[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]

Browsing though the candy aisle at Sunrise Mart is one my favorite pastimes. Last week I spotted a store clerk stock the shelves of their East Village location with something I was unfamiliar with—Matcha Marshmallows! They're undeniably cute (like all Japanese candies), and $3.69 for a 3-ounce bag, the single-bite marshmallows shaped like mini-ping pong balls. Bite and there's a little heart of matcha paste at the very center. Soft, fluffy and completely innocent, these are the types of sweets you want to keep at the desk for midday munchies.

Don't forget, they also carry the whole line of Kasugai's gummy candies, $2.89 a bag. Many other Japanese and Chinese markets carry a limited selection of these fruity gummies, but here you can find every single flavor. Think Mangosteen (pictured above), Peach, Pineapple, Kiwi, Lychee, a mix pack, and even Muscat! These individually wrapped chewy candies are without a doubt my favorite type of gummy candies—gummi bears can't even begin to compete.

Sunrise Mart

4 Stuyvesant Street, New York NY 10003 (map)
212-598-3040

About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan writes A Passion For Food, where she chronicles her eats and travels adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.