Reem’s Hibiscus Rose Cooler: Finally made it to Reem’s, the middle eastern cafe in Fruitvale (Oakland) specializing in housemade flatbread. To accompany the robust za’atar-spiced flatbread, I got a cup of refreshing and sharp hibiscus rose cooler, a purple-maroon colored drink that tasted of an amped-up floral pomegranate juice. Well balanced and perfectly complementary, it rounded out a complete, delicious meal at Reem’s. 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks oakland reems hibiscus rose cooler 4.0
Golden Gate Bakery Egg Cupcake: No surprise that lines at famed San Francisco bakery Golden Gate Bakery were long for Chinese New Year, but I still didn’t expect it to take 80 minutes to get egg tarts. At around 6pm, the owner started rationing; no single person could order more than 2, for fear she would run out. The eggtarts were as good as ever, but waiting this long necessitated making another purchase, this time for an egg “cupcake,” seemingly made just of egg, flour, sugar, and oil. It was very lightly sweetened, sof... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended sf goldengatebakery egg cupcake 3.5
Noosa Pumpkin Yogurt: I’ve recently been getting back into Noosa yogurt since they continue to release new flavors I haven’t seen from other brands. This pumpkin one is especially good, with a creamy spiced pumpkin-pie-like filling swirled into rich smooth whole milk yogurt. It’s perfect for those who like the silky consistency of non-Greek yogurt but still prefer a denser texture. My only criticism is that it’s on the sweet side, but flavor wise, this is definitely worth a try. 4.0/5.0
recommended noosa pumpkin yogurt 4.0
Marukyo Black Sesame Funwariyaki Dorayaki: Dorayaki is a delicious filled pancake dessert from Japan that has no equivalent in American pastry (as far as I know). The closest likeness I can think of is the Whoopie Pie, though dorayaki has a bean paste filling rather than cream, and the ratio of cake to filling is slimmer. Berkeley Bowl sells an assortment of refrigerated cakes in their Asian grocery aisle, though I have normally been wary of these silica-packet-filled packaged snacks. I was intrigued, though, by this black sesame ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended berkeleybowl japanese blacksesame marukyo black sesame funwariyaki dorayaki 3.5
Asha Tea Kiwi green tea: I’m pretty certain this is the last seasonal flavor of fruit tea I had yet to try at Asha, the Bay-area-based tea shop. Like the others, this tea has fresh fruit mashed to a pleasant pulp, which adds texture to each sip. The herbal tea is of clear quality, and the kiwi flavor is slightly tart and fully refreshing. 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks berkeley ashatea kiwi green tea 4.0
Kettle Dill Pickle Potato Chips: Thoroughly enjoyed this take on pickles, which captures the tangy and savory qualities of a quality brine. It tasted a bit like combining sour cream and onion, minus the sour cream, but then adding salt and vinegar, but with a pepperiness that is unique to this flavor. Like other Kettle chips, the krinkle cut is thick and substantial and a bit too hearty for my personal taste. But if you enjoy pickles and don't have one to accompany your lunch, this bag of potato chips will be a tasty sub... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended chips kettle dill pickle potato 4.0