Hapi Snacks Ramen Crunch: Wavy ridged crisps that have an aroma somewhere between the mysterious "oriental" flavored ramen seasoning packet and fish food. Contains a liberal amount of anchovy powder and MSG (in fact, MSG appears twice on the ingredients list for some reason). Texture-wise, it's not as crispy as a potato chip, but its thin profile makes it less hearty than a cracker. It's not as dense as ramen-flavored snacks that actually consist of dried ramen noodles. Flavor-wise, though, Hapi is going for a si... (read more) 2.5/5.0
asian ramen tokyofishmarket hapisnacks crunch 2.5
50 Tea Longan Red Date drink with grass jelly: On my last visit to Oakland, iTea was out of ice and only offering hot beverages. Given the beautiful weather, I decided to go across the street to a new tea shop instead. Named 50 Tea, the shop is iconic Chinatown – half of the storefront is for tea and ice cream while the other half is for purchasing various goods like DVDs and small trinkets and gifts. Their walls are covered in hand-written menu additions with distinctly Asian flavors like winter melon and sour plum. I opted for thei... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Asha Tea Asian Pear Oolong Tea: The fruit teas at Asha Tea in Berkeley are consistently good, with housemade textured purees made with seasonal fruit. The puree adds enough bite that I find your typical add-ons, like boba or grass jelly, are unnecessary. For this particular Asian pear tea, the strongly-flavored oolong had a rich and robust herbal flavor much stronger and more interesting than your typical green or black iced teas. The natural fruit carried enough sweetness on its own to cut through the tea, producing an... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional drinks berkeley fruit ashatea asian pear oolong tea 4.5
宮木製菓 Assorted rice crackers: Purchased from Tokyo Fish Market, this mix of glazed rice crackers and peanuts is very yummy, with a balanced savory sweet combination (but mostly sweet). My favorite is topped with a nori coating. It's like an Asian version of popcorn mix, but significantly better. 4.0/5.0
recommended japanese asian peanuts tokyofishmarket assorted rice crackers 4.0
Hot Kid Shelly Senbei Seaweed Flavor Rice Cracker: I grew up eating an assortment of Hot Kid rice cracker offerings, which I strongly believe are some of the best in terms of taste and value. This nori-flavored rice snack was new to me and did not disappoint. Each individually wrapped package contains two sizable rice crackers, at about 3.5" in diameter. A soy glaze coats the crackers, and strips of seaweed add to the savory flavor. One aspect I felt was missing was the sweetness you tend to get with other Hot Kid snacks, but I would sti... (read more) 3.5/5.0
asian chinese nori ranch99 hotkid shelly senbei seaweed flavor rice cracker 3.5 recommended
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
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