Keki Bakery Ube cheesecake : I purchased this "bouncy" ube Japanese cheesecake from Keki bakery in K-town after having tried their classic cheesecake at their Chinatown shop. Stated to serve 3-4, it easily could serve 5-6 if you're mainly in for a small taste. At $15, it's a great deal for the quality; combining the best of a rich cheesecake with a light and airy texture that I'd describe as more fluffy than bouncy (though we ate it the day after it was purchased, so the texture might have changed a bit). Its intense pu... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended cake dessert nyc japanese pastry kekibakery ube cheesecake 4.0
Bao Tea House Rose pudding bao: A special Valentine's day menu item at Bao Tea House in the West Village, these buttery rose pudding baos have a custard-like filling somewhere between whipped cream and pudding. It's light in texture, but quite rich in flavor and tastes deeply of rose On top is a satisfying crumble coating. Overall, the dessert stands out to me with its combination of baked and creamy textures, but it's on the rich side altogether. 3.5/5.0
recommended nyc dessert baoteahouse rose pudding bao 3.5
Fairway Kettle corn: Fairway is the great equalizer, with a mix of affordable conventional and organic produce and snacks that aren't easily found in other chains in NYC. Their kettle corn is more buttery than most, and the caramel coating is not overwhelmingly thick and crunchy. Overall, it's a good value snack. 3.0/5.0
nyc fairway kettle corn 3.0
Cougar Yogurt Flavoured Candy: Pure, concentrated Yakult (sweet yogurt milk flavor), compressed to a hard-turn-chewy candy. Slightly more elastic than a Starburst. Candy from Thailand. 3.5/5.0
recommended yakult thai candy cougar yogurt flavoured 3.5
Besfren Taro and matcha soft serve: I stumbled upon this tiny pastry shop on my way to Penn Station from KTown and was impressed with the quality of their soft serve. Served in a large but slightly pricy cup (at $5.50), the purple and green ice cream swirl is well balanced and perfectly smooth. The creamy, slightly vegetal flavor of taro works surprisingly well with bitter matcha. My only quibble is that the way the soft serve was swirled gave it a hollow center, so I think a third of the cup I received was just an air pock... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended besfren taro matcha soft serve 3.5 nyc ktown softserve icecream dessert
Tong Garden Salted Broad Beans: Exactly as the name describes. Crispy fried beans, seasoned simply with salt. From Singapore. 3.0/5.0
vegetables singaporean tonggarden salted broad beans 3.0