Sometimes Foodie

Peacock Custard Wafer Roll - Asian Food Market : Cherry Hill, NJ

I was never a big fan of pudding, until I tried those pudding flavored marshmallows from the Asian food market. Now, I try to look for pudding flavored everything! I saw these custard-wafers and I was really hoping that they would be delicious.

The packaging is VERY busy. The top of the package has photos of ice, the wafer-roll-cookies, and bold red text. The packaging is very overwhelming, also, why is there ice?

Opening the package, I smelled coconut right away. There was no indication of coconut flavoring on the package, but the smell is VERY strong. (The package listed coconut oil as the first ingredient.) The custard filling has a buttery smell to it, but it is had to smell it over the coconut.

Taking a bite, the wafer is crisp and VERY coconut-y. If I hadn’t seen the package I would have thought that these were coconut cookies, not custard cookies. The filling inside the cookie was very light and airy. The creme dissolves instantly in my mouth and leaves a light custard flavor, but when eaten together with the cookie the coconut really overpowers everything else.

These cookies were alright, but they were coconut. Not custard. I wouldn’t buy these again

Photos© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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LOOK (Peach Nectar)- Asian Food Market : Cherry Hill, NJ

Another yummy find from the Asian Food Market. If you haven’t had one before, nectar drinks are usually VERY sweet fruity beverages. I have had a few flavors and every single one was extremely sweet, almost to the point of being a syrup!

Now, I am not so keen on drinking syrupy sweet candy-liquid, but I like the idea of it being in my candy! (Yum.)

The packaging is a bit large, too big to put in a pocket and a little tricky to open and instantly eat. So this isn’t an easy on-the-go treat, unless you have already opened up the plastic and moved the tray into the cardboard sleeve. The packaging and design make me feel like this is a more grown-up snack. Inside the plastic you get a bunch of little chocolates, each with the letters “L’” “O” “K” to spell out “LOOK”, and I thought that was a cute touch.

When you open up the plastic and actually get to the chocolate, it has a very faint fruity smell. Really, the milk chocolate overpowers any fruity notes.

As I ate them, I am sad to say, you don’t really taste much peach at all. The milk chocolate is very strong, but you do get a nice peachy aftertaste.

These were yummy chocolates, but they don’t deliver the strong peachy flavors I was hoping for.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Kasugai Gummi Sampler (Apple) - Chinatown, PA

I love Kasugai gummies! I have had the honeydew and strawberry flavors before and both were delicious. I have always wanted to try other flavors, but I didn’t want to commit to buying a full-size bag of them. This sampler is the perfect solution to that!

The sampler comes in a long strip with 5 different flavored gummies. In the selection we have: apple, muscat, orange, grape and pineapple. I think this is a nice collection of flavors and gives the buyer a decent amount of variety.

To kick things off, I’ll start with apple.

The packet has a nice little portion of candies inside, about 10, and they smell like a fruity white wine. The smell was a bit shocking, since the two flavors I have tried before this had smelled strongly of honey. The apple gummies have a bit of texture, they seem to be very lightly sugared which gives it the texture of a citrus-peel.

Time to taste! They have a soft and bouncy chew. The packaging says “Kasugai’s Gummy has the taste of apple juice,” but you get the strong taste of apple cider. It is a darker, sweeter, apple taste than apple juice. Afterwards, it has a dry almost wine-like finish.

I think these are yummy and different, but I am not a big fan of apple flavored things. I wouldn’t be buying the larger bag of this flavor, but I was happy to give it a try.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Sweety RedBean Ice Cream Bar - Asian Food Market

I love red bean ice cream. I order it every time I see it on the menu, it is creamy, milky, sweet and has a texture you can only get from beans. Bean-based ice cream may sound weird at first, a lot of Asian treats use sweetened red beans, but it is very delicious.

I never had red bean ice cream outside a restaurant, so I was happy to see these bars at The Asian Food Market. The box is simple, and a bit retro looking (with the muted colors and font choices.)

The bar itself isn’t pink like the box art suggests, it is more of a mauve-y color with whole red beans sprinkled through out.

The bars were in my freezer for a little bit too long so they were covered in a few ice crystals, but they still tasted great. The bar is sweet, mild, and milky. As you eat the bar the whole beans add a nice texture to the smooth ice cream. These were really nice!

A nice different summer treat, I highly recommend everyone give red bean ice cream a try!

Photos© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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MaruKawa Bubble Gum - Strawberry flavor

This is my favorite strawberry gum ever. I had it years ago and fell in love with it’s light fruity taste.

I reviewed the melon flavor before, and it is just as amazing.

Each portion of gum is in a little box, and there are 4 little pink gum balls inside.

They don’t have any smell, but that is typical for gumballs.

When you taste them…they actually taste like strawberry. Not Nesquick or artificial strawberry….but STRAWBERRY! It has a little tartness to it, just like the real berries, and is very authentically fruity.

Sadly, like Fruit Stripe gum, the flavor doesn’t last forever. It fades quickly into a generically sweet gum.

I love this gum, it has a wonderful flavor, a soft bouncy chew and comes in cute little portioned packs. I think it’s fantastic and a must-try!

Photos© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Chocorooms Meiji

More Meiji goodness! My sister grabbed these at a Five Below of all places! Weird.

I had seen these around on the net and they are so freaking cute!

They are little cookie stems, which taste very similar to Pocky, and a fudgy milk chocolate topper. The topper doesn’t taste like Pocky chocolate, more like the Meiji Choco Baby chocolate.

These are super cute and very yummy. I highly recommend them!

Photos© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Meiji Sampler (1 of 2 sets) - Chocolate Marble

The last candy from my first Meiji sampler, Meiji Marble. It’s sort of like M&M’s. A hard candy shell coats a little dollop of milk chocolate.

The chocolate is a sweet milk chocolate, a bit richer than the chocolate in M&M’s, with more of a chocolate pudding flavor. It is deeper and richer than milk chocolate M&M’s, and I really like it a lot.

These are fantastic, and I would buy these over Milk Chocolate M&M’s any day.

The other candies in my other Meiji sampler are on the way!

Photos© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net
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Meiji Sampler (1 of 2 sets) - Choco Baby

I have seen these on the net, on Emmymadeinjapan and RRCherrypie which are some of my youtube addictions, but I had never had them.

I assumed they were some hard chocolate candy, almost like a chocolate Tic-Tac. I was wrong!

These are delicious, soft, fudgey chocolate bits. They have a shiny waxy coating that prevents them from melting in your hands, and have a soft fudgy inside. They are milk chocolatey and wonderful!

If you see these around, give them a try! You’ll be surprised.

The other candies in the sampler are on the way!

Photos© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net
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Meiji Sampler (1 of 2 sets) - Coffee Beat

First of all, these are amazing. The packaging is adorable!

Look at the little mouse wearing a hat! It’s so cute my heart wants to explode!

The candies look just like chocolate covered coffee beans with a smooth glossy finish.

I took a bite…and they are delicious! Just like a mocha latte! The outside has a nice crunch, and inside is a fudgy chocolate coffee center than melts on your tongue.

My coffee-addicted boyfriend will love these. If I saw a larger size I would definitely pick it up. These are delicious!

Photos© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net
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Meiji Sampler (1 of 2 sets) - Strawberry Marble

The Meiji samplers are so adorable, they are perfect little portion sizes for a snack on the go and allow you to try candies before you commit to larger quantities of them. I wish American candies would make some of these sets!

Each package shows what it is on the front, with a photo of the candy and an adorable little mascot/image. On the backs we have letters of the alphabet and words. Great for kids. (Although I think the word ‘Yacht’ was a little out of place in this set.)

I started with the first item in the package, the Meiji Strawberry Marble candies. These are large candy coated white chocolates that are flavored like strawberry. They are much larger than traditional M&M’s, and more like the size of the specialty M&M’s (Like the coconut ones I reviewed here)

They are lovely colors, and are a bit muted compared to our ultra bright candy palette here in the US.

Taste-wise, these have the same super artificial taste as the Strawberry Marshmallow Meiji bar. The flavor is a yogurt-y perfume-y strawberry, but finishes with a creamy white chocolate aftertaste. I think there are actual strawberry seeds in the chocolates as well, there is some sort of grainy colored texture inside.

I wasn’t so keen on the flavor, and I don’t think I would buy a larger box of these, but I would buy them in the Meiji sampler again.

The other candies in the sampler are on the way!

Photos© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net
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Meiji Chocolate Bar with Strawberry Marshmallow filling (Review)

I LOVE this package. I think it is insanely cute and alluring. I couldn’t help but pick it up.

I opened up the package and even the bag inside is adorable (and it keep the chocolate very fresh!) The bar smells like milky chocolate with a hint of artificial strawberry and a tangyness I can’t quite place. Somewhat like plain unflavored yogurt….

The chocolate melts instantly on your tongue, the yogurty tang seems to come from the chocolate itself and not the strawberries. The strawberry marshmallows are extremely artificial. It tastes the way those sickening fruity kiddy perfumes smell. Ick.

Taste-wise this chocolate bar isn’t that great, and I wouldn’t buy it again…but I ADORE this packaging. I might buy it again just to have the box forever. But I’m weird like that…

Photos© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Mikado, Cherry Hill NJ

My friend Kevin came by a few days ago and asked me to go to Mikado with him. Mikado has sushi, curry and all sorts of yummy treats.

I ordered the veggie curry with white rice and a green salad. They brought out this cold noodle appetizer (first picture) and it was delicious! I am not sure what it is, next time I’ll have to ask.Normally, I HATE ginger, I really dislike the strong flavor it has, but the salad comes with a ginger-based dressing that is to die for. My friend drank the remaining dressing out of his own bowl before. THAT good.

The food was delicious, and my only complaint is that you eat in the dark. Seriously it is almost pitch black inside the restaurant which makes it difficult to take photos. That first photo is NOT doctored at all. It was so dark inside that place.

If you see a Mikado around, give it a try!

Photos© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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