Showing posts with label Chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chocolate. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Yuraku Black Thunder Cocoa Cookie Crunch ユーラク ブラックサンダー ココアクッキークランチ

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I first learned about Yuraku's Black Thunder Bar when I reviewed the Yuraku x Tirol in May of this year (2012).

This bar strikes me as a kind of mix-up of an Oreo, Malteasers and some chocolate all mixed together and made into a slab. It is called Black Thunder for one reason, it literally is black inside, with little bits of white biscuit pieces scattered through it.


Biting into it is like being in heaven, if you're a cookie lover like I am. It's so crunchy, and it's like eating crushed chocolate biscuits coated with chocolate. The biscuit inside is so chocolatey and rich. There is a strong hit of cocoa with every mouthful.

I'm really surprised this exists in the Japanese market because they are not really known for their strong, slap-you-in-the-face flavours, they seem to prefer more subtle tastes. This is a chocolate bar that says HELLO! when you eat it.

The only downside is it's quite crumbly and breaks easily.

This is a very simple bar...it's just chocolate on chocolate, there are no other flavours. So if you're a chocolate fan then you'll love this. It's the perfect size really, because it's so rich. You wouldn't want any more than this 22 gram pack at one time.






Have a look at the Yuraku website here.





Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Chocolate Mint Pocky チョコレート・ミント ポッキー

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A good friend in Japan told me about this Chocolate Mint Pocky. She said it was to die for and then she sent me a box of it to try. I was a little bit apprehensive about trying it at first, and I kept it in the box and looked at it every now and then.

You see, when I was pregnant, I had horrible reflux for the first 3 months of the pregnancy and the only thing that really soothed that terrible burning was to drink ant-acid. I'm not sure about other countries, but in Australia, the majority of ant-acids are peppermint flavour. I drank ant-acid about 3 times per day for those first 3 months and after the reflux went away I couldn't even look at anything peppermint flavour without wanting to vomit.

Previous to getting pregnant I was a huge peppermint fan. I used to love the Cadbury block chocolate with the peppermint cream that oozed out the middle. I would devour bags of Peppermint Pods (which they no longer make) and Nestle Peppermint Crisp bars. And now....well I've stayed away from peppermint for the last 2 years.

So this was a challenge. I accepted in the spirit it was offered in, and of course my friend wasn't to know that. I promised myself that when I needed "something" after a really hard day at the office (so to speak) that I would get out this box of Pocky and treat myself and hopefully not overwhelm myself!

This box of Pocky is actually quite heavy even though it only weighs 66 grams, and it's very attractive with turquoise and white stripes.  There are two bags inside, each holding 15 sticks.

 

Unlike the previously reviewed Peanut Pocky, the amount of chocolate on each stick is decent and more than just a thin coating. Opening the bag I got a very strong whiff of mint and for a minute there I didn't know if I would be ok or not.

Once I took a bite though I realised everything was going to be okay. The chocolate is quite dark, and there is a strong mint flavour that comes through with the slightly bitter flavour of the chocolate. It reminds me of an Arnott's Mint Slice biscuit! To die for, and they don't even remotely taste like ant-acid, which is great!!

I gave my hubby 5 sticks and kept 10 for myself...and I'm happily munching away on these. They're pretty addictive I must say!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

[200th Post!] Calbee Choco Kappa Ebisen かっぱえびせんチョコ

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Hi and welcome to my 200th post! I have made it. If you are a regular reader, thank you for reading my blog!

Well for my 200th post I have a snack to review made up of two things you normally don't think would go together. That is prawn crackers, and chocolate. You don't tend to see fishy flavours mixed with chocolate do you?

I was surprised this snack exists, and thank you to the friend who sent it over for me to try! I'm always willing to try new things, as weird as they may be.

So... Kappa Ebisen, aka a prawn flavoured snack, which I love, and chocolate, which I also love, melded together to become one. The packaging really stands out. It's bright red with a red prawn on a white circle on the front. It looks interesting.

This pack is small and holds 23 grams. It held about 22 crackers. I expected the inside of the bag to smell like prawn but I couldn't smell anything but chocolate.

 

Each cracker has a light coating of milk chocolate over it, just enough to cover it but without totally covering the shape, so that the grooves of the cracker still show through. The chocolate is glossy, and makes the cracker look somewhat plastic.

The cracker is crunchy and airy, and immediately after biting it I could taste the prawn flavour followed by a creamy chocolate taste. The prawn flavour is fleeting, there is a hit and then the chocolate takes over. If you eat more than one though, the prawn flavour tends to build up.

I actually don't mind the taste of these, even though it's a little odd at first. I'm a fan of salty and sweet together, and the prawn crackers have just enough salt to get this combination going.

My husband who is a big fan of Kappa Ebisen said he hates these... I guess for some, chocolate and seafood just don't go together, end of story.

If you like snacks out of the ordinary then you should definitely give these a go! They're a talking point if anything! :)

Friday, September 7, 2012

Bourbon Mini Bit Uji Matcha ブルボン ミニビット 宇治抹茶

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I'm a pretty big matcha fan, except when it comes to drinking the tea. Strange, but as a drink it's too bitter for me. I do like it combined with chocolate though. So,when I saw this bag of matcha Mini Bit in a parcel from a friend I was overjoyed!

A lot of the matcha used in chocolates in Japan is "Uji Matcha". Uji is district in the outskirts of Kyoto, famous for green tea and also because the final chapters of the famous novel "The Tale of Genji" were set there.

The bag looks like it holds quite a few chocolates but there are only 6 inside. Each chocolate is individually wrapped and is about an inch in diameter. The chocolate is dark in colour and has a "B" embossed on the top of diagonal lines. I guess the "B" is for "Bourbon", the company who make Mini Bit.



I could smell the matcha wafting out of the chocolate, in fact, the whole bag smelled divine when I stuck my nose in there. Biting into it was quite hard as the inside is jam-packed with matcha. I don't quite know how to describe it but it's like green tea powder moistened and filled inside the chocolate. It's not powdery, it's not gooey or crunchy, it's just nice and firm and flavourful. There is a huge hit of matcha that is oh so satisfying. It doesn't overpower the chocolate at all either, as that is quite rich and is just dark enough to complement the bitterness of the matcha.

This is a match(a) made in heaven!! If these were available in family size I would so get one...but its kind of good that I only have 6...well now 5, because then I can't eat them all at once. Portion control you see.... ;) If you like matcha, then I'm pretty sure you'll like these. But don't take my word for it, try them yourself!




Friday, November 19, 2010

Hokkaido Yubari Melon Chocolate 北海道夕張メロンチョコレート

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I received this bag of Yubari Melon Chocolates from a friend in Tokyo. They are made by Sapporo Gourmet Foods. Actually on the pack gourmet is spelled "gurmet" and I know why they made such a mistake because in Japanese gourmet is "gurume", so it's easy to get confused but still you would think they would use a translator at least to get the right spelling.

Anyway, these chocolates are half melons, made to look exactly like the real thing. Each half melon is individually wrapped and there are 12 in the packet. Each melon is green on the outside and textured to look like the outside of a Yubari melon. The inside is bright orange just like the real thing.


The melons really smell like melon and the green textured shell has a kind of sour melon soda effect which is really nice, and gives it a nice kick. The chocolate is soft, and biting in I got a hit of the soda effect, followed by the sweet chocolate that tastes *exactly* like a real Yubari melon. Yum!

The soda flavour is present in the background right until the end and really intensifies the flavour. I am so in love with these! Not only are they extremely cute, but they also taste great, like the real thing. So addictive!

If you love Melon like I do, and you see these, I definitely recommend that you get some :)


Brand: Sapporo Gourmet Foods
Calories per pack: 570

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Morinaga Chocoball Double Choco 森永チョコボール・ダブルチョコ

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I like to buy the new flavours of Chocoball for Yasu when they come out as it's his favourite childhood snack. I find that napaJapan always has the latest flavours of Chocoball too, which is really good!

This Chocoball is called "double choc" and it's white chocolate on the outside, with milk chocolate and rice crispies on the inside. The outside smells really creamy and like white chocolate and biting into it you can immediately taste the white chocolate followed by the inner crispy shell, the smooth milk chocolate and lastly, some crunchy rice crispies.

The flavours all go well together, and I like having the crunchiness in the middle. It kind of reminds me of coco-pops cereal because it has a similar chocolatey flavour with crispy texture.


I'll definitely recommend these as a nice light chocolate hit or snack on the go. :)

Brand: Morinaga
Calories per box: 145
Website: http://kyorochan.jp
Buy it now at napaJapan

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Pocky Dessert Chocolate Banana Cake ポッキー・デザートチョコラのバナナケーキ風

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I'm on a bit of a roll here. I just reviewed the Strawberry Custard Cake Dessert Pocky and now I'm going to review the Chocolate Banana Cake version!

I've heard mixed things about banana flavour in snacks, it would appear that it doesn't translate very well. That being said, I've always liked fake banana flavour so it's never been a problem for me.

I like the idea of making a dessert into a snack that can be eaten as a dessert. It's so much easier than carrying around a whole cake, and it's convenient to store! :)

This Chocolate Banana Cake Pocky is the same format as the Strawberry Custard one. It has a thick coating of banana chocolate around the pretzel stick and then it has a piped chocolate effect all over the top.

I love the style, it looks elegant and fun.




Smelling the stick, I am quite surprised to find that it smells more like rich cocoa than banana. There is a very vague banana undertone but it's not the prevalent scent.

Biting in, the chocolate on the top is soft and smooth and once again reminds me of icing on a cake. The chocolate is the first flavour that hits my tongue and it has a dark edge to it, and then boom! pow! the banana flavour takes over. The banana flavour is not close to the real thing, it's more of a "fake" banana, but it is sweet and light and I really like it. The chocolate and banana flavours combine near the end and go very well together. Overall, the chocolate is very strong and overpowers the banana.

The pretzel stick is nicely crunchy and goes really well with the chocolate coating.
To me this didn't really resemble a "cake" like the Strawberry Custard Pocky. These flavours were more akin to a mousse or whip. It's still in the range of dessert though and I do like it, but I have to say that out of the two, the Strawberry is the one I like more.

I think the Strawberry Pocky was done better because it fits more with the cake theme, so it's something I can imagine more than this one.


Brand: Glico
Calories per box: 97
Website:  http://pocky.jp/products/dessert/index.html
Buy it now at napaJapan

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Tirol Hokkaido Cheese Premium チロル 北海道チーズ

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Jason @ napaJapan kept teasing me with the line "I've got some Hokkaido cheese chocolate coming in soon". Music to my ears... and SO tempting.

If you love Hokkaido as much as I do then I know you will be thrilled about trying this Tirol Hokkaido Cheese premium chocolate.

This Tirol chocolate is larger than the regular size. Yasu couldn't get over it, because Tirol is his favourite childhood chocolate and they didn't have premium size back then. Plus, he's a Hokkaido-jin so the Hokkaido cheese factor makes it even better for him.

The cheese Tirol to the left is bigger than the regular size.

Hokkaido Cheese is the best! I've seen a few reviews online and people have trashed it - I totally disagree with their taste. This Tirol is the essence of Hokkaido, creamy, dairy, cheesy, fromage-y. :)

It has a lovely yellow coloured outer chocolate that tastes creamy and chocolatey. The inside is a strong cheese taste in a biscuit - but the biscuit is soft and melts in the mouth. Yummm. Lucky I got given 10 of these beauties because one is just not enough!


If you're a wimp when it comes to cheese - don't try it. If you like your cheese rich and creamy with a big of strength then this is for you.



Brand: Tirol
Calories per piece: 51
Website: http://www.tirol-choco.com
Buy it now at napaJapan

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Framboise Kit Kat フランボワーズ味 キットカット

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I was delighted when I received this box in a parcel from Jason @ napaJapan. It's been a long time since I've reviewed a Kit Kat here on Tasty Japan and I was beginning to yearn to try another one soon.

Framboise - a flavour I don't come upon very often, I didn't even know how to pronounce it. On the box it is spelled out as furanbowaazu. Wikipedia states the pronounciation as franbwaz, which is French for Raspberry. The picture on the box is of a cake with cream and raspberries.

I had the box open while I have been typing this and the smell is divine. It smells like a cake shop. If the kit kat tastes anything like it smells, then this will be a winner!

As usual there are 4 sticks, 2 packs of 2. The wrapping paper is pink with light pink circles and it looks very French. Very stylish.




The chocolate on the outside of the kit kat is milk chocolate, but it has a slight raspberry flavour. When I bit into the kit kat it had a very strong flavour in the middle, like yoghurt and cheese mixed together, it is very creamy. There is also a small sourness from the raspberry powder, but it combines together with the yoghurt to create a very nice dessert experience. The chocolate on the outside is so creamy and goes so well with the flavours inside. It's delicious.

I would recommend trying this Kit Kat, it's something just a little bit special. I have a feeling there will be more flavours that are from well known sweets as there is a little logo on the box that says "sweets concept". So keep your eye out for more desserts into kit kat's in the future.



Brand: Nestle
Calories per box: 97
Website: http://www.breaktown.com/
Buy it now at napaJapan

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Hotcakes Maple Syrup & Dorayaki Chocolate ホットケーキメープルシロップとどらチョコ

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I have another Canadian-inspired snack here and I'm mixing it up abit by reviewing a product that is pretty much the same except for the flavour.

They are both made by Yaokin and are "puchi" (small) size snacks.



First up is Hotcakes with a maple syrup filling.

Both of these snacks are very cute and resemble mini pancakes. The pancake is fluffy and light. There is a good blob of maple syrup like cream in the middle that holds the two pieces together well. The cream is light and has a very authentic maple syrup flavour and a look on the ingredients indicates that it is real maple syrup that has been used. It's got a slightly woody taste which is apparent in real syrups and I really like it.


In all, Hotcakes is a nice light treat that is over a little too soon for me, but nevertheless is a very nice way to eat maple syrup!


Dorachoco

This has the same texture as the hotcakes for the outside - light, fluffy and aerated. The chocolate on the inside seems thicker than the maple syrup but it has a nice chocolate flavour and aroma that goes well with the pancake. This is somewhat gooey-er when eaten all-together, but it tastes no less wonderful.


I liked both of these versions of mini pancakes, and if I had to choose it would be the maple syrup flavour by a whisker but I would happily eat both. Definitely try them if you see them around. :)

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Meiji Porte Hokkaido Creamy Whip Filling ポルテこだわり北海道クリーム

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This was another gift from a friend in Japan, and it's something I have never seen before. The fact that it's got Hokkaido cream inside excites me because I love Hokkaido everything. Especially dairy.

Porte are small, individually wrapped biscuits for want of a better word. It has a dense chocolate biscuit base and a creamy white whipped marshmallow on top, covered in a thin layer of chocolate and coated in cocoa powder.

Heaven in a box.


Biting in I get the bitterness of the cocoa powder followed by the crunch of the biscuit base and the soft creamy marshmallow. The flavour is absolutely divine and is like eating a cloud, that's how soft it is. There is a beautiful vanilla icecream like flavour in the whip.

Yumm. Who could stop at one? Not me. There is nothing more I can say about these except they are totemo oishii, divine, beautiful, delicious and excellence. Pure excellence.

Whoever dreamed these up needs a raise!

Of course these are recommended!! Go!! Buy!! :)

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Happy Puccho Chocochip in Chocostrawberry 幸せぷっちょチョコチップ in ちょこいちご

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Surprise packages in the mail are wonderful things aren't they? As are the people who send them. Especially when they are from places far far away where all our favourite snacks come from, in my case, Japan.

This was part of a parcel but I didn't know it until days later when I went to the box and found it hiding! So it was a double surprise ;)

Puccho is fairly new to my tastebuds and my first foray was not so good. Chocolate/Strawberry with chocchips is a fairly mundane flavour though, so I was expecting to like this flavour.


The colour of this candy is mostly pink and has a line of chocolate running through the middle and appears at both ends. There are significant chocolate chips at either end, and strawberry gummi pieces in the middle.

The candy actually smells like icecream, neapolitan flavour. Biting into it there is the tartness of strawberry, a milky icecream taste, and then the actual chocolate in the candy gives a rich chocolate icecream flavour. Amongst this though, it's quite hectic in my mouth, because the gummi balls escape and run away. It's hard to explain, but when the gummi and chocolate come out from the centre, the candy itself kind of comes apart and goes every which way. The gummi pieces are soft and slippery so that biting down on them just makes them spin out of control either towards the back of my throat or the other side of my mouth.

At the end, the texture is reminscent of chewing gum, because it has a chewy texture with a bit of graininess. Depending on what side you bite down on, you can experience the chocolate or strawberry flavour first.


It's kind of hectic but I really like the flavour, in fact, while revewing this candy I ate 6 pieces out of 10. Despite being an every day flavour, put together with the chocolate and the gummi, it becomes quite unique and adventurous for me. If I was in the mood for something unique I would definitely get this again, I also think children would find this quite amusing. :)

Yasu's Rating: I like the flavour, it's quite good. I would eat it again.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Wacky Snack of The Week - Tirol Chocolate Cheetos

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Introducing a new section of my blog : Wacky Snack of The Week.

This weeks snack is Tirol x Cheetos Coffee Nougat.

Yes, that is right. Cheetos Coffee Nougat Flavour. Cheetos covered in coffee flavoured chocolate nougat. What a bizarre idea!


Image borrowed from Fritolay Japan

Fritolay describe this as melt-in-your-mouth coffee nougat Tirol poured over Cheesy Cheetos.

I have just ordered a bag from NapaJapan and look forward to trying it soon!! I've never thought of cheese and chocolate going together, but when I think about it, coffee is served with cheese, so why not chocolate and cheese?

Monday, November 23, 2009

Choco Dutsumi Chocolate 新食感チョコレートちょこづつみ

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These were the look of souvenirs brought back from Japan this time around. I decided on food as I had already been there before and brought home the obligatory fans and trinkets, which I know most people like to get but never actually use. Food, and certainly chocolate flavoured food, is always going to go down well, even if it looks strange.

The box lends itself to souvenirs too because it has a traditional Japanese pattern on one half of the box with pretty Japanese writing.

Choco Dutsumi looks traditional while still having flavours we can recognize. It's actually soft balls of mochi (sweet rice) with chocolate ganache in the centre.

There are two separately wrapped packets of four balls each inside the packet. It's easy enough to slide one out and open it, and the flavour is such that one small packet is more than enough for one person.



The mochi is dark brown and has cocoa powder inside. It's soft on the outside and has a similar texture to a peach, hence the 新食感 on the label (new texture). There is a big ball of chocolate ganache on the inside, which has alot more flavour than the outside and is thick and creamy.

You can bite it in half or put the whole ball in your mouth and chew. It really doesn't matter. Either way you get to experience the soft chewy rice and the thick creamy ganache.


These have cocoa butter, cocoa powder and raw cream in them and you can tell because the quality is really good. I bought these at Don.Kihote for 168 yen per box, about $1.70. Not bad value considering they are shareable.

These don't come with picks for eating, I just used a toothpick, though I'm sure most of my Aussie friends would have picked them up with their fingers, it just means it's a bit sticky.

I would definitely buy these again and may even bring them back as souvenirs again if I can find a different flavour.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Morinaga Mango Milk Kyorochan Cake マンゴーミルクケーキ

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When I was in Japan a month ago, I began to see Kyorochan - of Chocoball fame - gracing the shelves in the form of cookies and cakes. The cookies and cakes all had one flavour - Mango Milk.

One box will set you back 158 yen, or about $1.50. I viewed the cake as more of a dessert treat than the cookie, so bought the box of cakes.

The box states キョロちゃんが作った, meaning that the cakes were made by Kyorochan. I guess it's another ploy to rope kids into getting their mum's to buy a box!

In true Japanese style, this box contains 6 individually wrapped mini cakes. They are round like cookies but are made from chocolate sponge cake, with a mango milk cream filling.


The cakes really are quite small, but great for portion control. They smell really nice, the mango filling is the most prominent scent when opening the pack. The chocolate sponge is so soft that it crumbles when picked up, you really have to be careful when holding it, and not press too hard.


The chocolate sponge is somewhat bland, there is no real 'chocolate' flavour present, but this is ok for me as I don't like strong chocolate tastes. I really like the soft texture of the sponge though, despite the crumbly texture.



The cream is whipped, like a mousse, so it's very light and fluffy. The taste is really strongly mango, and I think the milk component is in the whip texture because it gives it some creaminess on the end notes.

In all, I really liked these cakes. They are great little snacks for lunchboxes and for on the go, light, and well priced. :)

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Kit Kat Kinako Ohagi きなこおはぎ味

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Yes, another Kit Kat review, I couldn't help myself. I'm still intrigued by the unique flavours that Kit Kat always bring out. I was drawn to the box because of the traditional design, the green and yellow, and Japanese reeds. Being a lover of Traditional Japan, taste or not, this was a Kit Kat I had to buy.

Just in case you don't know:

Kinako is Japanese soybean flour and is commonly used in Japanese cuisine. Soybeans are toasted, and ground down into the flour.

Ohagi is a sweet that is made in Autumn, and is named after the bush clover that flowers in Autumn. It is made with sweet rice on the outside and an azuki (red bean) paste in the middle.

In the case of Kinako Ohagi, a dusting of Kinako powder is added to the outside of the sweet rice, giving it the appearance of a small brown ball.

Right, now we've got that out of the way, I have to say I wasn't expecting to like this. Some people say that Kinako tastes like peanut paste, and I was hoping it was true. I'd never tasted it before today and I have to say I was abit apprehensive.

But....wow! Yes, it does taste like peanut paste, in fact more of a peanut cream because it's sweet more than salty. The milk chocolate on the outside, really smells like roasted peanuts. I'm really glad they made it wilk milk chocolate instead of white too, because it has a very earthy smell.

The milk chocolate is sweet and tastes like peanuts where the cream in the wafers taste very sweet like peanut cream. Towards the end there is a bitter, long-roasted taste, that really sets the scene for the toasted sesame flavour that emerges near the end. MMMmm this is delicious!!

I can imagine this going down very well with a nice cup of real green tea. Although there is no azuki in this chocolate, it doesn't really matter, as you do get the feeling you've been transported back to ancient Japan. I was surprised to look down and see I was still wearing jeans and not a yukata after eating this!