Clear Coca Cola Coke review

 Coca-cola Clear!

Hey, my lovely balls of sunshine!

I want to say "hi" to the sudden massive Brazilian audience who just visited me over the weekend! (That was A LOT OF VIEWS!!)

Japan has been trending over and obsessed with creating clear drinks, things from clear milk tea to clear tea. And they finally did it, they made a clear coca cola!! (FYI, they call it コカ･コーラ クリア which translates to Coca-Cola Clear)

it is strange... seriously, it just feels clean and on those days you are wearing white shirts or bottoms, it will be a relief knowing you have a water looking drink that is not prepared to stain your clothes. 

Nutrition:

back to the drink, I checked its nutrition, just like their drink seems very clean... no calories, no sugar and no sodium. A bit of research told me that it is supposed to be Japan's Clear Coke Zero.

it is strange and scary at the same time.

impressions:

• super fizzy!!
• weird aftertaste
• doesn't exactly taste like coca cola's coke

After taking the first few sips, my taste buds were confused. In the end, I had to take another few sips with a blindfold so my judgement will be less biased.

I appreciated how frizzy it was... but the taste was totally off. It has a strange undertaste to it as if the drink was mixed with some artificial sugar (much worse than the original Diet and Zero). 

I also noticed that the frizziness is a bit different from the regular coca cola frizzy, the bubbles here are smaller but more. it sometimes gets so frizzy to the point that it feels like a few seconds of creamy foam.

Unfortunately, the prominent signature taste of Coca-Cola coke was hardly there... it was covered by the strange artificial sugary taste. It was too sweet for my liking.

So... did I like it?

not really. One of the reasons I like Coca Cola's coke is their signature taste, without that rich taste, there is really no reason for us to drink this...

definitely an interesting gimmick product which I don't expect it to last...

score: 2/10
website: https://www.cocacola.co.jp/brands/coca-cola/cocacola10

Excelsior Caffe Hot Cocoa in Tokyo small review

Excelsior Caffe Hot Cocoa

it seems strange to drink hot cocoa on such a hot day... but I was craving it 😅😅😅😅😅

In Canada, we call a hot chocolate drink, "hot chocolate" while in Japan they call it Hot Cocoa.

I'm not sure whether it is the name... but the ones in Tokyo are much thicker and richer (not sweeter) than the ones in Toronto.

They also have a cold version... but I'm more into the hot one :)

Excelsior Caffe makes one of the best (budget friendly) Hot Cocoas in Tokyo 😋This medium cup cost ¥410.

@ Excelsior Caffe in Shinagawa

website: http://www.doutor.co.jp/exc/menu/list/hotdrink.html

Nissan Chili Tomato Cup Noodle review

hey, my lovelies!

For those who follow me on Facebook, you would have been aware of my frequency in posting about cup noodles lately. In fact, I have started to find a liking a curiosity to cup noodles a few weeks ago, so I decided that you can benefit from hearing what I have to say about each one I try.

I will start of with one that I quite fancy called Chili Tomato. I haven’t seen this outside of Japan, so I’m not aware of the availability overseas, but in Japan, it was one of the original flavours that Nissan has created which made Cup Noodles so popular today. It still remains to be one of the best selling cup noodles in Japan. 

You can find these cup noodles in most supermarkets, grocery stores and convenient stores. 

I would first like to comment on its packaging, which is really simple yet eye-catching. Before even reading the text, I knew I already wanted to try it. It is very Japanese. Of all the cup noodle packaging designs, this is by far one of my favourites.

The name itself is already quite attractive, I felt my tastebuds tingling and aching to try when I was able to grasp what it says. First, tomatoes give me a sense of freshness and complemented the chicken pieces very well. Chili just means there is a bit of a twist making it more exciting.

Chili Tomato

• bits of tomato flesh and corn
• Chilli was quite right, not overwhelming yet enough to enhance the tomato's taste
• chicken pieces, lots of that, and unlike most dried meat, the chicken pieces were tender and didn't have any hard dry pieces

Overall, I was quite impressed with this cup noodles. It was delicious! I highly recommend it!

score: 10/10 (compare to other cup noodles)
website: https://www.nissin.com/jp/products/items/8448

also... if you are interested, please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)

Question: What is 生レーモンサワー Lemon Sour in Japan?

This is not so a review as it is a description and introduction to what this drink is! (It is one of my favourite drinks!)

Fresh Lemon Sour 生レーモンサワー

This drink is unique to Japan... not only is "Sour" a drink I have only heard of in Japan but the fact that you can squeeze your own lemon juice (fresh) and make your own mix :D makes it unique!

What is a Japanese Sour?

Sour: also known as Chuhai (チュウハイ) is Shochu 焼酎 mixed with soda water and a "sour" tasting juice (e.g. lemon, grapefruit, plum...)

What is Shochu?

according to Wikipedia:

a Japanese distilled beverage less than 45% alcohol by volume. It is typically distilled from rice (kome), barley(mugi), sweet potatoes (satsuma-imo), buckwheat (soba), or brown sugar (kokutō), though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as chestnut, sesame seeds, potatoes or even carrots.

Fresh Lemon Sour 生レーモンサワー

now that's fresh!

how to order:

most izakaya will have this. To order this make sure you look for the "生" (fresh) Kanji. The full name is 生レーモンサワー (fresh Lemon Sour). If there is no "生" (fresh), you won't be able to squeeze your own lemon juice.


also... if you are interested, please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)

McDonald's たまごダブルマック burger review

hey, my sweet cherries,

I will be reviewing McDonald's limited time burger. (I was told it is also currently available at McDonald's in Toronto, though I couldn't find it on the Canadian website.). In Japanese, it is called たまごダブルマック, which literally translates to Egg Double Mac.

wrapping paper

what it is:

bacon, egg, and two beef patties with a special black pepper sauce

the layers :)

my thoughts:

• very tasty! 
• all my favourite burger components in one (I wish there was cheese though... but I didn't miss it as much as I thought since the sauce was really flavourful).
• loved the special black pepper sauce!!!
• the black pepper sauce was not only there for the heat, I can't pinpoint what they used to make it taste so good, it was savoury and added such a nice creamy touch to the burger :) 
• the bacon's smokey taste really wrapped the burger nicely

not an appealing picture

my take on what the sauce contains:

mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, sandwich spread... some secret ingredient... (my taste buds are confused XD)

the marriage between the smokey bacon and sauce is impeccable. A perfect match, in the beginning, I thought the smokiness was coming from the sauce, then I realized it was actually the bacon!

I love it! And that means a lot since I have been on a burger craze lately. If it is available in your area, I highly recommend you to try it! (I still can't stop thinking about the sauce :D)

score: 9/10
website: http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/quality/basic_information/menu_info.php?mid=6700

also... if you are interested, please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)

Rosenheim Smoked Beef Tongue mini review

not the best picture >___<

For those who do not know, I am a HUGE beef tongue fan!!! and... This is hands down the BEST beef tongue I have had in Tokyo! 😋😋😋😋😋
most beef tongues I buy are either too firm, dry and always drizzled with lemon juice 😖
it's not that they aren't fresh... I don't understand how they can go so wrong.

this one, on the other hand, is delicious. It is smoked and coated in pepper and salt. Enough seasoning to enhance the original beef tongue flavour.

impressions:

• very flavourful
• beef tongue is fresh
• good amount of salt and black pepper

score: 10/10
website: no website

also... if you are interested, please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)