Befco Kuriyama Bakauke Sesame rice crackers: Shaped vaguely like miniature banana or oblong boomerangs, these soy flavored rice crackers were purchased for under $3 from Sunrise Market in Manhattan. Each piece is individually wrapped and is just on the verge of being overseasoned, yet also has a sweet aftertaste. Pretty good overall, but probably not good enough to purchase again. 3.0/5.0
Sunrisemart japanese soy nyc befco kuriyama bakauke sesame rice crackers 3.0
Golden Steamer Big Bun with chicken, vegetables, and egg: Served in a scaldingly hot waxed bakery takeaway bag, the big bun from NYC Chinatown’s Golden Steamer takes several minutes to cool down before before consumption. Inside a fluffy and supple steamed white bun is a mixture of savory chicken, pickled mustard greens, and sliced hard-boiled egg. The lightly sweetened bun mixed with the meaty hearty filling, which steam has congealed into an almost meatball-like texture, is hard to beat at $1.25. 4.5/5.0
exceptional chinatown nyc bao bread asian goldensteamer big bun chicken vegetables egg 4.5
Golden Steamer Pumpkin Bun: Golden Steamer epitomizes what I love about NYC. It’s a hole-in-the-wall, cash-only bao shop right off of Canal St on Mott in Chinatown, with sweet and savory offerings all around $1 each. The sizable buns can easily be a meal on its own, offering an incredible value. This lightly sweetened pumpkin bun has a eggy flavor and starchy, creamy layers of pumpkin paste towards the center. The bread is more dense than their white buns used in their savory baos (reviews forthcoming) but the bread st... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended cheap nyc bakery chinese steamed bao goldensteamer pumpkin bun 4.0
Banh Mi Saigon Mochi bread dessert: First time trying non-sandwich options at Vietnamese bakery Banh Mi Saigon in Chinatown. This spongey bread has an aerated mochi-like texture that’s lighter than Korean mochi bread. It comes in a sizeable half roll, with a green interior (I think unrelated to its flavor, as the dessert just tasted faintly of brown sugar to me). Exterior is a bit like a baked muffin top. There wasn’t any labeling on the packaging, so if anyone is able to clarify the exact name of this dessert, it would be muc... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended nyc dessert sweets vietnamese banhmisaigon mochi bread 3.5
Morgenstern’s Fourth of July special with strawberry and buttered popcorn softserve : Two summer treats, swirled into an unlikely softserve combination, topped with a smattering of patriotic sprinkles and a blueberry syrup. Individually, the two flavors were pretty compelling - the strawberry was sweet and refreshing, and the buttered popcorn was creamy and had a distinct salted savory flavor. Together, though, they didn’t quite work - and it was expensive, at $7. I don’t think we’ll see strawberry-flavored buttered popcorn on the shelves anytime soon. 3.0/5.0
nyc softserve icecream dessert morgensterns fourth of july special strawberry buttered popcorn 3.0
Milk Bar Cereal milk soft serve: You’re probably familiar with the cereal milk flavor, which replicates the taste of milk after a helping of frosted corn flakes. Attributed to the Milk Bar franchise, the cereal milk flavor has since been duplicated by many. Although I’ve sampled it before, this is the first time I actually purchased the cereal milk flavored soft serve from its original source. The smooth texture was excellent, but the generous serving size might be best shared with others. The soft serve comes in a single ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended dessert icecream nyc sweets milkbar cereal milk soft serve 3.5 softserve