made in yokohama

Every time I am in line at Union Supermarket, I have been interested in trying these sweets that are "Made in Yokohama"

Yokohama Caramel...these are actually made by Donan Foods who makes a lot of Meiji brand candies in Hakodate, Hokkaido…269 yen plus tax

They are kinda hard, kinda chewy, so it is probably best to let them melt in your mouth, unless you don't mind it sticking to your teeth

Blue Dal, a dalmation character with blue dots represents Yokohama

the blue is Yokohama's colors 

chocolate pieces covered in various white, light blue and dark blue chocolate shells

These are made by Shikoku Meiji…180 yen plus tax

These red shoes are actually milk chocolate and represent the story of Kimi chan. 

Her mother moved from Yokohama to Hokkaido to work there but could not bring Kimi chan with her.

She instead left Kimi chan with a church related group who would take Kimi chan with them to America

Unfortunately Kimi chan died from TB (tuberculosis) before going to America 

Apparently there is a statue of Kimi chan near the beach in San Diego, California. San Diego is the sister city of Yokohama.

There is a song that was written about Kimi chan called "Akai Kutsu" (red shoes), Satoshi could sing the song, but hadn't known about the story behind it

The chocolate is not made in Yokohama but by Akutagawa Seika, which we tried before…320 yen plus tax

Unfortunately none of these sweets were made in Yokohama...I guess I should've titled this post "made for Yokohama"?!

Still, glad we got to try these.

super big choco

The other day, I was out looking for these Sanrio Ziploc containers

We have many drug stores, supermarkets, DIY shops in our neighborhood, so it is sometimes easy to find things like this

After checking several places, I finally found them at one of the two Don Quixotes (Donki) that we have in our neighborhood.

Can you believe one Donki was selling them at 100 yen more?!

Anyway, when I was just about to enter Donki, a guy was outside eating this huge chocolate bar...

I couldn't find it inside the Donki I was at, so when I was at a different location, I managed to pick one up

Satoshi and I shared this...it was huge! like 10 inches long

The inside is like an airy a little salty corn snack...it reminded me of ka-ru (cheese puff minus the cheese) covered in milk chocolate

Dunno that I would buy this again, but I'm glad we got to try this

ruby

I first heard about the Ruby Kit Kat from Rowena of Rubber Slippers In Italy.

I was a bit leery of the whole thing because most of the flavored Kit Kats in Japan are basically white chocolate based with the various flavors added/mixed in.

So, the other day, I happened to be near a Kit Kat Chocolatory (in some department stores around Japan) and bought one.

At 432 yen (tax included) this is not cheap.

It started off sweet (like white chocolate) then the tartness followed.

Would I buy this again?

Maybe not, but I am glad I tried it.

Thanks for bringing my attention to this Rowena, and I hope you get to try this when it is launched in Europe.

pb m&m's

I really like peanut butter.

But, it can be hard to find here because it isn't too popular.

So, I was really stoked to find some stores bringing in Peanut Butter M&M's...whoo.

I think I've bought 10 of these single serving bags already...eep!

balyet toffee

Last year, Isetan Department Store closed (well most of it did, they kept some restaurants and parts of the food floor open).

Then, earlier this month, Lucua 1100 (pronounced ee-ray) opened in its place.

Lots of shops and also lots of food places too.

One of my friends on social media posted a photo of the toffee she bought, so I went to check it out.

Balyet Toffee is located in the food hall of Lucua 1100.

They make different types of toffee and also pair them with different blends of coffee.

They sell it in 5/8 ounce pieces. I bought some different toffees for us to try.

Pistachio No6...basic toffee with a dark chocolate layer and lots of pistachios.

Allspice & Nibs...basic toffee with a dark chocolate layer, allspice and cacao nibs.

Jumble Peeps...basic toffee with a milk chocolate layer, nuts (pecan, cashew) and orange peel.

I liked how these don't stick to your teeth. My favorite was the pistachio.

I'll be back to check them out again when they change their flavors.

Balyet Toffee (UPDATE: 2/2017 the food hall is no longer there)
Lucua 1100 Food Hall B2
Phone: 06.4301.3802
Open when Lucua 1100 is

chocolate update

UPDATE on these chocolates...some I had tried before, so I will tell you about the ones that I hadn't tried before...

Rochef: Dark chocolate with salted caramel...love!
Dark chocolate with maple sugar...the maple sugar didn't stand out so it tasted more like dark chocolate
Dark chocolate...72%...love!

Cadbury: Curly Wurly...caramel & milk chocolate, be prepared for it to stick on your teeth.
Crunchies...this was a spongy toffee center, kinda like honeycombs?! different texture, but fun!
Wunderbar...think Butterfinger with the addition of caramel...sugar coma!

Trader Joes: Fireworks Bar...love the popping candy effect
PB & J: wow! tastes just like a peanut butter jelly sandwich (with chocolate in it)....love!

Thank you again for these delicious treats!

stash

Part of the stash of candies that I had brought back with me from Hawaii...

Most have been consumed....

The girl scout cookie Nestlès were...meh!

The MEGA M&M...they really were huge! (too bad the store I bought them at only had the plain version)

I enjoyed the Rockin' Nut Road Snickers...like Rocky Road ice cream with caramel in it...

The Birthday Cake M&Ms were way too sweet. And I love mint chocolates, so the M&M version was delicious.

And always a winner...Snickers Peanut Butter Squared.

What are you enjoying these days?

things I'm liking

Random things I'm liking...

This bowl for sauce/dressing.

My Twitter friend H sent this to me recently.

It is made by a potter named Shimizu Kumiko, who is with the Maruhachigama in Tamba.

This type of pottery is called Tachikuiyaki. I like the pretty blue glaze. (Thank you!)

Corn Kim chee Fritters.

Fresh corn, some kim chee, edamame, red bell pepper & some onion added to the fritter batter. So easy and so good (with beer)!

Recipe here

Daruma maguro, which is apparently the young version of Mebachi maguro.

This piece was super tender. Slicing it for poke (po-kay) was like slicing butter!

This came from Chiba, it was 189 grams for 752 yen. Not bad for local. I'm not sure if it was caught in Chiba or farmed.

Super fresh!

Andes salt and pepper Doritos...

look how "black" these chips are!

Not sure as to how they got them this black but they are really peppery!

White Belg by Sapporo.

Super fruity with orange peel and coriander.

Mint candies. I know some people hate this combo, but I love chocolate paired with mint.

Summer is pretty much the only time you see this flavor combo here...

Haagen-Dazs' Green Tea & Chocolate ice cream sandwich.

Chocolate wafer with green tea ice cream and a surprise piece of chocolate in the middle...crispy, yum!

Charles VII Biscuits filled with dark chocolate by Maison Fossier.

The biscuits reminded me of Hawaii's creme cracker and are slathered with dark chocolate...nice!

The coconut cookie from City Bakery.

Super chewy with lots of coconut in it...love!

What are you enjoying these days?

play with your food

I recently found out about these gummies...Puyo Puyo Tetris.

Apparently Puyo Puyo is a game by Sega, and to promote it, they came out with these candies.

By the time I found out about these, most convenience stores didn't have it. I ended up finding it at a nearby 100 yen store...whoo!

Cute, colorful.

A fun way to play with your food...have a nice week!

unreal

Recently found these candies by Unreal, called Unjunked, at Target.

They boast using no corn syrup, no partially hydrogenated oil, no artificial ingredients, no GMO nor preservatives.

I liked the peanut butter cups, the chocolate seemed to be on the darker side.

And I appreciated the peanut butter filling, not like the one I tried the last time I was home.

The chocolate caramel nougat bar was delicious as well.

Similar to a Milky Way bar in taste, it had a lower sugar amount.

The chocolate candy shells were like M & Ms but the colors muted.

I like that they used beetroot juice, turmeric & purple cabbage to color these candies.

They were a bit sweet to me even though they have a lower sugar amount than the M & Ms.

The candies overall are a little smaller than the more "famous" ones, but for a lesser amount of sugar, I think it is a good thing.

I'd definitely buy these again.

things I'm liking (disliking)

Starting with disliking...I had seen this on Candy Blog and wanted to try it.

Well, big disappointment.

The chocolate was bloomed, on top of that the peanut butter was dried out, almost chalky..blah!

I thought maybe it had to do with the expiry date...nope, that was fine. I guess it just didn't travel too well over the Pacific.

Moving onto liking...If you look at my posts on beer, you'll see I prefer the dark beers.

I recently spotted this dark chocolate bar and had to try it.

Vosges' Smoke & Salt Caramel Bar is delicious.

Using Rogue Ale's Chocolate Stout, Alderwood smoked salt, burnt caramel and 70% dark chocolate, the bar has a nice snap and the caramel that oozes out is dark too.

I like the balance between sweet and salty.

Also liking this sesame candy by Joyva.

It is very hard so I would suggest breaking off little pieces and letting the hard candy melt before chewing on the sesame seeds.

And lastly, these Munchies. Jalapeno Cheddar, get ready for orange fingers and the spiciness tickles the back of your throat.

What have you been liking?

fun foods

Some fun foods I found while here...M & M's Snack Mix.

They come in 3 variations, but I only tried 2.

Peanut with roasted almonds, tiny shortbread cookies, and pretzles.

Based on weight, you don't get much from this one.

Plain with roasted peanuts, tiny chocolate chip cookies, and pretzles.

I think you get more for your money here.

Lots of roasted peanuts and pretzles in this.

Overall, these could be made by putting different things together, but it's great because it saves you the time of gathering all the different goodies.

Angry Birds gummies...yup, they're in candy form now.

At $2.25 a box from the snack shop I found this one at, they were totally a rip-off, BUT I haven't seen them anywhere else on the island, so since I wanted to try them, I bought a box.

Lacking green (apple) pigs and black (grape) birds, there were only 2 of each in my bag!

The reds (strawberry & cherry) were plentiful.

I thought the one with most flavor was the yellow (lemon), though there weren't too many yellows nor blues (raspberry).

Are you eating anything fun these days?

random eats (drinks)

Some things I've been eating (and drinking) since I returned to Japan...Drinks...this Tropicana boxed juice.

Last year, I tried a similar item. It had mango, pineapple, grapefruit & papaya, which I wrote about here.

This year the blend is pineapple, lychee, apple, grapefruit, lemon...I like that the lychee flavor is really prominent.

The other day Satoshi had a dentist appointment so while I waited for him, I had this...a Chocopresso at St. Marc Cafe...370 yen (about US$3.70)

Espresso topped with steamed chocolate milk and a dollop of whipped cream, this was good but I wish this place had wi-fi, I could see myself spending more time here.

A strawberry smoothie made by a popular young woman's magazine, "Hanako" and Ohayo, a beverage company.

This was good, lots of strawberry bits in there and not too sweet.

Eats...For dinner, we've been having some spicy foods. The daytime is still rather hot, but surprisingly (and I'll probably jinx myself by saying this) the nights are rather cool and comfortable.

The other night we had goma-iridofu (soy bean curd with sesame seeds) topped with okra (splash of shoyu), and veggies (eringi, corn, red bell pepper, eggplant) with a miso butter sauce.

The original recipe calls for minced pork, but whenever I want to cook it without meat, I just saute the veggies in a little oil then used the measurements for the sauce.

You can find the original recipe here.

Another spicy dish was curry. I usually don't use the roux that comes in a box because most have lard or shortening in them.

I found half a box in my pantry so I wanted to use it up.

This one was really spicy! Made by House Foods, it is called Spicy Blend and the spice level is 5, which is the hottest...talk about mouth on fire.

This photo is of the curry when we had it as leftovers, I put it over spaghetti noodles...mouth still on fire.

Corn from Hokkaido...so sweet.

Butterfinger Snackerz...whenever I go to Hawaii, I always pick up different candies, stuff I can't get in Japan.

This was good, little butterfinger pillows. Nice and crispy.

I also tried Island Princess' Choco Mochi, a chocolate covered arare made in Hawaii...these were bloomed because of the heat but still just as good.

Not only do I bring back candy but snacks too... Island Princess' Royal Crunch...caramel corn, chocolate covered caramel corn and mac nuts...sweet but yummy!

Island Princess' Mochi-Pop...caramel corn with arare (rice crackers)...sweet salty delish!

Lunch at Chabuton because Satoshi just watched the movie "Tampopo" for the first time and needed to soothe a craving for ramen.

It was quite hot this day, so I ordered their Wafu hiyashi torisoba which didn't look like the picture on their menu but tasted oh so good.

Chicken steamed tender, cold noodles, cucumber, sliced radish, grated daikon and myoga (a type of ginger) with a shoyu-based sauce.

Dinner at Chaina...seafood and chingensai (bok choy) sauteed in XO sauce (a spicy seafood sauce)...800 yen (about US$8)

This neighborhood place always serves food that is good, only thing is that the chef cooks alone, so the food does take some time.

Satoshi's at work today, what have you been eating?!