Mateo's Arrayan Paletas: Mateo's is a chain in Los Angeles that has a rainbow assortment of ice creams and fruit bars, or paletas, featuring tropical flavors from Central America ranging from yellow cherry, mamey, and sapote (a type of ash-colored persimmon fruit). The popular shop had a short line out the door, with two groups allowed in the store at a given time (and no samples during the pandemic). Their arrayan pop features fresh fruit from the arrayan guava, which reminded me a lot of Taiwanese guava I had wh... (read more) 3.0/5.0
losangeles tropical fruit mateos arrayan paletas 3.0
Omomo Tea Shop Matcha Cortado: Is bubble tea ever worth waiting an hour in line for? Maybe not, but when 90% of the line is made up of Asian customers in Irvine, it's probably a good sign. This popular bubble tea shop has two locations in Irvine, and this unassuming shop in the middle of a large strip mall, sandwiched between a Ralph's and CVS, unfortunately only takes in-person orders (the other location has an online ordering system). I went with my family and was able to sample four different drinks, but the one I o... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended irvine bubbletea greentea omomoteashop matcha cortado 4.0
McDonald's BTS Meal Sauces: I went along with my sister to McDonald's for the BTS meal, not knowing much of what to expect other than that two dipping sauces were co-designed to accompany their standard chicken nuggets meal. At a 4pm on Wednesday, the day the collaboration was officially released, there was a snaking line outside the drive through, and given an endless feed of BTS-themed McDonald's TikToks I saw afterward, I can only imagine everyone was there for the same reason. I can't say that I know much about th... (read more) 2.0/5.0
mcdonalds sauce bts meal sauces 2.0
Crown Jolly Pong: A Korean puffed wheat cereal with kernels that look like mini corn nuts and have a nutty, caramel flavor. They remind me of the Honey Smacks / Golden Crisp cereal I had as a kid. Smells like a mix of cotton candy and coffee. Small bag has 2.5 servings and was purchased at HMart. 3.0/5.0
cereal hmart korean crown jolly pong 3.0
Donut Hut Coffee donut: Donut Hut is a brightly colored red and yellow striped to-go shop that on first glance looks like a local hot dog stand. They specialize in no-fuss donuts in a variety of flavors, made old school and at friendly, old school prices (cash only, about a dollar each). This cinnamon donut, glazed with crumbles of cinnamon reminiscent of ground coffee cake, was perfectly fluffy and risen, sweet but just the right amount of sweet. Definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Burbank. 4.0/5.0
recommended losangeles la donut donuthut coffee 4.0
Bingrae Original Crab Chips: I'm pretty sure Bingrae is like the Kraft Foods of Korea, with a hand in all types of packaged food products from banana-flavored milk to ice cream bars to ready-made meals. These crab chips are especially notable because of their unique shape, which look like little puffed wheat crabs. They are baked rather than fried but still have a satisfying junk food taste, seasoned with a combination of garlic powder and crab flavoring and with a touch of heat. I would definitely buy it again. Pur... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended hmart bingrae original crab chips 4.0