900 Grayson Mochi Cupcake: Of the recent offerings at Berkeley restaurant 900 Grayson, the most intriguing was their mochi muffin. The small muffin, at around 3" in diameter, is topped with a mix of sesame seeds and has a toasted exterior. Unfortunately, the inside was not nearly as chewy as I expected – you could tell it was mochi, but the texture was dense, and the muffin overall ate a little stale. At least it wasn't overly sweet. 2.5/5.0
900grayson mochi cupcake 2.5
Asha Tea House Peach Black Tea: I had a great drink at Asha Tea House in San Francisco, so I was excited to try another at their Berkeley location. I ordered their peach black tea with boba – I had tried to order their boba last time, but it was sold out. I found the boba to be a bit too soft for my taste, but it had a nice neutral flavor otherwise. The drink itself was refreshing and well balanced, but it wasn't as distinctive as the strawberry black tea I previously purchased. Still, I would come back to try another. 3.0/5.0
drinks ashateahouse peach black tea 3.0 asha
Lesser Evil Buddha Bowl Himalayan Pink organic popcorn: This sizable bag of popcorn is probably the largest volume 100-calorie snack I've had. The popcorn is popped in coconut oil, giving it a distinctly creamy flavor (but don't worry, it's not dessert-like). Seasoning is just right. It wasn't worth the $4 I paid on my flight, but I was hungry and am glad that I got it – ultimately, it sustained me through the last 4 hours of my flight. A high quality product. 3.5/5.0
recommended buddha bowl himalayan pink organic popcorn 3.5 lesserevil
The Juice Collective Homemade ginger soda: The Juice Collective is a shop in Berkeley that serves meals and drinks to go out of a narrow kitchen. I stopped by on a whim to check out their offerings and had to try their ginger soda given how much I love ginger drinks. The soda is thirst quenching and very well balanced, with an ideal level of sweetness (honey) and a bit of citrus (lemon). After taking a sip, the spicy ginger heat leaves an incredibly invigorating tingle in your throat for minutes. I don't think I've ever had a gin... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional thejuicecollective homemade ginger soda 4.5
Natural Brew Outrageous Ginger Beer: I'm likely to purchase any ginger beer I haven't tried before, and this brand was no exception. Its spicy ginger flavor is more potent than most, though I did find the drink overall to be on the sweet side. Generally decent - probably somewhere in the top 40% of ginger beers I've had. 3.0/5.0
drinks soda gingerbeer naturalbrew outrageous ginger beer 3.0
Trader Joe's Bollywood Popcorn: A spiced popcorn with vegan tikka masala seasoning. Manageable and pleasant amount of heat. Surprisingly sweet notes (perhaps from cinnamon)? A unique snack, though not something I want to eat all the time. 3.0/5.0
traderjoes bollywood popcorn 3.0