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 3.5Iceskimo Shaved Snow: Located in La Jolla, Iceskimo is a self-proclaimed "artisan snow shavery" serving shaved ice inspired by those found in Taiwan and Hawaii. The shaved ice is a mix between ice cream and shaved ice - creamier than the shaved ice found on the streets of Taipei, shaved thinly into overlapping ribbons. They have many classic Asian flavors to chose from, from black sesame to matcha to Thai tea. I tried both the black sesame (pictured) as well as the Thai tea and found the Thai tea to be the mos... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended desserts taiwnaese shavedice blacksesame thaitea boba icecream iceskimo shaved snow 3.5Powder Black sesame Taiwanese shaved ice with mochi: During my childhood, my family would visit Taiwan every few years, spending several weeks in the scorching heat of the summer months. Once in a while, we would be treated with the best cure for a heatwave: baobing, or Taiwanese shaved ice served alongside a variety of toppings like peanut and red bean, all saturated with a sweet syrup that flavored the ice crystals. In anticipation, we would watch as a machine transformed a large block of ice into a heap of snow, spinning into a sharp rotar... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional sanfrancisco powdershavedice blacksesame powder black sesame taiwanese shaved ice mochi 4.5 dessert frozenMaeda-En black sesame ice cream: Barely sweetened ice cream with a distinctly savory black sesame flavor. Very creamy and rich. Smooth texture. 3.0/5.0
maedaen japanese hmart 3.0 icecream blacksesame dessert black sesame ice creamWei Chuan sesame paste buns: Frozen steamed buns with a sweetened black sesame filling. Similar taste to tang yuan balls often served with red bean soup, but not quite as dessert-y, so is justifiable for breakfast. 3.0/5.0
weichuan sesame blacksesame hmart chinese 3.0 buns pasteMarusan sesame honey soymilk: Taste is reminiscent of black sesame porridge you can buy in powder packets. All three flavors are present (black sesame, honey, and soymilk) but fail to work together. Very sweet, strange flavor overall. Not recommended. 1.5/5.0
marusan japanese drinks soymilk avoid blacksesame 1.5 honey soy sesame