Beard Papa Strawberry Cream Puff with Vanilla Cream: As far as I know, the Westfield mall in SF is a no-mans land as far as snackable foods go. Not wanting to spend much money and not willing to walk all the way to Chinatown, I purchased a strawberry-flavored cream puff from Beard Papa, located in the mall's foodcourt. The strawberry icing is sweet and tart – a bit like strawberry Pocky but with a less waxy mouthfeel. The puff itself was slightly crispy but generally light, while the vanilla flavored custard was quite rich and just a little... (read more) 3.0/5.0
pastries desserts beardpapa strawberry cream puff vanilla 3.0
Fugetsu-Do Peanut Butter Mochi: Long-standing Japanese confectionary shop Fugetsu-Do, located in Japantown in downtown Los Angeles, sells its mochi at various stores around California (I recently found their products at Berkeley Bowl). This set of Peanut Butter Mochi was purchased from Marukai in Glendale, LA and contained 6 sizable pieces of soft, chewy mochi filled literally with chunky peanut butter (maybe Jiff). It feels almost sacrilegious but simultaneously like a sort of twisted American dream where peanut butter c... (read more) 3.0/5.0
desserts japanese fugetsudo peanut butter mochi 3.0
Petitpot Salted Caramel Pot De Creme: Since I found this jar in the yogurt aisle, I picked it up on sale expecting it was yogurt and only discovered that it was pudding when I got home. By now, I have a bit of an allergic reaction when I see "California cuisine" on packaging, which essentially translates to organic ingredients, high marketing / branding expenditures, and consequently high prices. But I am guilty of purchasing it, and I blame that on the cute mascot. The dessert itself is made of simple ingredients: milk, crea... (read more) 3.0/5.0
desserts pudding berkeleybowl petitpot salted caramel pot de creme 3.0
Snowdays Creamsicle shaved ice with coconut ash condensed milk: A collaboration between Korean fast-casual chain Korilla and Taiwanese shaved ice shop Snowdays, this dessert combines orange creamsicle shaved ice with a drizzle of black charcoal-colored condensed milk, giving it the appearance of Korilla's tiger mascot. Available exclusively at the Korilla stand at Madison Square Eats, a single-size container costs around $7, which is quite expensive but can also easily be shared among a small family. Overall, the dessert is not bad; the milky coconut p... (read more) 3.0/5.0
desserts shavedice taiwanese nyc korilla collab snowdays creamsicle shaved ice coconut ash condensed milk 3.0
Bao Tea House Chocolate Milk Bao: This is a special at Bao Tea House in the West Village that will be added to the full menu soon (in that way, it’s more of a preview than a special). Ordered in sets of two, the chocolate baos are coated in melted milk chocolate and slices almonds, with chocolate chips and a cream filling. I’m not a very big chocolate fan, so this wasn’t really a dessert for me, but texturally I liked the combination of crunchy and soft. The cream filling was a bit overwhelming though; it felt more like calo... (read more) 3.0/5.0
manhattan nyc desserts sweets baoteahouse chocolate milk bao 3.0
Dominique Ansel Bakery Peach Creme Fraiche Mousse Cake: This teardrop-shaped dessert consists of a lemon cake with peach compote, all covered in a thin shard of pink-striped chocolate. It had a sharp, acidic flavor, and technically, the cake was soft and moist. But I couldn't help but wonder what exactly this dessert was trying to accomplish. While I hadn't had anything like it before, I wouldn't say it was particularly satisfying; it exists in its own world that's not quite delicious, yet not really challenging enough to stay in my memory. 3.0/5.0
desserts nyc bakery cake pastry lemon dominiqueanselbakery peach creme fraiche mousse 3.0