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T-bone steak-flavored Pringles, rice balls wrapped in seaweed, soy sauce-flavored crackers. We used to day dream of traveling to Japan so we could hoard all the adorabably-packaged (delicious) snacks found in 7-Elevens to the local corner market.
But all of sudden, Japanese snacks have seemingly taken over New York. Cha-An Bonbon in the East Village sells little balls of mochi-like dumplings called dango (you can find the tri-colored emoji under the food section). People lined up outside David Chang’s Peach Mart in Hudson Yards when it opened so they could buy snacks and other takeaway items, everything from egg salad sandwiches to sweet-spicy corn snacks. And in Jackson Heights, Queens, 969 NYC Coffee opened this spring with aisles of snacks you’d find in Asia (think honey butter potato chips and yuzu-flavored gummies).
At Time Out Market New York, we can’t wait to order small bites from Bessou’s homestyle Japanese menu. The popular Noho restaurant will soon have a home in Dumbo to showcase dishes and treats inspired by owner Maiko Kyogoku’s family recipes.
Emily Yuen, the chef at Bessou, will present her riff on the onigiri (the ubiqitous balls of white rice often wrapped in seaweed). Like the standard rice ball she, also forms her rice into a triangle but she crisps the outside and presents the toppings—salmon sashimi, spicy tuna or soy beef brisket—elegantly on top. The rice cakes' condiments include scallion mayo and pickled daikon radish and they are finished off with tiny shards of dry seaweed and herbs. It’s just a snack, so we’ll be ordering two (or three, hey, one of each).
Time Out Market New York, the best of the city under one roof, is opening soon at 55 Water Street, Brooklyn.
GIF: Tatsuro Nishimura