Aji-Ichiban

Chinatown's new Aji-Ichiban, a Japanese snack-food chain with scores of retail locations worldwide, can wow even the most adventurous palate. Inside the rows of acrylic self-serve containers are savory dried sting ray, tangy snake-gall mandarin peel, gooey green-tea-flavored plums, $50-a-pound preserved scallops, and a host of other bizarre delights, most of which are free to sample.