Milwon Black Rice Steamed Bread: Frozen steamed buns are some of my favorite quick breakfast items. Back when I lived next to HMart, I would purchase them frequently. After not having had them for several months, I was happy to find some at my local Korean grocery store. These Milwon buns are made with black rice, which gives them a speckled purple color. Each fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and has a red bean filling. The only positive thing I can say about this product is that it's not too sweet. Otherwise... (read more) 1.5/5.0
korean redbean asian milwon black rice steamed bread 1.5 avoid
Morinaga Pino Uji Matcha Ice Cream: These are popular frozen treats you can buy at most shops in Japan. They're shaped like large Dots candies with a thin outer coating and ice cream interior. The classic version has vanilla ice cream with a chocolate coating. I purchased their Uji Matcha flavor, which tastes of a mix of matcha and red bean, though both the shell and ice cream were matcha-green. I was surprised how much red bean flavor came through. The coating is not like American coated-ice cream, which tends to be cris... (read more) 3.0/5.0
icecream japanese dessert redbean Maruetsu morinaga pino uji matcha ice cream 3.0
Naniwaya Taiyaki: Wandering aimlessly around the Roppongi Hill neighborhood of Japan, I stumbled upon a small sweets shop with a sizable line and a pleasantly sweet aroma. The man in the front asked if I had a reservation – I replied that I did not and he asked me to kindly sit in a designated waiting area while their speciality taiyaki, a fish-shaped Japanese pastry filled with red bean, was made to order. After just a few minutes, and passing over 180¥ in coin (about $1.65 in USD), I was handed a taiyaki ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended tokyo redbean naniwaya taiyaki 4.0
Paris Baguette whole wheat red bean bun: A sad, generic pastry. Bread is unsubstantial and mostly flavorless, filling is overly sweet. 1.5/5.0
parisbaguette redbean bread bakery pastry asian avoid whole wheat red bean bun 1.5
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
Sogetsu Kuromatsu Doriyaki: This doriyaki was an unexpected special gift from someone I met who knew about my snack blog. Because it was given to me, I didn't get to visit the shop directly, but the red bean pancake comes from Sogetsu, an almost 100-year-old brand whose shop in Kita-Ku attracts very long lines. The doriyaki has a marbled color, which is where its name Kuromatsu (black pine) comes from, as it resembles the bark of a tree. This coloring comes from a combination of brown sugar and honey used in the bat... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional japanese tokyo redbean sogetsu kuromatsu doriyaki 4.5