Secret Scoop Thai Gelato Thai Iced Tea and Roasted Coconut Gelato: Just a few paces away from the Trader Joe's in Berkeley is a small ice cream shop specializing in Thai-inspired flavors ("Thai Gelato" refers to the unique flavors rather than a specific style of making gelato). Their curated set of gelato and sorbets range from chocolate lemongrass to soursop, originals you're unlikely to find elsewhere, even in a diverse, food-minded community like Berkeley. The Thai iced tea gelato is easily the best I've had; it's very lightly sweetened and tastes stro... (read more) 4.5/5.0
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Yama Moto Yama Hot'N Spicy Teriyaki Nori Roasted Seaweed: This snack and brand is a staple in Asian grocery stores, and I ate it countless times growing up (though usually in the single-serving plastic packages, rather than the resealable container). This is the first time, though, that I've had the spicy version, which on first take is seemingly mild but quickly escalates to surprisingly high levels. Not as crispy as many of the Korean takes on seaweed crisps, which I've grown to prefer. 3.0/5.0
japanese yamamotoyama hot'n spicy teriyaki nori roasted seaweed 3.0
Purple Kow Roasted Oolong milk tea with boba: Originally from San Francisco, Purple Kow is a bubble tea shop that also has a location in downtown Berkeley directly adjacent to Top Dog. It serves its drinks in distinctly short and stout containers that are more like buckets than cups. Many of their milk teas are made using organic milk products. I ordered my roasted oolong milk tea with soymilk and 20% sugar and ice. The drink was very mild, tasting mostly of faintly sweetened milk and less so of tea. Their boba are miniature compar... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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iTea Roasted Oolong Milk Tea with Boba: While I previously have had very good experiences at iTea in San Francisco, I've found that the quality has seemed to decline over time. On my last trip, I ordered their Roasted Oolong Milk Tea with little sweetness and ice, yet the drink was still sweeter than I would expect and diluted tasting right from the start. The boba, too, was overly chewy without much character. I typically like to order new things every time I go, but if I find myself at iTea again, I will likely order one of m... (read more) 2.5/5.0
drinks boba milktea bubbletea itea roasted oolong milk tea 2.5
I-Tea Roasted barley milk tea with grass jelly: Returning again to the Kearny St. location of this bubble tea chain, I decided to try a drink with 0% sweetness and opted for the roasted barley milk tea. Like the last drink I had from i-Tea, the grass jelly was excellent. However, I found the tea to lack flavor, verging on bland. This may be my fault, since there was no sugar, but places like Asha do a fantastic job with barely sweetened teas, so I think this particular flavor just might be not so great. Still, there are other better o... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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Tong Tong Bay Roasted dried squid: A delicious, chewy snack with a slightly smoky flavor. Good amount of seasoning, and high level of umami. 3.5/5.0
recommended hmart seafood tongtongbay roasted dried squid 3.5