Meiji Cheese Kugel 明治チーズクーゲル

 This came in a care package courtesy of napaJapan and the front of the pack says "大人のチーズスナック" - Cheese snack for adults. It also says in English down the bottom "Delicious cheese snack".

The main point of this snack was that it was a different kind of cheese snack that you would expect. The form itself was like a hard candy. The outside reminded me of Mentos, it was white and smooth, but instead of coming in a long roll, it came in a small re-sealable bag.

Each one smelled quite strongly of cheese. They weren't hard to bite into. It was quite surprising to bite into one and find a honeycomb shaped web of golden orange inside. Therein contained most of the flavour.

We ate these over the course of a couple of weeks because the cheese flavour was just so strong and on the nose. These were unique because they weren't the average "snack" that you would expect to be flavoured with cheese, but I won't hunt them down because they were too strong for me. 10/10 for novelty status though!!

Catchup Post

It's been a while since I last posted anything - August 6th to be exact. I've been suffering from morning sickness - well all day sickness really and I just couldn't stomach looking at anything that resembled food.

I now also have a health problem that stops me from eating chocolate or drinking tea/coffee/chocolate as well as citrus foods so it has limited the scope of items I can review in future unfortunately.

However, I did try a couple of food items just before I got pregnant but didn't post them so I will review them next.

Thanks all for your patience. I've still had so many hits per day, up to hundreds even while I haven't been posting so I really want to say thank you to my readers who still come here. :)
I will try to be a better blogger in future. :)

Lotte Black Black Chewing Gum ロッテ ブラックブラック ガム

This sample was kindly provided to me by napaJapan. It was hiding in a box of goodies and I didn't know it was there until I turned the box upside down and it fell out. I was surprised as it's a gum I see quite often in Japanese supermarkets but have never thought to try. I'm not a big mint gum fan, I prefer fruity flavours. Also, this gum just sings "otaku". You can get it at Anime conventions and websites, it's probably the most well known Japanese gum of all.

This was sitting on the computer table waiting to be reviewed, and Yasu saw it and said "hey, where did you get black black from?" I told him it was all his if he wanted it, I only needed one stick. He happily made off with the rest of the pack so I guess this bodes well for reviewing.

There are 9 individually wrapped flat sticks in the pack. Each stick is a dark grey colour with a white powdery coating. From the outside the gum smells strong and putting it in my mouth the mint is so powerful and strong.

I was careful not to try this at night because it has caffeine in it, and obviously it's good for a pick me up. This gum is so minty it burns my throat and gives off considerable heat so that even when I stop chewing it, the heat is still there. Japanese people seem to be a fan of all things minty and menthol and I have tried health care producst like eye drops and lip balm that has such qualities. I, however, am not a fan of it, and I don't like this gum. It's too minty, burny and hot. It just makes everything from my lips to my throat burn like hell.

Maybe Japanese people who are already used to these kinds of products in the market probably like it, as Yasu does, but if you don't like your mint extra extra strong then I would say give it a wide berth. If anything, this gum will definitely get rid of any other undesirable taste in your mouth and will definitely freshen it, so I guess if you didn't have any toothpaste and you had this gum instead, you could use it that way.

Brand: Lotte Calories per box: 75 Website: http://www.lotte.co.jp Buy it now at napaJapan

Asahi Mitsuya Cider Melon Candy 三ツ矢サイダーキャンディー・メロン味

Whenever I go to Japan, one of the first drink brands I check out is Mitsuya Cider. They always seem to have really interesting and great tasting soda's. The most memorable one I have tried was condensed milk soda which was really nice!

Yubari Melon is a fruit and flavour that is dear to my heart. Hokkaido is my husband's home and is also home to the wonderful Yubari Melon which is used in cakes and desserts, candies, soda's, snacks and so much more in Japan.

So it's no wonder I was excited when napaJapan gave me this bag of Yubari Melon Mitsuya Cider candies.

The bag is small, and (71g) and holds about 20 individually wrapped candies. The candy is small, round and green, a colour that reminds me more of green apple.

From the minute the candy hit my tongue I started to get the fizz sensation that is reminscent of a soda. The Yubari melon flavour is prominent and sweet, but not too sweet. This really tastes like melon soda and there are no harsh chemical flavours that some candies have when trying to recreate a fruit flavour.

I really loved these and handed them out a party to Japanese and Aussie friends who all gave them the thumbs up too!

These are one of the best candies I have tried and I recommend them! You can buy these now at napaJapan as well as other flavours in the range - Grape soda and Regular Cider.

Brand: Asahi Calories per bag: 264 Website: http://www.asahi-fh.com Buy it now at napaJapan

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

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

Pocky Dessert Strawberry Custard Cake ポッキー・デザート 苺のカスタードケーキ風

Introducing the latest flavours in the Pocky Dessert range courtesy of Jason @ napaJapan, a plumper and more elegant version of the original Pocky. I reviewed the Mont Blanc version back in March when these were also released.

Like the Mont Blanc version, these have a double coating - a layer of yellowish white chocolate coating the pretzel stick and a weave-like design of strawberry chocolate over the top.

The smell is very sweet and all I can smell is strawberry! Biting in, the strawberry chocolate on the top is very soft and the texture reminds me of icing on a cake. The flavour is like that of a strawberry sponge cake. The custard chocolate underneath has a flavour of vanilla, it's buttery and rich like a good sponge cake.

The pretzel stick underneath is crunchy without being overly so. The blend of custard and strawberry is absolutely gorgeous and I can't stop eating this Pocky! It really is like a nice dessert, in fact I could eat this for dessert any day! It's decadent without being too rich. The strawberry is mildly sweet and has a few tart notes bursting out without making the chocolate sour.

Yum! is all I can say on this one! I definitely recommend these! 

You can find another review of this Pocky at 8tokyo.com 

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

Fujiya Milky Uji Matcha ミルキーチョコレート 宇治抹茶

I've long been a lover of all things Matcha flavoured, and I especially love the Uji Matcha from Kyoto which has a special flavour all of it's own.

I was very happy to receive this new release Milky chocolate from Jay @ napaJapan. I'm a long-time fan of Fujiya chocolates and I have collected a lot of memorabilia from Japan including the Fujiya boy and girl dolls, lunch boxes, pencil cases and other homewares bearing the iconic characters.

The packaging of the chocolate is just as cute as I would expect it to be, and opens like an envelope or small purse to reveal a sealed foil packet containing a tray of 12 individual chocolates.

The chocolate smells sweet and creamy, and has a malt-like aroma similar to that of Milo. The Matcha smells strong and is immediately noticeable when biting into the chocolate. The centre is smooth, creamy and irresistible. The chocolate is smooth on the tongue, cool, and really like eating milo with a spoon. I can't get over how malty it is! Yum!

The Matcha is the star without being overpowering. These chocolates are light and fun without being vague. They have enough of a flavour hit to get me going back for more. I can't stop...

Definitely, definitely, recommend these to all Matcha lovers out there! Mmmm ;)

Brand: Fujiya Calories per box: 252 Website: http://fujiya-milky.com

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