Foco coconut water with pink guava: Great guava flavor. Intensely hydrating. 390% daily serving of vitamin c. Just enough sugar (17g). Coconut water flavor plays a backseat to guava purée, but I'm not complaining. 4.5/5.0
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Suzukake sogetsu Doriyaki: This Japanese treat was a gift from a visitor to my lab. The packaging had zero English, but with the help of Google Translate, I determined that the brand is Suzukake, and the snack is called sogetsu. I expected it to be dorayaki, but the pancake wrapper was actually made of glutinous rice instead of cake. As a huge fan of mochi, I am completely in favor of this substitution. Beside the texture, it tasted just like dorayaki, with a red bean filling that was sweeter than other Japanese confe... (read more) 4.5/5.0
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Hontaka Ecorce : This Japanese line of cookies was first established in 1887 and is available in giftstores all around Japan. According to their website (translated to English via Google Translate), the cookie is made of just a few simple ingredients: flour, sugar, oil and fat, and eggs. What makes it unique is the thin and flaky layers, which are almost like a cross between a crepe and mille-feuille (though it's completely dry). Its buttery taste and precisely thin layers, along with its thoughtful packagin... (read more) 4.5/5.0
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Wei-Chuan lotus seed paste buns: I love mantou, a Chinese steamed bun often consumed for breakfast. I recently purchased this Taiwanese lotus seed filled bun from Hmart and am a huge fan. The filling is very lightly sweetened (2g of sugar), and after about 10 minutes of steaming, the bread is pillowy yet slightly chewy. It's very difficult to find a brand of filled frozen buns that isn't insanely sweet, and these were also reasonably priced. 4.5/5.0
hmart exceptional frozen chinesetaieanese weichuan lotusseed 4.5 breakfast asian lotus seed paste buns
Golden Gate Bakery egg tart: Back in 2010, I came across this legendary Chinatown institution notable for its long lines of Chinese patrons. I ordered a single egg tart and sat on the curb on Grant street savoring the best egg tart I'd ever had. Unlike most I had previously tasted, which tend to sit out in display cabinets, this tart came out hot, giving the custard a glistening glow and a silky texture that was almost pudding-like. Ever since that day, I've gone out of my way to buy another on almost every trip back to... (read more) 4.5/5.0
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Chimes mango ginger chews: I love ginger flavored things. If I see ginger candy, ale, or beer, chances are very high that I will try it. Over the years, I've become wary of non-Asian ginger candy, as they tend not to be particularly potent, likely in order to appeal to western palates. To my pleasant surprise, Chimes ginger chews defies this stereotype. I bought this flavor in particular because mango and ginger is not a common combination, particularly for ginger candy. Though difficult to remove from its packaging, ... (read more) 4.5/5.0
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