Bao Tea House Lava Bao: Baked buns with a crumbly, buttery coating similar in texture to pineapple buns, filled with an egg coconut custard. The stark black color comes from bamboo charcoal. Bao is fluffy and yielding. A not-too-sweet dessert for those who love coconut. Comes in a box containing two buns. 3.5/5.0
recommended nyc dessert coconut custard baked baoteahouse lava bao 3.5
Morgenstern’s Raspberry chocolate with orange vanilla softserve: Morgenstern’s $1 softserve, created in partnership with Street Easy and with proceeds going towards Women in Need, is a no-brainer because where else are you going to get this quality ice cream for $1? An all-white appearance belies the fruity flavors beneath, with a mix of raspberry and orange vanilla. The citrus flavor is especially prominent and well balanced. Not a fan of the white chocolate or sprinkles that adorn it, which overly simplify the otherwise great quality ice cream. Perfect ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended icecream softserve nyc dessert morgensterns raspberry chocolate orange vanilla 3.5
&pizza Rose and champagne cotton candy: This is a 2-serving-size cotton candy snack from &Pizza, available in two different flavors: rose and champagne. They taste slightly different from one another, but neither are particularly close to their intended flavor—the Rose is more mild than the champagne, but both taste of pure sugar. Not particularly distinguishable from standard carnival cotton candy. Expensive, at $5 each. 2.5/5.0
sugar dessert pizza rose champagne cotton candy 2.5
Banh Mi Saigon Mochi bread dessert: First time trying non-sandwich options at Vietnamese bakery Banh Mi Saigon in Chinatown. This spongey bread has an aerated mochi-like texture that’s lighter than Korean mochi bread. It comes in a sizeable half roll, with a green interior (I think unrelated to its flavor, as the dessert just tasted faintly of brown sugar to me). Exterior is a bit like a baked muffin top. There wasn’t any labeling on the packaging, so if anyone is able to clarify the exact name of this dessert, it would be muc... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended nyc dessert sweets vietnamese banhmisaigon mochi bread 3.5
Morgenstern’s Fourth of July special with strawberry and buttered popcorn softserve : Two summer treats, swirled into an unlikely softserve combination, topped with a smattering of patriotic sprinkles and a blueberry syrup. Individually, the two flavors were pretty compelling - the strawberry was sweet and refreshing, and the buttered popcorn was creamy and had a distinct salted savory flavor. Together, though, they didn’t quite work - and it was expensive, at $7. I don’t think we’ll see strawberry-flavored buttered popcorn on the shelves anytime soon. 3.0/5.0
nyc softserve icecream dessert morgensterns fourth of july special strawberry buttered popcorn 3.0
Matcha Cafe Maiko Matcha soft serve with matcha powder and mochi: According to the Matcha Cafe Maiko website, the San Francisco shop located in the Japantown center is the first to open in the "American mainland," with an original location in Hawaii. Its matcha products are imported all the way from Harima Garden in Kyoto. While the menu features their matcha soft serve, they have a surprising variety of lattes, floats, and other beverage pairings as well. At $5.50, their soft serve is a bit steep for a single serving, but it has a concentrated herbal f... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japantown sf dessert softserve icecream matchacafemaiko matcha soft serve powder mochi 3.5