Orion Injeolmi Sweet Bean Turtle Chips: A sweet chip flavored with soybean powder and sugar. Individual pieces are multi-layered and crispy, basically the same as Aerial chips if those are familiar to you. Ridged corn chips may also remind Americans of Bugles, but they are not nearly as seasoned. Injelolmi is a Korean dessert that appears to be the same as mochi, cut into squares and dusted with a beige soybean powder that gives it a nutty flavor that isn't overly sweet. I would say this snack was much more dessert-like than s... (read more) 3.0/5.0
korean orion injeolmi sweet bean turtle chips 3.0 hmartHop Shu-Kuri-Mu Matcha and red bean bread: There is a small bakery in the heart of Azabu-Juban in Tokyo that has the most delicious cream puffs – they also sell a variety of other baked goods, including fresh loaves of bread with visually striking swirls of flavor baked in, similar to what you might see for flavored milk bread loaves at Asian bakeries more generally. Their loaves tend to be about half the size of what you might see in the US. I really enjoyed the spongy, stretchy texture and faint sweetness of this loaf. If you ev... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended azabujuban japanese tokyo hopshukurimu matcha red bean bread 3.5Kimuraya Red Bean Bun: This small but popular bakery is right near the Ginza metro station, offering a variety of Japanese / french breads and pastries. Their speciality appears to be inexpensive miniature buns that cost 150¥, under $1.50; sized like dinner rolls and coated in amaranth, its shell is slightly browned and overall tastes largely neutral in flavor with red bean filling (they also offer different types of fillings). Overall, it's more like sustenance than something to be enjoyed, given its inexpensiv... (read more) 3.0/5.0
japanese ginza bakery kimuraya red bean bun 3.0Beanitos Nacho Nation white bean chips: Made with Great Northern beans and flavored with cheddar cheese and seasonings like onion, garlic, buttermilk, and tomato powder, these tortilla chips have a surprisingly well-rounded nacho cheese flavor--a little bit of heat and zest, while still maintaining the fundamentally satisfying cheesy flavor. Worth a try if you like tortilla chips that taste a little different but still comfortingly familiar. 3.5/5.0
Recommend parkslopefoodcoop beans beanitos nacho nation white bean chips 3.5Hsin Tung Yang Sesame flavored dried bean curd: Dried bean curd is one of my favorite Taiwanese snacks and is not quite like anything I've had from American grocery stores. Fried bean curd, saturated in sesame oil, is wrinkled almost like an enlarged raisin, but comes in large strips like beef jerky. It has an intensely savory sweet chili-garlic flavor and leaves your fingers and tongue slick with a (unhealthy) coating of grease, which undoubtably adds to its deliciousness. I can't say exactly where this bag was from as my parents had i... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended taiwanese asian tofu hsintungyang sesame flavored dried bean curd 4.0Otafuku x Medetai Red Bean Taiyaki: Otafuku x Medetai is a small Japanese to-go street food shop in the East Village specializing in okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and taiyaki. Taiyaki is a classic Japanese dessert with a fish-shaped waffle exterior and different fillings inside (traditionally red bean). They make all their taiyaki from scratch here, filling their detailed custom molds with batter and producing 6 fishies at a time, all of which you can watch. This was probably the freshest taiyaki I've had -- it came out pipping h... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional nyc japanese otafukuxmedetai red bean taiyaki 4.5