Hot Kid Shelly Senbei Seaweed Flavor Rice Cracker: I grew up eating an assortment of Hot Kid rice cracker offerings, which I strongly believe are some of the best in terms of taste and value. This nori-flavored rice snack was new to me and did not disappoint. Each individually wrapped package contains two sizable rice crackers, at about 3.5" in diameter. A soy glaze coats the crackers, and strips of seaweed add to the savory flavor. One aspect I felt was missing was the sweetness you tend to get with other Hot Kid snacks, but I would sti... (read more) 3.5/5.0
asian chinese nori ranch99 hotkid shelly senbei seaweed flavor rice cracker 3.5 recommended
Mai's Bakery Banh Tu Quy: An assortment of generously-sized glutinous-rice-flour-based desserts purchased from Saigon Sandwich in the Tenderloin, SF. More gelatinous and firm than typical mochi desserts, it has a consistency somewhere between mochi and jello. All four in this combo pack had a mild mung bean or taro filling, two were coated in shaved coconut, and the black had an herbal jelly flavor. The best was the chestnut-colored mochi with coconut, but all were tasty in their own right. Good value; tastes home... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended mochi chinese vietnamese desserts maisbakery banh tu quy 3.5
Hu Wang Roasted Seaweed Prawn Crackers: From Taiwan, these shrimp crackers are much lighter than the multi-color prawn crackers sometimes served at American-ized restaurants. They taste much better too, with a slightly sweet shrimp flavor dusted with powdered nori, which adds salinity without being overly salty. According to the packaging, "nutrients intact!" Recommended if you can find them... 3.5/5.0
recommended seafood chinese huwang roasted seaweed prawn crackers 3.5
Tatun Crab King Crackers: I love seafood flavored snacks, which are always available in Asian supermarkets but sadly missing from our American grocery shelves. This bag of Crab King fried snacks from Hong Kong Supermarket in NYC's Chinatown was very inexpensive (a little under $2), and contains puffed up crab-shaped pieces, softer in texture than shrimp crackers, but with a satisfying crisp. They taste heavily of MSG, but also of a seasoned seafood powder that has a slight chili kick. I liked them a lot and wish t... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended chinese seafood tatun crab king crackers 3.5
Snowdays So Seoulful shaved ice: Snowdays is a shaved ice dessert chain in NYC. Over time, they've expanded their menu and also store concept; now, most also stock various Asian snacks in a convenience-store-like format alongside their shaved ice. I went to the shop in Bay Ridge Brooklyn, on the edge of Sunset Park and ordered their So Seoulful, a combination of black sesame shaved ice, a spoonful of red bean, segments of vanilla waffle cookie, and a drizzle of thick peanut syrup. The black sesame shaved ice was very light ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended icecream chinese redbean black sesame peanut butter brooklyn cookie snowdays so seoulful shaved ice 3.5 nyc
Tea Era Apple Seed Green Tea: Got to visit an old favorite with old friends on my last trip to the South Bay. Tea Era is a bubble tea shop on Castro in Mountain View that always has an expansive menu of uniquely-flavored beverages. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the apple seed green tea, which is why I decided to purchase it. The least amount of sugar they could do was 50%, and I purchased the tea hot on a brisk evening (though you could also get it cold). Half sugar was the right amount, as it had a somewha... (read more) 3.5/5.0
mountainview california recommended drinks chinese teaera apple seed green tea 3.5