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
7th Ave Donuts Cake donut: Earlier in the summer, I had a surprisingly good donut at 24/7 diner/donut shop 7th Ave Donuts in Park Slope, though the icing made it far too sweet. So I’ve been trying to see if ordering simpler donut flavors can recreate the same experience I had eating the custard-like, slightly under baked donut I had a few months ago. This plain cake donut did not do the job at all - it was largely flavorless, like eating a barely sweetened dry pound cake. Do not recommend. 2.0/5.0
brooklyn nyc 7thavedonuts cake donut 2.0
Culture Plain yogurt with crystallized ginger: I rarely get toppings with ice cream, but the add ins at Culture are often just as good as its frozen yogurt, which is already excellent. This time, I got their crystallized ginger topping, which is probably the best candied ginger I’ve had - cut into strips as thin as fruit leather, with a potently spicy bite, all while being just sweet enough. The plain yogurt from Culture was very good too - nicely tart and creamy. 4.0/5.0
recommended froyo brooklyn nyc culture plain yogurt crystallized ginger 4.0
Bao Tea House Roasted oolong milk tea: Bao is a little gem in the West Village, easily missable as it’s below street level. But you would be amiss to not try their drinks if you’re a fan of milk teas; they have some of the best I’ve had in the city. This roasted oolong tea is classic but clean, with a nutty herbal flavor and creamy, sweet milk. I asked for it less sweet, and it was perfect for me. 4.0/5.0
recommended milktea drinks nyc baoteahouse roasted oolong milk tea 4.0
Skittles Sweet Heat Candies: First, I did not purchase this snack. It was shared with my batch at the Recurse Center earlier this summer, and when a bizarre snack is freely offered to me, you can bet I will at least give it a try. The bag contains your standard Skittles colors and flavors: strawberry, watermelon, orange, lemon, and mango. Just like normal skittles, they are way too sweet and consequently send sharp pains immediately through your dentures directly to your taste receptors. But a few seconds after the ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
candy skittles sweet heat candies 3.0