Morgenstern’s Cardamom Lemon Jam ice cream: There are many great ice cream shops in NYC, but Morgenstern’s has been my favorite for a long time. Over the years, I’ve found myself mostly purchasing their specials, but this time I ordered one of their regular menu flavors, and it did not disappoint. This cardamom lemon jam ice cream has a really wonderfully spiced cardamom flavor, with a creamy yet sharp acidic aftertaste. Texturally, it is perfectly smooth. It’s a fantastic flavor that shows off how consistently good Morgenstern’s can be. 4.5/5.0
exceptional nyc icecream manhattan morgensterns cardamom lemon jam ice cream 4.5
Bar pa tea Roasted oolong milk tea with boba: Located near Soho, Bar Pa Tea bubble tea shop is a sister shop to Pa Tea, another shop I reviewed earlier this summer. The chronology of my reviews is off, though - I actually went to Bar Pa first, not knowing they were related. This milk tea was alright and just average, like bubble tea you can get from any ok tea shop in California. The boba was actually below average, though, as it was too soft. I did however sample their oolong soft serve and thought t was surprisingly good, which is why... (read more) 2.5/5.0
bubbletea drinks nyc barpatea roasted oolong milk tea boba 2.5
Galil Roasted chestnuts: Part of a larger trend of packaging vegetables-as-snacks (e.g., fried snap peas, roasted seaweed, apple crisps), these roasted chestnuts have a slick coating that make you want to eat them with a utensil, ultimately taking away from the convenience of having it in a packable pouch. Otherwise, it’s largely not-messed-around-with. 3.0/5.0
organic vegetables galil roasted chestnuts 3.0
Lonely God Japanese Seaweed Flavor Potato Chips: A quintessential Chinese snack whose name is likely the result of a mistranslation, these auger-shaped potato snacks are about 1.5 larger than Frito flavor twists and slightly softer in texture. They're coated in a savory sweet seaweed powder. Purchased from Hong Kong Supermarket, they're one of the many examples of Asian snacks commonly found in 7-11s in Taiwan, but difficult to find in America. Overall, I wish the snack were crispier, and they are sweeter than I prefer for a savory snac... (read more) 3.0/5.0
asian nori chinese hongkongsupermarket lonelygod japanese seaweed flavor potato chips 3.0
Tatun Crab King Crackers: I love seafood flavored snacks, which are always available in Asian supermarkets but sadly missing from our American grocery shelves. This bag of Crab King fried snacks from Hong Kong Supermarket in NYC's Chinatown was very inexpensive (a little under $2), and contains puffed up crab-shaped pieces, softer in texture than shrimp crackers, but with a satisfying crisp. They taste heavily of MSG, but also of a seasoned seafood powder that has a slight chili kick. I liked them a lot and wish t... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended chinese seafood tatun crab king crackers 3.5
Kirin Rich Green Tea: If you can believe it, I have a months-worth of backlog for snack reviews. I purchased this bottle of green tea back when I was doing a retreat at the Recurse Center. I liked buying large bottles of green tea to drink at work for cost-effectiveness, and I found that the best selection could be found at Hong Kong Supermarket in NYC's Chinatown. I typically purchased Ito-En teas, but I decided to give this slightly less expensive bottle of green tea a try. It was decent, but more bitter th... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks matcha chinatown kirin rich green tea 3.0