Meiji Kinoko no Yama Banana Milk きのこの山バナナ・オ・レ

Note to self: Don't order chocolates in the middle of Australia's summer (around 38~42 degrees celcius) or this post will be the result.

Unfortunately this box of Meiji Kinoko no Yama didn't make it all the way here without melting into a puddle. And when I say puddle, I mean puddle.

The little mushrooms all ended up becoming one big yellow blob with pretzel sticks poking out. Okay if you're planning to scoff the whole box down in one sitting, not okay if you're planning on sharing it with someone else.

Nevertheless, the review must go on.

Despite its blobbiness, the smell wafting out of the box is delicious. I am a big fan of banana, and in particular fake banana scent and essence, so I expected to really love this.

The chocolate is surprising as it starts off as a banana milk taste and ends up being quite tangy, almost lemony. I could also taste a fruitiness and when I looked on the ingredients I found apple paste was used.

This is a nice banana flavour, not too over the top, not too fake, and it has quite a few different elements mixed in to keep it interesting. The pretzel stick is plain, but it's a nice contrast to the banana and it's really crunchy so it adds a great texture too.

Just like when I drink a milk drink, this made me thirsty afterwards. So if you're going to eat this make sure you have a drink handy. In all, I would buy this again as I thought it was an interesting take on a classic flavour.

Brand: Meiji Calories per box: 430 Website: http://kinotake.jp Buy it now at napaJapan

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

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. :)

Baby Star Do-Dekai Ramen Maple Syrup ベビースタードデカイラーメン・メープルシロップ味

Sorry for the long gap between reviews guys. I didn't mean to leave you hanging in the wind. I started a new diet and was finding it a bit hard to balance snack reviewing and healthy eating but now I think I've found the right balance I'm raring to go, and have lots of interesting snack reviews coming up thanks to napaJapan!



I have a few Maple Syrup flavoured snacks this week - they were released during the Vancouver Olympic Games to tie in with the theme, and should have been reviewed back then but alas I'm a little behind the times.

Today I present you: Baby Star Ramen "big" in Maple Syrup flavour.

I've never had these before but I know they're popular and Yasu also likes them, but I've only seen them in the regular size.

This bag has a strange smell, when I was typing and had it open in front of me, I kept getting a whiff of something that smelled like celery. On closer inspection it was the baby star that I was smelling. Strange! There is no celery powder listed in the ingredients, but I was surprised to see "cake donut mix" in there!! There is also maple syrup from Quebec, so at least we know it is authentic maple syrup.

Baby Star is basically a snack that is made to look like ramen. It is a golden colour, thin and in a wiggly shape. This "dekai" ramen is flatter and wider, and reminds me of pasta more than a noodle, though it is imprinted with vertical lines that are making it look like it is clumps of noodles stuck together, perhaps.


They have a wonderful smell of waffles, and it's kind of like walking past a waffle house when I hold one up to my nose. They are crunchy and have a wonderful buttery flavour. There is only a slight flavour of maple syrup on each piece but if you eat more than one at a time, or keep eating them one after the other, the flavour really builds up into a rich maple syrup experience. This is kind of a crunchy pancake with maple syrup, cheaper and easier than making the real thing, more convenient for portion sizes.

I love this! If you love maple syrup like I do, or if you love pancakes with maple syrup even, then I'm sure you will love these too :) You can buy these now at napaJapan - but hurry only limited stocks left!

Pocky Dessert Mont Blanc Chocolate ポッキーデザートモンブランショコラ

It's been a long time since I've had Pocky, the celebrated snack of the Anime Otaku. In fact, I've never reviewed it on this blog. Funny that, how such well known snacks are overlooked in favour of weird and wacky or more interesting variety snacks. I really should go back and do the tried and true flavours shouldn't I.

This is the last part of a parcel from a very nice friend in Sapporo (Thanks D!), and I have been holding onto it for a while now. I squirrelled it away for a rainy day. The rainy day came and went and I forgot about it, and then when I was cleaning up the front room I found it again. Timely.

This is not an average Pocky, it's part of the Dessert range which is abit more premium than the average Pocky. It's more in line with it's competitor - Fran by Meiji - which is still a pretzel stick snack though it has a thicker coating and more luxurious flavours. It's the Louis Vuitton of the pretzel world.

This box has 4 clear wrapped packs of 3 sticks each. So you basically get 12 sticks in a pack that is big enough to probably house 24. But with Pocky desserts its all about quality not quantity Dahlings.


The pretzel stick looks like it is double the size of a regular stick, about half of a centimetre thick. It is then covered in a thick layer of regular milk chocolate, and then layered with a light brown coloured white chocolate in a kind of spiral fashion.

This flavour is Mont Blanc, inspired by the French dessert of the same name that is a cake or tart made of pureed chestnuts and whipped cream, sometimes on a meringue base. So basically we have a chestnut dessert on a stick. The light brown coating on the outside is very similar to the coating on a real Mont Blanc dessert and represents the chestnut flavour.

To me, the chocolate on the outside smells like coffee more than anything else. The light brown chocolate has a slight chestnut flavour by itself but when it is sucked off the stick together with the milk chocolate is when the roasted nut taste starts to emerge.

The pretzel is nice and crunchy, and the two flavours of chocolate merge well together, but I still get that sense of coffee underneath the chestnut flavour. The texture of the chocolate is smooth and is mousse-like.

This Pocky is special because of it's appearance. The flavour is not as luxurious as I thought it would be but nevetherless it is rich and creamy and a really great chocolate snack. I like the individual packs inside the box because I can put one in Yasu's bento and have one myself without the rest of the pack going stale.

If you want to try these you can buy them now at napaJapan.

Morinaga Dars White 森永白いダーズ

White chocolate is very popular in our house, and so is Japanese chocolate. So it's no surprise really that we would buy something like Dars White by Morinaga.

I've seen this around and also in Japan. I've tried it before but I've never blogged about it. I figure it's a stalwart in the snack world, it should be reviewed.

The pack is simple, light yellow with Dars in big blue letters. There is a sealed foil pack inside containing 12 individual pieces (aka Dars = "dozen"). They are a light yellow colour and have "Dars" stamped into the top.


They have that creamy sweet smell familiar to white chocolate. These are best eaten at room temperature as they have a soft centre, somewhat similar to a ganache, that you can't experience when the chocolate is cold from the fridge.

The chocolate is really sweet, but also really creamy and the ganache in the centre adds something a little bit extra to this but without fanfare. It's unexpected but delightful. There is a build up of vanilla flavour you get if you eat more than one, and it's really nice.


This is everything I expected and more. It's one of the best white chocolates I have ever tried.
At the moment because of Valentine's day they have a special page with recipes to make for your love using Dars as one of the ingredients. I'm not sure how long it will stay around for though.

Itoen Lactic Acid Yoghurt Taste かち割り乳酸菌ヨーグルトテイスト

Today was a hot, humid day. We had walked around the city for 2 hours and when I spied this in the refrigerator of a Japanese supermarket it looked like heaven.

It cost me $3.50 - I know you're thinking it's daylight robbery. But honestly, a bottle of Kirin Gogo tea here is $4.99, so it's not that bad. :)

This is a lactic acid drink, otherwise known as milk acid and is formed from the lactobacillus bacteria amongst others and is commonly found in yoghurt. This particular drink's claim to fame is that it can be frozen, defrosted and then drunk, unlike Calpis and other yoghurty drinks.

This smells similar to Calpis but it has more of a citrus element. It also has more of a milky colour than Calpis, it looks like someone has poured milk and water in the bottle as there is the blue/gray colour apparent when milk and water is combined.

I found this to be quite refreshing. The yoghurt taste is pleasant and the citrus flavour is refreshing enough so that it didn't leave me thirsty. The bottle is cute and an unusual shape. I'm keeping it for my water bottle :)

This was an April 2009 release by Itoen and it's best before is June 2010. This surprisingly had soybean dietary fibre in it. It didn't effect the taste any. I guess Itoen had to make it healthy somehow, not just with yoghurt.

I would definitely buy this again, even at $3.50.

Tirol Kinako Mochi チロルきなこもち

I recently reviewed Kinako Mochi Cheetos and this is the same but without the Cheetos component.

The chocolate is quite dark, it reminded me of coffee. It smells very nutty and the chocolate tastes like roasted peanuts. There is a mochi centre which is similar in colour to the outside. It is soft and chewy but doesn't really enhance the flavour any.

This flavour came in a pack of 9, and it was the kind that hangs on a hook at the end of an aisle. Each chocolate comes packaged in its own bag that is torn off via a perforation at the end of each one.


I really liked the flavour when combined with Cheetos but when it is alone it just doesn't seem as good. I like the texture of the mochi in the middle, which is something the Cheetos didn't have, but the depth of flavour just doesn't seem to be the same.

This was disappointing. Yasu and I will eat the rest of the pack, but I won't buy any more. A shame because I really expected to like these much more than I do.

Tirol Minashigo Hutch Honey Toast and Yoghurt Honey チロルみなしごハッチ・ハニートーストとヨーグルトはちみつ

Tirol is one of those snacks that I have only discovered in the past year but that I fell in love with instantly. It's a small bite-size chocolate that you can buy at supermarkets and convenience stores for around 20 yen (20 cents).

My husband grew up with these and so he was delighted that I discovered them as he is a long-time fan as well. These are cheap and good as a single time treat for kids. There is alot of sentimentality surrounding these snacks for kids in Japan.

The thing I love the most is my husband's reaction when I get a new flavour. When he was a kid they only had the coffee nougat, and the almond and now, just like Nestle Japan (with their many varieties of Kit Kats), Tirol are churning out new flavours all the time.

He was especially stoked when I pulled out this bag of Minashigo Hutch, a favourite cartoon of his from childhood. This cartoon or anime, was made in the 1970's and is the story of an orphan bee who is searching for his mother.

My husband said "if you watch that, you will cry alot". I guess it is something the same as Lassie, in that it pulls at the heartstrings.

This bag of Tirol has 8 pieces in it, and two flavours. Four each.


Honey Toast

This flavour makes my mouth water without even trying. I think of hot buttery toast with honey drizzled over it. In reality the light yellow chocolate on the outside has a buttery flavour. The inside is comprised of a biscuit matching in colour with a light glaze of honey flavoured liquid. This is not really quite what I had in mind. It's really sweet and the honey doesn't really have the depth of flavour that I like. The butter flavour is not exactly on the money and tastes abit strange, I can't put my finger on it.


Yoghurt Honey

I didn't know what to expect with this one. The white chocolate outside has a floral flavour, it reminds me of jasmine tea. The middle has a white jelly that tastes like yoghurt but it is much sweeter and has those floral notes too. The jelly is covered with a layer of honey liquid that escapes when you bite into the chocolate. The honey and floral notes are very overwhelming and once again, this one is very sweet. The yoghurt in this is very underwhelming and a disappointment.

Although these both deliver in regards to the theme of bees and honey, they fail to make the mark in regards to the flavours they are paired with. I feel as if they should have just made a honey flavour instead of getting elaborate and trying to create something that really should have been simple enough in theory but just didn't compute in the final product.

I think my husband will eat these regardless of the flavour, but unless he really loves them I won't buy them again.

Royal Milk Tea Kit Kat ロイヤルミルクティー味キットカット

I've been a tea drinker since I was young. As in 2 or 3 years young. My mum's side of the family came over from England way back when so it kind of runs in the family. And by tea I mean English Breakfast Tea. With milk.

The first time I ever went to Japan I was introduced to their version of it - royal milk tea - by my father in law. It was love at first taste. The Japanese version is definitely sweeter and it seems to have a secret ingredient, maybe some spices thrown in for good measure.

Living in Australia, Japanese royal milk tea is one of the things I miss the most. It's always the first thing I buy when I arrive in Japan.

So, I was overjoyed to hear that Nestle had made a royal milk tea Kit Kat. I received this box as a gift from a friend which I thought was quite fitting as food from friends always taste better, right?


This box is typically English in design, it has the red tartan in the background and the English guards walking across the bottom of the box. I wonder if the Queen has tried this Kit Kat? I wonder if Nestle Japan sent her a box of it for free?

The two packets of fingers inside the box have a blue tartan on the outside of the packaging. What is the significance of that I wondered. So I googled. Then I realised that tartan is particularly associated with Scotland, and the colours are related to different clans. There are over 4000 different tartans, all belonging to different clans.

Moving on. :)

The chocolate is white chocolate coloured a light beige colour. It smells sweet and floral.



Biting in, there is a definite creaminess, it's very milky. At the back of my tongue I taste the sweet floral notes that I recognise from royal milk tea. The sense of tea is very vague. It's almost there, but not.

The chocolate is not overly sweet like I expected. It's cool on my tongue and really creamy more than anything else. I'm disappointed because there is no sense of the spices or tea flavour that make up a bottle of royal milk tea. It falls short of the mark.

Maybe it's not a good idea to send the Queen one of these. She would probably be very miffed.

Why is it that Nestle Japan can superbly do a Ginger Ale Kit Kat but they fall flat on Royal Milk Tea? It would seem the latter would be easier to recreate. Oh well. I'm hoping if Nestle recycle this flavour, the next time around will be better.

My advice: wait for the next incarnation.

Morinaga Hi-Chew Pom Juice ハイチュウポンジュース

If I was English I would take offence at this Hi-chew and the juice it originates from. Living in Australia, I often hear English people referred to as "poms" - a derogatory term. It's mostly said in good humour but most of my English friends think it's rude and take offence.

So bearing that in mind, I would never offer them a piece of this Pom Hi-chew. In Japanese this is pronounced "pon juice", but when Japanese is converted to English, it becomes "Pom", because Pom is short for Pomelo - a citrus fruit native to South East Asia, that is used to make the juice.

Each piece of candy is a light orange colour with white in the middle. Biting into this reminds me of Hi-C, that generic orange juice concentrate you can buy at the supermarket.


It's really a nice taste. Sweet like Hi-C juice with a light orange flavour. This is chewy and from the texture and taste, really close to gum. It's the kind of texture and taste than any gum manufacturer could make.

I really like this, and I recommend it to you. It has a flavour that is easy to like. :)