Shi Le Po, Singapore

It was not that long ago that I discovered the pure joy that is salted egg products.  Definitely not something I encountered in life until I started traveling more extensively in Asia Pacific.  But once I got a taste ... I've been hooked!

Whenever I am in Singapore or Sydney now, it is basically impossible for me not to get everything I can with salted egg yolk, ranging from packaged snacks of all kinds (fish skins in particular, another thing I had zero familiarity with before!), to bar snacks, to entrees, to desserts.  Fried potato wedges with salted duck egg yolk?  Yes please (thank you XOPP for introducing me to these in Sydney!).  Salted egg custard bao?  Of course, and what, even airline lounges and hotel breakfast buffets have these?!  Shrimp burgers with salted egg yolk sauce?  Yeah, even my office cafe had them in Singapore.  Salted egg soft serve ice cream?  Yup, all over the place.  And warm freshly fried salted egg fish skins?  Absolutely everywhere.  Best bar snack ever.  The list goes on and on.

So of course I was eager to find a few that I could bring home with me, just to have a rare salted egg moment when back in the US.  Which introduced me to Shi Le Po, a Singaporean snack food company.

"We are a collective of food lovers who are passionate about celebrating Singapore’s rich and diverse culinary heritage."

I was in.  They make two product ranges: fish skins and potato chips, all with salted egg, some spicy, some not.

So combine my love of snacks, chips, and, newfound appreciation for salted egg, and you can imagine how much I adore their products, although I was only able to try one kind.  I'd get more in a heartbeat.

Spoiler: THESE ARE TOTALLY ADDICTING!

Spicy Salted Egg Potato Chips.

"Twice-cooked to golden perfection, lusciously coated with creamy salted egg sauce and elegantly balanced with a secret blend of chili spices."

I wasn't quite sure what to expected with the spicy flavor, but it actually reminded me of bbq chips, just with a far more refined spice profile than your average bbq chip.  I do like a good bbq chip, and these were great chips.  Not super thin, but not thick, crispy but not too crisp, not like kettle chips.  That base chip really was my ideal kind.  Wonderful foundation, and actually, probably a chip I'd really like just like that.

But these had much more to give of course.  The salted egg!  It was certainly there, but didn't overwhelm the spicy flavor, it mostly came through as the first thing that hit, then the spicy flavor takes over, and then comes through again on the finish.  It really was rather amazing.

What made them amazing?  Well, the ingredients for sure.  The fascinating bbq flavor comes from a mix of dry chilli power, chilli padi (bird's eye chili!), and curry leaves.  Oh, and, uh, sugar and msg.  And yes, they were crazy addicting.  And then of course there is the salted egg, and margarine ...

Yeah, ha on the healthy quality of these, you can't even pretend.  The bag, which really is at most 2 servings, has nearly 500 calories and 35 grams of fat.  Gulp.

But just so good, really, I couldn't stop.

Warmed up!

The bag suggests warming these up "to enjoy goodness just like restaurant quality!", so, I finally did.  Just 20 sec or os per side in a warm toaster oven.

Um, wow.  They got even better.  After trying this once, I had no choice but to always lightly warm them.  The flavor intensified greatly, and actually, it was as they started cooling that I loved them the most.  They were great at room temp too, but if you have a moment, tossing in the toaster oven is definitely worth it (and seriously, just grab a handful to snack on while you wait, go pour a drink, and they'll be ready!).

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my/mo mochi - Mochi Ice Cream

I like desserts.  I like frozen desserts.  I like ice cream.  I like mochi.  I like mochi ice cream.  I was excited to try mochi ice cream from my/mo.

"Pinch it. Poke it. Squeeze it. Stack ‘em. Roll one to a friend. Sink your teeth in. Wipe the powder from your lips. Feel the sensation changing with every bite. It’s sweet and cool and gooey and great. It’s creamy meets chewy, silky meets soft, delightful meets delectable. It’s a riddle only a tongue can unravel. It’s luscious ice cream wrapped up inside deliciously squishy mochi dough. It’s My/Mo."

my/mo makes basically one product: mochi ice cream.  They offer a slew of flavors, including vegan options.  They are all gluten-free.

But ... I didn't like my/mo mochi ice cream.

To be fair, the ice cream was decent, but one essential element, the mochi, just, wasn't.

Boxes.

The mochi ice cream comes in boxes of 6.

Green Tea Mochi Tray.

Inside each box is a tray of mochi, not individually wrapped, so, once you open the box, you should eat them all or they'll dry out.

Update Reviews, 2019 & 2020

My reviews in 2018 were *not* positive, so it is a surprise perhaps that I tried these again.  I didn't seek them out this time, but when you encounter mochi ice cream in new flavors ... what choice do you have? :)

I'm glad I did, as these were significantly better.  Still, not the greatest mochi wrappers.

Assorted Mochi.

Dulce de Leche: "Creamed coffee ice cream with a caramel center, wrapped in a sweet rice dough."

This one was good!  Soft rice mochi wrapper, creamy coffee ice cream, nice coffee hit to it, adding just enough bitterness to offset the sweet, soft, nearly liquid, caramel core.  Dulce de leche so often winds up cloyingly sweet, and this did not.  Loved the touch of the caramel core.

Sweet Mango.

"Take an instant trip to tropical delicioustown with Sweet Mango My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream! The tangy and sweet taste of premium mango ice cream combined with mouthfuls of mochilicious dough gives your cravings their own craving. Sweet mango My/Mo – the perfect, handheld getaway." 

I know I tried this one, but alas, I lost my notes.  I know my co-workers *love* this one, and request it frequently from our catering team.

Double Chocolate.

"Say “My, Oh My!” in a new way with Double Chocolate My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream. Crafted premium ice cream with fudge brownie bits creates a rich, milky, melty texture. Wrapped in masterly mind-blowing mouthfuls of mochi for a bit of good measure creating even more chocolatey chocolate deliciousness."

This is one of my favorites.

The chocolate ice cream is the style I like (creamy, milk chocolate), and the fudge brownie bits really do enhance it.  Again, loving the inclusions.  Wrapper is still just eh, but not awful.

Green Tea.

"Green Tea ice cream wrapped in a sweet rice flour dough."

I've had this variety before, but it was so bad then, that I wanted to give it another try.

Definitely better this time, normal soft rice flour mochi exterior, but the green tea flavoring isn't my favorite.

Vanilla Blueberry.

"Vanilla ice cream with a blueberry center." 

This one may look just like the regular vanilla flavor, but, it promised a treat in the center: blueberry!

Like the Dulce de Leche and the Double Chocolate, this was a big step up, due to the inclusion of a center.  The vanilla ice cream was good too, vanilla bean it seemed, and the combo with blueberry was nice.

Island Coffee

"Coffee ice cream with a sweet rice flour dough."

I really liked the coffee flavor and creamy ice cream in this one, but again wasn't into the wrapper.  Still decently enjoyable.

Cool Peppermint (Seasonal).

"Mochi with Peppermint Flavored Ice Cream and Peppermint Bits."

"Deck the halls with balls of My/Mo Cool Peppermint Mochi Ice Cream! A spin on a classic holiday favorite — milky, melty peppermint flavored ice cream sprinkled with crunchy minty bits, all wrapped in chewy, pillowy mochi dough. It’s the wintery blast of peppermint coolness your mouth will crave this holiday season."

These were pretty good.

The ice cream inside seemed more vanilla than peppermint, but with the generous peppermint bits inside, it didn't matter.  They were minty and refreshing, with a perfectly creamy melting center.  The exterior was soft, doughy, and pretty pliable.

One of my favorites.

Original Reviews, July 2018

Green Tea Mochi.

"Green Tea My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream is an invitation to exotic. Velvety green tea ice cream inside wrapped in masterfully crafted mochi dough."

I started with the green tea mochi, as it is my top choice of flavor they make.

I took one bite and withdrew.  Uh, what?  The texture of the mochi wrapper was quite unlike any mochi I've had before, and, not in a good way.

Green Tea Mochi: Inside.

It was ... grainy.  Mealy.  Icy.  Awful.

The green tea ice cream inside was ok, good green tea flavor actually, but wow, that mochi was just horrible.

We all removed it, and just ate the ice cream center.  The green tea ice cream was enjoyable.

Ripe Strawberry.

"Made with real fruit, and bursting with sweet bits of strawberry love. Premium strawberry ice cream is wrapped in a pillowy layer of chewy mochi dough."

I don't like strawberry ice cream in general, but, thinking that perhaps the other box had just been ruined, I tried the strawberry when a friend offered.

It was exactly the same.  Super strange grainy wrapper.  Horrible.  The ice cream inside was nicely creamy, and fairly generic strawberry flavored, so not my thing.

Vanilla Bean.

"Vanilla Bean My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream is made using real vanilla beans, creating a new kind of yum in a snack. Classic, premium vanilla ice cream surrounded by melt-in-your-mouth mochi dough. My/Mo vanilla bean – it’s not for the vanilla at heart."

The first two varieties we tried came from a single trip to Whole Foods.  Still thinking that perhaps something had just gone wrong at Whole Foods in their freezers, or maybe in my own when we stored them at home, I tried another flavor, just simple vanilla, when a friend had it at their house.

And it was different this time.  The mochi was not all icy and grainy.  But instead it was just strangely soft and gummy.  Differently bad.  But still bad.

The vanilla bean ice cream inside was fine, with specs of vanilla bean, but just fairly generic vanilla ice cream.

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Green Beans Coffee Company, SFO

Green Beans Coffee Company is an international coffee shop, with a sole location in California, at SFO, where it recently replaced a Starbucks.

I often arrive at SFO from international trips, craving exactly two things: good coffee (sorry, coffee onboard is soooo bad!) and a light meal (I often eat so heavily during trips that I come home wanting nothing but salads), so I was excited to see this new option.  Previously, I always got coffee at Starbucks, and salads or spring rolls at Koi Palace Express, around the corner.

That said, I didn't have high hopes, as, well, airport dining isn't known for being great.

Luckily, some of their stuff is decent.

Register, Hot Sandwiches.

This location is entirely grab n go, and looked pretty generic.  Everything ordered from a counter.

Breakfast Sandwiches / Cups.

Pre-made hot breakfast sandwiches were under heat lamps, along with larger than normal coffee cups on display at the register where you order.

Baked Goods

For some reason, the baked goods at Green Beans always look good.  I wish they didn't. I always avoid them, usually because I have plenty of sweets at home, and I always blame my jetlag or strange sense of time on thinking they look good.  Because, seriously, generic coffee shop in airport baked goods? And they don't look good in a fresh quality way.

I finally tried one. Um, they *are* good.

Danishes & Muffins.

It is actually these filled croissants that always make me take a second look (they have regular croissants as well, but they look quite sad).  And again, these filled croissants do not look like quality items, but the greasy pastry, and cheese (or fruit and cheese)

Behind them is an item called "Cherry Cheesecake" that ... looks like a muffin.  In fact, it *is* a muffin, but it is stuffed with cheesecake and topped with fruity cherry pie filling.  My server, who I did ask for a recommendation for, said these were her favorite.

Brownies, Sticky Buns, more Muffins.

Next up some odd looking round brownies, some mediocre looking sticky buns, and, more types of muffin:blueberry and cinnamon crumb.  The blueberry didn't look special, and the cinnamon crumb looked like a giant muffin shaped coffee cake, with lots of crispy crumb topping and very generous drizzle of icing, but, meh, coffee cake isn't that interesting.

Muffins Part 3.

And last, more muffins: Double Berry, Chocolate Cheesecake (but I didn't see chocolate?), Chocolate Chip, and Apple Pie.

 The double berry looked good to me, loaded with juicy blueberries and some other berry, and again, crumble topping.  I asked what the other berry was, and was told cranberry.  This foiled my plan to get it, as I wasn't really feeling the tart cranberry.

And then there was the apple pie muffin, which looked much like the coffee cake, but, better in every way.  My server also said it was her second favorite item.

Apple Pie Muffin. $3.75.

My server offered to warm it up for me, but I declined, since I was planning to just try a few bites and hop in a cab, and hopefully just eat it then / at home.

It turned out to be fairly delicious.  And soooo not really a muffin, and definitely not really breakfast appropriate.

I loved how crispy the top was, and the body of the muffin was moist.  It was much more cake than muffin though, very sweet, and loaded with cooked spiced apples, basically, apple pie filling, goo and all, baked throughout.  And that icing on top was super sweet too.

Warm it up, serve it a la mode or with whipped cream, and you have a very easy dessert.  Or, as I couldn't resist doing, just devouring it immediately, tearing off "just one more chunk" to have alongside a coffee, was a wonderful treat.

Prepared Salads / Sandwiches

Salads, Sandwiches, Drinks, Snacks. (2019)

A cooler contained sparkling and still water, packaged salads from Epicurian Solutions, and some pre-made sandwiches and wraps.

Nothing is made to order.

Packaged Items. (Expanded, 2020).

The packaged area expanded in 2020, with more options for food, eliminating the drinks mostly.

Still just a bunch of sandwiches and wraps (top shelf, not interesting to me), vegetarian artisan deli salads from Epicurean Solutions (reviews coming soon!), and hummus/crudite cheese/fruit platters (middle shelf), and fruit salad, yogurt and granola parfaits, and larger salads (with green bases) (bottom shelf).

I opted for salads every time.

Roasted Pear Salad. $11.25. (2019)

"Spring mix, dried cranberries, bleu cheese, candied walnuts, raspberry vinaigrette."

My first visit, I grabbed a pre-made salad, somewhat on impulse, but also really just craving something fresher and lighter than everything I had consumed in the prior ... two weeks?  Oooph.

Other options were a Cobb, or generic looking Caesar, but I was drawn in by the candied walnuts on this one, even though I find spring mix boring, dislike dried cranberries/raisins/etc, usually don't like bleu cheese or pears, particularly roasted ones, and never want vinaigrette as my dressing.  I blame jetlag for making this salad jump out at me.

But ... I liked it!  Well, parts of it.

Roasted Pear Salad: Inside.

The raspberry vinaigrette was packaged separately, a good thing, since I didn't care for it, predictably.  Sweet, tangy, vinaigrette-y.  No fear, I had my own dressing at home to use instead anyway.  I also didn't like the dried cranberries, as I just don't like them in general (I appreciate chew and texture but ... I dunno, not my thing), but if you like cranberries, the portion was generous.

But everything else was a success.  Sure, the spring mix wasn't exciting, but it was fresh, and there was a lot of crispy juicy romaine hearts in the mix that really hit the spot for me.  The green onions were also really welcome, quite flavorful, and brought everything together in a way that more standard, harsher, red onion sometimes fail to do.

I adored the candied walnuts.  Like, really loved them.  Great crunch, nice sugar level, not bitter (which does sometimes happen even with candied walnuts).  They went really well with the bleu cheese, and as there wasn't much of that, it didn't bother me.  Sure, I'd prefer something like a triple cream, but the bleu worked. 

The roasted pears were a big surprise.  I pretty much assumed I'd toss those, but I liked them.  Soft but not mushy, flavorful, clearly seasoned.  Nicely roasted.  Three large chunks.  They combined beautifully with the walnuts and blue cheese.  These three components made me want a glass of wine and a full cheese platter (one of which I may have quickly gotten up to procure).

Overall I was very pleased, although I removed the cranberries, and added my own dressing to mostly just the greens, and choose to eat the nuts/pears/cheese on the side with my glass of wine.

I'd certainly get this again if needing a salad to bring home after a long day(s) of travel.

Chicken Caesar Salad. (2020)

The next year, flying through SFO, landing, and again, needing something light.  I couldn't decide what to get, but finally grabbed the caesar (ok, not so light!).

The chicken caesar salad is a pretty standard recipe: romaine base, croutons, Parmesan cheese, and caesar dressing that does include anchovy.  No option for a version without the grilled chicken on top.

It was a good enough salad.

The romaine was ... reasonably fresh, some browning on the edges, but I appreciate the large chunks, and mostly romaine hearts.  There were far more croutons than made any sense, and they were incredibly soggy (which makes sense, not packaged separately), but they were really well seasoned and flavorful, and I liked them despite their shortcomings (I just certainly didn't need this many!).  The shredded Parmesan was fine, but plopped on top of the chicken, and since I was removing the chicken (don't like!), it was hard to get the cheese without the chicken.  The chicken looked fine, mostly white meat, sorta grilled.

And of course, critical component: Caesar dressing!  It was good - creamy style, but not super thick and strongly mayo-forward, tangy, and with anchovy in it (critical for me).  I loved how much anchovy there was.  Far about average dressing.

Everything was decently good, and this was a easy option to grab when landing at SFO and wanting something slightly fresh.  That said, it is *not* a healthy item, almost 1000 calories in the single salad?! (The croutons and dressing must really add up ...)

Chicken and Bacon Cobb Salad. (2020)

Another visit later, I tried the final type of salad, kind of randomly.  I was, um, craving bacon.

The Chicken and Bacon Cobb has the same romaine base, and is topped with more of the same grilled chicken, exactly 2 cherry tomatoes, a single hard boiled egg half, bacon crumble, and blue cheese.  The dressing on the side is ranch.

Again, it was a fine salad.  The lettuce was just as kinda fresh (e.g. crispy enough, but still some browning), I didn't have the chicken nor the hard boiled egg (but my partner scored some nice lean proteins!).  The bacon and blue cheese were better than expected - the bacon wasn't bits, but was actually small chopped chunks of cooked bacon, good flavor, good chew, and good fattiness.  The blue cheese was particularly creamy and not that pungent, which I liked.

The dressing for this was classic ranch.  Much like the caesar, it was above average.  Very "ranchy-ranch" if that makes sense, herby, ranchy, and good ranch.

Overall, fine, if you are in the mood for a cobb salad grab n go.

 Beverages

Along with bottled drinks in the cooler, they make standard espresso drinks, have pre-brewed coffee, and I think now offer boba?

Decaf Americano, Medium. (2019)

I just wanted a decaf coffee to perk me up a tiny bit, since I already had two cups of regular sludge on the flight, but a quick glance told me that there was little chance the decaf coffee was fresh, as it was nearly noon.

I got an Americano instead, opting for a medium, before remembering how super-sized the cups were.

It was worse than the instant coffee from the flight.  Watery.  Strange funk to it.  I took a few sips, and threw the whole thing out.  Which is saying a lot for me, I have high tolerance for bad decaf, usually made more bearable with copious sugar.

This was truly awful, and I will never get it again.

Decaf Americano (Small). (2020)

Uh, except I did.

Their smallest size is still ridiculously large.  Yes, this is the small.  Its huge, believe me.  I can't imagine getting a caffeinated coffee this size, no matter how jetlagged I was!

This was my second try with Green Beans coffee, having *really* hated them before, but I didn't want to have to go to a second store just to get coffee.  I'm glad I gave it another chance.

It wasn't bad.  It wasn't good, not complex, nothing special, but it wasn't bad, and did the job.  I'd get it again if I really craved coffee, but didn't want tons of caffeine.

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