Love Live Movie! Kotori Minami Cheesecake Scones – sunrise

Almost everyone that knows me can testify to how much I love Kotori so as soon as I saw that she was getting her own candy treat I had to buy it!

Kotori Minami – Love Live Movie, Cheesecake Flavour Scones

This is a great example of how well Japan does packaging. Instead of a plain box it is fashioned into the perfect gift (o-miyage) or just something cute to buy yourself.

The box is in the shape of a bag and has two burgandy ribbon handles.

(灬♥ω♥灬)

The first side shows us lots of data and necessary information, not much to say here so lets move on…

Along with the barcode the other side has an adorable picture of all of the Love Live! girls huddled around a cheesecake…. but is that all  that this picture is? Lets continue for now!

The back of the box is the same as the front so I’ve moved straight onto the contents.

Inside there are 7 individually wrapped packets, the scones themselves are around 2 inches long and 1 inch wide (so they are only about a mouthful each.

The colour is mottled and natural from baking rather than being one tone all the way across which is really nice! (*~▽~)

Wait! Before trying this yummy looking goodie there is something else inside the box!

Turns out that the picture on the side was also explaining that inside there is a photo-paper printed picture inside. Its of a surprisingly high quality and is about 4 inches long. Although I don’t know quite yet what I’m going to do with it yet its a lovely addition to the treat.

Thats everything from the box now so time to try the scones.

For a pre-packaged item they are surprisingly soft and fresh to the touch, they don’t really smell of anything but neither do cheese cakes usually so this didn’t put me off at all.

When I bit into the scone it was so soft and easy to get through, its a little flakey and tastes devine, the cheese cake flavour is definitely there. Its like a really subtle yet creamy taste of new york cheesecake.

The taste lingers in your mouth after eating and considering its only a bite I think these would be great to use to clear your palette after a meal.

I got these when I saw them for sale on AmiAmi, I’ve linked them below but they appear to be sold out though. It might be worth keeping an eye on the link as I frequently pick items up from them when they re-stock.

http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?gcode=GOODS-00069765&page=top%2Fsearch%2Flist%3Fs_keywords%3Dkotori+scone%24pagemax%3D40%24getcnt%3D0%24pagecnt%3D1

Original cost to me – 710jpy

Now the box doesn’t advise on calorie information but I’m sure that I read somewhere that they were 39calories per scone.

Taste rating – 10/10

(I want enough of these to eat one everyday!)

Thank you for reading!! I welcome any feedback<3

Cheetos Barbecue Sauce Flavour – Frito Lay

I am SO stoked for todays snack, it just looks amazing and I can’t wait to eat it!

Cheetos BBQ sauce flavour

They caught my eye on ebay a little while ago and when I had a few too many drinks my happy self decided that it would be a good idea to order them… and with them infront of me I am super happy that I did.

In the UK cheetos were around a lot more when I was a child but now although I am partial they arn’t really an item of choice, if these were around then I think they would become a staple again! (≧∇≦)/

The packaging is so gold and shiney and inviting, it shows images of all sorts of goegeous food being cooked over a bbq alongside chester cheetah and a sea of crisps.

The back is nicely laid out and designed well in my opinion. I like that it is quite simple and that they have chosen to just use a matte white in order to contrast against the shiney goldness of the front.

Something I didn’t know which it mentions on the back is that Chester has been around since 1986!

The second I cut along the top an amazing aroma of spices came drifting out of the bag. Just the smell of the contents was enough to get my mouth watering.

（*´▽｀*）

The bag is around half full of rich yellow/gold/brown coloured chunky sticks, they are knobbly and bobbly and are coated in a thick layer of flavouring.

I truely can’t wait any longer, lets try!

They taste amazing. The crisp itself is very crunchy and satisfying as you bits into it yet its also airated and requires quite a bit of chewing per piece. The airyness of its inside helps to let the flavour soak through to all of your taste buds. And the taste itself is just… Wow.

They are coated with a slightly powdery substance that rubs off on your tongue as soon as you put it into your mouth. Its such a rich smokey bbq flavour. I just couldnt get enough its not really like any bbq snack ive had before i can definitely say its better. For anyone who doesnt like hot items dont worry this is pure smokey goodness!

The flavour lingers after eating and they are super moreish I blew my plan to eat a few and then come back to them later…

I bought them on ebay and am currently trying to stop myself getting more as I have so many other yummy items to get through…

These are the only ones I can find online at the moment, if you find them cheaper lemme know!! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Frito-Lay-Japan-Cheetos-BBQ-Sauce-Taste-savoury-snacks-Japanese-food-Snack-/271594953710?hash=item3f3c521bee:g:0a0AAOSwxH1UBYat

Original cost to me – $6.50

415 calories per bag

Taste rating – 10/10

(I could eat these all day every day forever more!)

Thank you for reading!! I welcome any feedback<3

Ichigo (strawberry) Watagashi – Satoh Yokohama

A light snack is todays feature (I bought lots of strawberry stuff recently so sorry for all the posts!)

Ichigo Watagashi

Another cotton candy treat today, this one is quite a big bag and is strawberry flavour. The packaging is bright and eye-catching. It features a happy cloud/cotton candy and also two smiley strawberries! There is a cut out section in the middle so you can see whats inside and the name of the product is in both Japanese and English.

(✿╹◡╹)

The back follows the same design as the front of the pack. I assume that “Satoh Yokohama” is the make?! Unlike most goodies you may notice that some of the information that is compulsory in the UK is missing (for example there is no table of information on stuff like sugar or calories).

When The packet is opened a big, light and lovely cloud like substance is released. It smells super sweet with a soft hint of strawberry already. Its the only item in the package but considering its size I’m okay with that!

There isn’t really much else to say and I really want to eat it so lets move on…

<丶｀∀´>

If you give it a small tug it comes apart so easily and its resemblance to a cloud is ever closer…

It takes so good, its a sweet yet mild strawberry taste that is more-ish, it doesn’t overwhelm your tastebuds but is definitely there at all times. As with all cotton candy as soon as you put it into your mouth it starts to melt into a pure sugary liquid.

So good. ❤

I got this from a monthly subscription box.

I can’t find these online (please help I want more!!)

Original cost to me – unknown

Calories arn’t noted but most cotton candy from Japan comes in around 50cal so I’m gonna go with that…

Taste rating – 10/10

(I think it tasted perfect and I could eat this daily!)

Thank you for reading!!

I welcome any feedback<3

Pokemon “Taste Evolves” gummy candy – Lotte (round 2)

Time for round two of this treat as I found different flavours avaliable and had to try them 🙂 (find round 1 here… https://tastetokyoblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/pokemon-taste-evolves-gummy-candy-lotte/)

Pokemon “Taste Evolves” gummy candy

This is a limited edition Pokemon candy straight from Japan. Its based on the concept of Pokemon evolutions, and that you get three standard flavours but if they are combined then the taste changes… or evolves…

Two different packaging types this time. We have a bright and cheerful pikachu packet which also features Greninja and the never ageing Pokemon master Ash. But my favourite packet (of course) if the one on the left with Eevee and Sylveon (*≧▽≦)

The bottom of each packet explains the flavours and their combinations but we’ll look at that a little later…

The back of each pack is pretty plain and I would skip over it completely however Theres a cute extra where it shows pokemon and their next form.

For example theres a little Squirtle and Machamp… Do you know thier evolutions (I’m sure you do!) but if you dont or arn’t sure you can check under the flap where their evolutions are shown!

From the moment of opening the bags the smell is absolutely devine.

The candy itself is completely spongey and gummy and the texture of eating one is just like you would expect from any gummy treat. Chewy and really fulfilling!

(*＾ڡ＾*)

Right lets look at the three base flavours:

Grape – Quite a weak grape flavour compared to Japan’s usual representation of the flavour, its not overwhelming at all and if you were given it without the knowledge of it being grape beforehand the you would struggle to plaace the flavour. Still its enjoyable and tasty.

Pineapple – Absolutely wonderful!! It tastes just like pineapple but isn’t too strong. Its fruity and rich whilst also tasting almost a little creamy. Well done Japan!

Peach – Now im a big fan of peach and to me this tasted amazing, I think that if you wern’t a huge peach lover you may find it a little disappointing however its the subtle floral fragrances that make peach so try to focus really hard when eating it and I’m sure you’ll love it too!!

Now that the base flavours are covered lets get our our evolution stones and give it a go…

Grape + Peach = Strawberry     – I didn’t really get this mixture, it wasn’t particuarly strawberry’y at all which was a bit strange as the last set all kinda tasted as they were supposed to. It wasn’t a bad taste but it was more grape with a hint of floral/peach.

Peach + Pineapple = Mango      – This worked perfectly!! It really was just like I had popped a mango sweet in my mouth, the flavour came through quite strong and rich with that slight sharpness that you expect from Mango. The depth of the pineapple combined really well with the subtle peach.

Pineapple + Grape = Pear      – Again they did it really well, the taste of Pear is never particuarly overwhelming which is good as the taste that you get from these two isn’t either but its still defnitely a light Pear taste. The pineappe hid the grape really well!

I got these from eBay (~˘▾˘)~

You can get two bags for $8.50 delivered here which I don’t think is too bad! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Taste-Evolves-Pokemon-Gummy-soft-candy-LOTTE-Japan-LIMITED-2-Sweet-packs-/221668258694?hash=item339c753386:g:fX4AAMXQfvlSmZWc

Original cost to me – $4.50

11 calories per individual sweet

Taste rating – 9/10

(Would have been perfect if it wasn’t for that one combination that wasn’t quite right.)

Thank you for reading!!

I welcome any feedback<3

Purple Potato KitKat – Nestle

Yet another weird and mysterious flavour from Japan.

Purple Potato KitKat

These are not only a weird flavour but they are also limited edition and are only avaliable in Okinawa. They are avaliable in small box’s of 5 (as pictured) or bigger gift boxes of 12.

The design follows suit with all of the other KitKat boxes from Japan. Its a lovely rich purply-pink colour and features images of tropical flowers are scenery – well Okinawa is a beach island after all!

 Japan is big on omiyage and so on the back of their packaging they almost always include a message section so tha they are easy to give as gifts without having to wrap the box.

Other than the message section the box also features an explination of the Okinawan purple sweet potato. Its best to google it if you want to understand it better – its actually quite interesting.

（⌒▽⌒ゞ

Inside the box there are 5 individual KitKat’s and they look so cute! （＞ｙ＜）

They look adorable with their flowery backdrops and vibrant edges. They also each display their own individual calorie information and message sections so one box of 5 can be split up to cover collegues or family.

Taste time: its… not really like anything I’ve had before. Its kind of like a black jelly tot but with wafer in the middle. Its a little bitter with a weird after taste that lingers in your mouth even after the smallest bite.

Its kinda plesent but also not. I wouldn’t want to eat a whole KitKat let alone a whole box. I wouldn’t want people to be put off from buying them but I’d search around and get one on its own before comitting to a lot in one go.

(๑•̥̥̥́ω•̀ू๑)

I bought them from Yahoo Japan Auctions a few months ago.

I can’t find a box smaller than 12 on eBay – If you want that many you can get them here… http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kit-Kat-Japan-Purple-Potato-12-mini-bars-from-Nestle-Japan-/272187612835?hash=item3f5fa55ea3:g:cvwAAOSwxcRW9ll2

Original cost to me – 450yen

64 calories per individual KitKat

Taste rating –4/10

(I’m all up for new weird flavours but this was a little too much for me)

Thank you for reading!! I welcome any feedback<3

Dried Ramen Noodles Chicken Flavour – BabyStar

A yummy snack that is well known for being the perfect accompaniment for beer in Japan

Dried Ramen Noodles by BabyStar

Todays item was actually a free gift that I got alongside something else I bought however its quite big and I photographed it incase and after trying im glad I did as it deserved its own review.

The front is so cute! I love the adorable school child mascot – The packaging is both plain and yet interesting. Although its mainly red and white and therefor almost looks like the “bargain” items from the supermarket but it also has a feeling of excitement at eating something in such well designed packaging.

Not much to say on the back except that there is a pannel that looks interesting in the bottom right-hand corner…

Lets take a closer look.

Cute illustrations on how to enjoy!

“Can eat by hand” “Can eat from bag” “Suits the time when drink beer or tea”

 (ノ〝∩｡∩)ﾉ Adorable.

Time to eat some!! *yay*

The noodles themselves smell lightly of chicken but its not very distinct and if you didn’t know that it was their flavour you wouldn’t know from the smell.

They are very small and thin and come pouring out of the bag when opened – they are hard to the touch and resemble what you would get in a bombay mix.

If you eat one alone it tastes pretty much of nothing with a weak chicken aftertaste.. But when you eat multiple together (4+) then they taste wonderful. Like a well cooked roast chicken that has been in a broth for a while, they almost disolve in your mouth and are super more-ish!!

I got them for free with another item – woo!

You can get them on ebay in sets of 4 bags (please note that they are half the size of the bag that im reviewing!) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Baby-Star-Ramen-Dried-Noodle-Snacks-Chicken-Flavors-23gx4pcs-From-Japan-/281617258976?hash=item4191b259e0:g:Q0IAAOSweW5U2agi

Original cost to me – free 🙂

230.4 calories per pack – 45 gram bag

Taste rating – 10/10

(I could happily eat these a couple of times a month, very good but high in calories.)

Thank you for reading!! I welcome any feedback<3

Petit Kuma Caramel Wheat Crackers

Another savory snack today from the petit kuma family…

Petit Kuma Caramel Wheat Crackers

I found their packaging quite enticing, its not usual that I find items from Japan that come in a goldy/yellowy packaging and if im completely honest that was the selling point for me!

We have the little Kuma himself showing up on the front a couple of times and also a nice visual of melting caramel further down the packet. I didn’t know what wheat crackers were and the image on the front doesn’t really answer that question for me either so lets continue… o(^▽^)o

Not much to say about the back, same images as the front with all of the nice vital information squished in aswell.

Moving swiftly on lets look inside

(ﾉ･ｪ･)ﾉ

When the packaging is opened it then allows you to pull out a clear tray which is loaded with lots of individual curcular bites. There are 20+ per pack which is a fairly good haul i’d say.

They sell SO sweet, definitely one of the sweetest things to have ever passed by me, I wouldn’t advise smelling before eating as its a bit off-putting.

Each indivudual round is hard and completely firm to the touch. They appear to look around the same consistancy as bread straight from the oven. The front half appears more “pourus” than the back as if they have been coated from the top and then left to drain through.

Taste time…  б（＞ε＜）∂

They are nice! Crunchy and a little chewy yet they almost disolve in your mouth. The caramel flavour itself isn’t overwhelming but is definitely there, its a really nice sweet version of caramel and is recogniseable to the western pallette. Yum.

I grabbed then on eBay as they keep popping up super cheap

However I can’t find any avaliable at the moment (boo!!)

Original cost to me – $1.90

163 calories per pack

Taste rating – 8.5/10

(Yummy but because of the texture I wouldn’t want them all the time)

Thank you for reading!! I welcome any feedback<3

Tyrant Habanero Hot Potato Rings – Tohato

I’m a big fan of anything spicey so the idea of this snack appeals to me greatly…

Tyrant Habanero “Who came back”

The packaging looks really dark and not traditionally appealing… unless you are always on the look out for things to blow your taste buds.

I think because hes the tyrant who “came back” and the reference to 2013 means that this was a line of products avaliable a while ago which has made a come-back.

The design is very simple and uses warm, hot colours to draw you in. The tyrant himself is also a bit cute (though I don’t think he means to be!)

Colour contrast to the front the back is completely white, I like that that they have done it this way rather than trying to continue the black setting and the writing being in white and hard to read.

Not really much else to say about the back so lets move on…

(‡▼益▼)

As soon as I cut the bag along the top you can smell this rich strong smell of spice, it isn’t really one specifically but my mouth is ready for this.

There are lots and lots and lots of little individual rings inside, they are a deep orangy yellow colour – much darker than you would usually expect.

Right im ready, time to taste…

(╬⓪益⓪)

SO GOOD.

They are thin and crispy, not too thick and they have a really nice slightly rough texture. The flavour is phenomonal. You can put one in your mouth, chew it, swallow it and only then does it kick in. The aftertaste is intense and sets your mouth on fire – but it makes you want to go back for more immediately!!

I bought some on ebay and then I also got some as part of a monthly subscription box (bonus!!)

Lots of different listings on eBay, this is the cheapest for one bag but you can buy multiple bags for discounts – http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/came-back-Tyrant-Habanero-56g-Tohato-F-S-Japan-Snack-/161705938358?hash=item25a66ccdb6:g:9h8AAOSwBahVVeV-

Original cost to me – $5.70

302.8 calories per bag

Taste rating – 10/10

(I think these are perfect but I am a big fan of spice!)

Thank you for reading!! I welcome any feedback<3

Gochi Grape – meiji

A new flavour from a brand that I’ve tried and enjoyed before..

Gochi Grape ♥

The packaging is so cute and such a lovely inviting colour it really draws you to it on the shelf. Gochi have really well designed packaging, the balance between txt and pictures works well and I personally think that the mixture of English and Japanese txt works well.

On the back weget another look at those juicy looking grapes

ꉂ (๑ › ₃ ू‹)₋₃

Whilst like a lot of Japanese sweetie packets it is full of data and statistics on the back it doesn’t feel like it is just that at all, it feels interesting and your attention on the information is drawn away as it melts into the background colour.

The sweets themselves are a bit disappointing when you compare them to the packaging as they look a little grey and lifeless but I guess a bright pink sweet might have been a bit too much!!

Along with the colour they smell a little bitter and offputting aswell however they feel very squishy and soft and are coated in what looks like a thick grain sugar.

Thats enough describing… lets try!

When you bite in it’s quite hard and needs quite a bit of tooth strength in order to get though in one swoop.

However the taste outweights this, its both sweet from the sugar coating but also bitter from the very overpowering taste of grape from the inside. It goes together well and mixes for an enjoyable sweet that if sucked instead of chewed lasts absolutely ages!

I honestly can’t remember where I got these but I think around the price I’ve stated below (*･▽･*)

Found them on eBay! – http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Meiji-GOCHI-GUMMY-CANDY-Grape-Flavor-VERY-tasty-JAPANESE-candy-Collagen-3900-mg-/121361523697?hash=item1c41b5e3f1:g:njAAAOSwq5lTmGlA

Original cost to me – $4.50

178 calories per pack

Taste rating – 8.5/10

(Yummy and grapey but I’d prefer slightly less bitter.)

Thank you for reading!! I welcome any feedback<3

Peko x Hello Kitty ice cream milky chocolate – Fujiya

A new treat today featuring two cute mascots…

Peko x Hello Kitty Ice Cream Chocolate

Before we go into the treat itself I just want to clear up any misunderstandings, in the UK we call it ice cream however in Japan it would be “soft cream”.

Right lets get into it now! (ノ^_^)ノ

There have been quite a few product collaborations between these two characters and they are usually adorable, this is no exception. The front of the package is bright and colourful and eye catching yet it only uses 3 main colours. I love how interesting it is and the different expressions!!

Whilst the front is interesting the back is… less so…

Its plain and simple with a little Peko and Hello kitty, lots of writing and factual information and a hint of whats to come inside awell.

When you open the flap at the front of the box theres a surprise waiting inside! Peko and Hello Kitty are waiting to ask you some questions.

Such a cute touch!!

o(*^▽^*)o

For anyone interested the answer is below!

I need to apologise as I completely forgot to take a picture of the foil packaging that the chocolate was in, its silver and blue metalic and features the same images as the front of the box.

But more important than the packaging we have the chocolate itself!! You get 12 individual squares inside each box and there are 4 different designs. A four leaf clover, Peko, Poko and a cute little doggie!

I can’t wait anymore, time to try them…

Taste = (●♡∀♡))ヾ☆*。

The chocolate on the outside it rich and smooth – its also fairly thick which means that the taste comes across really well.  Its incredibly more-ish alone but is paired beautifully with the creamy white insides. Its a little fluffy and melts in your mouth.

Whilst the chocolate is plain and rich the inside tastes like the smoothest vanilla ice cream. Its a perfect strong taste and because of this surprisingly it doesn’t make you want to eat the whole box in one go.

I asked for these for christmas but didn’t get them so went out and bought them anyway!

I havn’t been able to find them still in stock yet, the last pack sold on eBay on the 18th March, but I would keep searching “Hello Peko Milky” I’m sure they will pop up again soon!

Original cost to me – $4.50

242 calories per box (21 calories per square)

Taste rating – 10/10

(I love ice cream so much, its the perfect winter treat as it doesn’t make you cold!)

Thank you for reading!! I welcome any feedback