Shrimp peanut snack: Despite my best effort at detective work with Google Translate and Reverse Image Search, I wasn’t able to track down the exact brand of this senbei snack. Too bad, because it’s one of the best ones I’ve had before. Purchased from Tokyo Fish Market in Berkeley, the snack consists of baked hollow balls filled with peanuts. Unlike the traditional crunchy glazed rice crackers I’ve had before, this one had a crumbly, buttery exterior that melt-in-your-mouths. The shell is well seasoned with a rob... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended tokyofishmarket japanese shrimp peanut snack 4.0
Hapi Snacks Ramen Crunch: Wavy ridged crisps that have an aroma somewhere between the mysterious "oriental" flavored ramen seasoning packet and fish food. Contains a liberal amount of anchovy powder and MSG (in fact, MSG appears twice on the ingredients list for some reason). Texture-wise, it's not as crispy as a potato chip, but its thin profile makes it less hearty than a cracker. It's not as dense as ramen-flavored snacks that actually consist of dried ramen noodles. Flavor-wise, though, Hapi is going for a si... (read more) 2.5/5.0
asian ramen tokyofishmarket hapisnacks crunch 2.5
Ikedaya Mangetsu: Shrimp crackers in disc form, flavored with sesame seeds, cuttlefish, and MSG. Similarly textured to the bright pink shrimp crackers sometimes offered at American-ized Chinese restaurants, those these are a bit more dense. Not as boldly flavored as shrimp crackers, though the nori does add a new salinity to the mix. Purchased from Tokyo Fish Market in Berkeley. 2.5/5.0
japanese shrimp crackers seafood tokyofishmarket ikedaya mangetsu 2.5
Inaba Irodori Mix: A mix of classic senbei glazed rice crackers, including irregularly-shaped, textured shoyu nuggets; glazed sweet and savory crunchy balls embedded with strips of nori, each surrounding a single peanut; airy crisps resembling puffed shrimp crackers; and a surprising addition of dried anchovies, providing a concentrated salinity that balances some of the sweeter bites. Contained five individual-sized packs portioned well to be satisfying snack for grown ups. Purchased from Tokyo Fish Market in... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese tokyofishmarket ricecrackers nuts inaba irodori mix 3.5
Ito En Milk Tea: A "Hawaiian Exclusive," I was able to purchase this canned milk tea from Tokyo Fish Market in Berkeley. It is definitely sweet, like at 100% sweetness from a bubble tea shop that lets you adjust, but it does have black tea undertones and an herbal aftertaste. Now that I've had this drink, it will now be a baseline for how decent black milk tea is from a boba tea shop. As far as I'm concerned, if I can buy it for half the price at the local grocery store, it's not worth getting it "fresh." 3.0/5.0
drinks tokyofishmarket itoen milk tea 3.0
Kameda Kotsubukko : Bite-sized pieces of chocolate, tins of mint, or take-away cookies never work on me as impulse grocery store purchases. But rice crackers with too-cute packaging positioned directly next to the checkout does the job. This pack of 4 snack-sized bags of sweet and savory soy flavored crackers have a deep savory taste and are portioned larger than most so that a bag is actually filling. But beyond the cute Japanese branding, they aren't particularly distinctive as far as rice crackers go. I ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
japanese soy kameda kotsubukko 3.0 tokyofishmarket