Fay Da Bakery Mango Mochi: The second mango mochi I tried in NYC Chinatown was from Fay Da Bakery, which is just around the corner from Taipan on Mott Street. This one cost $2.50. Overall, it fell flat for a few reasons. First, the mochi itself had a gloopy texture that didn't hold together and made it unpleasant to eat. Next, the cream itself was just a regular whipped cream (not mango flavored) that tasted quite ordinary. There were some small chunks of mango throughout the interior, but they didn't taste especial... (read more) 2.5/5.0
chinatown nyc faydabakery mango mochi 2.5
Taipan Bakery Mango Mochi: Mango Mochi is having a moment on social media, so I decided to try out a few from NYC's Chinatown. First up was Taipan Bakery, a long-standing Chinese bakery with locations in Chinatown and Flushing. The mango mochi was available in the pastry display case and cost $3. Unlike the mango mochi I had seen on the Internet, this one did not have fresh mango on the inside but instead had a orangish-yellow cream. It appears both the cream and mochi have been flavored with mango, but there is no... (read more) 4.0/5.0
chinatown taipanbakery mango mochi 4.0
Elbow Bread Sweet Potato Pretzel: Straight from the oven, this sweet potato take on a classic pretzel was pretty much flawless – great amount of chew, just enough seasoning, and a subtle sweet, roasted flavor you're unlikely to find anywhere else. I love pretzels, and I'm pretty sure this is the best one I've ever had. New from Elbow Bakery at the border of Chinatown / LES. 5.0/5.0
exceptional nyc chinatown sweetpotato elbowbread sweet potato pretzel 5.0
Calbee Jagarico Double Cheese: I've favorably reviewed Jagarico potato sticks before on this blog but a quick recap – they are tubular, crunchy potato sticks that have a concentrated potato flavor I've found to be the closest to french fries of any off-the-shelf snack. I really liked how this Double Cheese flavor had a creamy mild cheese flavor that's quite different than the more assertive cheddar flavor you find on American cheese-flavored snacks. The packaging says it's a combination of cheddar and cream cheese, whic... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended hmart japanese calbee jagarico double cheese 3.5
Caffe Panna Peach Olive Oil Soft Serve: I had so heard so much about Caffe Panna, so I was excited to finally get a chance to try this popular ice cream shop started by Danny Meyer's daughter. The line took about 20 minutes to get through on a Sunday evening at the Gramercy location, and I opted for the soft serve with peach and an olive oil drizzle. Unfortunately, as you can see in the picture, it seemed to be already melting by the time it was handed to me, and once I found a bench 2 minutes later to sit and consume it, it was ... (read more) 2.0/5.0
softserve icecream nyc caffepanna peach olive oil soft serve 2.0
Toad & Radio Bakery Yuzu Jaffa Cake Croissant: Toad is an amazing bakery in South London that I couldn't get enough of when I visited University of Arts London last fall. So you can only imagine how excited I was to see that they teamed up with Radio Bakery in Greenpoint, easily the best bakery in NYC, to create a special Yuzu Jaffa Cake Croissant combo, a match that can only be described as what dreams are made of. It consisted of a crispy croissant base (with textbook layers), a sponge cake / chocolate layer, light and airy whipped cr... (read more) 5.0/5.0
exceptional pastries greenpoint toadradiobakery yuzu jaffa cake croissant 5.0