This may look like an ordinary ice cream package to you, but little do you know that this the ice cream sleeping inside this little black package is a whopping $2.50. Yup, you heard right. The box comes with four of these bad boys for $9.99 at Palama Supermarket. I also saw that they're selling them at Pacific Supermarket in Waipahu. Now, do these lil beauties taste as good as they look? Are they just as good as all the ABG's make it out to be? Is it worth your time fighting through the crowds of Korean ajumma and hype-y teens at Palama Supermarket? Here's my verdict: Taste: It tastes exactly like brown sugar boba. Now, let me clear this misunderstanding that some people may have - this is NOT a Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea flavor, but simply a Brown Sugar Boba flavor ice cream. A few people that I've talked to were disappointed because they didn't think it tasted like milk tea. I also saw people describing it as a coffee taste, which I could not agree more with. I can confidently say that it tastes exactly like the brown sugar boba that comes in a milk tea, with just the right amount of sweetness. Texture: So. So. So. Soft. It was unbelievably soft and smooth. The creamy ice cream slips through the cracks of your teeth as you bite into it, while the boba surprisingly retains an unbelievably soft, chewy texture despite being a frozen product. Would I eat this again? YAH.
Would I pay $10 for a box? .. Probably. I usually don't buy ice cream from the store, since I'm more of a "eat ice cream in the company of friends at an ice cream shop" kind of gal, but I mean, if I'm gonna pay $5 for a scoop of ice cream or $6 for a milk tea, I feel like this is a much cheaper alternative. Now, let me just start off by saying that this was graciously donated to me by my beautifully small and bipolar foodie friend @stkuroda. So I didn't purchase it myself, but I tried to judge it as best as I could despite not having paid my hard-earned money.
0 Comments
My Canada posts are LONGGG overdue, but I figured better late than never! During Spring Break, we visited Vancouver, and before the COVID-19 pandemic craze that forced most of the businesses to close during the last few days of our trip, we got to try some pretty bomb ass places. Jam Cafe was our very first stop, and we thought we'd done a good job getting there early, but we ended up still having to wait around 10 minutes in the fUHREEZING weather. The food was all amazing- I saw people ordering different dishes at each table and each looked so tantalizing. Huge pancakes, stacks of waffles, and massive omelettes. We shared the Chicken & Waffles and the ginormous Charlie Bowl, and both were amazing. Despite being travelers who never wanna go back to the same place twice, we both agreed that if we had time (and space in our bellies), we'd definitely make it a point to come back here. During our Granville Island day, we tried a bunch of different places. Our two favorites were the Duck Poutine from Edible Canada and the Salmon Chowder from A La Mode Pie. *The Poutine is cheaper during Happy hour, from 3-5p on Tuesdays-Sundays, so if you're like us and just wanted to get that, I highly recommend this time frame. The Salmon Chowder, and everything else on the menu from A La Mode Pie was pretty steep, but it's definitely worth a try. On the first day of the downhill that became the COVID-19 business-closing-streak, I really really wanted to try Forage, a sustainable farm-to-table restaurant. After walking 40 minutes to find out there were closed, we went to Yolks for breakfast instead, after seeing it on our friend's IG story the day before. I loved that their benedicts came with the option of béchamel sauce, since I'm really not a huge hollandaise fan. Also, whatever you do, you MUST get the lemon truffle potatoes. They're a life changer. Everyone who knows me can attest that I am a hardcore pastries person. I will choose pastries, breads, and cakes over any meal, so naturally, we visited a bunch of bakeries. Purebread was on the bottom of my must-try food list before coming to Canada, but after trying it once, I was IN. LOVE. I begged my boyfriend to go back every day because I needed to try everything. I don't ever reach for savory pastries, but this was the first time I was inclined to, and loved my savory option. The scones, croissants, breads, and brownies were all so amazing - I was heartbroken when we found out they'd be closed the rest of our stay - I'm determined to go back to Vancouver to try the rest of the pastries. On another round of disappointment, the only place that was an absolute-must on my list, Beta5 Chocolates was closed, also due to COVID-19. Luckily, my sweet boyfriend found another alternative, Beacoup Bakery. They had an amazing Hazelnut Rice Pudding Choux and a Churro Morning Bun that were absolutely to. die. for. Their selection was small, but mind-blowingly amazing. ICE CREAM. In. Vancouver. Is. BETTER THAN ANYWHERE ELSE. Well, it's better than anywhere I've tried at least. Earnest Ice Cream & Bella Gelateria will give any ice cream shop in Hawaii a run for their money. At Earnest, we made ice cream our dinner, and got two scoops each - we literally stared at the menu for a good 10 minutes, then proceeded to discuss and planned out which flavors we'd get because every one sounded so good. The Lavender Shortbread and Salted Chocolate with Rye Cookie were my absolute favorites, followed by the London Fog and the the Whiskey Hazelnut. The quality of Bella Gelateria was phenomenal, and despite having a three-sample limit, the worker let us try whatever we wanted and even convinced us to get a flavor we originally weren't intending on, and it was amazing. Dark Chocolate Sorbetto sounded watery to us but bruh it was the darkest, creamiest, most luscious piece of chocolate magic we ever encountered. Honorable Mentions:
Tacofino and Ganache Patisserie were two places that were also really good (but also not mind-blowing like the other places mentioned). We got the Crispy Chicken Burrito and Fish Tacos, and both were really good - much better than any taco place in Hawaii, that's for sure. I stumbled upon Ganache Patisserie on my way home from ANOTHER cake shop (the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, on Granville Island), but they had this Earl Grey Chocolate Cake that I NEEDED to try. Did I go over my calorie count for the day? Absolutely. Do I regret it? Not a single bit. Despite my hellish experiences this weekend, my short trip to Amsterdam really was one for the books. It was a lovely city where you’re surrounded by English speakers, flowers, canals, bicycles, and food. Here’s a rundown of all the foods I ate: Honingwafel from Lanskroon Banketbakkerij For a little over 2 euros, this was probably my best buy of the weekend. It’s a huge “waffle” filled with a honey syrup. The outside was more of a thin butter cookie than a waffle, and was crisp but chewy – the most addicting texture combination in my opinion. I told myself I’d just eat a bite, and by the time I looked at my hands, it was gone LOL Stroopwafel from Albert Cuypmarkt 2 euros gets you this huge freshly made, soft, syrupy waffle with a chocolate spread. It was a lot softer than I thought it would be, and although this was what I was looking forward to ever since I tried the Stroopwafel McFlurry back home, I honestly prefer the Lanskroon Honingwafel, because of the texture. Veal Croquette from Patisserie Holtkamp A little over 2 euros for a small lil croquette that's PACKED with flavor from a shop specializing in chocolate and cakes? Weird, but it works I guess. They have veal, shrimp, and cheese croquettes, but they're nothing like the Japanese ones. They do have a crisp outside like japanese croquettes, but the inside is more of a creamy mushroom sauce, and the veal one had lil bits of meat mixed in. It takes about 5 minutes to make, but it comes out hot & fresh! Bitterballen (regular & truffle) from De Ballenbar Located in The Foodhallen (a cool, modern food court), this was my last stop of the weekend and I was SO full but duh. Bitterballen is a staple in the Netherlands so I had to try it. The beef one basically tasted like the Croquette from Patisserie Holtkamp, and the truffle one was hella truffle-y, which is just the way I like it. Chocolate cookie from Van Strapele Koekmakerij I saw a long line outside this store while I was making my second round at Lanskroon to get another honingwafel, and I asked the lady what it was about, in which she answered – a chocolate cookie. Hm. Underwhelming, but the long line must mean it’s good, so I waited for about 7 minutes and got my hands on this dark chocolate cookie with a white chocolate inside for 2 euros. They’re made fresh, right in front of you (which is their gimmick I’m guessing) with Valrhona chocolate – it tasted like a brownie cookie and it was super good, but not something I’d wait in line for, for 2 euros. Poffertjes & Kibbeling from Lindengrachtmarkt
Lindengrachtmarkt is a foodie’s dream – so many food stalls and SO. MANY. CHEESE & CHOCOLATE SAMPLES. So many that I got sick of it after a while. Poffertjes were cute lil mini pancakes freshly made with butter and powdered sugar – 10 for 2,50 euros is what I paid (I scouted the prices and found this booth to be cheaper than the one at Albert Cuypermarkt). Kibbeling is basically deep fried cod, so like fish & chips, minus the fish. I got mine for 2,75 euros (also MUCH much much cheaper than all the other food stalls I’ve seen throughout the city) and it was packed with flavors from the seasonings, and was perfectly fried – crispy outside and soft inside. Hi. I'm here talking about more food that I ate and more things that I'm appreciative about.
MW Restaurant, aka one of my new favorite restaurants on the island, had us back for the second time in a year to take some pics! Well, I guess I can't really say "us" because I didn't go for Spoon Hawaii this time, but went for Hawaii Happy Hours instead. Brandon, the Sous Chef & Social Media guy is pretty cool and we've been chatting here & there on IG until we finally decided that we should do a photoshoot for Hawaii Happy Hours, because their HH is bomb but not many people know about it (well, at least not me and my friend groups). Butttt. Ryan is in California right now so Steph and Rowena came in his place and it ended up being just a foodie photoshoot with the Three Musketeers LOL. Brandon brought out pretty much everything on the HH menu, along with some desserts for us to take picture of and enjoy, and everything was (as always), SO amazing. My favorites among all the super amazingly delicious foods were the: Unagi & Butterfish Arancini (Not on the HH, unfortunately) Kalua Pig Potato Gratin Pizzadilla & of course all of the three desserts: Mango Shave Ice Candy Bar Tropical Fruit Creamsicle Brûlée And here's where the words of appreciation come in: I am SO thankful to have such amazing friends and connections, and to see how many opportunities I've been given the past few months. Brandon is SUCH an influential person, and like all the other influential people i've met recently, he always astounds me with his skills and kindness. The one day (or more accurately, the six hours) that I worked at MW Restaurant as a hostess, I kept telling myself that one day I would come back to eat at this restaurant. Never did I think that both times I dined here, I would get everything comped and be invited back again. There was a point in the beginning of my day that I felt like giving up on the entire world. Google maps led me in a circle, in the rain, with my shrunken canvas converse shoes, in a neighborhood that was probably not the friendliest in Massachusetts. Can someone please tell Google not to make the highway part of a walking route.
After my horrendous experience with technology, I (miraculously) made my way to Boston. I ate lunch at Boston Sail Loft for some Clam Chowder. Rich, thick, and piping hot I give it a 8/10. Plus, I was starving from my whole morning ordeal, I think almost anything would have sufficed. I visited Faneuil Marketplace and all three Markets within the area. I snapped a few pictures, listened to some street performers, and strolled down the many food shops about four times, before deciding there was really nothing that pulled me in. Haymarket was on the way to my next destination, so I strolled past and enjoyed seeing all of the different produce they had for sale. It blew my mind that vendors were selling strawberries 2/$3. That's insane! We're lucky for it to be on sale for $5.99 in Hawaii! The worker at Q's Nuts in Boston Public Market waved me down for a free sample, and boy, did he know how to sell. I really did love all of the samples he gave me, and because he was so sweet (and cause I'm a sucker for samples), I ended up buying a few to take home. My last destination of the day was the North End of Boston, aka Little Italy. There were SO many pastry shops that I wanted to visit, but a girl can only eat so many sweets in one trip. I mean, I know I can eat it (i live off of sweets) but I love my body too much to stuff it with solely cannoli's and pies. I did eat at Carmelina's, an authentic Italian restaurant (one among many) that had raving reviews on Yelp. In my honest opinion, I thought it was just alright. Nothing super amazing (which I'm very sad about tbh). As I wrote in my Yelp review, I think the reviews just raised my expectations too high. Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Il Lupino, Machete’s Mean Sandwiches, Ripple of Smiles, Taste of Paradise, O’Kims, Stir. This weekend’s lineup was insane. There were so many times I just sat there and thought “is this what being famous is like?” This was my second tasting at Il Lupino, the first being with Ryan and Hawai Happy Hours, when we got them to be a partner for the Deals platform, and this place never disappoints. They were introducing their new and favorite menu items to influencers, buffet style, so I loaded up on my favorite Arancine Siciliani, and I could not get enough of the fried artichokes and Pesta Romano. I’m pretty sure I gained at least six pounds on Saturday, with Machete’s Mean Sandwiches feeding me, Steph, and Rowena a huge sandwich each in exchange for some photos, Ripple of Smiles providing Joy and me four different dishes as a thanks for collaborating with them for our 10k Spoon Giveaway, and of course, all the amazing food from Taste of Paradise (so many cake bombs LOL). Machete’s bakes their own bread in house and it is the SOFTEST bread I’ve ever seen on Oahu. Their sandwiches are a great deal because they pack as much as they can in between the supple pieces of bread. This is one of those hole-in-the-wall places you’d never think would be amazing, but is. My go-to order next time is The Machete (and hold the mayo, bleh). Ripple of Smiles is a new Vietnamese restaurant, where Frankie Fresh used to be, right across City Mill. Maybe it was because I was still full from Machete’s, but I didn’t really care too much for their food. It was definitely good, and it’s hard to find a decent Chinese or Vietnamese restaurant outside of Chinatown, so I give major props to them for opening one up so close to campus (plus, students get 10% off all the time, and 17% off during the month of April). Taste of Paradise. I already raved about it lol, next. O’Kims is a cute little restaurant located in Downtown, and because we went on a Sunday, we were lucky enough to score free parking at Walmart. We sat outside in their cute lil patio, and they brought out all of their brunch specials. Everything was amazing, and I LOVE that they don’t use any MSG, and that they literally make everything in house (even the kimchi!). Right after our huge brunch at O’Kims, we made our way down to Stir on Waialae Ave. They changed owners and wanted to showcase their newest “dessert smoothies” and acai bowls. They gave us three different flavors (Cookies n Cake > Pistachio Macaron > Strawberry Cake) and an acai bowl. I felt a surge of sugary explosion after, because everything was so sweet. The Cookies n Cake smoothie (can I just call it a milkshake cause that’s basically what it is) was honestly so good – it was like melted cookies & cream ice cream with oreo and cheesecake. |