Dydo Wakagokochi Yuzu Lemon

 

This is a citrus lemon juice/drink. It is colored a lot like the Pocari Sweat. Dydo is a drink company that is located out of Osaka, Japan. Ingredients to this drink is water, high fructose corn syrup, fructose, citrus juice (yuzu), lemon juice, honey, flavor citric acid, trehalose, ascorbic acid.
The flavor of the drink is of a strong Yuzu lemon. I can taste the acid in it and it is just a bit harsh. It is nice at first but I think my tongue and teeth will be happy if I don't drink. No sugar some how but 180 calories inside. The bottle has a spiral design which makes it easy to grab as well.

Kasugai Lychee Hard Candy

Kasugai Hard Candy was just sitting on the shelf and caught my eye. I enjoy Lychee flavor and figure that I give it a try. Kasugai has really great gummies and their hard candy is pretty tasty too. If you enjoy lychee, then you should enjoy this. For four bucks not sure I would do it again but I will enjoy this entire bag. More great candy to ruin my teeth and straight from Japan!

Glico Pocky Strawberry

 

Ezaki Glico Co. is the company that is behind the Pocky snacks! Pocky was a gateway Japanese Snack for me back in the day. The headquarters are located in Osaka, Japan. Glico is derived from Glycogen, and the first candy produced was Glico Caramel. It had enough calories in it to run 300 meters which is also why the Glico 300 meter running man became the trademark. Pocky is chocolate covered pretzel sticks and the amount of flavors are vast. They took the popular Pretz sticks and decided to coat them in chocolate. They use to do this by hand until it was to much to do manually and thus it was automated.

These a great snacks and was really my first Japanese/Asian snack food that I tried back in 2006. It was my gateway snack as you can call it and probably the same for a lot of others. Pocky was a phenomenon at anime conventions I remember and people still "cosplay" as boxes of their favorite Pocky. Most people I know love the chocolate ones but I am a strawberry all the way. It is easy to get through a box of these and they are easy to eat with hands or no hands as well. The variety of flavors are outrageous and I will have more to review yet. If you are looking for simple flavor and not expensive like some of the other ones, strawberry is the way to go. It has the taste of strawberry chocolate on this pretzel stick that "snaps" in your mouth when you bight down on it. I even leave a few boxes in my desk drawer at work to snack on while writing up a report.
I recommend Strawberry Pocky for sure, grab some!!!!

Glico Pocky - Matcha Flavor

This Pocky appeared on the shelve a few months ago when I was talking about there needing to be more Matcha flavors out there. My first bite into the Pocky stick I was wondering where the flavor was. It slowly comes around this light Matcha flavor that settles on the taste buds. It doesn't have a strong flavor like the chocolate or strawberry but still nice and subtle.

      

Philippine Brand Mango Nectar Juice

This is some decent tasting juice. It has a strong Mango taste and I can get a sugar rush. The taste is nice and is like a mango and it has a smooth creamy texture when you drink it. Never heard of the brand before but I may try it again if I am craving some Mango Juice Nectar!

Want some?

 

Meiji Roasted Barley Tea

Coming in nice big size pouches, we have Meiji's Roasted Barley Tea! Now this doesn't taste like the Tradition Brand one or the other branded one that we didn't like. It falls somewhere in between probably because it is roasted. I used two of the bags to make a rather large pitcher of this tea and only have tried it thus far as iced tea. It was refreshing and a change from my iced black tea that I make. It has a distinct taste where you taste the barley but it has a slight chocolate taste in there like the Barley tea that we reviewed before that was bottled. I grabbed it because Meiji is known for their chocolate and other snacks but this was interesting. I think I still prefer Traditional Brand more but lets see after my third or fourth pitcher

Sun Kee Ginger Candy

If you want a Ginger fix then try this "Botan Candy" like candy! It comes wrapped up in this nice purple checkered pattern paper with some ginger on it. Unwrap and you have this nice soft candy like Botan that I have previously reviewed. I placed it in the mouth and started to suck on it but I had to bite into it to get a feel for it. I instantly realized that it had a strong ginger taste. It will help if you need to clear up some sinus problems. Maybe chew this and drink some real ginger beer, that will set you straight. I am not sure if I can enjoy this all the time since I like mellow candies but his is strong and Ms. Noodle does not approve. Interesting to try though but I am not going out of my way to buy again. If you are a ginger fan, grab some!



Like I said, give it a whirl...

Yamawaki Hon Chaba Karinto (Green Tea flavored Wheat Cracker)

I grabbed this bag thinking it was Green Tea flavored baked green beans just because of the shape. No, they were wheat crackers that are flavored like Matcha. I am a fan of all Matcha things, because it is so good of course. Very nice packaging as you can open it and re seal it once you had your fill. Ms. Noodle enjoys these I wasn't to hyped up on them but I still snack on them. I will probably not spend the amount I did on them again. They are nice and crunchy like a cracker with a coating of Matcha on the outside. I didn't get the rich earth taste of Matcha that I am use to so that was a downer for me. 

Couldn't find it in Amazon and I just happened to come across it in the Japanese market downtown. 

Kasugai Roasted Green Peas

I enjoyed these a lot more then the spicy ones which were Wasabi flavored. This are just plain roasted peas. Straight from Japan from Kasugai which make quite a few other products that are tasty. Like there gummies. They are the size of peas and come in not a large bag so it is easy to snack on the entire thing if you wanted. There are a few other roasted pea products out there and some in cans which I noticed in a Kroger. You can get some of that dietary fiber if you want some from this bag which is apparently 3 servings. I say it is worth to snack on if you like peas, although it really doesn't taste much like peas. Don't spend more then $2 I'd say on this size of a bag, there may be more snacks to eat out there worth your penny

Nescafe President Instant Coffee

This coffee is an Instant Coffee much like folders or others that you can get in a can. For every 5 oz of water you add a teaspoon of this to it to get a refreshing cup of coffee. I have now had two mugs of it and it isn't bad but it is also not the best coffee that I have had either.
It is President Coffee so I am not sure if it is high quality instant coffee. It is nice if you need to boil water add a few scoops and jet out the door. It does smell nice and I think I have made it to strong. I have had better canned coffee.
Nescafe has been around for a while and I actually have already reviewed a canned Nescafe coffee which was great tasting.
Review is here

I am not sure if it is worth the few bucks that I spent on it when you can get a larger can from a local super market. It would probably taste the same.

Napa Cabbage and Kimchi recipe

Napa Cabbage and the History of Kimchi

Let me just get something off my chest: I love stinky foods. Some of my favorite smelly foods include garlic, brie cheese, pickles, sauerkraut, and kimchi. I also love making pickles so it wouldn’t have been too long before a recipe like this ended up on this blog. Before we make kimchi, I think we should look into the history of kimchi and how it has changed in Korean history over time.

                Winter in Korea is where our food journey starts. Jars of clay are baked in a special kiln to produce pots that are waterproof yet still able to “breathe”. For most, these pots are filled with a variety of different pickles, fermenting vegetables, or salted fish. Some may even have home-brewed sauces or pastes (jangs). The pots are then well preserved and cared for over the course of years, either in a layered rock bed or buried in the ground.

                Originally, kimchi was used as a means of survival. Farmers would preserve vegetables in salt to aid in the digestion of grains and keep vegetables through the harsh winters. During the Koryeo period Chinese cabbage was introduced along with radishes, cucumbers, and wild leeks. Soon after garlic was added to the pot and in the Joseon Period people stopped using salt as the main ingredient to preserve pickles.  Soy sauce and soybean paste were being used instead and not long after chili peppers were added to the mix. Red chili peppers are a New World food that was introduced to Korea through the Japanese invasions and colonization period between 1592-1598. The red chili pepper was adapted into kimchi and it has caused the food to become Korea’s National Dish.

                Kimchi is the soul of Korean cooking. Hundreds of recipes have spawned from this famous fermented side dish that has been used for centuries. There are a million ways to make kimchi, but I will show you the most basic method. The recipe calls for a variety of ingredients that can be substituted, but unfortunately the taste won’t be the same. If you’d like you can replace the fish sauce with soy sauce to make this vegetarian-friendly.

UHA Milk Coffee Candy

 

 I grabbed this thinking that it was a soft candy at the local store but upon opening the bag and digging in it is a hard candy. That doesn't mean that it isn't good. It is a great hard candy. It has the creamy taste of coffee with milk and it last for awhile in your mouth. It is a bit sweet but boy is the creamy milk taste great. I did spend a little bit more money then I usually would so I am not sure if it is worth it to spend $5 for it again but I am glad to have given it a try. UHA stands for Unique Human Adventure and apparently top selling hard candy brand in Japan, sin't that something.

Ms. Noodle recommends this as well, she loves the creamy hard candy and wants more!!!

Don't believe me, check out a commercial way back in the day that Brittney Spears did for another one of their candies; Suki!

Grab Some!

YamaMotoYama Hojicha Roasted Green Tea Loose

YamaMotoYama company was founded in 1690 but was established in the USA in 1975. I grabbed this because it is a Japanese company and I love tea and I also was running out of loose tea. This bag and another one that I got was manufactured in Canada of all places from Yamamotoyama USA.

This is some great Hoji-cha, which is Roasted Green Tea. It gives it a more earthy taste then just regular green tea. It is bitter but also has that burnt flavor. The color that it produces is a bit more brown then green tea. I have used it for hot tea and also to brew a large pot to chill it for later consumption. I enjoy my tea dark and usually let it steep for long period of time. I generally try to get all I can out of it and this is something you don't want to sweeten (I don't think). 

Worth the money to get.

Kikkoman Somen Tsuyu Sauce

Everyone has heard of the company Kikkoman, mostly for their soy sauce that can be found on any table in an Asian food restaurant. I bet your soy sauce in your house is Kikkoman. They also have a lot of other type of sauces to use for various uses. I picked up a bottle of this ready to use base for cold noodles. If you are going to eat Somen noodles and you are going to serve them cold in a bowl, then this is the sauce you want. 

That day Ms. Noodle and I got a bag of Some noodles and I saw this bottle that I used once before when I was invited over for a cook out with Japanese baseball coaches cooking dinner. It was a delight. 

Just boil some water to get the noodles to the desired tenderness that you like and serve them in a bowl (with out water or liquids in bowl). Let them cool off for serving and then, using this bottle of "Somen Tsuyu" pour it on the noodles to the desired amount.

It adds a great flavor to them, I think they use various fishy things and some soy sauce but it is a great way to eat cold noodle. I recommend getting this for Somen noodles if you want to not serve hot noodles. It might be good on hot noodles, I don't know!

Here they are on Amazon if interested. I suggest getting the smaller bottle as they recommend using it after opening in a few days. I got the large bottle and ended up having to store the rest in the freezer.

 

Sushi King - Richmond Virginia

Sushi King! Now there are a few more locations in Virginia but I go to the first one located on Broad Street where Da Lot/Pho Boston use to be. This is a great idea. You walk in and take a seat and for on price, $16.99, you order anything off the menu as much as you want! The only thing not included in the price is drinks of course. Sushi King offers appetizers from vegetable tempura/shrimp tempura, soups and then actual meals like chicken teriyaki or yakisoba. Of course why bother going to Sushi King if you are not going to order all the Sushi that you can!

They have many different types of sushi rolls or get the pieces of Sushi. On a busy night make sure you have in mind with what you want so you can order it all at once, that way you wont wait on your order. If you order just one roll at a time and order another when you finish your first you may wait quite a bit before you see number two. It can get busy on evenings like Saturday or Friday nights.
There Sushi taste great and if you get their special rolls they are decent size. The smaller rolls would be the tuna roll, salmon or California roll. Their Special rolls like the White Dragon, Volcano, Richmond roll are all decent in size and have great taste.

They also provide some import beer like Kirin and offer a decent Sake list to order a bottle or what not. I have yet order alcohol there but I may try in the future.

My typical order is the edamame (immature soy beans), miso soup, maybe tempura, and then I order the Sushi like Volcano Roll, Richmond Roll and Dynamite Roll.

They bring the soup, tempura and edamae out pretty quick and gives me something to work on while I wait on my sushi. Basically like appetizers. I snack on the edamame through out dinner so sometimes I will order 3 bowls.

Their Miso soup is pretty tasty and not a big portion which is fine, I may get another bowl after I am down with the sushi. My favorite roll is the Richmond Roll, it is delicious. It has some spicy mayo in it and I enjoy spicy.

At the end I get desert which you can get cheese cake or Ice cream. I always get the ice cream and they have green tea, red bean and strawberry. I always end up getting the green tea and sometimes the red bean. Taste great and ends the night with a very full stomach.

Asahi Super Dry Beer

 Asahi Breweries is a larger brewing and soft drink company that is based in Tokyo, Japan. I mean larger brewery with 40% of the beer market! Holy Cow! It also helped out that they came out with their Super Dry beer which got the crazy for all those Japanese Dry Beers which I am not sure I can get into.

 

 The company started in Osaka in 1889 as Osaka Beer Company and something interesting is that in the first World War the Germany prisoners worked in the brewery.

 

 This Super Dry Draft Beer has a strong flavor to it. I couldn't really handle it as I am not crazy about beer so this was a change of pace if you have been drinking some light beers. It is the very first Dry beer and most popular in Japan since 1987. They use a special rare type of yeast to make their beer. It is very crisp and the flavor is definitely there to have.

Ms. Noodle found it was to strong and unfortunate this beer did go to waste for both of us....

info from Wikipedia

Dried Honey Suckle - Taishan Company

So Ms. Noodle and I noticed some Dried Honey Suckle in the market when we were looking for tea. It was $1 so we grabbed it and decided to use it in our tea balls with tea. I have yet tried it just as it's own but always with my green tea. It is nice with the green tea, although I mostly taste the green tea. I am indifferent about it until I try it alone. I wouldn't go out of the way to add it to the green tea or black tea (what not). I am not sure as what other uses it might have. I would have to ask Ms. Noodle about that.
Will update when I try it alone or find other uses for it.

Nescafe Original Canned Coffee

   

NesCafe has been around for awhile. Taster's Choice is a big time instant coffee product but here we have a canned Original "low fat milk coffee drink"that is from over seas. This was not to bad, decent tasting canned coffee. I could tell there was a slight bit of milk inside but give it a nice taste. I enjoy a bit of cream or milk in my coffee and that is why I try to go for blended or flavored coffee's. 

Nes is even on the can popper. Interesting and it has a slight milk cloudy look in the glass, and is nice a smooth to drink. Great portion to have like many other the other canned coffee's. I recommend this one, just don't spend over a $1!

Bánh Mì Cantina - Richmond Virginia

This is one of the few places in Richmond where you can find banh mi sandwiches. This is a small Vietnamese café located in the shopping center next to Tan-A Supermarket. They make the bread from scratch as well as the pate and mayonnaise. In addition to over 20 varieties of sandwiches they also have bubble tea smoothies, honeycomb cakes, meat pies, rice dishes, fried tofu, combo plates, sponge cake, and all the charcruterie used in making sandwiches (including head cheese!). It’s a small setting and there is nowhere to sit. Sometimes the line is out the door. They only take cash and there’s not a lot of English. In fact the majority of the labels are written in Vietnamese, with the exception of the banh mi/smoothie menu on the wall. It’s definitely something different, but super delicious and it always keeps us coming back!  Located at the corner of Horsepen and Broad Street at Tan-A Plaza, address is 6215 W Broad St. Richmond, VA.
I enjoy their mango tea and also getting the shredded pork and grilled pork sandwich, option number 12. Love that one and they were $3.50 a piece including the bubble teas but recently up'd it to $3.75 which from what I have heard isn't to bad for them. I recently got the Banh Mi Dac Biet and I'm guessing some of the meat in it didn't turn me on at all. I think I will go back to the grilled and shredded pork option which is BOSS.

Caravelle Black Coffee French Style Canned

Here is more Caravelle product drinks! Here we have Cafe Den which is canned coffee but French Style. This canned coffee was not to creamy (sorry for the lack of a glass picture to see the actual beverage). It wasn't bad but there was nothing really memorable about it at all. Get your calories and some carbs from it and that's about it. It was a bland canned coffee and I am a big fan of canned coffees. I can't remember how many I have received on here so far. 

One other beverage that I have drank from this company is the Mandarin Float drink which was not to bad, check that out here. 

There are sure to be other canned coffee's where you could find this one, my suggestion is try another one. It couldn't hurt and maybe it will be better!

Suntory Iyemon Koime (Green Tea)

This is some Bottled Green Tea from Suntory which is a major company. It is a MAJOR beverage company that produces a lot of products. Suntory was founded in 1899. They make the BOSS coffee that I am a fan off and a few other great beverages including alcohol.
Enough about Suntory as a company, what they have here is there Green Tea. Great looking bottle, black with some green on the sides. This is a great green tea cold, it is somewhere between Ito En's green tea and dark green tea. There is a lot of flavor but not enough to meet the dark green tea of Ito En. It was refreshing to pour down the throat. I love some green tea and it is unsweetened which is perfect. It definitely hit the spot when I started to drink it.  

I recommend this drink for sure, but if you have the same price next to it Ito En's Dark Green Tea, get that instead (its the best, my opinion).