Koreana Plaza Market Mochi: Inside the Koreana Plaza Market in Oakland is a small cash-only bakery with a variety of asian sweets, including lotus-paste-filled pastries (review forthcoming), pineapple buns, and almond cookies. I purchased a pack of two red-bean mochi (despite the oven-fresh sticker on the packaging, I'm pretty sure they were steamed). The mochi are about 125% the size of packaged mochi. Biting into a piece, I could instantly tell that it was very fresh. The glutinous rice flour had a bit more resis... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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Tara's Organic Ice Cream Jasmine green tea ice cream: On the northern edge of the Elmwood district, at the border of Oakland and Berkeley, is a small ice cream shop called Tara's Organic Ice Cream. They feature a rotating menu of ice creams and sorbet. I was hoping they would have black sesame ice cream, but I was out of luck on the day I went and got a scoop of jasmine green tea instead. The texture was not as smooth as it could be, but the subtle herbal flavor was unique - clean but also very creamy. The type of ice cream that needs to be acc... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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Saffron & Rose Faloodeh and pistachio Turkish ice cream: Returning to this small ice cream shop after 3 years, I found Saffron & Rose has all grown up. Gone are the glass walls, replaced by an orange red drywall, and the generic white cups have been styled with their logo printed on the side. Also missing was the kind owner, who relentlessly handed me every flavor in the shop to sample (without me even asking). Luckily, the offerings remain true, with elastic ice cream in traditional flavors, many flavored with rosewater. The pistachio was creamy ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Bouchon Bakery Pumpkin Macaron: On my recent visit to Las Vegas, there seem to be Bochon Bakeries at every corner of my hotel. As I previously enjoyed pistachio macarons at their NYC locations, I decided to try their seasonal pumpkin flavor. The autumnal macaron is about the size of my palm and has a vivid orange shell that easily breaks to reveal a chewy, dark brown interior. Texturally, this pastry was very good, but it was unfortunately overly sweet on the whole. 3.0/5.0
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Jean-Philippe Patisserie Raspberry Tart: This multi-layered tart has a shortbread base, raspberry "jam," pistachio cream, almond nougatine, and fresh raspberries, topped with tubular shavings of white chocolate. At $8, it comes at a Vegas price tag, but it's easily sharable. Its best attribute is the mix of textures, from the almond crisp to the soft nougat. The raspberries were also remarkably fresh. A bit sweet for my taste, but the layer of raspberry jam does add some tartness. 3.5/5.0
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Belly Good Cafe & Crepes Adzuki, Srawberry, and Green Tea Crepe: On my most recent trip to San Francisco, I found myself in Japantown hungry for a mid-day snack. A quick search revealed that the highest reviewed spot was a crepe stand by the name of Belly Good, located in the food court on the upper level of the shopping complex. While I have a healthy skepticism when it comes to Yelp reviews, it is impossible not to notice a place that has 4.5 stars and over 1,000 reviews, especially given its unassuming storefront and questionable photo menu. I also r... (read more) 0.5/5.0
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