Asha Tea Hot ginger tea with goji berries: A mild but warming cup of ginger tea with fresh goji berries that add interest and sharpness. Two slices of very strong ginger top the beverage. I only wish they imparted more of their flavor. 3.0/5.0
drinks berkeley asha ashatea hot ginger tea goji berries 3.0
Calbee Hot Garlic Shrimp Crackers: Another unexpected take on this classic Chinese shrimp cracker, this time "hot garlic." Ridged crisps are tossed in a tangy seasoned coating that is unmistakably garlic but not particularly spicy. Somewhat reminiscent of a sweet paprika flavor mixed with MSG. Same delicious savory shrimp flavor. I don't know if I like it more than the original, but I don't regret trying it either. 3.0/5.0
berkeleybowl seafood chinese calbee hot garlic shrimp crackers 3.0
Golden Steamer Hot dog bao: This savory hot dog bao comes in a swirled conical shape reminiscent of pigs in a blanket and contains a small Chinese sausage, about the size of a frozen American breakfast sausage - in other words, a sort of cultural crossover from an alternate universe. The bread is slightly sweetened and chewy. Overall, it’s a good sweet and savory option, but if you’re looking for protein, go for the Big Bun. Still, it’s tasty for what it is and costs only $1. Note: Unfortunately, I will no longer be ba... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended nyc chinatown bread goldensteamer hot dog bao 3.5
Haitai Singdandong Hot Chicken Tteokbookkki Rice Cake Snack: I used to buy Haitai tteokbokki rice snacks from HMart regularly, so I was very pleased to see these Korean snacks at my local Lawson convenience store in Tokyo, though I hadn't tried this particular flavor. The normal ones are satisfying sweet, savory, and spicy glazed rice snacks shaped like large, ridged elbow macaroni, crunchy rather than chewy like the actual tubular rice cakes you get at a Korean restaurant. They were reliably good, the type of snack I would always manage to buy when... (read more) 3.0/5.0
lawson korean haitai singdandong hot chicken tteokbookkki rice cake snack 3.0
Hapi hot wasabi peas: Not as good as Kasugai's wasabi peas. More dense and not as crispy. Not bad, but not great. 3.0/5.0
wasabi peas hapi hmart asian hot 3.0
House Kombucha Ginger Fire Ginger and Green Tea with Hot Peppers: The first time I had kombucha six years ago, I found it so disgusting that I hadn't touched it since. But I do like ginger a lot, and this brand of House Kombucha was offered for free at work, so I decided to keep an open mind and give it a try. I expected it to have a very spicy flavor given the flames on the packaging, but it was much more mild (even if the heat built up a bit over time). Despite the lack of ginger heat, I was pleasantly surprised with the overall flavor, which was sligh... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks sf housekombucha ginger fire green tea hot peppers 3.5