Lotus Foods Sriracha Arare Rice Crackers: I sometimes feel guilty when I purchase the Western version of classic asian snacks, made with likely responsibly sourced ingredients and marketed with minimalist, sans-serif packaging. But having had Lotus Food’s Arare rice crackers in the past, I had a sense that the difference in quality would be worthwhile, and it was. Black, red, and yellow rice crackers in a variety of shapes, from stars to squares, have a clear sheen from a chili-flavored glaze. They’re satisfying crunchy, and the hea... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended berkeleybowl asian ricecrackers lotusfoods sriracha arare rice crackers 4.0
Luke's Organic Cheddar Clouds White Cheddar Cheese Puffs: Finally, a tasty gluten-free snack that doesn't scream gluten-free on the packaging. Actually, I didn't know it was gluten free until I looked up more information to write this review. Luke's specializes in gluten-free snacks, and these cheese puffs are designed to help people "snack like a kid, feel like a grown up." They have a sharper and tangier taste than Pirate's Booty and are similarly irregularly shaped. Not quite as light as you might guess for a product with "cloud" in its name... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Lundberg Mochi Sweet Organic Rice Cakes: Made with whole grain brown rice, these "sweet" rice cakes are actually more savory than sweet since they are lightly salted. I was hoping they would have a different taste than normal plain rice cakes, but they are essentially flavorless (minus the salt). 2.5/5.0
organic berkeleybowl lundberg mochi sweet rice cakes 2.5
Mandy’s Zesty Lemon Cookie Thins: Similar in diameter to Ritz crackers but just a few millimeters thick, like Anna’s Swedish Cookies, these lemon cookies from Mandy’s have a good balance of sweet and tart. The have a prominent citrus flavor than most lemon cookies I’ve had from a grocery store. Packaged in a well-designed tin. Not sure why it has exactly 42 cookies - the owners must be nerds. 3.5/5.0
recommended berkeleybowl cookies mandys zesty lemon cookie thins 3.5
Marin Food Specialties Fig Bars: I think figs are one of the most underrated fruits. Since I moved to Berkeley, I've enjoyed eating the Berkeley Bowl fig cereal bars fairly regularly, so I don't usually buy packaged fig bars anymore. This product was on sale, though, and given that it was a local brand, I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately, the filling was overly dense and far too sweet, while the cookie was too crumbly and a little bit dry. I have yet to find a good snack with the word "great tasting" on the labe... (read more) 2.0/5.0
berkeleybowl marinfoodspecialties fig bars 2.0
Marukyo Black Sesame Funwariyaki Dorayaki: Dorayaki is a delicious filled pancake dessert from Japan that has no equivalent in American pastry (as far as I know). The closest likeness I can think of is the Whoopie Pie, though dorayaki has a bean paste filling rather than cream, and the ratio of cake to filling is slimmer. Berkeley Bowl sells an assortment of refrigerated cakes in their Asian grocery aisle, though I have normally been wary of these silica-packet-filled packaged snacks. I was intrigued, though, by this black sesame ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended berkeleybowl japanese blacksesame marukyo black sesame funwariyaki dorayaki 3.5