Sankaku Crackers

Not exactly sure what these are, but at a price of 30 cents I couldn't go that wrong right? Okay so they're not a staple Japanese snack or anything, but Sankaku means triangle, so these are going to be triangle shaped, and have a vegetable flavor consisting of broccoli, tomato, and carrot if the package is any indication.

Already I'm liking the packaging of these crackers. They're in a plastic tray so there's no mess in my den and even quite neatly arranged for being jostled around in shipping. They also look quite delectable. Each one has horizontal marks as if they were cooked on a grill, and there is a nice brown on all the edges. I don't see too much of a trace of vegetables, but I do smell them. They're faint but I can pick out hints of each of them in the scent. Does that mean my sniffer is getting better, or that these are well made?

As it turns out they're quite well made. The texture is almost exactly like Ritz crackers - buttery and a crispy outer edge that then breaks away into flaky goodness as it dissolves. You don't taste the veggies at first, but then as the cracker goes down you can get all their flavors. It's subtle but a perfect match for all the other flavors, brings to mind a stir fry where they're covered in a buttery sauce. Really, I can't stop eating these, they have all the addictiveness of some of the best American crackers! While they don't need it, I can imagine putting them in some sort of dipping sauce to up the flavor and texture component even more. But I'm not sure what would be best... ranch? Tonkatsu? Who knows. But these are a steal and quite the surprise at only 30 cents!

Rating: 9 - Arooooo!

Veggie Salad Umaibo

These umaibos never cease to surprise me. Every time I get a flavor where I think "it's going to taste like THAT!?" and it turns out being really good. At this point they could probably make a peanut butter squid (shoutouts to Shokugeki no Soma) umaibo and it would be the most heavenly thing ever. This flavor is not so much out there as maybe a bit on the unappealing side. Especially for me. I'm used to meat, what kind of canine feasts on vegetables?

What lies inside is... surprising to say the least given the description. It looks and smells more like a cheese umaibo funny enough, with the bright orange color and even a bit of a cheesy smell. The info booklet for the box though does say that Japanese salads come with a variety of tastes. Is this one of them?

The taste is also more cheesy than anything but I can definitely see where the veggie salad component of this comes from. I definitely do get a hodgepodge of other flavors in there. As usual I'm enjoying the crunch but also fluffy texture of the umaibo, it pairs well with the cheesy veggie flavors. Although I was expecting a bit of a weirder flavor so I am slightly down in that regard, this is still tasty in its own right. In general though this could use some stronger flavors--besides the already faint cheese flavor I don't really get too much of any flavor here. The texture and flavor that's there is nice as always, but definitely needs a bit more of a punch.

Rating: 5 - Ruff!