Fong On Can't Go Wrong Tofu Pudding with Red Beans, Grass Jelly, and Taro Balls: Fong On is a small family-run tofu shop on Division Street in Chinatown, right next to the Manhattan Bridge. I found out about it from a profile in the New York Times a few months ago, describing how the long-standing neighborhood tofu shop, which had been open for 80 years, had recently relocated and reopened after the son took over the family business. They sell freshly made soy milk, rice cakes, and doufu hua, all traditional Chinese favorites. Doufu hua is kind of like getting frozen ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended chinatown nyc tofu doufuhua doufu fongon can't go wrong pudding red beans grass jelly taro balls 3.5
Snowdays So Seoulful shaved ice: Snowdays is a shaved ice dessert chain in NYC. Over time, they've expanded their menu and also store concept; now, most also stock various Asian snacks in a convenience-store-like format alongside their shaved ice. I went to the shop in Bay Ridge Brooklyn, on the edge of Sunset Park and ordered their So Seoulful, a combination of black sesame shaved ice, a spoonful of red bean, segments of vanilla waffle cookie, and a drizzle of thick peanut syrup. The black sesame shaved ice was very light ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended icecream chinese redbean black sesame peanut butter brooklyn cookie snowdays so seoulful shaved ice 3.5 nyc
Milkbar Cinnamon Toast Crunch Marshmallow Cookie: A sweet, indulgent, buttery cookie available at the Milk Bar flagship shop in Nomad. Childhood favorites Cinnamon Toast Crunch and marshmallows combine to form a chewy cookie, a bit hard on the edges (but maybe it didn't come directly from the oven). A nice nostalgic treat. 3.5/5.0
recommended nyc cinnamontoastcrunch milkbar cinnamon toast crunch marshmallow cookie 3.5
Manna House Bakery Scallion and Ham Roll: I was on my way to Golden Steamer when I passed Manna House Bakery ~2 doors down on Mott St that had a small queue of older Asian customers. Locals don't normally wait in line, especially in places as impatient as Chinatown, so I decided to stop in and check out their selection. The cash-only bakery is very narrow, yet has an impressive selection of traditional Chinese pastries like pineapple bun, sponge cake, egg tarts, and more, all thankfully labeled both in Chinese and English. I left ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended chinatown nyc mannahousebakery scallion ham roll 3.5
Kopitiam Lychee Bandung: Kopitiam is everything I want in a restaurant – it's unfussy, always introduces me to new flavors, is dependably delicious, and a great value. And I love their drinks, which are always served in pouches. Their current seasonal drink consists of lychee and rose syrup, with a generous helping of whole pieces of lychee fruit. I'd normally find it a little too sweet, but with the extremely hot weather in NYC, it was the perfect thirst quencher. Its floral notes are present but not overly dom... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks nyc malaysian kopitiam lychee bandung 3.5
Kam Hing Pandan Sponge Cake: Kam Hing offers ~half a dozen flavors of sponge cakes, and after working out of NYC for a couple weeks, I've sampled a good number of them including pandan, original, brown sugar tea, ube, coconut, and black sesame (to be fair, I also brought back a bunch of them to share with my parents at home). The first one I purchased was pandan, a spiky tropical fruit that looks like a cross between a pineapple and durian but has a milder flavor that belies its spiky exterior. Overall, it has a pleas... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended chinatown nyc kamhing pandan sponge cake 3.5