Looking for Chai Milk tea with grass jelly: There’s a Taiwanese restaurant In Bellevue named Looking for Chai where everyone speaks Mandarin, photographs of Taipei 101 line the wall, and they have a handwritten menu of about 30 tea drinks written in traditional Chinese before their English translations. When I ordered a milk tea with grass jelly, I realized I had forgotten to specify the sweetness. But the tea was perfect, with an deep herbal flavor barely sweetened and slippery grass jelly that verges on medicinal but exactly as you ... (read more) 5.0/5.0
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Daybird Strawberry Lemonade: This strawberry lemonade is exceptional on its own but even more so as a companion to spicy foods. I had it alongside the fried chicken sandwich at Daybird (which is definitely worth seeking out), and as amazing as the sandwich was, I was actually left most impressed with the freshness of this drink, which captures perfectly the tart and sweet flavor of fresh strawberries. You can see the quality just in the color of the drink itself, with it's striking red-orange hue. I can't think of any w... (read more) 5.0/5.0
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三都屋商事 豆せいぞろい Rice Cracker Mix: I've always loved Japanese rice crackers, and these are the most colorful and delicious variety I've had. The rice balls are all glazed with soy and each contain a single roasted peanut; this mix has a variety of surprising flavors – some are covered in toasted sesame seeds, others with flecks of nori mixed with a seafood flavor reminding me of a milder shrimp cracker, my favorite almost looks like it's covered in moss, with a deep seaweed flavor, and there's even one that is slightly sweet... (read more) 5.0/5.0
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福丸饅頭 Kusa Daifuku : This mochi is from a small confectionary shop in Yanaka, Tokyo that serves a variety of fresh, seasonal mochi. I purchased this green mochi thinking it was matcha-flavored, but it’s actually made of mugwort, a type of medicinal plant of Chinese origin. It has a slightly bitter flavor that’s not at all sweet, like a mix of spinach and peppery parsley. It reminds me of a green smoothie in that people would enjoy it as a dessert, but it’s mostly savory. The texture of the mochi was perfect ... (read more) 5.0/5.0
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Hop Shu-Kuri-Mu Matcha Cream Puff: I randomly passed this pastry shop in Azabu Juban and made a mental note to return based on the quality of bread in their window. I'm glad I did, because their cream puffs are insane. The exterior has a crispy baked texture, similar in some ways to dutch crunch bread from San Francisco, and the filling is of the highest quality I've had in any bakery, with a creamy and not too sweet flavor and ideal matcha bitterness. The most interesting part to me was a bruleed base that resembled a nor... (read more) 5.0/5.0
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Morgenstern's Stingray Creamsicle: This is the best creamsicle I've ever had in my life. The vanilla ice cream contains bites of chewy lemon jam and is double dipped in both lemon and concord grape flavoring, giving it an impossibly smooth shell and layers-on-layers of flavor. The perfect combination of swert, creamy, tart, and fruity. Part of the limited edition #fuckthatsdelicious special at Morgenstern's in NYC. 5.0/5.0
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