Boba Guys Strawberry Tea Fresca with Almond Jelly: I've only ever had milk teas at Boba Guys up to this point, but their strawberry jasmine tea fresca was excellent, and I will definitely be back to try others. Similar to Asha tea, they use fruit puree so that it has a bit of texture. The almond jelly is soft and tofu-like, and just a tad grainy. Overall, the drink was very fresh and well made; faintly sweet. Highly recommended. 4.0/5.0
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Quenelle Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet: Three years ago, you took a detour to Burbank to check out a humble ice cream shop opened by a former pastry chef with a Michelin-starred pedigree. There, your palate was expanded, with singular flavors like ras el hanout. You were stunned that ice cream could be so good: so creamy and well balanced, yet challenging and complex. You gave it a rare 5.0, and even after consuming ice cream from many respectable places since then, that one scoop stands out in your memory. Fast forward three year... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Kimura Yuzu cider: I think I could live in the soft drinks section of Marukai Market in Gardena, LA, with its seemingly endless array of bottles in every color of the rainbow. It was hard to pick just one, but the beautiful vintage-style label of the Kimura brand sodas stood out to me, and yuzu-flavor just felt appropriate. The fizzy drink is pretty sweet, like a tangier Sprite. Paired with the rich burger I had for lunch, it worked well, but on its own, it's a bit too sweet for my taste. Still, as an alternat... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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Blockheads Black sesame shaved ice with red bean, rice cakes, almond jelly, and condensed milk: Finally got to try this LA-based Taiwanese shaved ice chain. The black sesame ice cream had decent flavor but the texture was not as fluffy as I knew it could be given my recent experience at Powder in San Francisco. At Blockheads, they make their rice cakes in house, which are essentially tang yuan (the mochi-like glutinous rice dumplings that often accompany red bean soup). I expected their almond jelly to be almond jello, but it was more like the harder gelatin cubes often used in Asia... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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Nancy's Lowfat plain yogurt: As a staple, plain yogurt can sometimes be undervalued, its flavor masked by the fruit, granola, and toppings otherwise that often accompany and customize it to particular tastes. Nancy's yogurt, though, is a rare, quality product that stands on its own, with a pronounced tart flavor and creamy consistency thicker than most non-Greek yogurts. The price is steeper than alternatives, at slightly over $4 for 32 ounces, but when it's on sale, it's well worth it. 4.0/5.0
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Andy & Cindy Thai Cuisine's Thai Iced Tea: Available at Berkeley's Saturday farmers market, this refreshing beverage is mixed to order, transforming a decently strong cup of black tea into a familiarly Garfield shade of orange as soon as the dairy is mixed in. Very sweet, but a nice companion for strolling through the market on a beautiful day. 3.5/5.0
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