Haitai Singdandong Hot Chicken Tteokbookkki Rice Cake Snack: I used to buy Haitai tteokbokki rice snacks from HMart regularly, so I was very pleased to see these Korean snacks at my local Lawson convenience store in Tokyo, though I hadn't tried this particular flavor. The normal ones are satisfying sweet, savory, and spicy glazed rice snacks shaped like large, ridged elbow macaroni, crunchy rather than chewy like the actual tubular rice cakes you get at a Korean restaurant. They were reliably good, the type of snack I would always manage to buy when... (read more) 3.0/5.0
lawson korean haitai singdandong hot chicken tteokbookkki rice cake snack 3.0
Oshidori Milk Cake: I bought this candy because of the cute but somewhat dated-looking packaging, which made me think it was probably an older classic snack. Inside the bag are individually wrapped milk cakes, hard sticks about 2x in length as a stick of gum. They are completely opaque in color but have some air holes in them. Each stick is fairly brittle so that they snap when you bite into it. Flavor-wise, this was definitely one of the worse things I've eaten in Japan. It tastes kind of like I'd imagine... (read more) 1.0/5.0
avoid japanese candy oshidori milk cake 1.0
Oreo Crispy Sakura Chiffon Cake Cookies: In Japan, oreos do not come in their more familiar resealable pouch packaging and instead come in boxes with individually wrapped tubes; in this box, there are 3 tubes of 8 cookies. The Sakura Chiffon Cake filling is slightly tart and definitely tastes different than regular Oreos, but I don't know if I would identify it as cake-like. That being said, I've never had Sakura cake before, so maybe this is more accurate than I can personally judge. The closest comparison I can make is a very ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
cookies familymart japanese oreo crispy sakura chiffon cake 3.0
Chicha Matcha Crepe Cake: After a long day, I decided to treat myself with dessert at this Montreal-based Taiwanese cafe that serves savory entrées, desserts, and beverages. They have a variety of flavored crepe cakes, but I went for the matcha, which was about $6 a slice - pretty pricy. I did enjoy it, though - it had many layers of eggy crepe, and the creme was not overly rich. The matcha powder was quite bitter, and the dessert overall was not very sweet. The best part was definitely the mix of chewy crepe and ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended montreal dessert chicha matcha crepe cake 3.5
Keki Matcha cheesecake: My company lets us pick our birthday-treat-of-choice. I learned my lesson last year, when I requested my favorite dessert (mochi) but found there weren't good ways to order it fresh in NYC. This year I went for a local favorite instead: Keki cheesecake, which was introduced to me by my RC Food Club friends. My indoctrination to Keki was through their original Japanese cheesecake, which has an excellent light and fluffy texture, but we also ordered their matcha 'fancy' cake to try. It costs ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
cake dessert japanese nyc keki matcha cheesecake 3.0
Queensyard Cheescake: This cheesecake comes from the neighboring cafe of British restaurant Queensyard in the new Hudson Yards mall. It's deceptively simple, with an egg-custard-like cheesecake topped with a handful of fresh berries, all encased in a slightly spiced crust. Its simplicity belies its top notch execution, particularly the biscuit base that crumbles under just the right amount of pressure. A strong recommend. 4.0/5.0
recommended pastry hudsonyards nyc cake queensyard cheescake 4.0