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
Choya Yowanai Ume Soda: This Japanese soda is made by drink-maker Choya, who seems to specialize in liquors. This non-alcoholic soda was purchased from Momofuku Bang Bar in NYC, and while it has what appears to be a peach or nectarine on the can, it's ume-flavored, which is a type of Japanese plum. The drink has a really distinct fruit flavor that is unlike any other fruit soda I've had before – slightly tangy, it reminds me of those asian pickled plum candies, but as if all the sourness typically associated with... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks japanese ume plum choya yowanai soda 3.5
Dominique Ansel Bakery Blooming Matcha Latte: To celebrate their 7th birthday, the Dominique Ansel Bakery in Soho recreated several desserts normally exclusively available at their other locations around the world, including Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo. This blooming matcha latte from Japan consists of a marshmallow whose petals unfurl when placed into the hot beverage. At the center of the sakura marshmallow is what seemed to be a sugar cube, acting as the pistil. The beverage itself has a rich but slightly bitter flavor distinct... (read more) 3.5/5.0
drinks nyc dab latte marshmallow dominiqueansel greentea tea dominiqueanselbakery blooming matcha 3.5 recommended
My Super Cookies Blueberry Vanilla Hero Whole Grain Cookies: These are surprisingly tasty whole grain cookies that contain a bunch of ingredients not normally associate with cookies like quinoa and chia seeds. They have a distinctively sweet blueberry flavor that tastes truer to the fruit than blueberry cereal bars. The serving size is small, and they are kind of expensive (I got them when they were on sale at Whole Foods), but otherwise I recommend trying them. 3.5/5.0
organic wholefoods recommended mysupercookies blueberry vanilla hero whole grain cookies 3.5
Hippeas Sriracha Sunrise chickpea puffs: These corn-puff alternatives are made with ground chickpea and have a slightly crispier and denser consistency. The spicy Sriracha flavor has an impressive concentrated spicy sweet chili flavor. I wish the bag were bigger; four servings goes by quickly. 3.5/5.0
recommended spicy organic wholefoods hippeas sriracha sunrise chickpea puffs 3.5
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory Ginger and Black Sesame Ice Cream: I finally made it to Chinatown Ice Cream factory, a shoebox-sized shop that specializes in Asian flavored ice cream like durian and Thai iced tea. It reminds me of Garden Creamery in SF in terms of selection. The ginger ice cream was impressively smooth and had a pleasant ginger flavor, though I personally would prefer it to be spicier and less sweet. The flavor of the black sesame ice cream was very special - quite savory, and sprinkled with real black sesame seeds, it was nutty and not t... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended icecream nyc blacksesame dessert chinatownicecreamfactory ginger black sesame ice cream 3.5