The Base Co Strawberry Shiso Match + Oatly: Purchased at Holy Basil in Downtown LA, this canned beverage is one of many house-made drinks available including Hibiscus Oolong Tea and Thyme Orange Meyer Lemonade. The selection made it hard to choose, but given that I expected the Thai dishes at Holy Basil to have a bit of heat, I opted for a milk tea option. I really enjoyed the fruity, herbal combination of this strawberry matcha drink, which had a creamy finish that was distinctly oat milk (but not overly thick). It gave me nostalg... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended losangeles drinks thebaseco strawberry shiso match + oatly 4.0
The Daily Crave Smoked Gouda Lentil Chips: Fully flavored veggie chips for those seeking a cheesy snack beyond cheddar. Large rectangular shape and hearty bite. The packaging suggests pairing with a dip, but they are deliciously addictive on their own. A worthy replacement for potato chips, and a much healthier alternative at that. 4.0/5.0
recommended cheese berkeleybowl thedailycrave smoked gouda lentil chips 4.0
The Laughing Cow Belcube Ham, Tomato, and Green Peppercorn Cheese: I used to get these Laughing Cow cheeses from supermarkets in Taiwan, but also very shortly in the US before they stopped selling them in the American market (in favor of those red-wax cheese wheels), so I was glad to see that they sell the cubes in Japan. This pack came with 15 cubes, 5 of 3 different flavors: ham, tomatoes a la provencale, and green peppercorns. Each cube is wrapped in foil and has a convenient system that peels off the central sides of the cube to make them easy to open... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended cheese thelaughingcow belcube ham tomato green peppercorn 4.0 japanese
The Paris Creperie Mango Passion Smoothie: The ideal drink on a hot summer day, this smoothie contains mango juice, strawberries, peaches, and mango sorbet. It's sweet but very satisfying, and a small is very substantial. The texture is smooth and consistent. 3.5/5.0
recommended brookline drinks fruit thepariscreperie mango passion smoothie 3.5
The Penny Ice Creamery Lemon Poppy Seed Ice Cream with Blackberry Compote: Waited in line for about 20 minutes to enter this small ice cream shop in downtown Santa Cruz. Entire clientele was student-aged. They make all their ice cream in house, and they had some interesting flavors like celery and raisin sorbet (which I sampled but found did not taste as much of celery as I would like). I got a mini scoop of their lemon poppy seed ice cream with fresh made blackberry compote, which cost a little more than $4. You can tell from the texture of the ice cream that ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended pennyicecreamery santacruz icecream dessert thepennyicecreamery lemon poppy seed ice cream blackberry compote 3.5
Tia Lupita Foods Cactus Salsa Verde Tortilla Chips: Made with cactus, these tortilla chips have an extra crispy and light texture that's quite addictive. The salsa verde flavor is punchy on its own, with acidic tomatillo and a bit of heat (no need for an extra jar of salsa). Excited to try some other flavors from this brand! 3.5/5.0
recommended chips PCC tialupitafoods cactus salsa verde tortilla 3.5