Hakkaisan Amazake Sweet Rice Drink: I purchased this fermented rice drink (that's from Japan) at The Market in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. While Amazake is generally a sweet sake, this drink is alcohol-free. Koji rice, the basis of this drink, is rice that has been affected with a fungus named Aspergillus oryzae that's commonly used for making familiar ingredients like soy sauce and bean paste. The drink is kept frozen for freshness and needs to be defrosted before consuming. It has a thick milky consistency and a distinct whi... (read more) 3.5/5.0
japanese japan rice drinks koji hakkaisan amazake sweet drink 3.5
Mu Mu Muesli Museli Cereal: While not literally crunchy, this muesli is textbook hippie, made with organic whole oats, dried cranberries, dates, coconuts, and raisins, along with almonds and flaxseed, all enclosed in a paper-based bag that feels like it's from a specialty market. On the back of the packaging is a map of the continental United States, listing exactly which state the various ingredients came from (e.g., the rolled oats and wheat flakes are from Iowa). It was pretty pricy, at a little over $6 from the C... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended cereal organic parkslopefoodcoop 3.5 muesli mumumuesli
Cheng Kang Rare Soybean Drink: I'm not sure what makes it rare, but I recently discovered that Asian grocery stores stock several brands of "rare soybean" soymilk. This one is from Taiwan, and I purchased it at Hong Kong Supermarket in Chinatown. I thought the bean flavor of the drink was very familiar and overall ok, but it was heavily sweetened, so I wouldn't get it again. 2.5/5.0
drinks chinatown hongkongsupermarket chengkang rare soybean drink 2.5
Tea Era Apple Seed Green Tea: Got to visit an old favorite with old friends on my last trip to the South Bay. Tea Era is a bubble tea shop on Castro in Mountain View that always has an expansive menu of uniquely-flavored beverages. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the apple seed green tea, which is why I decided to purchase it. The least amount of sugar they could do was 50%, and I purchased the tea hot on a brisk evening (though you could also get it cold). Half sugar was the right amount, as it had a somewha... (read more) 3.5/5.0
mountainview california recommended drinks chinese teaera apple seed green tea 3.5
Natural Idea Finger Pancakes - Seaweed Flavor: My friend SengMing brought me this snack, which he purchased from 99 Ranch, an Asian supermarket. Directly translate to "Finger Pancakes" (there is no English on the label), these miniature biscuits are irregularly shaped and really do look like pancakes, with the same kind of coloration ( a darker toasted brown on the edges) that you get when you actually make pancakes on the stovetop. The sweet and savory seaweed flavor is super tasty and distinct, with a much more concentrated taste of ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended asian chinese biscuits naturalidea finger pancakes - seaweed flavor 4.0 ranch99
Liebe Lemon Crush Bavarian Style Quark: Today I learned that Quark is a Bavarian crossover between yogurt and cream cheese, yielding a thick and creamy treat whose consistency is unparalleled in the yogurt aisles. The last time I had a yogurt this smooth, it was homemade at Sophie's Greek Pantry in Massachusetts. The Lemon Crush flavor has an impressively sweet and tart flavor; the entire container has 10g of sugar, so it's sweet but not too sweet. Definitely recommend and looking forward to trying the other flavors! 4.0/5.0
parkslopefoodcoop yogurt exceptional liebe lemon crush bavarian style quark 4.0