2016 09 19 16.17.26

Belly Good Cafe & Crepes Black Milk Tea with Boba: To accompany the crepe I purchased at Belly Good Cafe, I purchased a cup of black milk tea with boba. It was probably the single worst bubble tea I've had in my life. The tea had zero herbal flavor and tasted of watered-down sugar water with a bit of dairy. The boba was also complete mush, with no give and a slimy exterior. I hate wasting food, so I did force myself to drink the entire thing, but I will be scarred from drinking bubble tea again in the near future. 0.5/5.0

avoid drinks bellygoodcafecrepes black milk tea boba 0.5
2016 09 19 16.17.22

Belly Good Cafe & Crepes Adzuki, Srawberry, and Green Tea Crepe: On my most recent trip to San Francisco, I found myself in Japantown hungry for a mid-day snack. A quick search revealed that the highest reviewed spot was a crepe stand by the name of Belly Good, located in the food court on the upper level of the shopping complex. While I have a healthy skepticism when it comes to Yelp reviews, it is impossible not to notice a place that has 4.5 stars and over 1,000 reviews, especially given its unassuming storefront and questionable photo menu. I also r... (read more) 0.5/5.0

sanfrancisco dessert matcha bellygoodcafecrepes adzuki srawberry green tea crepe 0.5 avoid
2016 09 19 10.11.29

Gina Calamansi Juice Drink: From the Philippines, this drink contains only 10% juice but is very refreshing and pairs well with spicy foods. The citrus flavor is sharp and sweet, but not overly so. Well balanced and memorable. 3.5/5.0

drinks recommended citrus gina calamansi juice drink 3.5
2016 09 18 17.46.50

Humphry Slocombe Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee: I'm not a coffee drinker myself, and I typically don't order coffee-flavored desserts. I am, however, a huge fan of the Blue Bottle Vietnamese coffee flavor at Humphry Slocombe, the San Francisco-based ice cream shop that consistently offers great quality ice cream in unusual flavors. While coffee is one of the more traditional offerings, it's still distinctive: both robust and creamy with the addition of condensed milk. Highly recommended. 4.0/5.0

recommended icecream sanfrancisco humphryslocombe blue bottle vietnamese coffee 4.0
2016 09 18 15.24.40

Boba Guys Coconut green tea with boba: On a Sunday afternoon, the line for the Mission Boba Guys in San Francisco was entirely too long, with about a 13 minute wait to order. I ordered their coconut green tea with organic milk and boba. At 25% sweetness, I still found the drink to be a tad too sweet, which is consistent with my experience at this Boba Guys (compared to the one in NYC, which doesn't seem to add as much sugar). The drink came out at room temperature, but the ice helped bring it down in temperature after a few mi... (read more) 3.0/5.0

drinks bobaguys coconut green tea boba 3.0
2016 09 17 18.06.31

Sprecher Root Beer: The first time I had Sprecher was at Momofuku Saam Bar in 2010, and I remember loving its layered, somewhat musty flavor, as if it had been left in a barrel for a bit too long. I purchased it after not having had it for several years, and it was far sweeter than I remembered, though it did have a pleasant spiced sweetness and notes of vanilla. Despite the sweetness, I still find the flavor to be distinctive and worth a try. 3.0/5.0

drinks soda rootbeer sprecher root beer 3.0