While we were in Tokyo, I was checking out McDonalds to check for items not available in North America. One of those items was the Sankaku Choco Pie available for a limited time only.
It is essentially a chocolate-filled croissant. In North America, it’s usually apple pies that you see and a few limited edition flavours. It’s the first time I’ve seen a croissant pie. The box is bright red and shaped like the Pizza Hut roof on their iconic restaurants.
The exterior has a somewhat crispiness to it, but it was very oily. Not sure if it sat around for a while, but the first few layers were crisp and then the rest was limp.
Hiding inside is like chocolate hazelnut spread similar to Nutella. It is really rich and decadent. The Sankaku Choco Pie is very messy to eat, so the crumbs will get everywhere. You’ll need to eat it carefully so it doesn’t end up on your clothes or lap.
PABLO in Japan, is known for their rich and decadent cheese tarts. While we were in Japan, they were having a collaboration with Hello Kitty to celebrate their 45th Anniversary.
We were walking by exploring Shinsaibashi in Osaka and saw this collaboration, so we had to order their 2 special items – Hello Kitty’s Apple Pie and Mini Hello Kitty Cheese Tart. You can find the Hello Kitty’s Apple Pie at various PABLO locations, but the Mini Hello Kitty Cheese Tart can only be found in Shinsaibashi.
These are only available November 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019. Thus, limited time only, so if you’re a Hello Kitty fan, check it out.
Hello Kitty’s Apple Pie
The Hello Kitty Apple Pie has a smooth cream cheese filling in a flaky crust and then topped with apple jam, caramel and cinnamon. Then there is an image of Hello Kitty baking some tarts. Each piece is 350 yen.
I got one of the Hello Kitty Apple Pie to eat later in the evening and it was sweet because of the caramel and apple topping. It was alright but would be too much to have more than one.
Shinsaibashi Exclusive – Mini Hello Kitty Cheese Tart
Small Hello Kitty Cheese Tart is available for 490 yen per piece. It comes in this custom cardboard box that houses the small cheese tart.
The cheese tart is the same as their regular cheese tart but just with the Hello Kitty stamp instead of the PABLO stamp.
The ones on display had perfect Hello Kitty stamp, but the one we got was poorly done. Perhaps they were in a rush to get them all made as there was a huge line up out the door. It did bother me that the stamp was off centered and not fully imprinted. If I was giving this to someone else as a gift, it would be a bit disappointing.
The Cheese Tart itself was good and very decadent and rich. Very delicious.
Final Thoughts
Of the two, my favourite was the Mini Hello Kitty Cheese Tart. If you miss this limited time collaboration, don’t worry, just get the regular cheese tart as it tastes the same, just no Hello Kitty stamp.
While I was in Japan, Starbucks just released their holiday frappuccino – Merry Strawberry Cake Frappuccino. It is dessert-filled crumb with sponge cake crumbs, red strawberry sauce, sponge cake-flavored base and topped with whipped cream and freeze-dried strawberry.
You can see the 3 layers in the cold version of this drink. They do have a hot version of this drink but I felt it was too weird. Some say it tastes like a Nesquick’s strawberry milk.
There are many ways to customize this drink too. You can swap the milk with soy milk if you’re lactose intolerant. You can also request more strawberry sauce at no extra charge.
I got my frappuccino as a tall with all the standard sugar and ice levels. Upon first sip, it tasted like a regular strawberry cream frappuccino with bite of the cake crumbs. The strawberry sauce is sweet.
Perhaps getting it less sweet is better, but I didn’t think this was that special of a taste unless you love strawberries.
I love finding new drinks at Starbucks around the world. When I was on my 2 week Japan trip, I saw that they were offering Yuzu Citrus & Tea on the menu. It’s a permanent item on the menu and I had to give it a try as it’s not available in North America.
You can get this drink in Short, Tall, Grande and Venti. Iced and hot options are available.
I went to their Uji, Kyoto location and it’s a fantastic space. One of the most tranquil Starbucks I’ve been to. It has even won awards for its design. If you’re ever in a foreign country, you’ll definitely find a Starbucks somewhere.
Yuzu Citrus Tea ゆず シトラス & ティー
I got my drink iced and in a tall size. I just wanted a taste without having a big cup of it. The drink has citrus fruits like pink grapefruit, and Japanese yuzu peels to create this drink. The base of the iced version is black tea, while the hot version uses English breakfast.
Upon first sip, you do set the sweetness from the citrus, and when you bite onto the yuzu peels, it give a bitter tang to the drink. It’s a pretty refreshing drink and if you’re in Japan, give it a try. I would get it less sweet next time.
As you can tell with my cup, since it’s November, all the Holiday cups has rolled out. hahaha.
Sweets – 15 different kinds of weird and wonderful Japanese sweets
Ramen + Sweets Mix – 2 bowls of noodles and 6 – 7 sweet and savoury snacks
Stationery – 10 kawaii and high-quality stationery products from Japan’s top brands
When ZenPop Japan approached me to review their subscription box service, I knew I wanted to check out their box dedicated to ramen. I am all about the ramen life.
Pricing
The plan starts at $27 USD with free international shipping. It’s pretty good that shipping is included as other subscription box services charge for that extra. With 7 ramen inside the pack, it is just under $4 USD per noodle.
It is more expensive than what you would find in a grocery store, but depending on where you live, Japanese ramen noodles may be hard to find. Plus, it’s exciting to try something new that you wouldn’t normally pick up.
Ramen Pack
The box I got was for October 2019 and the theme was Southern Japan. There were 3 varieties of Tonkotsu, which is from Fukuoka. Then 2 bows of Chanpon, a regional dish of Nagasaki, and then one from Osaka.
CupStar Tonkotsu Ramen
From the packaging, I wasn’t expecting much but this was one of my favourites. It has onion, garlic and ginger with the rich pork bone broth. It has a depth of flavour which I really enjoyed. There is also diced pork bits, roasted sesame seeds, scallions, and wood ear mushroom for added flavour and texture. I would definitely get this again if I saw it in a store.
Maru-uma Tonkotsu Ramen
This was surprisingly good. You get the aroma of the pork bone and veggie extracts when it’s cooking. The toppings – wood ear mushroom, sesame seeds, scallions, and red pickled ginger was very enjoyable.
Hyoubanya Koku Tonkotsu
The broth is light flavoured compared to the other ones in this package. It is topped with chashu bits and scallions. You can even make a boiled egg and add it into the bowl.
It was a decent ramen, but not my favourites as I personally prefer richer broths.
Men Dining Chanpon
This is a Chinese inspired noodle dish from Nagasaki prefecture in Kyushu. The noodles are smooth and in the rich soup with white and black pepper. There are also bits of cabbage, kamaboko, and wood ear mushroom. It was decent, but hard for an instant noodle to recreate the felling of this dish.
Seimen Yasai Chanpon
The noodles have a different texture that is soft and chewy. Just make sure not to overcook this instant noodle. The broth has pork, chicken and seafood so it’s unique. You’ll also find toppings like cabbage, onions, scallions, snap peas, carrots, squid, kamaboko, and wood ear mushrooms. To enhance the taste, they suggest adding a few drops of spicy sesame oil if you have any.
Sugo Negi Miso Ramen
This is the most popular ramen from the Sugomen collections. They have a special process of making the noodles and it’s not fried like other ramen noodles on the market. The noodles has a nice texture but the broth wasn’t my favourite as I generally tend to not love miso based ramen broths. Just a personal preference as I find it too salty.
Okonomiyaki Sauce Yakisoba
This was fun to try out as it was different than all the ramen in the pack. Very fancy packaging and way to prepare this. It’s a dry noodle, so you need to pour out the water after the noodles cook. Then all the sauce and toppings go into it.
It definitely had the aroma of okonomiyaki with the ginger and cabbage pieces.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it was an adventure going through all the noodles. 7 ramen was perfect for the month. The subscription boxes aren’t for everyone, but its great for those who are instant noodle fanatics who don’t have a good amount of selection in their local grocery store.
Where I live, I have tons of ramen options, but they don’t carry all the instant ramen from Japan. ZenPop was a great way to discover some new styles and brands. Instructions were easy to follow and made for a quick meal.
Now, I’m ready for my Japan trip, which is just a few days away.
