Glico Cheeza 52% Cheddar チーザ５２％ チェダーチーズ

I like cheese. Most people like cheese. But do they like strong cheese? Really really strong cheese?

I'm willing to say no. When the Tirol Hokkaido Cheese chocolate came out most people were shaking their heads in a very definite NO.

This is why I think that this flavour of Cheeza 52% won't suit everyone. This has the same cheese flavour as said Tirol. It is strong, pungent, and rich.

The biscuits themselves are triangular shaped with holes, and very crunchy. Eaten by themselves the flavour quickly builds up to breaking point - after about 5 pieces Yasu couldn't take any more - but with a beer in hand and a Cheeza in the other, this is when an epiphany is reached.

Cheeza 52% is good as a snack with a beverage, but not good on it's own unless...well unless you're like me, and like the flavour of cheese so it burns your throat.

I enjoyed this, and Yasu did but only with a beer. I'm not sure this is suitable for everyone, if you like your cheese mellow and mild I wouldn't recommend it to you. If you like your cheese loud and obnoxious then this is for you! :)

Brand: Glico Calories per 38g bag: 199 Website:  http://www.glico.co.jp/cheeza/ Buy it now at napaJapan

Nissin Cup Noodle Curry カップヌードル カレー

Picture borrowed from the Nissin website.

Cup Noodle is something I think of as "otaku food", it's the essential food of those kids that start off with an interest in Japan and then develop a full-blown obsession with it. It's sold alongside hentai manga, sailor uniforms and black black gum at Anime conventions.

Seriously though, it's my husband's favourite easy meal. It combines two elements of popular Japanese food into one small bowl - Curry and Noodles.

All you need is a means to heat water, and 3 minutes. It's as easy as boiling the water, pouring it into the cup, shutting the lid closed for 3 minutes and then the noodles are cooked and it's ready to eat.

I've seen Yasu consume copious amounts of Cup Noodle over the years and wondered what the attraction was. Seeing as I have a Japanese Snack blog I decided to review it because it does fit well into the snack category.

When I opened the lid on the cup noodle the smell of curry that wafted up was quite pleasant. It reminded me of House Vermont Curry. The taste was mild, rich and sweet with an undertaste of beef stock. There were small cubes of vegetables floating around in the sauce such as spring onion, carrots, potato, and corn. The noodles were flat and soft, and went well with the curry and vegetables.

I really enjoyed this and tasting it today made me totally change my mind about it. I thought it would be something I would never eat, but I could see this being a great snack for myself too.

I found it interesting to read the ingredients list on the pack which among other things mentions cheese and peanut butter! I'm not sure what they bring to the party or how much is contained within but it's certainly funny to see them listed.

I will definitely buy and eat this again soon!

The Cup Noodle website is quite interesting and has all the flavours listed as well as downloads and games.

Brand: Nissin Calories per cup: 404 Website: http://www.cupnoodle.jp/

Morinaga Hi-Chew Ichigo Daifuku 森永ハイチュウ いちご大福

When this pack of Hi-chew first came out, it really made me excited. I saw the image of the daifuku (a Japanese sweet made from rice with a red bean filling), and it looked so yummy.

I later asked Jason @ napaJapan (who I have known for a very long time) to send me one to try and he complied (thanks Jason!). The pack has been sitting with some other candy - developing a bit of a backlog here - waiting to be reviewed.

So today I finally got around to opening the pack and guess what? It's nothing like the image on the front. Now I know why they put "写真は味のイメージです" (The photo is an image of the flavour), because it is only meant to taste like the real thing, not look like it! Doh! :(

I had expected it to have the red bean filling and a strawberry type filling, but really Ladies & Gentlemen, it's just a hi-chew. It is white on the outside and a soft pink colour in the middle.

There is a very sweet smell of strawberry from the outside. When I pop it into my mouth there is a light strawberry flavour that is quite floral. The hi-chew is soft and chewy and the middle has a flavour reminscent of strawberry flavoured hubba bubba. The strawberry flavour reaches a peak at the end of the chew, but is not really tart. It's very refined in taste, has chemical notes here and there, but in all, quite nice. For what it is, it's a nice candy. A little bit bland, but hey, if you like Strawberry and you like it kind of plain, then this is for you.

Brand: Morinaga Calories per box: 225 Website: http://www.morinaga.co.jp/hi-chew/ Buy it now at napaJapan

Nestle Mixed Juice Kit Kat ミックスジュース キットカット

The colour of this Kit Kat is a bit surprising. It's the same colour as the cheese on a McDonald's cheeseburger. I kid you not.

It's a bright yellow orange, that I guess is representative of juice, but it still reminds me of cheeseburger. The bar encompasses the flavours of Peach, Banana, and Strawberry. I've never actually tried that combination together in a juice but I'm sure it would go together well.

The bar smells very much like banana from the outside. Biting into it however, is another story. It's kind of weird but I get a taste like tomato ketchup. There is also a very strong chemical taste which ends up being banana. There are some very fake peach notes. The peach in this kit kat is very similar in flavour to the Peach in the Tirol Mix Pack. I don't like it as much in the kit kat as I did in the Tirol. There are only very vague hint of the strawberry, a little bit of tartness here and there, but mostly overtaken by very sweet peach and chemical tasting banana.

I'm usually a fan of the fruitier kit kats, but I can't say that about this one. It's just too sweet and the fruit components really taste fake.

Brand: Nestle Calories per mini bar: 69 Website: http://www.breaktown.com/ Buy it now at napaJapan

Kabaya Guimauve Strawberry ギモーヴ ストロベリー

Guimauve is the French word for Marshmallow. Marshmallow comes from the plant of the same name and is used in candy and in hot drinks, eaten by itself plain or toasted. As the marshmallow powder is quite difficult to obtain, most manufacturers use gelatin to get marshmallow to that sticky, chewy consistency that we love.

Kabaya have come up with their own take on Guimauve by creating it using Gummi. It is shaped into squares, the French way, and it doesn't have the powdery outside like most marshmallows that come in big bags, instead it has a smooth matte finish.

It smells sweet and floraly, but even without eating it there is a tartness that wafts up my nose. Biting into it is not the same as biting into a marshmallow, it has a little bit more resistance. When it is squeezed, it flumps down in half, unlike a marshmallow that bounces back. The inside after being bitten, resembles something like a marshmallow mixed with a sponge.

The difference with this Guimauve is that the strawberry flavour takes a back seat to the tartness, and it tastes more like a strawberry sherbet than I expected. The flavour is even more pronounced when you suck it instead of chew it.

I'm not a fan of sour candy, I don't hate this, but I don't exactly love it either. It's a little bit hard for me to get my head around this candy. I keep coming back for more but only because it's weird. Who ever heard of a marshmallow made out of gummi? Somehow the texture works. It's just the flavour that is not my thing.

This is not blow-your-head-off super sour, but it has enough there to make you think it's sherbet. I would only buy it if sour candy is your thing.

Brand: Kabaya Calories per pack: 116 Website: http://www.kabaya.co.jp Buy it now at napaJapan

Doritos Pizza-La Ham & Cheese Croque Monsieur Pizza ハムとチーズのクロックムッシュピザの味

When I received this bag of Doritos from Jason at napaJapan, I had no idea that Pizza-La was a pizza store in Japan. I asked Yasu and he said he didn't know either. So I looked up the website address on the internet, and sure enough it is. They claim to be the best selling pizza in Japan. Their slogan is "All the taste and toppings you want on a pizza, straight from our oven to your door!"

I've only ever had pizza specially made at restaurants in Japan - namely Pinocchio's in Hokkaido (divine), so I'm not sure how good of a pizza they make. I would love to hear if you have had their pizza and what it was like!

The flavour of the pizza flavoured Doritos is Ham & Cheese Croque Monsieur, which they actually do make and sell in real life. See image below for an image I took of their website. (It's the one on the top left corner).

Opening the bag, I noticed the ratio of air to chips was a little bit higher. A bit disappointed with the amount of content.

The aroma was very nice, probably close to what a pizza place smells like. The chips themselves are corn chips but with tomato flakes, cheese powder, bacon powder, salt, sugar and vegetable oil on them. I could taste the bacon flavour straight away. I was actually expecting it to taste like ham, because it says ham and cheese on the title, but I was surprised to taste the bacon and then see that bacon powder was used. Obviously they think that ham and bacon is interchangeable.

The bacon is very strong at first, but at the end of chewing is when I could taste the cheese. There were hints of tomato and salt after the bacon had died down and then a very strong cheese flavour. I'm not sure exactly what cheese as it doesn't mention the name, but I would say it wasn't mozzarella!

The chips themselves are very crunchy and fresh. Yasu and I ate this together and we happily munched away. We both really liked the flavour and the crispness of the chips but were disappointed at the amount in the packet. Also there are 383 calories in this one 70 gram bag so it's quite high and isn't really worth it in my opinion. Not much bang for your calorie buck here.

I probably wouldn't buy these again. The flavour is great but there is just not enough and the calories are too high anyway.

Brand: Fritolay Calories per pack: 383 Website: http://www.fritolay.co.jp/ Buy it now at napaJapan

Calbee Kappa Ebisen Kishu Plum かっぱえびせん 紀州の梅

On a rainy day during last week I pulled out this bag of Kappa Ebisen Kishu Plum! I'm not a big fan of plum and my husband hates it all together, so I didn't know if we would like this one at all. Kishu is a place in Wakayama Prefecture in Japan and is famous for its plums, which are also made into Kishu Plum Wine.

The bag had a very tangy aroma when I opened it, and each long senbei stick had sprinkles of red all over. On the back of the bag it stated that it was red shiso. I'm not a shiso fan, in fact I try to stay away from it.

This snack however, was really yummy. The red shiso seems to have a different flavour entirely from the normal green shiso, and there was notes of tangy plum present when I crunched down into the senbei. The prawn flavour was still evident underneath and combined, all three flavours made a melody in my mouth.

After the first handful of these we were both pretty much addicted and ate the whole bag in no time! I think these would be great as a beer snack too.

The design on the bag was really pretty - a shame to throw it out really. Unfortunately I did throw the bag out and also forgot to write down the nutritional information so for my readers that usually want to know those details - I will resume in my next post.

Get yourself some of these! :)

Kishiri Crystal Throat Candy Red & Green Plum with Mint キシリクリスタル 赤梅＆青梅ミント

I woke up this morning and found that Winter had finally found Perth. It's been MIA for the last half a month or so, we've had such lovely, hot, summery days.

But now, here comes the rain, and so with it, a sore throat for my dear hubby. I remembered this morning that I had a pack of these in my latest installment from napaJapan, so it's perfect timing really.

I'm not familiar with the company who make these. The Name of it is Kishiri Crystal, and the brand is Teicalo. The word "kishiri" usually means "to squeak", but I think in this case it is from the Japanese word for xylitol - (kishiritoru), because it is where the candy gets its sweetness from instead of sugar. Looking on their website, they seem to only make throat candy.

I'm not a very big fan of Ume (plum), so I was hesitant in trying these, thinking they were maybe going to be really sour or yuck. But, actually I was surprised.

Not really as pretty as the picture is it?

There are 3 layers to this candy. The top layer is red plum, the middle is a smooth white minty paste, and the bottom layer is green plum.

The top layer, the red plum is the most sour of the two, and it really reminds me of cough medicine in that it has a certain cherry flavour about it while still tasting like plum.

The green plum is much sweeter and has hints of green apple.

The mint in the middle really ties this candy together, and it really is refreshing. The one thing I couldn't get out of my head while eating this though is that it reminds me of toothpaste. You know how they make that toothpaste (I think it's Maclean's) with the white stripe of mint down the middle? Well this looks just like that, except it's a throat candy.

I am not sure how beneficial this would be for your throat. Besides herb and peppermint extracts, it doesn't really have any medicinal values. It's not like the Western kind of throat candy that numbs the throat or stops your nose running.

But in all, it's nice for what it is. I probably wouldn't buy it to use when I have a cold, but I find it to be good as a breath freshener, I like it more than chewing gum.

Brand: Teicalo Calories per pack: 70 Website: http://teicalo.com

Tirol Mix Pack チロル 桃栗三年柿八年

This Tirol mixed pack is named after a proverb. 桃栗三年柿八年 means "it often takes time to bear the fruit of one's actions" or literally "peach and chestnut seeds take three years to bear fruit, plums take eight". This is one of those kinds of phrases like "good things happen to those who wait". When I asked Yasu the meaning he said it was just referring to the peach and chestnut seeds taking 3 years to bear fruit and plums taking 8 and said that the proverb wasn't really very well known and he wouldn't have thought of it if I hadn't of mentioned it.

This has given Tirol an idea for a mixed pack, I suppose. Because the three flavours included in this pack are Peach, Chestnut and Persimmon.

Back middle: Persimmon, Front left: Chestnut, Front right: Peach

Peach

Sweet like Peach Fanta, the jelly inside is soft and melts in the mouth easily. The chocolate is quite sweet but it definitely has a lot of peach flavour. I love it.

Chestnut

This has a coffee like flavour at first and then blends seamlessly into a nutty chestnut flavour. The inside is a soft and creamy texture, full bodied flavour and very cool in the mouth. Very sweet at the end though, even more so than the peach, though still enjoyable.

Persimmon

An unsual flavour. The chocolate is a little bit darker than normal. Biting into it there is a big hit of salt and then I notice it has an arare (senbei) inside which provides a big crunch and lots of salt. The chocolate has a sweetness to it that tastes like persimmon and blends well with the saltiness to create a kind of sweet and salty effect. Very original.

I liked all three of these. I think my favourite would have to be the persimmon because it has that crunchy texture and very unusual taste. I like the peach and chestnut about the same.

Ebidebby also reviewed this and you can find hers here.

Brand: Tirol Calories per bag: 314 Website: http://www.tirol-choco.com/

Bourbon Milk Coffee Roll Cake ふわまき ミルクコーヒーケーキ

I have another Fuwamaki cake to try! Last time I reviewed the milk roll cake by the same company and Yasu and I both really loved it.

This one is the same deal, except it's milk coffee flavour. The outside is predominately light brown with white spots and it has two types of cream inside - coffee cream and milk cream.

The sponge cake is beautiful and soft like a cloud pillow, the same as last time. The brown coloured sponge tastes like chocolate and the white dots taste like milk. The coffee flavour comes from the coffee cream inside the roll cake.

This is so beautifully fresh - how do they do it? It could have been baked fresh this morning, that is how soft it is. The cream is so fluffy and light and full of flavour.

What can I say but that this is divine? Seriously. Go buy one! or two... or maybe three!

Brand: Bourbon Calories per pack: 180 Website: http://www.bourbon.co.jp