My lovely cousin and Aunt just came back from Hokkaido, Japan as I have mentioned in my last post. They had such a fantastic time from the stories I have heard and pictures I have seen. Hokkaido looks so amazingly beautiful in many ways! Even though I was not there, I could feel the beauty of Hokkaido! And the time of their visit is the Lavender blooming season. How magnificent to see the great landscapes of flowers from their pictures...blooming so beautifully! And the seafood galore I saw from their pictures...Oh my! Being a huge seafood lover, I can't continue blogging having those images on my mind = =" Everything looks so nice and fresh!
"Hokkaido is an island in the northernmost of Japan and its area is 83,456.58km2 consisting of 22% of the total land area of the country. As an island, Hokkaido is currently being the 21th largest islands in the world. There are many attractions of Hokkaido including four distinctive seasons, untouched majestic nature and plenty of great food. Each season has its different characteristics, offering various scenery, activities and food, which have been drawing large number of visitors every year from both domestic and international."
(To learn more about Hokkaido, visit http://en.visit-hokkaido.jp/ )
The ladies bought back a couple of nice stuff (some are mine, yeay!) and they are worth a mention here.
*VERY LONG POST AHEAD*
To describe, it is a premium "sandwich" cookie with white chocolate in the middle. Thin, squarish and highly addictive! And boy, they are famous, really!
The packagings are nicely wrapped in dark blue color wrappers. They are neat and presentable as gifts (such lovely wrapping you don't even need to wrap them if to be given as gifts). And the wrappings are "christmas-sy" feel. There are 2 flavors (white chocolate & milk chocolate), various types (12, 18, 24, 27, 36 & 54 pieces) and two types of storage - in boxes and tins.
The pieces are nicely packed and stacked in a longish lovely-printed tin. There are 3 pieces bundled together for each pack.
LBK'S REVIEWS
Shiroi Koibito
When mention Hokkaido, the famous Shiroi (translated as white lover in English) will come to picture for many people especially those who have tried it. A close friend of mine (big die-hard fan) mentioned about it before and I went all over island of Singapore to search for it. I wanted to try and know why there is hype about it. Unfortunately, it is not available locally and only available in Hokkaido, Narita Airport, during Hokkaido Fairs in Singapore or purchase them online. I chanced upon Hokkaido Fair in Singapore some time ago and I managed to get a small box to try. Wow was my expression! I know I'm already a fan because...it is love at first bite.
As soon as I know the ladies are heading to Hokkaido, woo hoo....Shiroi pleaseee!
"This is the famous Shiroi Koibito representative of Hokkaido, born from Ishiya Seika's excellent techniques and passion for confectionary. The soft flavored white chocolate sandwiched in fragrant "langue de chat" cookies after its first production in 1976 it has been enjoyed by many customers and awarded by the Suisse Monde Selection in 1986."
For more details of the products, you can refer to its website >> http://www.shiroikoibitopark.jp/english/
To describe, it is a premium "sandwich" cookie with white chocolate in the middle. Thin, squarish and highly addictive! And boy, they are famous, really!
The above packaging is the 27 pieces Shiroi (white chocolate). The tin comes in a sturdy box with the famous Shiroi Koibito name on it and rest of the info in Japanese.
There you see, Shiroi cookie! Sorry there's slight crack on this piece as the cookie is quite fragile! So, remember to handle with care when you purchase Shiroi especially those that come in boxes and do rip the small green packagings "gently" :) .
- A thin piece with white chocolate sandwiched in the middle of the cookie.
- One bite onto the piece, the aroma of the cookie just linger in the mouth and the texture is creamy smooth. Melt in the mouth...I don't even need to really chew it, the whole piece just slowly and deliciously melt and dissolve in the mouth. Heavenly is all I can say...
- Some find the white chocolate is kind of sweet but it is just nice for me.
- The cookie has a not-overpowering butter taste and both cookie & white chocolate complement each other well.
- The taste is yummylicious and keep me wanting for more (gosh, so sinful and expansive indulgence!). Seriously one piece is never enough!
- I have tried both white chocolate & milk chocolate before and I prefer white one ;) . I feel that the original white chocolate is just the perfect match for this cookie.
If you have the chance, do try Shiroi. It is an expansive treat but worth the calories, hype and $$ (in my humble opinion). Hahaha...you have been warned!
Potato Farm Jaga Pokkuru Hokkaido Premium Potato
This is another sought-after and popular snack found in Hokkaido. The name Jaga Pokkuru comes from the legend of native Ainu people in Hokkaido. People whom we know came back from Hokkaido and recommended my cousin and Aunt to try it (they said....must try ahhh!). And so yes, they found and bought back for us...yeah!
To describe, it is potato chips in thick strip form. Definitely premium as each small pack (below) cost about MYR4.00plus (after conversion) per pack. And there are total of 10 packs in the box shown as above. It is exclusive, pricey but highly addictive!
- Thick, crunchy and packed with potato flavor chips in stick form.
- They look like french fries but will not go soggy...how great is that? :) Soggy french fries are such a turn off for me.
- The texture is firm but not hard when you bite. They are not oily and just lightly salted.
- Just like Shiroi, one pack of Potato Farm is never enough for me (gosh, sinful again!)
- See how little the quantity of the sticks inside each pack? Each stick is sooooo precious!
- I think if this premium potato is easily available locally, there will be a big hole in my wallet! And my weight...can't imagine, haha!
If you are going to Hokkaido, is Jaga Pokkuru worth you lugging them back? I say, yeah...definitely if is me!
Tokyo Banana
Although this is not an exclusively-made-snack in Hokkaido, Tokyo Banana is widely available in Tokyo. And they are popular too! The ladies did a transit at Narita airport and managed to get them. I already brief my cousin about Tokyo Banana before she left, so she was on a lookout for them. This is one of the popular snacks from Japan which people will normally purchase as they are not available locally in Malaysia and Singapore.
We have tried the original flavor but yet to try the banana caramel flavor (packaging and the product itself are tooo cute to be opened and eaten up..."mm seh dak!"). So, no reviews on the banana caramel flavor yet, ya!
There are different designs and flavors. I read the cute leopard print design (called Tokyo Banana Tree) is only available at Tokyo Skytree, in conjunction with the opening of the tower. For more details of the range of products, you can refer to its website>> http://www.tokyobanana.jp/
LBK'S REVIEWS
- The sponge itself is not very sweet for my liking as Japanese snacks normally taste sweeter.
- The custard cream is firm and not flowy type. So, no messy mess!
- However, I personally dislike the banana custard cream taste as it is more of banana essence (I love banana but artificial banana flavor taste is a big no for me). I was expecting them to be more of like "pure" banana taste. So this part is a letdown for me.
- The sponge and its packaging are definitely a score for me! But this flavor is not something I would want to repurchase or desperately try again next time. I will try the banana caramel flavor to see how it score.
- Furthermore, the lifespan of the product is really short (to maintain its freshness) so we got to consume them fast (expiry is about 7-14 days from the day of purchase).
Below are some other snacks the ladies bought back which I'll just post a picture instead of writing full details of them. :)
Thank you for the two kind souls who searched, bought and lugged stuff back for us. We have "virtually" enjoyed Hokkaido, as much as you two had. I end this post with a pretty Hello Kitty bag bought in Hokkaido (thanks Aunt!). Hello Kitty and animal print with ample bag space...hehe will this be another "wear/use till worn out"?
Check out the previous related post here >> http://sheislbk.blogspot.com/2013/07/wear-till-worn-out.html
The product used and reviewed are based purely on LBK's personal experience of using the product and humble opinion. If the product is a sponsored item, it will be stated as SPONSORED.
"A smile is a curve that sets everything right"
"A smile is a curve that sets everything right"
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