Furano Melon caramel: These melon-flavored chewy candies are from Hokkaido, purchased by way of Jmart in Flushing. I love the packaging, which somehow managed to combine the rainbow lavender fields of Hokkaido with wine, a ball of yarn, and a stormcloud. Inside the box is individually wrapped Starburst-sized candies the pastel-orange color of cantaloupe. They have a concentrated melon flavor that I really enjoyed. I also like that the candy is not so sticky that it gets stuck in your teeth. Would purchase other f... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended melon fruit caramel candy sweets japanese hokkaido cantalouope furano 3.5
Calpico White peach drink: As a kid, I used to drink Calpico when visiting family in Taiwan. A Japanese “soft drink,” Calpico has a milky-white color but is much thinner in consistency. I remember it being very sweet but probably haven’t had it in over a decade until I came across this white peach flavor. My memory ended up being pretty accurate, though, as the drink was far too sweet and tasted like liquid peach gummies. It’s hard to imagine a situation when it would be desirable to drink this. 2.0/5.0
drinks japanese calpico white peach drink 2.0
Otafuku x Medetai Red Bean Taiyaki: Otafuku x Medetai is a small Japanese to-go street food shop in the East Village specializing in okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and taiyaki. Taiyaki is a classic Japanese dessert with a fish-shaped waffle exterior and different fillings inside (traditionally red bean). They make all their taiyaki from scratch here, filling their detailed custom molds with batter and producing 6 fishies at a time, all of which you can watch. This was probably the freshest taiyaki I've had -- it came out pipping h... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional nyc japanese otafukuxmedetai red bean taiyaki 4.5
Lonely God Japanese Seaweed Flavor Potato Chips: A quintessential Chinese snack whose name is likely the result of a mistranslation, these auger-shaped potato snacks are about 1.5 larger than Frito flavor twists and slightly softer in texture. They're coated in a savory sweet seaweed powder. Purchased from Hong Kong Supermarket, they're one of the many examples of Asian snacks commonly found in 7-11s in Taiwan, but difficult to find in America. Overall, I wish the snack were crispier, and they are sweeter than I prefer for a savory snac... (read more) 3.0/5.0
asian nori chinese hongkongsupermarket lonelygod japanese seaweed flavor potato chips 3.0
Pokka Sapporo Mandarin orange drink: Tangy Japanese orange beverage with bits of orange segment, it reminded me of a thicker, higher quality Capri Sun with a familiar artificial orange soda flavor. Comes in a sturdy aluminum bottle which lends a slightly metallic flavor. 3.0/5.0
drinks japanese orange pokkasapporo mandarin drink 3.0
Bonsai Kakigori Coconut Lime Crunch Kakigori: Located in the back of Canal Street Market, Bonsai Kakigori serves freshly-shaved Japanese ice desserts. Similar to Korean bingsu, the shaved ice has a fluffy consistency that's much lighter than Italian ice. At Bonsai, the shaved ice is piled high and served with a generous number of toppings. The Coconut Lime Crunch flavor had a coconut foam topping, toasted coconut flakes, lime zest, and toasted peanuts. Equal parts crunchy, creamy, and citrusy, it was well balanced and a treat to sha... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended desserts nyc japanese lime bonsaikakigori coconut crunch kakigori 3.5