Snacks: Hmmm, what's that?! - Taiwanese dessert chocolate candies

Wow, haven't done a snacks post in a long time.  Been eating a little healthier and trying to save money to feed my addition for tea, but this treat I could not pass up trying!

Two of Taiwan's most iconic foods are now little chocolate candies: bubble tea and pineapple cake.

I have a soft spot for the company's strawberry chocolate so am always looking out for their chocolates.  These squares are also very cute (IMO).

So, how were they?

First, I have to say I like the wrappers.

Second, marks for trying to incorporate texture in both pieces.  Adding a "BUBBLE" or tapioca-like pearl into the tea flavoured chocolate and some cookie like texture into the pineapple flavoured chocolate.

But, in terms of taste there was something a little off in the bubble tea one, not quite the tea flavour I was expecting but it is milky.  The pineapple tasted more real but I'm a little put off by the orange colour.  Anyway, I think they are great to try for the novelty of it all or as a gift to bubble tea loving people, but not sure if I'd buy it regularly if I was in the mood for sweets.

Ingredients list for those interested...

Sansotei Ramen in North York

Hello Sansotei!  Welcome to North York!

I'm a fan of Sansotei Ramen and when they opened up shop in North York, a 10 minute walk away, I had to go!  They have two downtown locations, one in Markham and one in Ottawa.  I've been to all except Ottawa but downtown and Markham locations are not always convenient.  The space here is not too bad, several rows of bar height tables and at the back there were regular tables with what looked like cushioned seating along the back wall.

Started with the chicken karaage which was crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside...not really salted though.

Then I had the tonkotsu ramen pictured above which was very good! Pork belly was tender and had just the right amount of meat to fat ratio.  Other toppings were okay; the soft boiled marinated egg was done very well. The tonkotsu broth was very flavourful, rich, and not overly salty...no problem finishing the soup.

We didn't have dessert but picked up a bar of chocolate.  It was an organic and vegan dark salted caramel chocolate bar.  Made in Vancouver by Fitzys Chocolate.  Three square pieces for $4.50, it was a bit expensive but I wanted to try it out...not bad, very smooth, but I'm not sure I'd buy it again.  I guess taste wise it wasn't that special, but if you're vegan, this would be a good option.  But strange that a pork based broth ramen place offers vegan chocolate though...maybe for those that require a dairy free diet?

Anyway, I'm sure if you're going to Sansotei it's not for the chocolate but for the ramen and it is very good!

Sansotei Ramen

13 Byng Avenue

North York, ON, M2N 5R7

T: 416-901-1160

http://www.sansotei.com/

Soma Chocolate Maker - Exceptionally Good Chocolates!

This post is long overdue, but I really wanted to post about them.  Soma Chocolates had recently won several International Chocolate awards (in late 2015) so I was curious as to how the they tasted.

Taken directly from their facebook page, here are their winning chocolates:

PORCELANA BAR
Gold world- dark chocolate...
Gold world- directly traded
Gold world- chocolate maker

CSB CHAMA BAR
Silver world- dark chocolate
Gold Americas- best in show chocolate maker
Gold Americas- dark chocolate

STRATUS BAR- made with lees from our friends at Stratus Vineyards
Silver world- flavoured bar
Silver Americas- flavoured bar

PEACH MAGNOLIA TRUFFLE
Silver world- dark truffle
Gold Canada- dark truffle

THAI COCONUT TRUFFLE
Silver world- dark truffle
Silver Canada- dark/milk truffle


I picked up the CSB Chama Bar as I didn't see the Porcelana Bar.

I also picked up their 12 layer jawbreaker which was nice because it was symbolic of their 12 years in business.

And, some bars for gifting to my friends.

And, some truffles to try with my family.

So, not a huge haul but this definitely put a dent in my wallet!  I started with the truffles - got the Stratus (seasonal), fig (seasonal), Papua New Guinea, Venezuela, hazelnut, and jasmine.

I loved the Papua New Guinea truffle!!  It was quite unique, loved the notes of berry and light smokiness.  Would definitely get this one over and over again.  One of the bars I purchased for my friends was the Papua New Guinea Black Science collection and she also really liked it.

我很喜歡他們的巴布亞新幾内亞巧克力!  非常棒!  味道很特別.

As for the other truffles, the fig and balsamic was quite good.  The stratus was interesting but not really my thing. Hazelnut and jasmine were nice but I think I definitely prefer the straight single origin chocolate truffles over the flavoured ones.

Upon first tasting the CSB Chama Bar, I was a little disappointed.  The taste was really subtle and was not the 70% cocoa I was expecting.  It was a lot milder.  But, the second time I broke off a few pieces, the flavours started to come out more.  Maybe the day I first tried it, I was getting over a cold and that really affected my tasting ability.  It's still subtle but a lot more interesting.  I'm not much of a connoisseur on chocolate so I can't comment on the finer details, but I did like it after my second try.  Just not as good as the Papua New Guinea one.

Soma Chocolate Makers have won me over!  They are on the pricier side but not unlike other specialty chocolate makers in Toronto. They do have quite a bit of information about their chocolates available to the consumer which I think is good as more and more people are looking for that extra something.  If I need a quality gift for someone who enjoys food and chocolate as much as I, this would definitely be one of my choices.

I visited the King St. W. location (the Distillery location was packed due to the Christmas market).  Service was nice and helpful.  

Next on my list is to try the gelato and the hot chocolate or Bicerin (a Turin, Italy speciality), but it'll likely be one of the hot drinks first!  (It's been quite cold these days!)

Soma Chocolatemaker

443 King St. W. 

Toronto, ON M5V 1K4

416-599-7662

http://www.somachocolate.com/

Nadege - Financial District

I've heard good things about Nadege but have never been to any of their outlets, so when I wanted to pick up a snack I decided to try them out.  The financial district location in the Richmond Adelaide Centre (underground PATH) is a bit of a walk for me, but I figured I needed the walk.

Nice large and open space for downtown. 

After much perusing, I ended up getting a chocolate praline croissant which was pretty tasty.  Good dark chocolate flavour and the layers of laminated dough were good, crispy on top and slightly denser than your traditional croissant which I liked.  The praline didn't play a starring role though.

Pastry section with entrements/tarts was okay looking but nothing enticing enough to buy that day.  I got a chocolate macaron to sample and was a bit disappointed.  The chocolate filling was not very uniform, a bit dry in parts and not really a dark chocolate flavour, more milk chocolate.  The outside did not have as nice a crisp as others. Maybe this was an off day or something because I have heard good things about their macarons.

Had an iced tea (ginger lemon green tea) which was brewed from the brand Kusmi Tea (a French tea brand).  It was okay.  The cup was a bit leaky at the top though and I think the hot cups were a little nicer.  Service was efficient and friendly though.

 

Other offerings include sandwiches, a variety of sweets for gift giving, and chocolates; more specifically Alphabet Chocolate which caught my eye, the P for parmesan chocolate sounded interesting.  Despite the macaron, I'd go back again to give a few other things a try as I did enjoy the croissant or maybe I'll stop by one of their other locations. 

Nadege
THE PATH - Richmond Adelaide Centre
120 Adelaide St. W.
Toronto, ON M5H 1T1
416-368-2009

Snacks: Hmmm, What's That - Roasted Soy Melty Kiss

This box was one I had been eyeing, but waited for a sale to buy.  The flavour is roasted soybean which might sound odd but it‘s very good.

I've never actually had the "Meltykiss" line of chocolates.  They usually have strawberry and green tea which are two flavours I gravitate to but still, I've never had it.  The squares are small chocolate coated with a dusting of cocoa powder. Smaller than I expected but each bite is quite yummy. I also expected it to be very soft or "melty" in the centre but although it was soft, it was not really "melty".

So, what does roasted soy taste like?  I find it similar to peanut butter but not as strong and more umami tasting.  I've been a fan of roasted soy ever since I bought a package of roasted soy powder (kinako) to use in baking and making mochi.  You can find this at Korean, Chinese, or Japanese supermarkets.

I would purchase this again and also try the other flavours too!

 

 

Snack Foods: Hmmm, What's That? - Meiji Strawberry (Hershey-Kiss-Shaped) Chocolates

I've decided to start a new series on my blog called Snack Foods: Hmmm, What's That?

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been debating about whether to start this series.  As a kid, we always got Asian type snack foods as a treat.  Pocky, dried mango, and dried cuttlefish were the most frequent (yes, dried seafood was better than chips to me, lol!).  My sisters and I loved getting these treats, and they were treats to be shared so we always just got a bit.  Enough to enjoy but never enough to get bored of it and frequent enough that we didn't crave it and go overboard the next time.  But now, I don't eat too many snacks these days.  For whatever reason, snacks usually reach the expiry date before I get to them.  So, I didn't want to start something I wasn't going to update regularly. 

But sometimes, just sometimes, I'll see a package and want to try it.  I'm usually quite fascinated by products from Japan or Taiwan.  But, usually they're very expensive for the portion size (definitely good for portion control though!).  And usually I wonder what it'll taste like but often not buy.  In comes the Meiji brand with a strawberry chocolate snack that I found hard to resist (my eyes light up when I see strawberry chocolates, unless it's ultra sweet strawberry syrup filled chocolates which I don't particularly enjoy). So, to indulge my curiosity and inner child, I purchased this pretty little pink box, and so begins this series...

the back panel

Individually wrapped, cute packaging and there is a symbol for recycling (I think), but it's in Japanese.

Now for the most important part, how it tastes.  Yummy :)  The strawberry filling is like strawberry mousse but dehydrated (if you can imagine that), not sticky or chalky though.  The strawberry flavour is present and mild and seems natural which is nice.  Shaped like a Hershey Kiss, it's coated with a thin layer of chocolate and cocoa powder and the bottom is a chocolate cookie. 

It's not as sweet as North American chocolates/candies, so if you're expecting that, you'll be disappointed.  I'm not floored by this candy but it's still a cute treat, quite light, and definitely good if you like strawberry flavoured sweets.

Luckily in Toronto, there are a number of places to buy treats from Japan and Taiwan.  This box was purchased at T&T Supermarket for $5.49 (for a 49g box), it's a little steep, but I guess it's like getting a bubble tea, a sweet treat.  Well, there goes my bubble tea for the week!

Sometimes we are in need of a little treat and need to turn to something boxed, bagged, or wrapped.  
Snack Foods: Hmmm, What's That? will be my space for highlighting snack foods from Japan and Taiwan or snacks new on the Toronto marketplace. 

Dessert Week 5 :: Failed Choux Pastry and Cocoa Pastry Cream

So, this time my choux pastry did not rise!!  I was so disappointed!

I might have allowed too much water to evaporate or maybe the temperature of the oven was too high? Most recipes have the temperature high first then it is lowered after they puff up but I also have a recipe that just says to bake at 350 degrees F all the way through which I'll try next.

Over-baked outer shell, inside was still moist though...

Still edible, I ate a few smeared with some pastry cream.  The pastry cream was okay but I realized after adding cocoa powder to a basic pastry cream recipe that many others actually add melted chocolate to make a chocolate pastry cream.  The consistency would likely be a little different but just adding cocoa powder seems to maintain the same consistency as regular pastry cream.  But, I'm still tweaking how much to add and I'll probably try the melted chocolate version too!

Simple Cookies

Sometimes a simple little cookie is all you need with that coffee or cup of tea.  I have been making these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for several years now, it's kinda my go-to cookie.  Easy to make, a little healthy with the oats, a little bit of a treat because of the chocolate.  It fits most of the time and goes well with coffee or tea.  From Food & Drink magazine, here's the basic recipe; I'll often use dark chocolate chunks, omit the nuts, and use a combination of brown and white sugar.  If you want a crispier cookie, melting the butter is another modification I might do to change it up.

Most recently, I've been wanting to make more simple cookies.  We're so accustomed to over-the-top creations that sometimes it's nice to enjoy something very simple but still good.  So what I'm thinking about is a cookie that looks simple, is a nice little treat, but tastes great.  Essentially, better than it looks.  In Asia, some cafes might serve you a little cookie, biscotti, or cracker on the side when you order a coffee or tea.  (I was reminded of this after I read this blog post.  See picture #8, the blog is in Chinese though.)  I've always found them to be so cute and often they are quite well made.  In a way, getting a little extra treat makes the experience so much better.

Scribbles in Taiwan: Oolong Tea Ice Cream, It's So Good!

So, it's taken me a really, really long time to post this and I was contemplating not posting at all but, I recently made ice cream inspired by this place (which is still a work in progress unfortunately) ...and this place is WORTH blogging about!  One of the most unique ice cream shops opened up in Taichung, Taiwan a few years back offering an amazing selection. Taichung is the 3rd largest city in Taiwan, known as the origin of bubble tea, and having climate like Los Angeles.  On my trip to Taiwan last year I knew I had to go just to try out the ice cream!! Yes, call me a bit crazy but I spent a day out of my vacation time solely to try the ice cream (thanks for indulging me AT!).

This ice cream shop is part of a larger store and restaurant called the Miyahara Ophthalmology Department or Eye Clinic (宫原眼科). What?! Yes, Eye Clinic. It is a reference to the eye clinic the building housed during the Japanese occupation.  After renovating, it became a pastry/gift shop with a restaurant, and an ice cream shop. The pastry shop is very photogenic, looks like a beautiful library and some liken it to a Harry Potter-like setting.

Gifts are stacked in these "bookshelves", how cute ^-^ 

The packaging is quite nice, perfect for gift giving.

A variety of goods available

The highlight for me was the ice cream, which did not disappoint!!  In Asia, sometimes you get ice cream that just doesn't have the right texture or creaminess, but not here.  The flavours were pronounced and the texture was smooth and thick!

Prices are on the right, 1 scoop = NTD90, which is about $3 CAD.

They have so many variations of chocolate ice cream it was amazing, I mean chocolate with different percentages of cocoa, from different parts of the world (single origin chocolate)!  Twenty to be exact!!  I wanted to try several but we opted for only two.  We got a scoop of the 68% cocoa Nyangbo and a 64% smoked chocolate from Costa Rica.  The Nyangbo cocoa one was really good and had a nice light nutty flavour (as it indicated) but the smoked one didn't have much smokiness.  It did have a good chocolate flavour to it though with slight bitterness.  If you're a chocolate fan, these ice creams are a must try!!

Chocolate and tea flavours

Another reason I was excited, they also had a selection of ice cream made from tea!  Tea is a major commodity in Taiwan and if I haven't mentioned this before, tea is one of my passions. The flavour of the one we had called "Oriental Beauty" (東方美人 dong fang mei ren) was stunning!

Oriental beauty is an oolong tea that is highly oxidized.  It's origins are quite unique as the tea was discovered by chance.  These tea leaves are prone to bites from the jassid insect, which thus contribute to the oxidation.  You can read more here at the Tea Masters blogspot.  The taste is a lasting sweet taste, with some notes of caramel.

++ Chocolate ice cream (+ a few fruit ones)

Range of toppings.  The more scoops of ice cream you buy, the more free toppings.  We got 3 scoops so you are entitled to 4 toppings.

Our massive ice cream in a waffle bowl!!

Aside from the huge selection of chocolate and tea flavoured ice creams, they also offer about 20 different fruit flavoured ones (looked like sorbets) and some Miyahara specials.  From the specials list Hakka lei tea and brown sugar longan would have been interesting.  It appears all the ice creams except the chocolate ones don't contain colourants, egg yolks, cream, or stabilizing agents which is interesting to note.

One negative, no seating!!!  We had to stand outdoors which made it difficult to eat and it was blazing hot that day!!  The ice cream luckily didn't melt as quickly as I thought...or maybe we just ate really fast, lol!  (So, this is a warning to all slow eaters.)  But despite the lack of eating space, anyone travelling to Taiwan and making a stop in Taichung, this place is a must go for the ice cream lover!