2016 09 24 13.20.45

Meisum Bakery Asian Pastries: I previously reviewed this bakery's mochi peanut dessert, which remains my favorite product. During my last visit to this small Chinatown bakery, I tried the egg tart and pineapple bun, both of which were fairly standard as far as Asian bakeries go. The egg tart was firm and cold, a sign that it had been sitting out for some time. Still, the flavor was not bad but ordinary. The pineapple bun was a bit better, with a nice crispy crumble that was just the right level of sweetness. Overall... (read more) 3.0/5.0

chinatown boston eggtart custard pineapplebun bread meisumbakery asian pastries 3.0
2016 09 24 13.03.29

Gracenote Rooibos: Clean, light, and refreshing, this iced tea from the Boston-based coffee shop was a nice palate cleanser and thirst quencher. 3.5/5.0

recommended drinks tea gracenote rooibos 3.5
2016 09 22 12.40.13

Beatnik Chia seed pudding with homemade raspberry jam: A cup of chia seed pudding sets you back a little over $6 post-tax at Will Gilson's juice bar, located in the Kendall Square food court outside of the Google offices. The pudding comes in two options: one with jam and one without. I opted for the vividly colored raspberry jam, which had a fantastic texture and nice flavor in small quantities, but mixed with the pudding, it was overwhelmingly sweet and masked any of the lightly sweetened but creamy chia seed pudding. While the pudding is e... (read more) 3.0/5.0

cambridge beatnik chia seed pudding homemade raspberry jam 3.0
2016 09 20 17.55.41

Trader Joe's Blueberry Poppy Seed Cookies: Finger-length shortbread cookies embedded with dried blueberry pieces. Crumbly and buttery biscuit. Poppy seeds are more decorative than flavorful. Still, the cookies are a solid treat. 3.0/5.0

recommended biscuits traderjoes blueberry poppy seed cookies 3.0
2016 09 20 05.39.13

Naked Blue Machine Smoothie: This fruit smoothie contains a mix of fruit puree (banana, blueberry, and blackberry) as well as apple juice. The texture is both thick and slick - substantial and smooth. While there is no added sugar, its contains a lot of sugar, at 29g. Overall, it was what I would expect for a Naked juice – nourishing but also not nearly as good as eating fresh fruit. 3.0/5.0

drinks fruit blueberry banana blackberry juice naked blue machine smoothie 3.0
2016 09 20 16.01.40

Kung Fu Tea Mango Slush: Purchased at 25% sugar, this icy drink is a thirst quencher but has a bit of an artificial mango flavor, like the type you might expect from mango-flavored gelatin snacks. While I was told that the drink contained mango pulp, it wasn't discernible. Not bad, but also not great. 3.0/5.0

kungfutea mango slush 3.0 drinks