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
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
Morgenstern’s Cardamom Lemon Jam ice cream: There are many great ice cream shops in NYC, but Morgenstern’s has been my favorite for a long time. Over the years, I’ve found myself mostly purchasing their specials, but this time I ordered one of their regular menu flavors, and it did not disappoint. This cardamom lemon jam ice cream has a really wonderfully spiced cardamom flavor, with a creamy yet sharp acidic aftertaste. Texturally, it is perfectly smooth. It’s a fantastic flavor that shows off how consistently good Morgenstern’s can be. 4.5/5.0
exceptional nyc icecream manhattan morgensterns cardamom lemon jam ice cream 4.5
Bar pa tea Roasted oolong milk tea with boba: Located near Soho, Bar Pa Tea bubble tea shop is a sister shop to Pa Tea, another shop I reviewed earlier this summer. The chronology of my reviews is off, though - I actually went to Bar Pa first, not knowing they were related. This milk tea was alright and just average, like bubble tea you can get from any ok tea shop in California. The boba was actually below average, though, as it was too soft. I did however sample their oolong soft serve and thought t was surprisingly good, which is why... (read more) 2.5/5.0
bubbletea drinks nyc barpatea roasted oolong milk tea boba 2.5
7th Ave Donuts Cake donut: Earlier in the summer, I had a surprisingly good donut at 24/7 diner/donut shop 7th Ave Donuts in Park Slope, though the icing made it far too sweet. So I’ve been trying to see if ordering simpler donut flavors can recreate the same experience I had eating the custard-like, slightly under baked donut I had a few months ago. This plain cake donut did not do the job at all - it was largely flavorless, like eating a barely sweetened dry pound cake. Do not recommend. 2.0/5.0
brooklyn nyc 7thavedonuts cake donut 2.0
Culture Plain yogurt with crystallized ginger: I rarely get toppings with ice cream, but the add ins at Culture are often just as good as its frozen yogurt, which is already excellent. This time, I got their crystallized ginger topping, which is probably the best candied ginger I’ve had - cut into strips as thin as fruit leather, with a potently spicy bite, all while being just sweet enough. The plain yogurt from Culture was very good too - nicely tart and creamy. 4.0/5.0
recommended froyo brooklyn nyc culture plain yogurt crystallized ginger 4.0