Mochi Sweets (日本傳統的甜)

We decided to visit Bugis+ yesterday, and found the new tenant-mix so much better than the last. There's a huge Sephora store, Uniglo, and a dessert store called Mochi Sweets which caught my eye. When we first laid eyes on the display, the first thought that came to mind was Mochi Cream, a similar dessert we had encountered on one of our trips to Japan. Honestly, I think they just named it differently.

The boy decided on a black sesame mochi, and I chose the purple potato mochi. At $2.50 to $2.80 per mochi, it is on the expensive side, though still cheaper than in Japan. The mochis are frozen and you have to wait at least 20 minutes for it to thaw before the texture is perfect for consumption. 

They were really flavourful, though a tad too sweet. Thank goodness for the teaspoon of cream inside which helped to balance out the sweetness.

Ginger Chews Candy by The Ginger People （姜糖果）

I like ginger. Lots of it in my porridge. I like onions and garlic too. I can polish off an entire saucer of chopped garlic with my fish and chips at Fish & Co. 

Therefore, I couldn't resist getting myself a pack of Ginger Chews which I came across in one of the pharmacies at 112 Katong. $2.80 for a pack of less than 10 pieces of candy is quite expensive, but they are really addictive! 

The texture is comparable to hard mochi dusted with icing sugar, and although it is made up of mostly starch, the ginger flavour is intense (8% ginger) and it is deliciously spicy.

D-Plus Natural Yeast Bread Cheese and Melon Flavour

Saw these for the first time a year or so ago and thought it was some yummy Japanese bread. I chose the cheese flavoured one but sad to say, I could hardly taste the cheese. It was as if I was eating plain bread.

A week ago I saw the melon-flavoured one at a petrol kiosk's convenience store. The taste and smell of melon was much stronger. I think the melon-flavoured one is seasonal so if you do see it, grab one :)

It's made in Singapore with ingredients imported from Japan. Not sure what the monthly limited edition flavours could be ... hmmm.

Tohato Caramel Corn Strawberry Flavour (Seasonal)

I never developed a liking for Tohato Caramel Corn, until I saw a guy at Daiso grabbing a few bags of the strawberry flavoured ones.

I have to say I like it! The light coating of strawberry dust gives the puffs a flavour not unlike strawberry pocky, and yet the yummy taste of corn still comes through on occasion.

Mark's and Spencer's Jalapeno Cheese Crispies

Because of the unforgettable and sorely missed breakfast at N.Y Bagels in Taipei, I had to get myself a box of the Mark's and Spencer Jalapeno Cheese Crispies the moment I saw that it had cheese and jalapenos in it.

Crispy and light would be an appropriate description of the crackers, but it sure isn't anything like puff pastries. It is slightly bitter, with a strong taste of gouda cheese and yes, you do taste minute bits of hot pepper. Pretty good, although I would have preferred it less bitter and more spicy :D

Kameda Umashio Ebisen (Japanese Prawn Crackers)

I like prawn crackers! It's just really difficult to find ones that are tasty.

Some are terribly bland, or a little too hard, or tastes like plastic, or just too oily. Hence I heaved a sigh of relief when I bit into my first piece of Kameda Umashio Ebisen. The cracker is thicker than most, looks like it's going to taste a little plasticky but not at all, with the prawn flavour and salt in just the right proportion.

Yes, it contains MSG, but some things are just too difficult to resist :D

Glico Pocky Tsubu Tsubu Strawberry Biscuit Sticks

This is what I snacked on while we watched The Hunger Games. Triple the price of the regular one, it comes in three individual packs of about 8 sticks each.

It's selling point is the heart-shaped biscuit stick, which I would not have even noticed had I not taken a detailed look at the back of the box. In fact, I found the shape to be rather poorly defined.

What I liked about the Glico Pocky Tsubu Tsubu Strawberry Biscuit Sticks though, is the sourish and crunchy "strawberry" flakes. The strawberry flavour is sharper than the regular sticks, but not as intense as the Meiji Rich Strawberry Apollo Cocoa.

Fran Melty Kiss Green Tea Sticks

Given my fondness for green tea and glico pocky, I got myself a box of the Fran Melty Kiss Green Tea Sticks despite it being on the pricey side.

I was delighted to find the sticks packaged into three separate servings, and a good thing too, considering how rich in flavour they are.

The taste of green tea is intense, and combined with white chocolate, really creamy.

The stick that it coats is bitter, which is a perfect and welcome contrast.

Meiji Rich Strawberry Apollo Cocoa

I'm not fond of chocolate but I love strawberries.

I decided to get the Meiji Rich Strawberry Apollo Cocoa, when I saw the box stating "strawberry times 5!"

That's five times the intensity of the regular strawberry choco.

I like the really strong strawberry flavour and what are those sour-tasting granules?!
:)

Korean Rice Cake, Tteokbokki (辣炒年糕: 떡볶이)

I've stopped cooking for quite a while due to certain circumstances, but I can't wait to cook up a storm when I shift to a new house next year.

I still had to clear my fridge of any remaining foodstuff though, and the boy got to eat spicy Korean rice cakes with fishcake and cabbage last week!

It's too spicy for him as usual, but I just love a guy who appreciates what I do for him :)

Recipe here.

Meiji MeltyKiss Rum & Raisin Alcoholic Chocolate

I don't particularly like chocolates but I do love rum and raisin, and I have to say that I adore the Meiji MeltyKiss Rum & Raisin Alcoholic Chocolate.

Each of the six individually wrapped pieces contain 3.7% alcohol, and once opened, you'll have to store them in the refrigerator or they'll melt too much and become a textural mess.

The alcoholic content for me, a non-drinker, is over-the-top, but there's a thrill in having the alcohol evaporate into your sinuses with every bite :)

Glico Tsubu Tsubu Pocky Lychee Sticks

I came across this Glico Tsubu Tsubu Pocky Lychee Sticks at the grocery store near my place and since I rather like lychees, decided to give it a try. I did not expect this to be any good, either with the barest hint of lychee or artificial-tasting, but I was pleasantly surprised! There are bits of lychee in the cream, and the taste is strong enough without being overwhelming nor artificially nauseating. In addition, it was really cheap at around $1, being manufactured in Thailand.

Happy Lemon & Sakura Mochi Fish Pancake, ION

We discovered Happy Lemon a couple of months back and this was my favourite drink from the store.

Passionfruit Yoghurt Drink with bits of agar


Lemon -shaped disc with queue number


Sweet + sour and hardly any yoghurt taste. Lots to chew on though!


The boy's favourite pancake at during that period of time. We tried the one with sakura mochi filling and it was overly sweet. It looks so beautiful though :)



Looks like springtime doesn't it?

Baumkuchen by Juchheim

The boy and I were walking around Takashimaya's Food Hall looking for something to snack on, when we saw an interesting process. It turned out to be the making of baumkuchen by Juchheim.



Chef with the mixture at the oven.


Once the roll has finished baking, he transfers it over to the opposite side to be coated with sugar.


Cutting time!




They are being sold in 4 different sizes, and for a limited time, with each cake purchased (except for the smallest size), you get a free original biscuit.



We bought the smallest size just to see what it tastes like, since it smelled so buttery good. It's rather similar to kueh lapis, albeit more of a chiffon, drier, and not as dense. I still prefer the traditional kueh lapis to this, but the layers are quite distinct and I like feeling them separate in my mouth as I munch on the cake.



Other pretty-looking confectionery, but unfortunately we never caught a sniff of them being baked on the spot. lol.