Marukyo Black Sesame Funwariyaki Dorayaki: Dorayaki is a delicious filled pancake dessert from Japan that has no equivalent in American pastry (as far as I know). The closest likeness I can think of is the Whoopie Pie, though dorayaki has a bean paste filling rather than cream, and the ratio of cake to filling is slimmer. Berkeley Bowl sells an assortment of refrigerated cakes in their Asian grocery aisle, though I have normally been wary of these silica-packet-filled packaged snacks. I was intrigued, though, by this black sesame ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended berkeleybowl japanese blacksesame marukyo black sesame funwariyaki dorayaki 3.5
Asha Tea Kiwi green tea: I’m pretty certain this is the last seasonal flavor of fruit tea I had yet to try at Asha, the Bay-area-based tea shop. Like the others, this tea has fresh fruit mashed to a pleasant pulp, which adds texture to each sip. The herbal tea is of clear quality, and the kiwi flavor is slightly tart and fully refreshing. 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks berkeley ashatea kiwi green tea 4.0
Kettle Dill Pickle Potato Chips: Thoroughly enjoyed this take on pickles, which captures the tangy and savory qualities of a quality brine. It tasted a bit like combining sour cream and onion, minus the sour cream, but then adding salt and vinegar, but with a pepperiness that is unique to this flavor. Like other Kettle chips, the krinkle cut is thick and substantial and a bit too hearty for my personal taste. But if you enjoy pickles and don't have one to accompany your lunch, this bag of potato chips will be a tasty sub... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended chips kettle dill pickle potato 4.0
Calbee Hot Garlic Shrimp Crackers: Another unexpected take on this classic Chinese shrimp cracker, this time "hot garlic." Ridged crisps are tossed in a tangy seasoned coating that is unmistakably garlic but not particularly spicy. Somewhat reminiscent of a sweet paprika flavor mixed with MSG. Same delicious savory shrimp flavor. I don't know if I like it more than the original, but I don't regret trying it either. 3.0/5.0
berkeleybowl seafood chinese calbee hot garlic shrimp crackers 3.0
Berkeley Bowl Sweet and Cheesy Bar Snack Mix: This is a snack mix from Berkeley Bowl I will likely never purchase again because it’s *too* good and addictive. Consisting of mostly crunchy things, including glazed sweet sesame sticks, corn nuts, and cheddar crackers, the mix is far too easy to mindless eat by the handful, and I finished the bag in an embarrassingly short amount of time. If you have better self control or are buying to share, I highly recommend. 4.0/5.0
recommended berkeleybowl snackmix mix sweet cheesy bar snack 4.0
Bickford’s Creamy soda: In hindsight, there were a few warning signs: 1) the label has “with artificial flavors” in fine print, 2) the flavor is creamy soda and not cream soda (I thought maybe it was an Australian thing), and 3) when was the last time you saw a red-colored cream soda? Turns out it’s red because of Red 40, which of course impart no actual taste to the drink (also ironically the packaging states “a century of purity”). What I got instead was an overly sweet, mediocre cream soda. It just goes to show... (read more) 2.0/5.0
drinks avoid galcos australian bickfords creamy soda 2.0