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Coles Peanut Butter Icecream

Published On 12:27 PM By Unknown
For a while I've been eyeing this in the Coles freezer section. Finally it made the cut and was added the shopping trolley. 
There's not much to describe about this but the fact it's magnificent. Like a de-constructed Snickers bar. As a fully confessed peanut butter lover I hands down place this as one of the best tubbed icecreams I've ever tried. 
The only annoying thing is that this is probably considered premium to Coles to they charge a slightly higher price tag for them but if they have any chance of palming off all their stock.. they must keep having sales on it. Then you'll find me stocking up.....

Waffle Fries @ Hungry Jacks

Published On 10:07 AM By Unknown
I'm always a sucker for a good gimmick and Hungry Jack's marketing team has spammed my favourite shows with enough commercial airtime for me to decide to invest $2.50 on their "new" product.
 
It's basically a waffle shaped potato chip. It seemed a bit chewy on first bite, like my serving has been sitting out for a while. 

You can really taste the oil and salt that naturally go on their chips, but because it's a bigger surface it might have increased its chances of latching on. I wonder how much better it would have tasted paired up with some sour cream and sweet chilli sauce.

Upon close examination, it really resembled multiple fries in a cross hatch pattern. 

As usual... whether it be onion rings or Waffle Fries.. they always seem to get the few stray french fries in there....
 

Burgerzilla @ Loaf & Devotion

Published On 11:21 AM By Unknown
So after a long walk into the city to run an errand, I made sure to take a slight detour and stop off at one of these places I researched. A place that self proclaims to have the best pulled pork in Sydney.

It was 12:30pm and the place had only a few customers eating inside... probably due to the lack of air-con. They might have opted to purchase their meal and sit at the park across the road. A long line eventually built up for their coffee but I made a beeline to the burger.
 
Their menu was extensive, with so many choices.... I ended up just asking what the waitress recommended and to no surprise she recommends me the most expensive pulled pork burger on the menu. Sure give me the Burgerzilla. I credit carded her $11.50.

The burgerzilla consisted of pulled pork, beef, bacon, swiss, cheddar, onions and greens. Yes three different types of meat slapped onto one burger. How excitement!

When the plate hit the table I literally had an O-M-G moment as the meat looked like it was trying to escape from my burger. I like sloppy burgers but this is beyond ridiculous. It was no longer a burger you can pick up and eat, but instead I used the knife and fork to devour this beast. Which by the way I hate to do... Burgers are most enjoyed in your hands.

The first bite reminded me of a meatlovers pizza almost to the tee. From the meatiness to the hint of a sweet smoky BBQ sauce.

I tried to break it off into separate parts... the beef was bland on its own.. and dry. The pulled pork had all the flavour. The soft shredded meat was soaked in sauce and tasted great. Bacon wasn't particularly crunchy but just another layer of meat to get through.

I rarely say this but I started to struggle halfway through. It was way too meaty and I never thought I'd say that too. It felt like it needed more sauce than just the flavoured pulled pork.... especially when your bite didn't contain any... the other meats, bread and greens was just too hard to get through without constantly sculling down a glass of water.
Overall I love the look of the burger. I love its sloppiness, it's in-your-face wow factor, the flavour of the pulled pork. My dislikes is that I wish they made it smaller just so that  I could pick it up and eat it, a better balance of sauce to meat ratio, and charge me less for all the extra meat I didn't need.  

Mars Icecream

Published On 10:12 AM By Unknown
I got a confession to make: I'm addicted to chocolate bars that have been converted to ice cream form. I'm usually not a fan of Mars. Like a Snickers without the nuts, umm where's the appeal in that?
As usual it's all individually packed for your eating convenience.
Wow! Simply amazing again. Another home run. I prefer to eat them slightly melted to it's not too solid or too cold and it just melted away in my mouth. I'm not fan of Mars but I'm a Mars ice cream lover!

Royce Nama Chocolate Champagne Pierre Mignon

Published On 10:08 AM By Unknown
So my recent visit to Singapore led to Royce. A chocolate that was famous enough to come up in my searches as things to buy or try when I'm there.
The picture above is of a cooler bag that was provided with my chocolate because it must be stored below 10 degrees. We had to buy this last minute before we left because the cooler would only survive the trip from hotel to the airport.. especially in the Singaporean weather.
Inside the cooler bag is a green chocolate box tagged proudly with Royce Chocolate.
Inside that is another packaging layer that wrapped the tray of chocolates. There was also a guide that showed how to eat it and other products in their range. Also provided was this spoon/cutter that allowed for easy access to the chocolate.

The chocolate has a shelf life of one month which meant it needed to be devoured quickly... which wasn't really an issue as I decided to share it with friends who were more than happy to help. 

The chocolate was advertised to me as one of their most popular. I wasn't too sure as I'm not a liquor chocolate fanatic but decided to take his word for it. The texture of chocolate was different. A bit like a soft fudge... though very smooth and silky. The liquor taste was very noticeable and made it slightly bitter. Not the nice bitter I normally enjoy from dark chocolate.
I think at the end of the day I was expecting something amazing.. maybe it was the hype of the product before I got there... or the fact it was their best seller.. or even the fact I had to get a cooler bag to carry it.... it was just underwhelming for that effort.

Chicken Burger @ Frango's

Published On 9:57 AM By Unknown
Funny enough we've had three different people mention to us about three different stores and claiming their chicken burger is to die for. Ironically all three places were of the same company: Frango's. 

As we stand in line waiting for a table on a Thursday night, the anticipation grew stronger. Look around the neighbourhood in Petersham.. it's pretty much Portugal. Every 2nd restaurant is selling chicken and only this one is booming with a line out the door. 

We finally got a seat after 15 minutes.. with a near argument with the girls behind us trying to push in and just be seated without a booking. They eventually left half annoyed but who cares, good riddance to the impatient.

Yet again more waiting after you were seated for a menu. The problem isn't that the staff is rude.. it's that they are severely under staffed. I only saw 2 people serving tables and with that many customers they need to invest in some more hands. 
The home made sliced potatoes looked fantastic on the table next to us so we ordered that. Only bits of it was crunchy and it basically was a salted, thinly sliced potato. Suppose the name didn't lie... just thought it'd be a bit more amazing.

Finally my infamous chicken burger arrived. First problem was I ordered a single fillet and got a double. Secondly... Where's my sauce? That in itself was a 15-20 minute. In the meantime we manage to pick away at 30% of the burger. 
The chicken itself was surprisingly not that dry and tasted quite juicy. Bread was ordinary and the lettuce and tomato tasted fresh. The chilli and mayo is the savior of this meal. Once added it was a completely different burger. Unfortunately by then I was so hungry.. I devoured it without taking any photos. But here's a tip, make sure you order the chilli and mayo beforehand to save yourself the problem. 
The burger is pretty darn good. The chilli sauce for me didn't have enough kick and was a bit mild for my liking. Overall a burger I'd definitely recommend if you're in the area.

Mie Goreng Sambal Balado

Published On 12:12 PM By Unknown
So first up a big thanks my fiancée's brother for providing me this. I was quite excited to try this as I've always been a Mamee fan. The one and only noodle snack to rely on as a child. 
The issue with Mamee was always the seasoning. It was messy, you couldn't get the mixture right, I didn't crush the noodle properly and it just didn't mix evenly. There were just issues in general with it but it was the best one around.

This tries to replicate Mie Goreng. Honestly the flavour doesn't really resemble it at all but in saying that the flavour is still fantastic. Not just salty but actual flavours of onion, garlic, salt. It did leave an after taste of eating the instant noodles. Unfortunately they only come in a tiny packet. I love how its all evenly premixed, crush and just read to eat. 
Need to go find my local stockist and add them to my snacking pile.

Pringles Extreme Screamin' Dill Pickle

Published On 10:20 AM By Unknown
Wow I love pickles... I got a pickle.. I got a pickle hey hey hey hey....(Little Rascals reference for those who aren't familiar). I did really feel like that when I got my hands on one of these.
So I'm the guy at maccas looking down at my cheeseburger wishing they would have added extra pickles to it...not the the ones picking it out and leaving it on the side like it's a disease.

When you open the can, I couldn't help but cough because the pickle smell was intense. It really consumed the air around me with the essence of pickles.

No doubt, it was delicious though with a light sour taste covering a perfectly carved chip as always. It's a very pickle-like resemblance and definitely worth a try.

Upon more research there's a whole range of extreme stronger flavours out there. I feel the need to go on a pic-a-nic refill mission and get my paws on the chilli one...

Dan Hong's Famous Hotdog @ El Loco

Published On 10:04 AM By Unknown
I've had this infamous hotdog before but I needed an excuse to go back and what better than the fact I wanted to do a write up. Plus after some reading about Dan Hong, I'm keen on doing a write up about him too.
Dan Hong started his career in his family's Vietnamese chain Thanh Binh in Sydney. I actually went out to try the one in Cabramatta and it's woeful Vietnamese food... the same way I feel about Luke Nguyen's Fat Noodle. Overpriced food that just doesn't taste that great... and in both cases it tasted bland. 

In April 2011, after a ten day research trip around Mexico and the US, Dan opened Merivale’s first Mexican cantina, El Loco at the Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. El Loco quickly established a reputation for its mouth-watering tacos, fun atmosphere and brilliant cocktails. Since its popularity El loco has opened up another at Slip Inn in the city. 
I recommend trying this at lunch times if possible. You'll save yourself the crowds and long waits. I paid my $10 at the bar and waited patiently for the hotdog. I noticed that on the table it had three bottles of habernero to pair up with my food. I'm definitely loving this place more and more. 
@
The hotdog looks withered when it arrives as if its been sitting out for a few days and my cheese looks all funny. Don't judge a book by its cover. The cheese is actually light as air, so fluffy and just melts as it hits your tongue. It helps break down the crunchy texture of the sausage and the spicy pickled that were sparingly placed in the bun. The bun itself is well just normal. It felt like there was n sauce in the hotdog, but there's a thin layer of mayo, mustard and salsa hidden between the sausage and cheese. Normally I'd prefer to drench my hotdogs with sauce to enhance the taste but this was absolutely perfect the way it was. 
It looks just like a simple hotdog but what an amazing tasting experience behind it.

Pear, Almond and Chocolate Tart @ Central Baking Depot

Published On 10:15 AM By Unknown
After discovering Central Baking Depot, I can't help but find myself in their store browsing over what to try next. The Pear, Almond and Chocolate tart really tickled my interest. Not for its uniqueness but I'm a sucker for chocolate. It's first time to try something on the menu that wasn't savoury, and I must admit, I'm a little excited.
After my previous high praises for Bourke Street bakeries magnificent pastries.... I knew I'd be in for a treat here. Especially if they can make sweets as good as their pies and sausage rolls. 

It reminded me of a dense chocolate fondant except without the oozing chocolate that you'd expect. It leaves your mouth sticky the way good chocolate desserts should. The poached pear in middle helps break up that overly chocolatey indulgent taste you get with a chocolate fondant. To be honest I don't recall tasting the almonds at all. Very very subtle perhaps. 
I'm definitely excited to make another trip to tantalise my sweet tooth. Hmmmm my birthday is approaching.... any excuse would do.

Jabson's Mini Samosa

Published On 10:04 AM By Unknown
Mini Samosas that are ready to eat without preheating the oven, defrosting and cooking. Sounds amazeballs to me. All I need to do is open the packet and eat them. That's my immediate thoughts when I saw these at Mustafa in Singapore. The convenience level leaves me highly sceptical though. 
Samosa is a fried or baked pastry that's usually filled with spiced potatoes, lentils, peas, onion and grounded meat. It's typically a distinct triangular shape. 
I love that it actually looked the part and not just in any random shape they were able to form. Truly an exact replica of a samosa in my hand, just downsized. The outer pastry is crispy but unfortunately so was it's contents, making that its major downfall (Things that you might not be able to control if it's a packeted snack). The spice levels were fantastic. It lived up to the samosa name and packed a decent punch in such a small bite size. 
Overall very flavourful and enjoyable, despite the super high calories per samosa. I'd definitely recommend a try if you can manage to pick it up at your local Indian grocer.

Doritos Jacked Cheesy Enchilada

Published On 10:29 AM By Unknown
I was so hesitant to add this to my shopping cart as I'm not really a Doritos fan any more. I lost hope in their products a long time ago when I soon realised that all the flavours just don't appeal as much as I first thought. Hence probably why you regularly find them on sale. Just trying to palm off their un-sellables. The only time I really applauded them for was the introduction of the Doritos Burn. Finally a chip with heat and worthy of telling your friends. Haven't seen them at my local grocery stores recently.
The packaging is pretty much the same. "Jacked" seems to imply that the flavouring is going to be in-your-face intense. With the additions of cumin, black pepper and chilli it really kicked up the flavour a bit. It's slightly spicy but nothing that surpasses mild unfortunately. I love how some pieces have extra seasoning because those are my favourite ones. They truly are worthy of the "Jacked" labelling. 

I also notice the trend of companies shrinking packet sizes for their new releases. This is one of those cases. The packet is sold as a 150g bag.
I'm happy that it's trying to reinvent itself. Hopefully new flavours that are also jacked start popping up. I'm so tired of Doritos and their lack of new inventions.

Swiss Miss Premium Fudge Bars

Published On 10:08 AM By Unknown
After my first encounter with the Swiss Miss powdered drink, I knew there was something great when I saw these on the shelves at Costco. 

Swiss Miss is cocoa powder that makes a wickedly delicious instant hot cocoa.. even with little marshmallows. They actually originally made their product as a beverage for airlines but the drink became so popular that they decided to sell it at grocery shops.  
The ice-cream is sweet and just melts in your mouth and reminds of Chocollo at Wendy's. Remember Chocollo? It was their low fat attempt of ice cream. I wasn't convinced on the fat free component but it was amazingly delicious. 

I think this is a fantastic by-product of Swiss Miss and would probably rotate it into my ice-cream routine if  it didn't come in a massive box with just one flavour. For me, I just need the variety....

Crispy Salt Pepper Mushroom @ Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks

Published On 10:00 AM By Unknown
Recently I decided to change my morning walking route and this detour led me to discovering my next snacking venue.

This particular store is located at the UTS end of the Central tunnel. The lights are dim, the location gets a lot of foot traffic but in general the area looks a bit like where shops go to die... especially that Hip Hop Clothing store that's been holding it's closing down sale for the last few years yet it's still open.

Here's a snippet about them: Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks have been long established and loved by many in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia and are well known for their range of menu items that are famous Taiwanese street snacks from the Shihlin Markets. Shihlin offers foods that are not a fad and can be eaten anytime of the day whether you are eating on the run and are able to sit down and enjoy a relaxed dinning experience.
The mushrooms are battered and chucked in a deep fryer and I watch them cook rapidly and then poured into my paper bag. Topped off with a pair of chopsticks to add "authenticity". 

It was surprisingly delicious. Though what deep fried snack isn't. The batter and mushrooms combined reminds me of a cinnamon donut with pepper and salt seasoning. It was incredibly addictive, as I walked and ate. That in itself was annoying because the oil was quite abundant and they didn't pack any napkins with my order. I guess the chopsticks was almost a necessity. 
The service was friendly, but more so because I was one of the two people eating in their restaurant. I'm actually surprised how interesting their menu is and would be more than happy to come back and do some more reviews. Any excuse to snack.

Diary Milk Bubbly with Strawberry Flavoured Bubbles

Published On 10:27 AM By Unknown
My first impression is that it looks awfully like an Aero. Despite it being similar I'm still tempted to try it as they could have re-invented the combination of how the bubbles are formed or something to that matter.
I ripped the packaging opened and really loved the bubble shaped chocolate. Nice and different. Also a burst of strawberry milkshake smell whiffed out of the packet. Even before I broke into the chocolate. 
Even though strawberry is not one of my favourites, the taste reminds me of a Nesquik.... and I kinda like it. No sour, overly sugary and just what kids would order.

The texture isn't as fluffy as Aero either. A bit more dense on the bite. 
Personally I still prefer Aero over this stuff... good try though in a "New" product even though it felt like a very lazy attempt. Get on the ball Cadbury.. your last few products have been disappointing.

Mega Mac

Published On 10:09 AM By Unknown
So before I got on this diet I couldn't help myself but try burgers that are bigger than I should be eating. Introducing the Mega Mac for those that think that half your daily intake should be contained in one mediocre burger.
 
Yes your eyes aren't deceiving you. You can count them. 4 patties on your Big Mac. I think the "beef" overdose really ruins the original Big Mac balance. It's way too meaty in each bite, and this coming from a pronounced carnivore. 

Shame they didn't add more lettuce or sauce to counteract the extra layers of meat. 

Eastern Cross Hot Mini Springroll

Published On 11:27 AM By Unknown
Spring rolls in a bag... and you don't need to heat them up.
 
The appearance was enough to justify buying these. Sure I just stuff the food in my mouth but I still like a bit of thought going into their appearance. 

Looks like a baby spring roll. Its very crunchy and oily and has an artificial shrimp taste.Also packs a bit of a punch with heat.
 
If you're curious I purchased these from the Daiso at Town Hall Station. Ah.. what don't you sell Daiso.... 

Subway Flatbread

Published On 9:47 AM By Unknown
First off, let me start off by saying how daunting the Subway experience can be for newbies. I'm a seasoned veteran who knows which combo of everything I want. 

Lately on TV they have been sandblasting the viewers with ads from Subway commericals promoting their new flatbread option. So I decided to switch it up and give this newcomer a chance.

First thing you notice is they can't jam pack this sandwich with things. So I get less bread, less meat and less salad.

The sandwich artist insisted that my friend get it toasted as it's not that great when you "Eat Fresh". How ironic.

The footlong is made up of two individual wraps which means that in the middle section as they're building the sandwich, they have to leave blank so that you can easily break it into two separate wraps.
The taste overall felt lighter and less messy with hardly any crumbs anywhere. You do feel less fulfilled because it was overall a smaller meal with this choice. I think I'll stick with my Italian Herbs and Cheese. 

Cadbury Dairy Milk Blueberry

Published On 10:03 AM By Unknown
So when I saw these on the shelf in Singapore. It was one of those unique enough items that I must have. 
First off I love the packaging. A box that holds individually wrapped chocolate pieces. How great is that! I love not having to close off the block somehow or over breaking the line and having to eat more or less depending on the breakage. The fact I don't need to reseal after opening is a big winner for me.
For some reason I expect some type of fruity goo inside the chocolate because it was Blueberry. But alas it was nothing and just a flavour blended into the chocolate. It's not bad and not overly sweet. Though the after taste leaves you with something quite artificial, but enjoyable nonetheless.
I'm just hoping Australia starts adapting this form of packaging as the current ones don't cater for conservative eating.

Peanut Butter And Pretzel Sandwich

Published On 10:21 AM By Unknown
I've seen this range around a lot and I even tried one in my previous post. It wasn't the best experience, in fact I ended up giving away the rest of the packet because I couldn't eat it anymore. Yet for some reason I keep going through their range when I can and hope to hit a gem.
My first impression was that it wasn't that great. Especially something with peanut butter. But the more you eat, I can slowly appreciate it's subtleness as a snack and eventually devoured the whole bag over a few sittings. A bit too bland for my liking as I like flavours that really grab you but I can see the joy for those who like the sensation numbed down a notch. 
 
Not really my cup of tea but still very keen on experiencing some of their other products.

Ramen Burger @ On Ramen

Published On 10:30 AM By Unknown
I read reviews about the recent Noodle Market and realised they had a Ramen Burger. I was so disappointed that I didn't attend thinking that the Noodle Market is the same gathering of stores every year and its just overcrowded and unpleasant. Yes, I do sound like I'm ageing way too fast. Though upon more research by my fiancee we found that On Ramen served the infamous Ramen Burger and off we went.

We rocked up Sunday morning, nice and early. Way too early for Japanese as it's not one of those breakfast nor brunch meals. We were the only ones in the restaurant. It was tucked away on the corner facing Harry's, who was also up early selling Bacon and Egg rolls. 
The food came out and yes that is a scale of it compared to my finger. No I don't have massive fingers. The burger was as small as a slider. And for the price ofs $12.50. I could have gotten 6 McDoubles for that. I assume they were going for the small servings means upper class food and you appreciate it more. Hence the long lines of people during lunchtimes wanting to try it.
The ramen noodles were crunchy and tough in bits and in general it was burnt. Too burnt for my liking. The slightly burnt bits were nice and bitter and added that contrast to the overall sweetness of the meat and ramen. The salad inside consisted of corn, lettuce, tomato and onion. Tomato was a bit weird as I don't usually find that in my ramen.
I love the wasabi mash on the side. It was the perfect complimenting dish. 

The staff in the back seem to be speaking Mandarin and the staff at the front were greeting people in Japanese. 
I think this is going to be like the Cronut Craze unless they eventually fix up the kinks in the burger. Definitely worth a try though for what its worth. 

Stick Man Fish Cake

Published On 10:02 AM By Unknown
So every now and then something inside me stops working. I think it's the common sense or the gut feeling that goes.... "Put that snack down it's not worth it bro". So I picked up the packet of fish cakes and thought, lets try this.

I was a bit nervous upon opening the packaging, even to the stage I researched how this was meant to be eaten. 
 
It smelt weird, like it was off. Like I should have backed out then and there and not did what I did next and put it in my mouth. URGH! I spat it out . Couldn't even swallow it. Maybe it was the hype I built up over eating this thing. What do I do with the other four sticks? Mr Garbage Bin might enjoy them. It tasted so artificial like it was glued together and then coloured in and someone though if we labelled it meat, some fool would buy it.
 
It is made from Pollock meat with cheese. Pollock is largely considered to be a whitefish. Traditionally a popular source of food in some countries, such as Norway, in the United Kingdom it has previously been largely consumed as a cheaper and versatile alternative to cod and haddock. However, in recent years pollock has become more popular due to over-fishing of cod and haddock. It can now be found in most supermarkets as fresh fillets or prepared freezer items. For example, when minced, it is the primary component of fish fingers and popcorn fish. It is often the common ingredient used to create imitation crab meat.
 
Maybe I'm not meant to eat it like this. Anyways if anyone can fill me in on how to prepare it or I did something stupidly wrong. Please let me know. For now, it'll stay under my 'Hell no' pile.
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