Pretz is a thin and crunchy Japanese cookie snack that is shaped like a stick. The pumpkin flavored Pretz tries to mimics the flavor of a Japanese pumpkin, also known as kabocha squash, not the pumpkin that many westerners are familiar with. It’s lightly sweeten, a little bitter, but lacks any strong kabocha flavoring. I like kabocha dishes in Japanese restaurants, but didn’t like the kabocha flavored Pretz.

The Pumpkin Pretz usually come in 1.48oz packages and can be found in most local Japanese markets or online. I bought mines at the NJ Mitsuwa Marketplace. They retail for $1.49 to 2.50 per pack.

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1. Glico Pretz – Honey Butter
2. Calbee Sapporo Potato Vegetable Cracker
3. Morinaga Choco Ball

Lotte is the Nestlé of South Korea and their Crunky Chocolate bar is their equivalent to Nestlé’s Crunch. It’s very thin and light, comes wrapped in a gold foil, and is sectioned off in a 6×4 grid which makes it easy to cleanly divide. Like the Crunch bar, it combines milk chocolate and puffed rice with the majority of the milk chocolate on the surface and the malt puff bleeding off the bottom. The chocolate is very smooth and the mild crunch is very pleasant, but I found the Crunky bar to be no better than Nestle’s or Mar’s standard consumer fare. It’s a decent chocolate bar, but not worth going out of your way to try.

Crunky bars are usually sold in South Korea and Japan and may be stocked in local Korean Markets. I found mines at the local H-Mart. They usually retail for about $1-2 per 60 gram bar, but can be had in South Korea for a messely 500KRW ($0.40USD).

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1. Morinaga Choco Ball
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Morinaga Choco Balls is a popular Japanese candy that comes in a number of varieties. The ones that I know of are peanut, caramel, strawberry and white chocolate. I have only tried the peanut and caramel, both are made with milk chocolate coverings. Overall, they are no different than your average American chocolate candy. They come in small 1.02oz packages (they may make larger packages) and are perfectly-sized for popping in your mouth, smaller than Whoppers and larger than M&Ms. The peanut Choco Ball unlike the caramel has a wafer wrapping between the outer and inner cores, making them quite additive, this coming from a person who is not all that fond of chocolate.

Choco Balls in the 1.02oz packaging retail for around $1USD and can be found at your locate Japanese Market or online at AsianFoodGrocer.com

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1. Botan Rice Candy
2. Lotte Crunky Chocolate
3. Addicted to Gummy Candy

I bought the Pulmuone brand Hamhung naeng myun. It’s bibim style and comes with two servings for $5USD. In the package there are two bags of fresh buckwheat noodles and gochujang. It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare, you begin by cooking the noodles for about 30-40 seconds in boiling water. Next, you immediately rinse the cooked noodles in cold water. This is important, if you don’t rinse it immediately, you risk the noodles dissolving into a pile of goo. Once the noodles have chilled, transfer the noodles into a bowl, mix in the package of gochujang, add a boil egg to make it more authentic and you’ve got a bowl of delicious naeng myn at your disposal.

The Pulmuone brand Hamhung naeng myun is acceptable, but not comparable to what you can get at the restaurant. The buckwheat noodles is chewy and flavorless. The gochujang taste is over powering and is the only flavor I can make out of the entire dish. Overall, this a good instant hunger fix on a hot summer day, but is not a solution for a refreshing authentic neang myun craving.

Contents of the package

Making it cold

The finished product – it tastes better than it looks

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Update: If you really don’t have the time to sit through the 80 minute demo, Lifehacker.com has compiled eight 30-60 second clips that highlight the best parts of Google Wave.

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Museum of Modern Art
Free Friday Nights, 4–8 p.m.
11 West 53 Street
New York NY, 10019
212-708-9400

Brooklyn Museum
Free First Saturdays, 5–11 p.m.
200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn NY, 11238
718-638-5000

Children’s Museum of Manhattan
Free First Friday Nights
212 West 83rd Street
New York, NY 10024
212-721-1234

New Museum for Contemporary Art
Free First Saturdays
235 Bowery
New York, NY 10002
212-219-1222

More Target sponsored events throughout the country

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Years back when I was still in grade school my mom gave me a pack of Botan Rice Candy and I remember being fond of it, not so much for the candy but because of the sticker that came with it. Over the years that fondness has subsided and today I enjoy picking up a pack of Botan solely for the candy.

Botan is a traditional Japanese candy made of sweet rice, but I didn’t taste any rice at all in it and it’s not very sweet. It does however, have a soft chewy texture with a nice citrus flavor. It also has an unusual double wrapping, one that you throw away and one that is edible. It looks like plastic when it’s dry, but melts when wet. Each box comes with six pieces and a free sticker. It can purchased at most local asian markets and online. Prices range from $0.75 to 2.00 for 3/4OZ box.

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Honey Butter Pretz is your “round of the mill” Japanese stick biscuit that is not very different from their roast flavor. It has a smooth texture and is pleasantly sweet with a harmonious hint of butter. I found it to be very light and satisfying with a cup of tea. It’s imported from Japan and can be purchased at most local asian markets or online. Prices range from $1.5 to 3 for 1.09oz box.

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2. Botan Rice Candy
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Today (May 10, 2009), Italian Tomato is holding a Mother’s day cake fair at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in New Jersey. There are more 30 Italian Tomato originals on sale as well as many new additions, all produced by Japanese cake patisseries.

The fair is located at the front entrance of the Mitsuwa Marketplace. The Mitsuwa Marketplace is on 595 River Road, Edgewater, NJ 07020 and is open everyday from 9am till 9pm. Shuttle Bus from NYC are available in the South Building of the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

View Larger Map

Mango & Raspberry Mousse Cake – $2.80

Baked Cheese Cake – $2.80

Chiffon Cake – $3.00

Eclair – $1.25

Chestnut Pie – $1.75

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Not the best, but decent for a midtown lunch.

Menchanko Tei serves decent ramen, not the most authentic but definitely acceptable. The service is fast and their prices are not too bad. They have two locations, both in midtown (131 E 45th St & 43 W 55th St), the 55 St location was under renovations a month ago and I’m not sure if they have re-opened yet.

During my last visit to the 45th St location I tired their Hakata and Shoyu ramen, both were respecable but not comparable to Ippudo nor Santoka. Their gyoza gets a huge “Don’t Buy”, it  not fresh and tastes like it’s from a package. Overall, I like Menchanko Tei for lunch, but only for it’s ramen and nothing else.

131 E 45th St (between Lexington Ave & 3rd Ave)
New York, NY 10017
(212) 986-6805
Subway: 4, 5, 6, 7, S to Grand Central; 6,E,V to Lexington-3rd Aves-51st St
Price Range: $$
Rating: ***

Pork Dumplings – $4.75

Hakata Ramen w/ Mochi – $10 (8.50+1.50)

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1. Washoku Tei
2. Ippudo NY
3. Sapporo