Kimbo Sesame Bun: I no longer live close to an Asian grocery store, so on my last day with a rental car, I made a trip to Albany's Ranch 99 and stocked up on frozen asian foods, like dumplings and buns. There were many brands I recognized from my days reviewing frozen buns from Hmart, but I decided to take a risk and purchase one I hadn't seen before named Kimbo. Lucky enough, these Taiwanese buns turned out to be quite good. Steamed in my rice cooker, the bread is soft and fluffy and barely sweetened. Th... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended ranch99 taiwanese bao kimbo sesame bun 3.5
Hwa Yuan Jenyowe Cuttlefish Crackers: From Taiwan, these seafood crackers are shaped like curled squid tentacles and have a vivid glazed orange color. They taste like a cross between shrimp crackers and fried calamari - definitely seafood flavored, but not easily pinpointed to a single type of underwater creature. Cost less than $2 for a bag at Hong Kong Supermarket in Manhattan's Chinatown. Not healthy, but tasty. 3.5/5.0
recommended seafood hongkongsupermarket taiwanese junkfood hwayuan jenyowe cuttlefish crackers 3.5
Tiger Sugar Brown sugar boba milk tea with cream mousse: Stopped by the Tiger Sugar stand on Main Street in Flushing on a Friday night and waited in line for about 15 minutes to get a cup of the famed brown sugar boba milk tea with cream mousse. The Flushing location is the first in the US from Taiwanese chain Tiger Sugar; there is an additional spot now in Sunset Park, and the latest will be opening in Chinatown this Saturday, so all major Chinese neighborhood across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens are covered. I actually didn't know too much a... (read more) 3.5/5.0
drinks boba taiwanese brownsugar tigersugar brown sugar milk tea cream mousse 3.5
Yi Fang Grass Jelly Drink: Purchased at the Taiwanese fruit tea chain Yi Fang in Chinatown. A classic Chinese drink, grass jelly has a slightly medicinal taste but rich sweetness reminiscent of molasses. This version from Yi Fang is much better than the canned grass jelly herbal tea that I resort to once in a while when I'm craving this taste from my childhood. Their grass jelly, which surprisingly is not included as part of the drink already, is also satisfyingly gelatinous - not too firm or soft, and fully flavored... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended chinatown nyc taiwanese yifang grass jelly drink 3.5
酷覓星 Bubble Milk Tea Cake: While I purchased this product in Tokyo, these bubble tea cakes are from the original land of bubble tea: Taiwan. The snack, which cost a little over $5, comes in nice packaging, containing a slide-out tray that's a nice display if you're entertaining or sharing with friends. The cakes are individually wrapped and are disappointingly small, no bigger than 2" in their longest dimension. They are most definitely smaller than most pineapple cakes, which are the most similar type of snack i... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended seijoishi bubbletea bubble milk tea cake 3.5 taiwanese
Jiu Zhen Nan pineapple cake: From Taiwan, a country that reveres the pineapple cake. Cake itself is very buttery and rich, but the pineapple filling is substantial and satisfying. Good in small quantities. 3.0/5.0
jiuzhennan chinese taiwanese pineapplecake cake pineapple asian 3.0