Meiji Takenoko no Sato Cookies & Cream

 

This is definitely one of the things I was looking forward to in this box, because I loved the original Takenoko no Sato. It's one of those snacks that nails every avenue, with it's nice rich semi sweet chocolate flavor with a nice sweet crunchy biscuit backing it on the inside. And this one steps it up a notch with a cookies & cream flavor! It's also a limited edition flavor, so this won't always be around sadly.

One of the things I didn't catch from the box is this actually seems to be the reverse of the snack I had earlier! There's chocolate biscuit on the inside this time and vanilla with cookies coating on the outside. I quite like this variation in textures from an idea standpoint. The smell is also absolutely tantalizing, it smells like an Oreo except the cream filling is even more pronounced than normal, being on the outside.

To my surprise, the coating is even softer than expected. My teeth slice right through the vanilla frosting, and it's incredibly creamy, having somewhat of a milky taste to it. The chocolate inside too is surprisingly soft, not as soft as the outside, but I quite like it. This means the whole thing really gels together and blends into cookies & cream goodness. One of my favorite textural touches in this is how the top point of this is entirely frosting so there's one bit of really soft cream that makes the whole thing just that more enjoyable to eat.

Just like an Oreo though neither of these components is exceptionally great alone (yes I'm looking at you cream-lickers), but together they form something really special. The creamy frosting would be too sweet and one note if not backed by the less sweet chocolate filling. The only thing holding this snack back is like the other one, the dryness of it. But the flavor combination is incredible, as is the texture variety, and it's so great that I think I can give it a perfect mark. Oreo could certainly learn a lesson here!

Rating; 10 - AWOOOOOOO!!!

Pakkuncho Disney Custard Pudding Biscuits

Two pudding snacks in this month's TokyoTreat? Double the arooo! This also seems to be a limited edition snack so if I like it, better try it now while it's still around. There are also some nice Disney easter designs on thiese, this one with Donald... holding an egg with his tail? Maybe I could be the package mascot if I was able to do that, better get onto training.

Not only do the biscuits in side smell great but they have some great designs on them as well. I can only name two of the characters on these for sure, I think the top left is Peter Pan and the bottom right is Zazu? There must be a variety of designs on here for a more obscure character like Zazu to be on them, so kudos to Disney for the great variety. The pudding smell from these is absolutely tantalizing and onto of that a fresh baked cookie smell, mmm.

The custard filling in these cookies is a little more liquid than the other snack in this box which is always appreciated. Still not incredibly runny but enough to melt around the cookie in my mouth and create a great mix of flavors. The cookie also complements the custard well, having a little more substance to it. The custard flavor doesn't come out as much as I'd like it to though, and it feels like this snack is missing something... maybe a bit of caramel? Feels a bit empty, and after eating all of these, I don't feel very satisfied. They also have a very dry taste. That being said, this is still pudding and delicious cookie flavor with a satisfying crunch, but it could be so much more.

Rating: 6 - Aruff!

Pandaro Melon Bread Cookie

This snack comes at a very convenient time because I just watched an episode of the anime Yakitate!! Japan all about melon bread and after seeing that I couldn't not go for the melon bread snack first thing when I opened this box. By the way if you love baking, go watch that anime, it's quite stellar and I'm learning a ton about bread. And licking my lips the whole time. But now, let's dive in! A small cookie, hopefully it packs tons of melon flavor.

First impressions are good. The cookie has a really cute panda face, and has some green in it to represent the melon. But the smell is absolutely tantalizing! I didn't get how melon bread was supposed to work watching the anime, but I certainly do now. It's primarily a butter smell but with the fruity tangy accent of the melon. It all makes sense, this could supply the one thing butter cookies are missing which is flavor depth. I can't wait any longer to dig in.

I get pretty much everything I was expecting from the cookie. It has a strong butter flavor, and while I'm not a fan of melon normally, it's the perfect accent here, adding some tanginess to contrast the stark sweetness and richness. And none of that annoying watered down nonsense.

Although the texture of the cookie is slightly disappointing. I would've liked this to be a bit softer. One of the things melon bread seemed to be known for is the combination of fluffy bread and crispy cookie but all we get here is cookie. It means too that the depth of flavor doesn't last quite long enough or really melt in my mouth too well. Good start, but mostly it just had me craving real melon bread. I have to find some!

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Ginbis Ginza Rusk Strawberry

First up in the TokyoTreat box we have Ginza Rusk, which according to the guide is a two-textured snack - wafer on the outside and soft filling on the inside. And it's by Ginbis, who has brought some nice wafer treats this far. This with pure strawberry could get my tail wagging!

Strawberry treats always deliver a strong sensation to my sniffer, and this one delivered it in spades. Such a pleasant aroma putting me in a daze! It's on the sweet side of strawberry smells, kind of smells like strawberry cheesecake, and the lighter color on the cookies also shows that. The cookies also have a pretty nice looking texture, lots of holes promising a light airy taste that should perfectly complement the strawberry flavor.

Cannoli Chips, Cookies & Cream

This snack when I saw it was definitely a puzzler. How can the flavors of cannoli be recreated in a simple chip? Sure there's the shell, but to also have the filling and powdered topping be represented in a single chip would be an extraordinary feat. And this one adds on a cookies and cream flavor, adding onto an already difficult flavor profile to recreate.

Every Burger

And here's another item that I picked up at Nijiya Market simply for the sheer confusion of what it is! I mean, I love sinking my canines into a good burger, and if you can combine that with Japanese snack food, there's no way it can go wrong, right? I'm going to go on a limb here and guess it isn't actually burger flavored, because that would be a little too weird.

First thing to note here is that the box is quite unique in the way it opens! It opens up from the front, leaving a nice invitation to go grab the burgers. I'm not sure if it's supposed to resemble a hamburger box, but either way nice touch!

Tirol Choco Pack

I return! After enjoying the holidays with my pack, it's time to get to trying some candy again, and this time I've got a few things to try. I've heard of these Tirol chocolates for a while now but haven't gotten the chance to try them. Finally a pack appeared at my local Japanese market and I pounced on the opportunity. I love the square wrappers, when you put them together it looks like tiles! Not sure how to describe it, almost like a retro vibe. And I'm certainly excited to try the cookies & cream flavor, I love that Hershey's cookies and cream bar!

Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

It hasn't been evident from the things I've reviewed here, but this puppy loves pumpkin. I've probably eaten enough to practically turn into that pumpkin dog from Steven Universe. Pie, cheesecake, butter cake, ice cream, cereal, pasta, you name it. Pumpkin just makes everything better. That's why I pounced on these pumpkin cheesecake cookies in the store. You have to get this stuff while it's there because it all goes away after December making for one sad pup. But hey it's good while it lasts right?

Meiji Hello Panda Matcha Green Tea Creme

Chances are most people who have seen the Asian section in a local supermarket know what Hello Panda is. It's one of the most recognizable snacks, along with Pocky, Hi-Chew, etc. And normally being the curious puppy I am, I like to try the more unique things Japanese snacks have to offer but when I saw at my Japanese market that they made these in matcha flavor I had to try. While I haven't reviewed anything green tea flavored yet, I love this flavor! Whenever I'm baking in the den I always throw some matcha powder into my treats.

Fujiya Home Pie Chocolate

Everything I've got my paws on so far has been from Japan Crate, but thankfully there are also Japanese delights I can go on the hunt for just outside my den. One such place for these is Nijiya Market, a local Japanese store. Walking in here the first time to try some snacks was confusing. I mean c'mon, learning one human speak was hard enough, now I have to learn another to understand what I want to shove in my mouth? Or I can just take risks and buy things. This particular item was a half-risk. I saw the word pie and I love me some pie, and there's chocolate, so among things I didn't understand I pounced on this one.