Waffle Bae

Bae appreciation post because without him, I'd be enjoying this Chocolate Ice Cream Waffle by myself. Oh, and it's a good waffle too! This was when we were at our best friends' wedding. There were so many food option, but our eyes were immediately caught by the sight of the waffle stand. There was a long line at that particular stand, but we sure got our hands on our waffles.

The waffle was not as crispy as I liked it to be. It was topped with a cold chocolate ice cream, then drizzled with a spoonful of chocolate sprinkles. The waffle itself was not sweet to say the least, but it still tasted good and the batter used to make it was not that bad. The sweet chocolate ice cream really elevated the whole dessert. 10/10 would go for more.

Krakakoa's 100% Dark Chocolate

Throwback to the time when I was delirious enough to choose my first Krakakoa chocolate to be the 100% cacao Dark Chocolate. I was immediately sold by the “Sugar Free” written on the packaging as I was on a strict diet at that time but really wanted to eat chocolate. Without a single doubt, I bought a bar and took it with me to the rooftop so that I could enjoy a smoke or two while munching on chocolate without having to feel any guilt afterwards. Or, so I thought. 

I love how the rich the packaging of the chocolate looked - it was dark brown in color with shiny trails of gold. As I opened the packaging, I was welcomed with a brief, yet understandable, explanation on how the chocolate bar was made. Turns out, Krakakoa is a high quality chocolate made in Indonesia that uses excellent organic cocoa beans that were produced by local farmers. My mind was set to the thought that high quality chocolates can only be produced in foreign countries, like Switzerland and Belgium, but then I stumbled upon Krakakoa and it immediately shifted. 

The chocolate bar itself was also beautiful. It wasn’t shaped into squares, or blocks, like how chocolate bars are used to shaped to, but instead, it had engraved pictures of cocoa beans and flowers. It even had a particular part with batik pattern on it! I may be mistaken, though, because the batik pattern also looked a lot like a series of flower. 

Little did I know that a 100% dark chocolate didn’t taste like how Milka’s milk chocolate would taste. I took a bite of the dark chocolate bar and it tasted really really sour. After all, it was 100% cocoa. It tasted sour and bitter at the same time, and it took me a few bites to really savor the taste, which I failed miserable in the end. But, on the bright side, now I know how a 100% cocoa chocolate tasted like. I would definitely try a different Krakakoa chocolate bar the next time I get the chance, but this time I won’t be buying the 100% dark chocolate one. 

Fun fact! This chocolate is so pure it melted in room temperature. I had melted chocolate on my fingers by just opening the plastic wrap. Mind blowing! 

Milka & LU Biscuits

I stumbled upon this particular bar at the airport as I was waiting for my plane to land, the Milka & LU Biscuits. It came in a bag, filled with individually wrapped chocolate bars that consisted of four merged bars of Milka's milk chocolate sandwiched in between LU Biscuits. LU Biscuits here is a french food product, produced by Lefèvre Utile (hence shorten to LU), which is basically a rectangular-shaped mildly sweet and yellow biscuits. The combination of the crunchy crackers with the sweet milk chocolate from Milka is very simple, yet very delightful.

For some people, Milka's chocolate can be way too sweet. I have to agree, despite my knack for sweet food. The chocolate, although very smooth and creamy, can be too sweet sometimes, especially combined with particular toppings and fillings, like Oreo and cream. But, when combined with the right element, Milka's milk chocolate can definitely hits the spots. 

Cadbury's (not) 5star

Gosh, this chocolate disappointed me in just one bite. I was excited at first because I thought that maybe this particular product will taste the same like Cadbury's Crunchie. I mean, come on, they share the same color packaging. Who wouldn't expect that, right?

It goes by the name 5star, with no extra "s" after the "r", a product by Cadbury which consisted of caramel, crisps, and cream filled milk chocolate. It doesn't have any saying about it having a golden honeycomb in the center, but still I am disappointed. The chocolate itself tasted like cheap chocolate despite it being Cadbury's. The caramel showed a significant presence compared to the other elements in the chocolate. I could taste the rice crispy, but it still has this cheap vibe coming from it. On the one hand, the chocolate cream was a big let down as it was too sweet for my liking and it had this weird crumbly texture which I do not comprehend.

I will definitely not going to buy Cadbury 5star ever again. I would rather settle for Snickers. But, hey, if you enjoy it, then indulge yourself in it. You do you. 

Wall's' Vanilla & Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich

A few years back, Wall's released this Vanilla & Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich that went popular for months. For only Rp7.500,00 you can enjoy this luxury item that you can find in, almost, every supermarket in Indonesia. Why is it a luxury item, you asked? This is because there isn't many ice cream factory here, in Indonesia, that produce Ice Cream Sandwich. Sad, right? I even think Wall's is the first one that actually have sandwiched ice cream as one of its' wade varieties of ice cream selection. 

Indonesia is rather famous for its' sugary sorbet ice cream. Strawberry flavor, mango flavor, grape flavor, you name it. All of those sugary goodness was just good while it lasts and it immediately gave me a sore throat for, at least, four days afterwards. Delicious, but deadly. 

We don't have many option for Ice Cream Sandwich like they do in the United States. We don't have any Klondike Bar, or Blue Bunny's Triple Delights, or even the Fat Boy Ice Cream Sandwich. Heck, we are even missing the famous Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich, for God's sake. The only choice of sandwiched ice cream that we have is from Wall's and Häagen-Dazs, and we all know, the last brand is not financially friendly for those who don't have jobs, yet. 

There was this period of time when I was so crazy about this Ice Cream Sandwich. A combination of vanilla and chocolate ice cream, sandwiched between soft vanilla biscuits that has printed comics on it, that costs me under ten thousand rupiah is just awesome. My boyfriend knows that I love it so much, at some points, he always brought one whenever he picked me up for a night out. 

This stuff, even though it's merely ice cream, is quite filling. It's sweet and light, but it fills your stomach for a bit, especially when you're hangry, but you're stuck in a traffic. Man, does this ice cream helps. 

Binge-eating Like a Pro

Currently binge-watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. for the umpteenth time in my twenty two years of living on the planet Earth. I am supposed to be studying, but I couldn't bring myself to open that module of Cessna Caravan EX and make notes about its' Engine Operating Limitation. Any moments now before that wave of guilt crashes into me. 

Anyways. Who binge-watch a Tv series without binge-eating on some snacks, right? I have ate two blocks of this 72% Cacao GODIVA Dark Chocolate bar and I quite enjoy it. I'm not a big fan of dark chocolate, but this one is rather enjoyable. Very bitter, yet sweet and smooth in a way. It had a sour aftertaste from the bitterness, very similar to the aftertaste of sipping a nice shot of good Espresso. 

Now, I shall continue my procrastination and you are more than welcome to join me.. 

Pocky Chocolate: Almond Crush

Got this Pocky Chocolate: Almond Crush from my dorm mate, Anggita, whose parents just got home from a quick getaway to Japan. A pack of this baby contains a couple bag of Pocky, in which was filled with five sticks of milk chocolate covered biscuit sticks drizzled with chunks of almonds on it. 

I was very satisfied with how the actual product itself looked very similar with the advertisement pictures printed on the box. Them Pocky sticks were very short compared to the ones produced here in Indonesia, yet a bite of it gave you a mouthful of flavor smack. Bam!

The combination of the creamy chocolate milk enveloping the upper part of the biscuit stick blended well with the savory almond chunks, and they were generous in amount, making it better. I'm guessing that the producer of these sweet treats back in Japan used a different quality of chocolate because of the fact that the milk chocolate that was covering the biscuit melted easier when it made contact with heat. Unlike the ones here in Indonesia. 

I really like this particular Pocky flavor. I would probably buy a dozen of them if I get the chance to go on a quick holiday to the land of the rising sun. And then I would probably buy another dozens of other flavors as well. 

Milka with Whole Hazelnut

Mom just got back from Doha, Qatar, and she brought back a bunch of Milka chocolate bar - and by "a bunch" I meant lots and lots of flavors, woohoo! 

One of them is this Milka with Whole Hazelnuts chocolate bar. Very simple and handy wrapping. The green ribbon gave a little twist to the dominant purple color trademark of Milka chocolate bar. As usual, on the back of the wrapping was written a simple "tear here" to help us unwrap the nicely enveloped chocolate in the simplest way possible, and I give a plus point for that.

The chocolate was slightly gooey as I took the liberty to defrost it beforehand, because I like my chocolate in room temperature. Very smooth and tender texture, yet still chewable and slightly gooey, the milk chocolate was decorated with a rather generous amount of hazelnuts. Like, literary, hazelnut galore in every bite!

The combination of the sweet milk chocolate and the nutty hazelnut was nice and well balanced, making the sweet treat not overflowed with sweetness like the previous Milka chocolate bar that I had, which is the Milka & Oreo Chocolate Bar. On the other hand, as delicious as the milk chocolate can be, there was no kick whatsoever as it was a mere chocolate bar with nuts. It was still a good Milka chocolate bar though, but just not my favorite. 

Milka & Oreo Chocolate Bar

I am currently obsessed with Milka & Oreo Chocolate Bar. Bought this one at Hamad International Airport at Doha, Qatar, when I got time to spare before I board the aircraft that would take me back home to Jakarta. 

There were various choices of Milka bars flavors. Some of them were pretty unique and unlikely to find here in Indonesia. The chocolate bars were on a PAY 3 FOR 4 discount thing, but I only bought one because each bar costs 30 Riyal and I don't have that sum of money to spend. (30 Riyal is equal to Rp111.000,00. These chocolates are expensive.)

Basically, Milka & Oreo Chocolate Bar is a milk chocolate bar with Oreos inside. I was not disappointed by the presentation of the chocolate bar because there was no difference between the advertisement version and the real thing. 

The chocolate was sweet. It had this kind of sweetness that would hurt your teeth and make you nauseous if you eat it too much. I'm not really into white cream, but the generous amount of Oreos manage to cover that up. 

I like my chocolate in room temperature, where it's not brick-hard, yet not liquified either. The well-known Milka milk chocolate was very smooth yet chewable, while the vanilla cream went all creamy and mushy in a quick snap. The Oreos was like the cherry on top of a perfect ice cream Sundae, it completes the chocolate bar. 

Kit Kat: Baked Cheesecake

Dad flew to Osaka a while ago and brought home a pack of Kit Kat with flavor I have never encountered before: cheesecake. But, there is something special about this particular chocolate other than the unique flavor itself. This is a bakeable Kit Kat! You can actually put the mini chocolates into an oven toaster and it will transform into a cheesecake. Yes, cheesecake! God bless Japan! 

I didn't, and still don't, understand a single word written on the packaging. There were no number that can make me speculate about how long it takes for the chocolate to transform into a cheesecake after I put it in the toaster. I didn't even know that machine I should use to bake the chocolate. There was this picture of what it seems to be a microwave on the packaging, which looks similar to Mom's mini oven toaster. Might as well give it a try, I said to myself. The worst that could happen is the chocolate will melt and end up making a hole in the toaster as it transforms into a goo of solid acid instead of cheesecake. What? 

Without any acknowledgement about anything involving the chocolate whatsoever, I unwrapped three of them and toast it with Mom's mini oven toaster. I set the timer to three minutes and prayed nothing goes wrong with them. 

I waited and waited and three minutes had never felt that long. I became anxious as the chocolate started to melt. It's never going to work, I thought. I mean, how can a white chocolate possibly turn into a cheesecake, right? 

But, then, something happened. The surface of the melted white chocolate started to burn. It gradually burnt and transformed into something like burnt meringue. It was fascinating! 

Ding! the toaster oven made a sound that signaled me that the toasting process was finished. I took out my batch of baked cheesecake Kit Kat and was welcomed with a deliciously sweet, yet cheesy and savory, aroma - just like how a baked cheesecake would smell like. 

I used a butter knife to scoop the Kit Kat from the tray. I was expecting a gooey texture like how melted chocolate should feel like, but I was stand corrected. The melted chocolate that transformed into a baked cheesecake had a solid texture like the shell of a macaroon. It cracked as I slipped the butter knife underneath the Kit Kats. I was lost for words. Japan truly does exceed expectation when it comes to unique munchies, isn't it?

 

The baked cheesecake flavored chocolate tasted like how white chocolate should taste like, with a hint of cheesecake here and there, and a slight burnt caramel after taste. It also had this citrus like flavor like that cream in every Khong Guan biscuits (Indonesian can relate). The texture was like macaroon without the ganache, it cracked within every bite. True, it tasted a bit weird, but in a good way. A definite must try for those of you who fancy peculiar snacks like these! 

Hershey's and Reese's

Mom went to Doha, Qatar, and just got home last week. She brought home a bag of assorted chocolate, consisted of Hershey's and Reese's. Only three kinds of chocolate were available in one bag, but they were more than enough to make this 19-year-old go sugar rush.

A bag of travel-friendly bag of sweet sweet chocolates

My favorite was Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds, followed by Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Those three were extremely sweet, said I who is a fan of sugar and sweets. 

Typical Reese's, its' Peanut Butter Cup were the sweetest among the three chocolates. As you dig your teeth into the chocolate cup, you will find a chunk of salty and sweet peanut butter clumps in the middle. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter was very delightful, but it was too sweet for my taste.

As always, Hershey's chocolates tasted amazing. Both chocolate were sweet and delicious, but I'm not a big fan of white chocolate, leaving me with the creamy and milky Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds as a favorite. While the milk chocolate had almond bits in it, Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme had cookie drops in every inch. 

Trust me, once you opened the packaging, there is no turning back. One bar of chocolate will never be enough.

Pick a bar, any bar! 

Japanese Knick-Knacks

My Dad just got back from Osaka, for the third time this year, and he got me a sackful of knick-knacks! "I brought your treasure," Dad said when he arrived at our home. He unzipped his luggage and pulled out numerous colorful boxes, it lasted for several seconds. It's like watching Mary Poppins pulling out a lamp from her magic purse. 

Dad got me a pack of Hello Kitty Gum, a box of Strawberry Mouse, three packs of Asahi Biscuits, and three boxes of Popin' Cookin': DIY Candy Kit. All of them are very colorful, as expected from Japanese products. I can't wait to taste them all!

Hello Kitty Gum

Strawberry Mousse

Three different flavors of Asahi Biscuits

Blueberry Biscuit, Chocolate Biscuit, and Caramel & Fruits Biscuit

Three boxes of Popin' Cookin'

Me precious treasure!

P.S. Thank you Dad, for all of these lovely Japanese goods! 

Limited Edition Twix White

Limited Edition Twix White

I was very surprised when I found out that Twix White does not have any artificial colors, artificial flavors, nor preservatives in it. It was very hard to believe, but then I read "Ingredients" section on the back of the wrapping and I didn't find any single word of "artificial" written in it. I don't think I have ever found a chocolate bar with very few artificial substance, like this one. 

"No artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives"

Each wrapping of Twix White Limited Edition contains a couple of white chocolate bar. I thought each bar would be wrapped with plastic, like Kinder Bueno, but I stand corrected. The chocolate bars were thick and long, thicker than my thumb and not longer than the length from my thumb to my pinky.

Look how my nails matched the inside part of the wrapping

Tasted like Ladyfinger

Inside the white chocolate bar is a stack of caramel, a very very thin layer of chocolate, and a bar of biscuit. The four component made a great team, resulting a sweet gooey flavor and solid texture in every bite. 

Unlike White KitKat, the white chocolate coating is very thin, which is a good thing because I often feel sick when I consume too many white chocolate. Compared to Snickers, Twix had a handful of gooey, yet bitable and chewable, caramel in it - the texture was a bit similar to toffee. And it was a biscuit at the bottom layer of Twix, not wafer, which made it tasted delicious and different from other chocolates. At some point, the biscuit tasted very much like Ladyfinger.

The layers in Twix White

All I can say is that Twix White is a very delicious chocolate bar, and you have to try it when you get the chance. Don't forget to eat it with some ice cream, preferably Vanilla flavor, because the lovechild of Twix and ice cream is amazing!

It would be perfect with an addition of a bucket of Vanilla Ice Cream

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are so sweet. So sweet that even my healthy teeth were hurting. So sweet that the Tooth Fairy will sob when the sugary treats ruin our teeth. So sweet that it would tasted sweeter if we let it melt a bit before we devour it. So sweet that dentists would be thrilled to have us as their patients. So sweet it tasted so damn good. So sweet you can never have enough. So sweet it is bad for our health. 

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Three peanut butter cups can be found in a single packaging of Reese's. Those chocolate cups are thin, probably as thick as our index finger, with clumps of salty and buttery peanut butter. The combination of the sweet chocolate and the salty peanut butter is lovable. Yet, after a few bites, a sharp pain coming from your tooth will strike and makes you rethink about having another bite. 

The peanut butter is what I love the most about the sweet snack. Instead of a melty and gooey peanut butter, it has a rather rough and clumpy texture. It tasted salty, nutty, and buttery. Sometimes it even leave a rough aftertaste, but I still like it. 

Look at those beauty!

As good as this chocolate taste, it is still bad for your health. So, for those who are addicted to Reese's, how about finding a healthy substitute, like carrots? And for those who have not tried Reese's before, and is curious to find out how it taste, you might want to read the "Ingredients" section written at the backside of the packaging before you decided to buy one.  

Loving the peanut butter filling inside

Bourbon's Mochi Chocolat: Chocolate

Bourbon's Mochi Chocolat is a souvenir my Dad got me from his trip to Osaka a few weeks ago. For those of you who might not know what a mochi is, it is a popular traditional snack from Japan made out of rice. Traditionaly, the rice is cooked and pounded into paste, then shaped into round balls. Some mochi are usually filled with bean paste, or any kind of ingredients the maker favors, but some are left with no fillings. 

Bourbon's Mochi Chocolat

This particular mochi that my Dad bought me is filled with chocolate. I guess y'all figured it out already from reading the main title of this post. As you can see, the word "Mochi Chocolat" was written on the packaging, with pictures of three mochi and a pot of swirling chocolate. On the side of the box was a picture of the mochi's anatomy, along with the description of the layers. Unfortunately, I don't understand a single word because it was written in Japanese. Do I have any volunteer translator? 

Can anybody tell me what those words mean?

I opened the thin box and was welcomed with a couple of square-shaped chocolate packaging. They were thin and considered small as they somehow fit on my palms. I'm guessing that the mochi are contained inside those chocolate packaging. There is only one way to find out, right?

What you will find inside the box

Anybody care for a package, or two?

Tear 'em up like savages! Inside the petite packaging you will find two pairs of chocolate mochi. They were very small, very tiny, very unfulfilling for those who have monstrous appetite like me. Because I put the box in the refrigerator beforehand, the mochi were stiff and cold. Try to pinch it, and your thumb and index finger will ache. Been there, done that. 

Behold!

The mochi was more like a stiff and cold chocolate covered in chocolate-flavored rice cake, instead of mochi with chocolate filling. Get the idea? Even though the whole treat itself was stiff and cold, the longer the mochi stays in a room-temperature area, the more gooey the rice cake skin gets. 

The Japanese snack was sweet from the chocolate. And instead of using milk chocolate, I think they used dark chocolate for the filling, judging from the slightly bitter aftertaste after taking a bite. The mochi came in three layers, chocolate rice cake, dark chocolate, and chocolate ganache. It was delicious and suitable to be consumed when one is bored. And instead of frozen mochi, I prefer to have them slightly melty and gooey. 

Very tiny, don't you think?

The inner sight of the chocolate mochi