Saratoga Springs Made in USA Kettle Cooked Cheddar & Onion chips review

chip bag

While shopping at Kaldi's, the words "Kettle Cooked" caught my eye. For those of you who live in Japan, you know the frustration of finding kettle cooked potato chips... they are rare. So without giving it much thought, I went ahead and bought Cheddar & Onion. (I also bought Black Pepper, I will talk about it in another post).

There are definitely a few things I miss: real cheddar tasting snacks, onion tasting snacks AND Kettle chips... so this already had my name on it. 

As they claim, these were made in the US, a quick search on Google told me that Saratoga chips are famous and very well known. 

According to their website:

Saratoga Chips Original Kettle Potato Chips are as crisp and delicious as Chef George Crum intended when he invented the potato chip at the Cary Moon's Lake Lodge in 1853 in Saratoga Springs, New York.

I guess I was really lucky and made the right decision to buy them!

Their chips claim to be:
certified gluten-free no trans fats allergen free 100% all natural no cholesterol also non-GMO Verified.


The description on the bag also says

According to culinary legend, the potato chip originated in 1853 at a fashionable New York restaurant when railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt sent his potatoes back to the kitchen, complaining that they were too thick. Annoyed, chef George Crum scornfully sliced some potatoes into a kettle of boiling oil and fried them to a crisp. The result was a hit and the potato chip was born.

In succession to this traditional recipe, we kettle-cook select potatoes in small batches using vegetable oil. We use totally natural ingredients, hand-rake every batch, and test chips at every stage of preparation to ensure quality and taste. Enjoy our traditional kettle cooked potato chips. 

So after knowing ALL about these chips, how do they taste:

impressions:

• very solid 
• very crispy (even after leaving them out for a day (by accident) they were still very fresh)
• oily to the fingers
• cheddar and onion taste was very mild
• perfect combination with avocado
• does not leave you with onion breath but there is a slight onion flavour lingering

and last but not least, the ingredients:
potatoes, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil and/or safflower oil, maltodextrin whey powder, sea salt, dried cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), whey, buttermilk, disodium phosphate, lactic acid), natural & artificial flavours, onion powder, yeast extract, extractives of annatto, sugar, citric acid, lactic acid, garlic powder, extractive of turmeric. 

score: 9.5/10
website: http://originalsaratogachips.com/ 

Lion's feet and legs soothing sheets resting time neat foot review

Kyusoku Jikan - Lion Corporation

I threw away the actual box, but if you take this picture to any drugstore in Japan, they will know what you are looking for. The box looks more colourful.

As I have started working and officially an office lady, I have no choice but to wear heels all the time. When I get home at night, my feet would cramp (super painful). 

I found these (which by the way are one of the more popular souvenirs in Tokyo) and decided to give them a try. 

Description:

• A moisture-rich sheet that cools your legs through the vaporization of water, helps to care for your tired legs after a long day of standing, walking, wearing high or doing sports. 
• Formulated with 5 aromatic oil fragrances, it also relaxes your senses while pampering your legs. 
• The adhesive is gentle on your skin and adheres firmly to the leg till the next morning.

Directions:

1. Use it after showering or before going to bed.
2. Ensure skin is dry and clean before using.
3. Remove half of the transparent film and affix to the required area i.e. calf, sole or ankle. Remove the other half of the transparent film.
4. For best cooling results, refrigerate it prior to use. Do not store in freezer.

pros:

• easy to apply
• slight minty smell
• works! 
• gets rid of foot cramps (on heel days)
• self-adhesive
• works on leg muscles (you will feel the difference the next day)
• affordable - ¥700 (approx) for 18 sheets

cons:

• smell
• easily slips off of feet (especially when you walk) 
• need to be absolutely still

I put them on my feet/legs before I go to sleep (so I don't have to use my legs and feet as much) and when I wake up the next day, my feet and leg muscles feel much more soothed.

Sometimes (depending on the season and your body temperature) you will slowly get a minty cooling sensation which also helps you relax. (I haven't tried storing them in the refrigerator before... so I'm not sure whether that would enhance the cooling feeling).

I highly recommend it!

score: 9.5/10
website: http://www.lioncorp.com.sg/Kyusoku%20Jikan/kyusoku-jikan.html

OPI Top Coat review

a disclaimer: this won't be a long review. (you will see why)

Before I get to my review and thoughts on this product, here is what it claims:

Product Description

• Top coat for regular lacquer shades.
• Used as the final step in a manicure service to seal in color and extend wear.

Benefits: 

• Protective, high-gloss shine
• Prevents smudges
• Non-yellowing formula

This is what I think: 

This is possibly one of the worse nail products I have bought this year.

I am very disappointed because I thought OPI is known for its quality (especially when you look at its price).

For ¥1500, I bought this Top Coat believing it will protect my nail polish from chipping, fading... or at least... function as a top coat.

None of that happened.

I first noticed something was seriously wrong as I applied it to my already dried nail polish was it starting to wipe off my already dried nail polish...  the top coat's brush starting collecting all my nail polish as if it was drenched in nail polish remover. It completely smudged my nail polish :(.

After the catastrophic event, I decided to leave my nail polish on and see how the top coat will protect it. After a few days, my nail polish began to chip and chunks of nail polish were falling off.

I tried not to panic and thought it might only be a random Revlon nail polish which might not be compatible with it (for some reason) but after testing it on a few other brands... the same thing happened... so my verdict is... this top coat is bad.


score: 0/10
website: https://www.opi.com/nail-care/top-and-base-coats/opi-top-coat

紅茶花伝 Craftea review

I finally bought it! I give in easily to advertisements and good looking bottles XD.

first impressions:

• 9% juice (whoa...)
• Minute Maid
• The drink was rough (they over brewed the tea)
• Loved the combination of orange/Apple tea

I liked this drink... the only downside was that the tea was completely over brewed... and tasted very rough...  other than that, I really liked the taste.

score: 7/10
website: https://c.cocacola.co.jp/kochakaden/craftea/

- I listed this as a Coca-Cola because it is owned by CocaCola.

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

Egg Tempura review

egg tempura - 卵天ぷら

If you ever get the chance, I would highly recommend you to try egg tempura!... it is unbelievably good!

egg tempura 卵天ぷら

I was skeptical at first because how can egg tempura be good? it sounds so... gimmicky... but my taste buds told me otherwise! 

You can think of it like Onsen egg but covered in crispy tempura batter... 

Look for this word: 卵天ぷら if you are interested in trying it.

I ate this at 天ぷら定食まきの at 武蔵小山(Musashi Koyama). (I will do a full review of this place soon)

Address: 品川区荏原3-8-5 東京都, 142-0063

UHA 味覚糖さけるりんご review

I have found an interesting candy! It is stringy candy... and it is apple flavour! (They also have grape, mango and melon). They also explicitly say that you must keep this gummy in an environment of 28 degrees Celcius or lower. 

Before I get into the fun part, let me give you an overview of what is inside this stringy candy. (speaking of fun, check this page for weird commercials about this gummy... there are 11 episodes!)

They claim they use apple juice from Aomori apples. For those that do not know, Aomori Apples are known to be one of the best apples in the world (taste and size). 

Ingredients: (Aspartame · L-phenylalanine compound, acesulfame K), coloring agent (carotenoid), vitamin C (carotenoid), sugar, vegetable processed oil, starch syrup, collagen, concentrated apple juice, apple / cellulose, acidulant, emulsifier, , (Some apple / gelatin is included)

*I'm surprised! while it isn't the most healthy candy...

Here are the nutrition facts:

Energy 18 kcal, protein 0.3 g, lipid 0.7 g, carbohydrate 3.0 g, salt equivalent 0.001 g / collagen 240 mg per standard nutrition labeling (4.7 g standard)

Allergic substances included in raw materials (out of 27 items) Apples · Gelatin 

※ This product is manufactured with common equipment with products including milk.

there are 7 of these little packets inside

So now that is over with and the ingredients haven't scared you... here is the fun part!

 When you remove the packaging, the gummy is flat with a lot of ridges. You basically pull the gummies from their ridges. They aren't super easy to take apart, but once you get the hang of it, you will know how hard you should pull and where you should pull from.

tada!

This reminds me of Cheesestring, but it is sweet apple flavoured. The taste was really good! It was sweet but not very sweet. I highly recommend it!


score: 9/10!! (because there were only 7 inside T_____T)
website: https://www.uha-mikakuto.co.jp/catalog/gummy/gu106.html

an 11 episode story about this gummy: https://www.uha-mikakuto.co.jp/sakeru/ <-- check this page for the crazy advertisements they have for these gummies! (videos are located at the bottom of the page)

Shakey's Pizza guide and review

For ¥1480, you can eat as many slices of pizza as you can at Shakey's for 90 minutes... It might not seem like a lot of time, but it actually is... I get super full every time... in fact... I can hardly use up all 90 minutes (I usually stop after 65 minutes or so). Please check their website on different prices they have throughout the week.  (This post was NOT SPONSORED)

They have traditional pizzas like Pepperoni, cheese, Italian sausage.. etc 

they have stranger pizzas like Caesar Chicken, Alfredo pizza... (which sometimes can be good...)

and then they have super strange pizza like Apple Pie, Marshmallow, Strawberry and other savoury pizzas (which by the way is surprisingly good! I was doubtful... but after trying them... I was sold)

You also have other options like soup, spaghetti, pasta, salad, curry rice and corn chips (to take a short break from all that pizza)

Is it worth it?

I would say YES! It is very afforable... and a deal for all the pizza and food you are getting. They always refill the pizza and add new ones so the table is never empty. I also like that they had a variety of food for everyone ... from health edamame beans to jello to ... well... pizza.

This place is great for parties... but try to book in advance or go not at the prime time of lunch or dinner (which can get quite busy)

Everything is self-serve, so prepare to get your own water, utensils, napkins, etc.

Score: 9.5/10

Website: http://shakeys.jp/store/SHIBUYAUDAGAWA/en/

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