Fay Da Bakery Mango Mochi: The second mango mochi I tried in NYC Chinatown was from Fay Da Bakery, which is just around the corner from Taipan on Mott Street. This one cost $2.50. Overall, it fell flat for a few reasons. First, the mochi itself had a gloopy texture that didn't hold together and made it unpleasant to eat. Next, the cream itself was just a regular whipped cream (not mango flavored) that tasted quite ordinary. There were some small chunks of mango throughout the interior, but they didn't taste especial... (read more) 2.5/5.0
chinatown nyc faydabakery mango mochi 2.5
Taipan Bakery Mango Mochi: Mango Mochi is having a moment on social media, so I decided to try out a few from NYC's Chinatown. First up was Taipan Bakery, a long-standing Chinese bakery with locations in Chinatown and Flushing. The mango mochi was available in the pastry display case and cost $3. Unlike the mango mochi I had seen on the Internet, this one did not have fresh mango on the inside but instead had a orangish-yellow cream. It appears both the cream and mochi have been flavored with mango, but there is no... (read more) 4.0/5.0
chinatown taipanbakery mango mochi 4.0
Elbow Bread Sweet Potato Pretzel: Straight from the oven, this sweet potato take on a classic pretzel was pretty much flawless – great amount of chew, just enough seasoning, and a subtle sweet, roasted flavor you're unlikely to find anywhere else. I love pretzels, and I'm pretty sure this is the best one I've ever had. New from Elbow Bakery at the border of Chinatown / LES. 5.0/5.0
exceptional nyc chinatown sweetpotato elbowbread sweet potato pretzel 5.0
Kam Hing Pandan Sponge Cake: Kam Hing offers ~half a dozen flavors of sponge cakes, and after working out of NYC for a couple weeks, I've sampled a good number of them including pandan, original, brown sugar tea, ube, coconut, and black sesame (to be fair, I also brought back a bunch of them to share with my parents at home). The first one I purchased was pandan, a spiky tropical fruit that looks like a cross between a pineapple and durian but has a milder flavor that belies its spiky exterior. Overall, it has a pleas... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended chinatown nyc kamhing pandan sponge cake 3.5
Kam Hing Jujube Tea: Kam Hing is a cash-only shop on Baxter in Chinatown that is known mostly for their $1 sponge cakes that come in a variety of flavors. To accompany my sponge cake (review forthcoming), I purchased an iced jujube tea, made to order with chopped up dried jujube dates on the bottom (a popular Chinese snack). The drink instantly brought me back to Taiwan, where I spent some summers in my childhood – the beverage tasted like sweetened honey water, and the beverage softened & hydrated the diced j... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks chinatown nyc kamhing jujube tea 4.0
Manna House Bakery Scallion and Ham Roll: I was on my way to Golden Steamer when I passed Manna House Bakery ~2 doors down on Mott St that had a small queue of older Asian customers. Locals don't normally wait in line, especially in places as impatient as Chinatown, so I decided to stop in and check out their selection. The cash-only bakery is very narrow, yet has an impressive selection of traditional Chinese pastries like pineapple bun, sponge cake, egg tarts, and more, all thankfully labeled both in Chinese and English. I left ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended chinatown nyc mannahousebakery scallion ham roll 3.5