This is everything I ate in the fall semester
Ice Spice Dunkin Donuts Munchkin Drink
– This was actually really good. I love sweet things and I love a refreshing drink. I didn’t even mind that it contained coffee, which I normally don’t go for. The only downside was the munchkins. I don’t really like mixing textures so having donut crumbs come through the straw with the drink was a bit off putting. I would definitely check the nutrition facts because this packs a lot of sugar.
– Would try again
– 8/10
Dragonfruit
–Whenever I try new fruit, I have no idea if they’re ripe or not so take that into account. The fruit didn’t taste bad, it just didn’t really taste like anything. It had the texture of a kiwi, but the flavor itself was really mild.
–I would eat it again, but it’s nothing to rave about
–5/10
Trader Joes
Butternut squash mac and cheese
-This was really good. I didn’t have any expectations because I didn’t know what butternut squash tasted like (TBH I still don’t). It was pretty good for a TV dinner, but Trader Joes almost never disappoints. It had a good amount of heat and the portion was good. I wish it had more cheese, but the flavor was pretty good. I also wish it came with at least 2 portions instead of just 1.
– Would buy again if nothing else to eat
– 7.5/10
Gyros
-I’m kind of disappointed in this and myself. This is just gyro meat. I guess it’s my fault for not reading the back, but I wish it atleast contained some tzatziki sauce. The portion is really good, but the meat slabs were hard to pull apart when frozen, so beware.
– Didn’t taste bad, but wouldn’t buy again
– 4/10
Cinnamon filled pancakes
– This is one of the more TikTok popular Trader Joes items. This was decent. It tasted like the brown sugar toaster strudel, if you’ve ever had those. Pretty good snack, but probably won’t be buying again
– 7/10
Apple blossoms
– I don’t want the prices to increase but I wish the portions would. This is sooo good. It looks just like the box and tastes just like an apple pie. I’m a sucker for a flaky puff pastry and this was no exception. If you want to pretend you’re a pro baker for a date night, I would recommend these.
– Would try again
– 9/10
Van leeuwen
Christmas cookies and cream
– This was soo good. Cookies and cream is one of my favorite ice cream flavors already so I might be biased here. The classic flavor is perfect and the addition of frosting only enhances it.
– I would definitely buy again, but it’s not as innovative as the other van leeuwen flavors
– 7/10
Kettle corn
– This is also good, but it leaned more towards butterscotch ice cream for me. The kettle corn flavor didn’t really come through for me, but it’s still worth a try
– Might buy again
– 7/10
Apple pie + Trader Joes Cinnamon roll granola
– Not too big on both of these items separated, but they were pretty decent together. I like my granola a bit softer and I think I’m just not big on pastry inspired ice-creams
– Wouldn’t buy again
– 5/10
Cranberry crumble
– This wasn’t bad, it just tasted old. I don’t have too much to say, it just wasn’t for me
– Wouldn’t buy again
– 5/10
Five daughter’s bakery
King kong donut
– These donuts were really heavy, but this was my favorite of the bunch. The salty + sweet donut never disappoints and it worked really well here. I just felt like I was going to slip into a sugar coma afterwards.
– 7/10
Pumpkin spice donut
– The filling was a little bit too much for me in this case even though it tasted exactly like pumpkin pie. I think I would prefer straight pumpkin pie. However, this was my mom’s favorite, so take it with a grain of salt
– 5/10
Blueberry lemon cookie
– This was my favorite of the desserts. The sugar wasn’t too overbearing and I detected a hint of saltiness in this cookie as well. That could’ve just been the citrus, but either way I loved it.
– 8/10
Caramel Apple
– This was decent. It was a little too sweet for me, but good overall.
– 6/10
– Probably wouldn’t buy any of these again except for the blueberry lemon cookie
Taichi
Honeydew + kiwi smoothie
– This was really good and refreshing. The flavors worked well together and complement each other. The color was also pretty so bonus points for that.
– 9/10
– Would buy again
Sushi burrito
– This was really light and refreshing. Who would have thought a simple change in the wrap would make such a difference? Overall this was really good on a warm day. It was the perfect balance of filling yet not itis inducing, because I had to study afterwards. I tried a mango sauce with this that I would not try again. It was too sweet and I honestly can’t see anyone eating that with a burrito. It might be good as a dessert, however.
– 9/10
– Would buy again
Avocado smoothie
– This was not bad overall, but I had a specific taste in mind when I was trying this and it just didn’t live up. I expected this to taste like a vietnamese avocado smoothie, which I loooove. However, it fell slightly short. It wasn’t bad, just kind of disappointing. However, I still love avocado smoothies so I would definitely check this out if you’ve never had one
– 5/10
– Wouldn’t buy again
Passionfruit infruitea
– This was good. Refreshing and fruity. I wasn’t really expecting more. I like the variety of fruits in the cup, but I wish there was a better way to eat the fruit after finishing the drink. I had to awkwardly try to suck the fruit up with the straw then eat the fruit from the straw.
– 8/10
– Would buy again
Paris banh mi
Lychee slush
– Probably my favorite drink I had this semester. I love lychee and I haven’t had it in so long, so this was just what I needed. It’s so light, sweet and refreshing. It was actually perfect and put lychee back at the top of my favorite fruits list. I love slushies, but I think I preferred this once it was melted. However, it was 50 degrees outside, so that might’ve had something to do with it.
– 10/10
– Would buy again
Thai milk tea with grass jelly
– This is another classic. It was free, but it was from a new area, so I figured I would put it on here. I actually liked the grass jelly despite the name. It tasted like mint tea and I kind of want it as a regular snack. The thai tea tasted like it should, good but nothing revolutionary.
– 7/10
– Decent but would not get again (would buy grass jelly again)
Pork belly banh mi
– This was really good and it was a good portion for the price. Vietnamese is in my top 3 favorite cuisines so I may be biased here. If you’ve had banh mi, it tastes exactly like the others. Light, but filling
– 7/10
– Would buy again
Creme brulee milk tea
– This was really interesting. Personally, the mixture of textures was not for me. I also don’t feel like the flavors mixed well in my mouth. The creme brulee was a whipped cream-like texture that was mixed in with the milk tea. I would definitely give this a try because it was a new experience, but I don’t think I will be buying again.
– 4.5/10
The salty donut
Hibiscus lemonade + Matcha lemonade
– These just tasted watered down with a hint of extra sweetness. They weren’t bad, but I definitely don’t think they were worth the price.
– 4/10
Original/Classic
– Not much to say here. It was good but like all other original donuts, so I can’t rate it too high
– 6/10
– Might buy again
Brown sugar donut
– I really enjoy brown sugar desserts, so this was good. I also like cake donuts because I feel like they digest better than puff pastries. This donut tasted kind of like buttered popcorn or toffee to me. It was refreshing and I enjoyed it
– 8/10
– Would buy again
White chocolate cinnamon chai donut
– I liked this donut. The marshmallow creme on top was a little too much and too overpowering for me, but the donut was overall pretty good. The white chocolate came through more than the chai did, but no real complaints.
– 7.5/10
– Would buy again
Pumpkin spice donut
– This was extremely filling. It felt like a whole meal to me. It was good. Similar to the other pumpkin spice donut, but I preferred this one.
– 6/10
– Would eat again, but wouldn’t buy again
Alumni cookie dough
Root Beer float
– I haven’t had a root beer float in so long and this was much needed. Classic, refreshing, delicious. It’s the simple things in life that really get to me. I normally rate basic/classic things a bit lower, but I feel like root beer floats are hard to buy pre-made these days.
– Would buy again
– 8/10
Milkshake: snickerdoodle, blue cookie monster
– This was also good, but the texture threw me off. The little bits of cookie dough coming through just weren’t appealing to me, but the flavor was great.
– 7/10
– Probably wouldn’t buy again
Nom station
Croffle with honey and powdered sugar
– This, in my opinion, was not a croffle. It tasted like a piece of wheat sandwich bread with a waffle imprint on it. This was disappointing because I loved croffles when I was in korea and I wanted to try something similar here. This was a no for me
– Would not buy again
– 3/10
Matcha with strawberry puree
– This was decent. The matcha + strawberry combination is becoming more popular, so I wanted to give it a try. The strawberry puree was really good and I liked the drink overall.
– 6.5/10
– Might buy again
Mangonada
– I have learned that chamoy is not something I like in liquid form. I love mango and chamoy in solid form, but the drink just isn’t for me. This was my first time buying the drink but I feel like they would taste the same everywhere else, so I think this just isn’t the drink for me.
– 5/10
– Would not buy again
Melon kit kats
– These were milder than I expected. They smelled really nice, but tasted like nothing. Sometimes I enjoy a tastebud break, so I don’t see this as a negative thing, but I probably wouldn’t spend my money on this again
– 6.5/10
Chopt salad: bacon, pita chips, kale, tzatziki sauce, smoky bacon russian sauce, cucumber, tomato, apples, chicken
-This was actually really good. The apples actually paired really well with everything else and they were nice and crispy. Not much to say since it’s a salad, but I will definitely be buying again.
-8/10
Stay tuned for what drains my bank account next semester