgenstern's and introduced a series of special soft serve flavors over the course of a month. I sampled the last one, a swirl of strawberry hibiscus sorbet and sunchoke ice cream. The texture of the soft serve was excellent, and I especially loved the sharpness of the sorbet. The sunchoke ice cream was fine, but more of a neutral base for the sorbet. The entire dessert was topped with toasted hazel... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended frozen sorbet strawberry hibiscus sunchoke icecream morgensterns tour pine'our soft serve 4.0 softserve
Maxim Bakery Pork Bun: Maxim Bakery is a local Flushing chain that sells a variety of Chinese pastries and treats. For just $1.30, you can get a sizable Asian pork bun: it has a fluffy and slightly sweetened steamed bun exterior and meaty interior with a thick, savory sauce. This bun puts all food truck baos to shame, both in terms of flavor and value (you could easily pay 5x as much for 1/4 of the size). No one seems to speak any English, but they are accommodating and friendly nonetheless. 4.0/5.0
recommended flushing bao maximbakery pork bun 4.0